Cael

Cael’s POV

The vampire landed with a nasty crack, and I didn’t let him get up. I slashed his chest open, and the air reeked of blood. He hissed and thrashed, but he was finished.

I heard her gasp behind me.

Hana.

My mate.

My focus split instantly. Half of me was still on the bloodsuckers, but the other half burned knowing she was there. Her scent, lavender, rain, wild magic, cut through the chaos and almost broke me.

“Do you always pull vampires out of alleys for kicks?” she asked, her voice shaky with adrenaline. Still stubborn, even when death was staring her down.

I almost laughed. “You think I asked them over?” I tore into another one as he jumped. He hit the wall hard enough to dent the brick. “Heads up, little witch, Duskreach isn’t safe.” Is this her first time coming out to Duskreach? Didn’t she know how fucked up this place is?

“And you're safer than this city?!” she shot back. I could hear some fear in her voice, but she didn’t back down.

Of course, she didn’t.

The third vampire slid towards her, his eyes were wild and hungry. I snarled and lunged towards it. But Hana threw her hand out first, and light flared from her palm. A bright burst of crackling magic sent the bloodsucker stumbling backward, hissing.

I froze.

She shouldn’t have been able to do that, not here and definitely with the wards the Crescent Moon alpha had placed around this city. It’s why witches kept to their lands, away from Duskreach

. But she had. And it was powerful.

More questions poured into my mind. Who was she really? A witch who was meeting up with someone to give them whatever was in that bag.

She glanced at me, chest heaving, eyes wide and bright with fury. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re not the only one with tricks.”

Gods, she was stubborn, reckless, and gods damn infuriating.

The vampire roared, lunging again. I stepped in, slamming him down with a snarl that shook the air. My claws dug into his throat until he went limp. The silence afterward was sharp, the kind of silence that made the wolf inside me restless.

I turned to her. Hana’s magic still flickered at her fingertips, painting her hazel eyes gold. She looked… untouchable.

Terrified.

Beautiful.

“You’re insane,” I muttered, stepping closer. “You could’ve been killed.”

“Could’ve? You dragged me into this,” she shot back, shoving the bag higher on her shoulder. “I was minding my own business until a leather-booted wolf decided I looked suspicious.”

I bit back a growl, running a hand through my hair. “Suspicious doesn’t even cover it. That bag you’re hauling around could get you slaughtered in this city. Do you even know what’s inside it? Because of the looks of it, little witch, it was meant to be passed to someone powerful, like the alpha of Duskreach.”

Her jaw tightened, lips pressing into a thin line. “It’s none of your business.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “None of my—? You just lit up half the block with witch fire. You think no one noticed? The High Witch, the alpha, fuck every being in this city and nearby could have seen your power.”

She shoved past me, brushing my shoulder like a dare. “Then I’ll deal with it. Alone.”

The wolf in me snarled at the word alone. My hand shot out, gripping her elbow before I could stop myself. Her heat burned through my palm, and gods, the bond clawed at me, demanding I pull her closer.

Fuck this.

She turned, eyes flashing, daggers in her eyes, with the faintest tremor in her breath. “Let me go!”

I held her for one beat too long, then forced my hand to release her. My wolf howled in protest.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, witch,” I said quietly, watching her storm down the sidewalk, chin lifted like she owned the night.

She didn’t look back.

There were wards, an old magic that surrounded the car she climbed into. Not subtle ones either, these were the kind of enchantment that hummed at the edge of my senses, prickling like static against my skin. Protective, cloaking. My guess? To keep its location hidden if she was followed. Whoever had crafted them was skilled, and more importantly, ancient.

Not her.

Someone was watching over her.

I should have grabbed that damn bag. Every instinct screamed at me to take it when I had the chance, to rip it from her stubborn little hands and find out who she was working for, what the hell she was carrying, and why she had magic strong enough to cut through city wards.

But I hadn’t.

Because the wolf inside me hadn’t let me.

Instead, I’d let her storm off with fire in her veins and fury in her eyes, like I was the enemy and not the bastard who’d just kept her alive.

Damn it all.

I flexed my hands, shoving my claws back beneath my skin, though it felt like peeling off armor. The wolf inside me snarled, restless, unwilling to let her go. And gods, that bond clawed at me with a ferocity I hadn’t felt in years.

Mate.

The word tore through me like a blade. I ground my teeth until my jaw ached.

No.

Not possible.

Not her.

The gods wouldn’t curse me with a witch. And yet… the pull was there, undeniable and cruel.

I cursed under my breath, dragging a hand down my face.

She disappeared down the road, the SUV’s engine growling low before melting into the night. The sound echoed long after she was gone, leaving me alone with blood cooling on the pavement and corpses dissolving into ash at my feet.

I looked at the shadows where the vampires had emerged. If they were prowling here, in numbers like this, it meant trouble. Big trouble. They’d smelled her. They’d wanted her. That wasn’t a coincidence.

And that bag…

Something about it had rattled them. Or maybe it was her. A witch with that kind of raw power in the middle of wolf territory was like a lit beacon to every predator in Duskreach.

I should’ve dragged her to safety. I should’ve forced answers out of her. I should’ve done a hundred different things.

Instead, I’d let her walk away.

“Fuck,” I muttered to the empty street.

My wolf growled in agreement. It didn’t like the separation, didn’t like the distance. The animal wanted me to follow, to track her scent and stay at her side until every threat was dead and buried.

But I wasn’t ruled by instinct. Not fully.

I shoved the thought down and turned away from the road, heading back toward the bar. If I couldn’t have her or that bag, then I’d find out what she’d been tangled in another way. Someone in that dive bar had answers, and if not, I guess I have a way to let out some steam.

Still, as I stalked through the quiet streets, the night closing in around me, I couldn’t shake the ghost of her scent. Lavender, storm rain, wild magic. It clung to me, threading into my lungs like smoke, and no matter how deep I breathed, I couldn’t burn it out.

I’m sure I’ll see her again, I just don’t know if I’ll see her as an enemy or a mate. Witches and I have a long history together. Especially the High Witch.