Chapter 8: Tangled In His Arms

Kaima

Was the shelf high and the books too far from my reach? Yes. 

Would I still try to get it? Still yes.

That's how stubborn I could be, especially when my mind is set on something.

I stretched my body, my foot shifting against the rung, and suddenly the ladder jolted. My breath hitched as gravity yanked me down. I braced myself for how hard I was going to hit the ground.

But that never happened.

Instead, I crashed into warmth, strong arms wrapping around me with unshakable certainty. My eyes snapped open and widened as I saw who caught me.

Nathan.

His face hovered closely over mine, sharp edges softened by the way his gaze pinned me, wild and conflicted, panic written all over his face even when he looked calm. My chest rose and fell rapidly, and his grip tightened as if letting go wasn’t even an option.

For a moment, it felt like time stopped. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat thundered against me. The heat from his body seeped into my skin, his scent overwhelming, pulling at something deeper inside of me I refused to admit to myself.

I swallowed hard as his grip on me tightened, heat spreading through my entire body as his hold on me became firmer. His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as if he was fighting a silent battle within himself.

“What’s going on here?”

That soft melodic voice snapped me back to reality, and my heart sank before I even turned.

Elizabeth stood at the edge of the hallway, radiant as always, her grace enough to silence a room—but her expression was unreadable.

The way her gaze flicked between us, lingering on the way Nathan still held me, made my stomach sink.

I quickly pulled away from his hold, my feet finding the ground, but Nathan didn’t immediately let go. When he finally did, his hands dropped softly from mine. His expression wasn’t showing any particular emotion, but I felt the way his heart raced.

“I… I almost fell,” I stammered quickly, heat rushing to my cheeks. “The ladder slipped, and lucky for me, Alpha Nathan was close enough to catch me before I could hit the ground.”

Elizabeth smiled, sweet and soft, but I caught the glimmer behind it, the kind that was a warning in secret.

“Oh, how lucky of you,” she said, stepping closer towards us, that smile never leaving her face. Her arm brushed against Nathan’s lightly, possessively. She was warning without using words. She turned to me with that angelic smile. “Nathan is dependable like that, always taking care of… others. He is such a great man I feel so blessed he's Mine.”

Her words were sweet, her tone gentle, but each syllable felt like a poisonous chain reminding me of my place. Nathan belonged with her.

I dropped my gaze, forcing my voice steady. “Thank you, Alpha,” I whispered, bowing slightly before moving to step past them.

But even as I walked away from them, I still felt his eyes linger on me. My skin still burned from his touch—and how right it felt to be in those arms.

“Kaima.” I heard him call my name, his voice hoarse, and I froze in place before turning to face him.

“Get ready—you’ll be following me to the office in an hour.”

My throat felt dry, but I managed a quiet, “Yes, Alpha.”

Elizabeth’s presence lingered long after I had left the hallway. The way she interlocked her hands with Nathan, just the thought of it annoyed me and Nyx. The way she looked at him with certainty in her eyes stung more than we’d like to admit.

Because for a heartbeat, before she arrived, I’d thought Nathan and I shared a moment.

Something unexplainable.

____________

The drive to the office was quiet. It was like both of us were trying our possible best not to talk about what had happened in the hallway. I kept looking out the window. New York was actually a very beautiful place I wondered why I had never really visited.

The car came to a stop in front of a massive building. “We’re here,” he said before opening his door and stepping out.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, and before I could reach for my door, he was already there, opening it for me

“Thank you," I said with a small smile.

He led me into the office building, and I couldn't stop looking around. It was elegant, the kind of place that instantly made you feel small.

All of this belonged to him? Damn, it just went to show how wealthy and powerful Nathan truly was.

I followed closely behind him, the soft click of my shoes echoing off the polished floors.

People’s gazes flicked to me—some with curiosity, others with indifference—but I kept my head high, avoiding all their stares.

When we finally reached his office, I froze for a second. It was huge, elegant and commanding, just like him. Floor-to-ceiling windows spilled in the sunlight, the city stretched out beneath us like something from a dream. The walls were lined with shelves, neat and organized, and the air itself felt powerful, almost heavy.

And now, I was seated across from him, watching his mouth move as he explained what I needed to know about real estate. I couldn’t concentrate, all I saw was just his mouth moving. I felt a sharp ache of jealousy gnawing at me. This felt ridiculous. I had no claim over him, no right to feel this way, and nothing was going to change that.

“Kaima… do you understand what I’ve been saying?” he asked, pulling me back from my haze.

I nodded quickly. “Yes, I do.”

I tried to focus on some of the documents in front of me that only needed a signature, but I couldn’t. It was my first day, and it already felt like I was drowning.

I opened the folders, the words looked like gibberish. I looked at the contacts, names, addresses. Real estate wasn’t what I knew, but all I had to do was sign. I was fumbling, desperately trying to keep my composure.

Nathan stood up quietly as if noticing my confused state. He walked slowly and stood behind me, patiently walking me through some of the more tasking documents after I managed to sign off the ones earlier. My brain became foggy as his scent wrapped around me.

His voice was low and steady, but his closeness…damn, It was too much. I thought I couldn’t concentrate before, but this was worse. His hands softly brushed mine when he pointed at something. His sleeve brushed my arm when he leaned over to show me something on the desk. Every accidental touch sent a shiver racing down my spine, making it harder to breathe.

I noticed how his jaw locked, his gaze dark, the tension between us was unbreakable. 

Suddenly, It felt like working for him was a bad idea.

I felt suffocated, as if the walls were closing in on me, and I wasn’t sure I could survive another day under his closeness.

And then his gaze shifted, from the papers down to my exposed arm.

The same arm he had gripped earlier when I almost fell.

His eyes lingered on it, his jaw tight, and there was a flicker of something in his eyes that I couldn’t place my hands on. Anger? I wasn’t sure.

He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped. His fingers twitched, as if fighting back the urge to run his hand over it but he didn’t.

Finally, his voice came out low and strained. “I never should have grabbed you so hard.” His eyes moved everywhere, but they didn’t meet mine. “I… I’m sorry, Kaima.” His gaze finally met mine, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

The apology caught me off guard. Alphas weren’t the kind to apologize, especially when they just saved you from breaking a couple of bones—he should be rubbing it on my face, making me feel indebted to him. 

But Nathan—he just kept Unraveling in ways I didn't understand.

I nodded quickly, pretending to be focused on the papers in front of me, but the truth was my heart was actually somersaulting in my chest.

No matter how much I told myself it was nothing, that this dude was already mated, and that nothing could ever happen between us— my heart kept betraying me.

And deep down, I knew that whatever this was—was only just beginning.