Chapter 7: A Road Toward Unknown
1083 Words
The carriage did not feel real.
Neither did the soft leather seats, the warm lantern light, or the fact that no one had shouted her name to carry dishes in the last hour.
Destiny sat rigidly across from Alpha King Kael Draven, hands folded in her lap, trying not to touch anything expensive.
Old Nora had fallen asleep beside her within fifteen minutes of departure, snoring lightly against a pile of travel blankets.
Traitor.
Outside, wheels rolled over the stone road in steady rhythm while mounted guards kept pace. Through the curtained window, the night flashed by in silver trees and moonlit fields.
Inside, silence stretched.
Not uncomfortable exactly.
But dangerous.
Kael looked maddeningly at ease, one arm resting along the seat, long legs extended slightly. He had removed his gloves. His hands were scarred.
That detail unsettled her more than his title.
Powerful men were not supposed to look touched by life.
She realized she was staring.
“You study people often?” he asked without opening his eyes.
Heat rushed to her face.
“No.”
“A liar already.”
“I was looking at your hands.”
That made his eyes open.
Silver caught lantern light like sharpened metal.
“And?”
“They don’t match your reputation.”
“What part?”
“I expected them softer.”
He barked a short laugh.
The sound transformed his face for a second—less king, more man.
“Most people expect blood.”
“Do they get disappointed?”
“Usually.”
Destiny hated that she wanted to smile.
She looked away first.
The pulse beneath her ribs stirred again.
Stronger now that he was near.
She pressed a palm lightly to her chest.
Kael noticed.
“You feel it too.”
It was not a question.
Destiny tensed.
“I don’t know what I feel.”
“Honest at last.”
She frowned.
“Must you speak like every sentence is a challenge?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It saves time.”
Despite herself, she laughed softly.
Then stopped, startled by the sound.
Kael watched her carefully.
“You do that too rarely.”
“No one says funny things around me often.”
“I’ll have my council flogged for inefficiency.”
She stared.
He remained expressionless for three full seconds.
Then one corner of his mouth lifted.
She gasped.
“You were joking.”
“Don’t spread it around.”
Something loosened inside her.
Not trust.
But tension.
Dangerous enough.
---
Near midnight the caravan stopped beside a river clearing.
Royal guards moved efficiently—checking perimeter, lighting controlled fires, preparing food.
Destiny stepped from the carriage and nearly stumbled when fresh air hit her.
The world smelled cleaner away from Crescent Moon territory.
Pine.
Water.
Rain-soaked earth.
Freedom, perhaps.
Kael’s hand caught her elbow before she fell.
Warm.
Steady.
He released her instantly.
“You need food.”
“I need dignity.”
“That was lost when you almost greeted dirt.”
Old Nora cackled from behind them.
“I like him.”
“You would,” Destiny muttered.
“I like anyone who annoys you intelligently.”
---
Dinner was simple by royal standards: roasted meat, bread, fruit, hot tea.
Destiny hesitated before eating.
Years of being watched while taking too much had trained caution into hunger.
Kael noticed.
“Eat.”
“I am.”
“You are negotiating with a grape.”
She glared and took a proper bite of bread.
His guards carefully looked elsewhere.
Old Nora was openly delighted.
After the meal, the camp settled quieter.
Destiny wandered a short distance toward the riverbank, needing space.
Moonlight silvered the water.
She crouched and touched the surface.
Cold.
Real.
Behind her, footsteps approached.
She knew before turning.
Kael.
“You move quietly for someone who enters rooms like war,” she said.
“I contain multitudes.”
“That sounded rehearsed.”
“It was terrible. I regret it already.”
She smiled before she could stop herself.
Then sobered.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“Which one?”
“Why me?”
He stood beside her, gaze on the river.
“When I was seventeen, a seer told me my mate would come wrapped in disgrace and carrying old power.”
Destiny blinked.
“That sounds ridiculous.”
“It was an expensive prophecy.”
“You believe it?”
“I believe many things.” He looked at her then. “But I do not build decisions on riddles.”
“Then why come?”
His voice lowered.
“Because last night I felt pain across three territories.”
The pulse in her chest jumped hard.
“I followed it.”
Emotion rose too quickly to name.
No one had ever crossed a room for her willingly.
This man crossed lands.
She looked away.
“That still doesn’t explain why you care now.”
Silence.
Then—
“I’m trying to understand that myself.”
Honest again.
More dangerous than lies.
---
A howl split the night.
Not one of Kael’s guards.
Wrong pitch.
Wrong distance.
Every warrior in camp moved instantly.
Kael was already in front of Destiny before she stood fully.
“Inside the carriage.”
“What is it?”
“Inside.”
Another howl answered, closer.
Then three shadows burst from the tree line.
Rogues.
Wild-eyed, half-shifted, moving with desperate hunger.
Guards collided with them in a blur of claws and steel.
Destiny stumbled backward.
One rogue broke through, charging straight toward her.
She froze.
Too fast.
Too close.
Kael moved like violence given shape.
He intercepted the rogue mid-lunge, one hand locking around its throat with brutal precision. The attacker clawed wildly.
Kael snapped its neck one-handed.
The body dropped at Destiny’s feet.
She screamed.
Kael turned instantly.
Not angry.
Assessing.
“Are you hurt?”
She could not speak.
Blood spread dark across the grass.
The pulse in her chest exploded.
Silver light burst from her hands.
A shockwave slammed outward.
Every torch in camp flared white.
The remaining rogues were thrown backward as if struck by invisible force.
Even Kael staggered half a step.
Silence crashed down.
Destiny stared at her glowing palms.
The light vanished.
Her knees buckled.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground.
For the first time since meeting him—
The Alpha King looked stunned.
And when he spoke, it was barely above a whisper.
“What are you?”
- Writer
