THREE: The Man In The Shadows

"There you are,"

              The stranger's deep, velvety voice gave me a terrible shock right down my spine. I gazed at him, my feet grounded to the earth, absolutely paralyzed. His golden eyes fastened on mine, studying me with a fierceness that caused my heart to pound against my ribs.

               Who was he? And why did he sound like he had been looking for me?

               The moonlight caught the man's face entirely as he moved another step forward. He was amazing. Dark hair, a strong jawline, sharp, gorgeous features, and eyes unlike any I had ever seen defined him. They looked practically old; they weren't like everyday wolf eyes.

                  I gently got up, forcing my shaky legs to help. 

"Who are you?"

                  The stranger's piercing stare turned only a little. 

"You actually do not know me?"

                I started shaking my head. Something complex flashed across his face: astonishment then a flicker of real humor that followed quickly.

"Interesting," he murmured.

                Crossing my arms defensively, I frowned. 

"What's interesting?"

               Rather than responding, he copied my pose and crossed his arms across his broad chest. 

"You're a long way from your pack territory." His voice possessed a natural, strong weight that automatically demanded compliance. Normal circumstances would have caused me to head right now.

Tonight, however, was not typical. My destined companion dumped me like garbage tonight. My whole life had just crumbled, and I was much too broken to give my manners any thought.

"So are you," I shot back, flinging the words back at him.

               One dark eyebrow raised up. At first, I felt a surge of fear, asking if I had just fatally upset him, but then a slow, real smile showed on his face. It radically altered his appearance and made him look extraordinarily gorgeous.

"You're bold."

"No," I answered, a sharp edge flowing into my voice. "Tonight is really the worst of my life."

                 His face darkened, the delight vanishing right away. 

"I know."

"You know?" I gasped.

"Your rejection almost vibrated the whole forest." His jaw squeezed.

                 A new wave of humiliation washed over me, searing hot in my chest. The ceremony had been public, and you couldn't cover the psychic echo of a broken bond. By now perhaps everybody knew.

                I averted my gaze, fighting back tears. 

"I am not interested in discussing it."

"Then do not."

                I was taken aback by the quick response. Most would have offered empty sympathy, pointless advise, or worse, stifling sympathy. Rather, he just took my line unchallenged.

                 I was studying him as the woods all around grew silent. The man appeared strong enough to lead armies. Standing still, he projected an entire dominance that no Alpha in my pack could possibly equal. Not even Damian. 

                 The idea brought back a terrible, physical discomfort in my chest.

                 The stranger did not miss it. 

"You still love him."

                I stiffened, my defenses slamming back up. 

"That's not any of your concern."

"No, it isn't," his golden eyes narrowed somewhat, "but it is your weakness."

               My sadness was burst with rage. 

"I just got turned down!"

"And still you're mourning a boy who opted to insult you," he said, his voice flat.

               The words cut deep because they were absolutely true and I despised him for it. I despised the way a total stranger could see right through me in minutes after meeting me.

               A loud, synchronized howl resounded across the woods before I could react. My body became completely still. It was pack warriors, and they were searching.

               The stranger heard it as well, his eyes turning slits right away. 

"Your pack."

              I nodded weakly. 

"They're looking for me."

              But something seemed wrong. The howl's aggressive tone hadn't seemed frightened or hurried. It was the call of hunters monitoring prey.

              The stranger came to the same conclusion. Stepping a little in front of me, protecting me, his face hardened into stone. "Stay behind me."

"What?" I blinked, not sure.

                Before he could clarify, branches broke fiercely close. Heavy, quick footsteps came and three wolves rushed out from the brush into the Clearing, changing back into human form as they broke the perimeter. They were the pack warriors. Until I saw their faces, my head flashed with a little second of relief. Finding me still alive did not soothe them. They seemed irritated.

                 The lead warrior stepped forward, his eyes locked on me. 

"At last we found her."

                My stomach sagged. 

"What do you mean?"

               His jaw set. 

"Alpha Damian wishes you be brought back."

               The wording made me shiver. Not 'escorted', not 'safeguarded', but 'returned'. As though I was a criminal fleeing a crime scene.

              The stranger moved entirely into the line of sight of the warrior. The pack warriors stopped dead as they really faced the man in front of me. The leader turned pale right away, and the fighter behind him seemed quite terrified. They recognized him.

              My bewilderment grew much worse. How come they knew him?

               The main warrior swallowed heavily, his voice unexpectedly losing all of its aggression. 

"Sir..."

