CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST NIGHT

Elara woke to the sound of her own heartbeat and the weight of someone watching her.

The fire had burned down to glowing embers. The room was cooler now, but the furs still held heat, his heat. Kael lay on his side facing her, one arm tucked under his head, silver eyes open and unblinking. He hadn’t moved since she fell asleep. Had he slept at all?

“You’re staring,” she whispered.

“You’re breathing,” he answered, as if that explained everything. “I like listening to it.”

She pulled the fur higher, suddenly aware of how close they were. The bed was enormous, yet he made it feel small. His presence filled every corner of the room, every inch of her awareness.

She tried to sit up. His hand shot out, not rough, but firm and caught her wrist, keeping her where she was.

“Not yet,” he said. “Stay.”

“I need water. And… a moment alone.”

He studied her face for several long seconds. Then he released her and rolled onto his back, arms folded behind his head, displaying every hard line of muscle and scar without a trace of self-consciousness.

“Through that door,” he said, nodding toward a smaller archway she hadn’t noticed before. “Bathing room. Fresh water. Towels. Don’t try the outer door. It’s guarded.”

She slipped out of bed quickly, grateful for the thin shift she still wore. The stone floor was cold against her bare feet. She crossed to the bathing room without looking back.

Inside was luxury she had never seen; a deep copper tub already filled with steaming water, shelves of oils and soft soaps that smelled of lavender and something earthier, a wide mirror framed in dark iron. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing hard.

Her reflection stared back, pale, wide-eyed, lips still faintly swollen from the claiming kiss in the clearing. A small red mark bloomed on her jaw where his thumb had pressed. Not a bruise. A claim.

She washed quickly, scrubbing away the dirt of the forest and the sweat of fear. When she stepped out again, wrapped in a thick towel, Kael was sitting up in bed. He had pulled on loose black trousers but nothing else.

He watched her walk toward him like a wolf tracking a deer that had wandered too close.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He patted the space beside him. “Come back.”

She hesitated only a second. The alternative was the cold floor or standing there shivering. She climbed in, keeping a careful distance.

He didn’t allow it.

One arm slid around her waist and pulled her against his side. She stiffened. He didn’t force more, just held her there, her head tucked under his chin, his heartbeat steady against her ear.

“Relax,” he murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you tonight.”

“Then why does it feel like I’m in danger?”

“Because you are.” His fingers traced slow circles on her shoulder through the towel. “Not from me. From everyone else.”

She swallowed. “The pack.”

“They think a human weakens me. Weakens us. Some of them will try to prove it.”

“And you’ll let them?”

“No.” The word came out like a growl. “Anyone who touches you dies. Slowly.”

She turned her face up to look at him. His expression was hard, but his eyes, those silver eyes, held something softer. Something almost pained.

“Why do you care so much?” she asked quietly. “You don’t know me.”

“I know the bond.” He brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek. “It doesn’t lie. And right now it’s screaming that you’re the only thing standing between me and losing control of everything I’ve built.”

She didn’t know what to say to that.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, soft, lingering. “Sleep again. Dawn comes fast.”

She closed her eyes. His arm stayed around her. His scent wrapped her like smoke. Against every instinct, her body slowly relaxed into him.

Just before sleep took her again, she heard him whisper against her hair.

“You’re safe with me, Elara. Even when I’m the most dangerous thing in the room.”