              The stranger just stared them down, uttering nothing at all. The warrior's hands started to clearly tremble. Who on earth was this man?

              The leader compelled himself to continue talking despite his fear. 

"We... we have orders."

               At last, the stranger talked, his voice dangerously quiet. 

"From whom?"

               Sweating now, the warrior paused. 

"Alpha Damian."

               The clearing's temperature felt like it dropped twenty degrees. The golden eyes of the stranger froze solid. 

"And if she refuses?"

               None of them replied. That oppressive silence told me all I had to know. The command was a forced extraction, not a request. Though Damian had publicly rejected me, he still believed he owned me.

               The stranger turned over his shoulder toward me. 

"Do you want to go back?"

"No," the response was immediate. It was first time all night that I felt absolutely confident. I was done asking for scraps of love from a pack hated me. I was done letting others set my value.

            The stranger gave a single, strong nod, then turned back to the quivering mem. 

"You already have your answer."

             The leader clearly panicked and moved forward carelessly. 

"Sir, please help me; we can't go without her. Orders from Alpha—"

              The stranger answered with just one step forward. His aura changed right away and crushingly. The warriors almost tossed themselves back, as genuine, unadulterated fear etched on their faces. These were trained warriors who were recoiling like terrified youngsters.

               That was when I at last understood. No normal Alpha could scare seasoned fighters with one look. No common wolf possessed this degree of total, terrible obedience. As the parts fell together, my heart started to beat faster.

                 Only one guy in the whole supernatural world possessed enough strength to cause a reaction like this. The man everyone in the pack whispered about in terror. The ultimate king of the shifter realm. The Lycan King.

                 I gazed at his broad back, a gasped-breath whisper escaping me. 

"No..."

               His golden eyes swung back to me, the edge of his lips turning into a small, knowing grin. 

"You've figured it out."

                I gasped in throat. He was Kael Draven, the Lycan King. The most strong and deadly creature alive, and I had just informed him his affairs were none of his concern.

                 The warriors promptly fell to their knees, profoundly head bowed, none of them brave enough to meet him eye to eye. The leader spoke up, his voice cracking. "Your Majesty... we intended no disrespect."

                  The word 'majesty' spun in my head's barren areas, making me feel really ill. The scary tales told around the pack fires failed him justice. If anything, they altogether underplayed the sheer, commanding weight of his presence.

                   Kael stayed fixed on the men kneeling. 

"Leave."

                The order was not yelled. There was no need for it. It bore the weight of absolute law.

                  The warriors never gave it a second thought. They hastily backed into their wolf form and vanished into the deep woods within seconds.

                   The profound silence came back to the clearing. I just stared at Kael, totally unable to process the absurdity of the situation. Standing here, in the middle of nowhere, with me, was the Lycan King.

                 His severe look changed a little. 

"You're staring."

                  I gazed downwards as heat surged fiercely to my cheeks. 

"Sorry."

                   He gave a little, amused noise. 

"Most folks are afraid of me."

"I think I could be," I said frankly.

                  His chuckle caught me off guard. The sound caused my pulse to jump; it was deep, mellow, and highly alluring. And for the first time since Damian had shattered my world, a little, genuine smile pulled at the edges of my lips.

                  Kael's face altered the second he spotted it. His golden eyes darkened, focused and intense, as though my little smile disturbed him far more than it should have. The unexpected change unnerved me greatly.

                   Neither of us said anything. Now, the air between us felt utterly different—charged, thick, and pulsating with a strange, electric current. Deep inside my chest, my wolf moved with an unknown, gasping excitement rather than from pain or fear.

                    With deliberation, Kael moved slowly closer. Then still another one closing the distance until he was towering above me. Every logical instinct told me I should back away from the most dangerous predator on Earth, yet I remained perfectly immobile. His eyes swung rapidly back to me, but first they drooped somewhat to my lips. The intimacy of it was dizzying.

"Aria."

                      Hearing my name fall off his lips gave me a peculiar, electric thrill right to my core. 

"Yes?"

                His eyes were fixed and strong as they held mine. Then he said the words that turned my whole life's course.

"You are not who you think you are."

                 My heart stopped dead. 

"What does that mean?"

                 Kael's face grew quite illegible, a shadow of enigma going over it. 

"It means your story is much bigger than a rejected mate bond."

                   The wind grew stronger, whirling the dead leaves around our feet; the forest appeared to be holding its breath. Suddenly, I realized that my nightmare wasn't ending, it was just evolving into something much bigger.