Claimed By The Enemy
1535 Words
Chapter 2
Claimed by the Enemy
POV: Aria
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Opening Hook
I should have run the moment he said I was his.
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I stepped back.
“No,” I said again. My voice was shaking, but I forced the word out. “You don’t understand. This… this can’t happen to me twice.”
He didn’t move.
His eyes stayed on me. Calm. Dark. Certain.
“It already has,” he said.
My chest tightened. I wrapped my arms around myself.
“I was rejected,” I said. “Do you hear me? He didn’t even think twice. He just… threw me away.”
Something changed in his expression.
Not pity.
Not softness.
Something colder.
“Then he is a fool,” he said.
I let out a small, bitter laugh.
“You don’t know him,” I replied. “He is the strongest Alpha in this territory. He can do whatever he wants.”
“And yet,” he said quietly, “he let you go.”
The way he said it made my heart beat faster.
Like I wasn’t something worthless.
Like I was something rare.
I shook my head.
“You don’t get it,” I said. “I’m not like other girls. I’m not strong. I’m not trained. I’m nothing.”
He took one step closer.
“That is not what I see.”
His voice was low. Firm.
It made something in me tremble.
“Then you’re wrong,” I whispered.
“I am never wrong about what belongs to me.”
The words hit me hard.
Belongs.
I should have hated that word.
But I didn’t.
And that scared me more than anything.
---
“I don’t even know your name,” I said quickly, trying to regain control.
He watched me for a moment before answering.
“Kael.”
The name felt heavy.
Like it carried power.
“Kael…” I repeated softly. “Why are you here?”
“I came for something,” he said.
“What?”
His gaze sharpened.
“You.”
I shook my head immediately.
“No. That’s not possible. You didn’t even know me before tonight.”
“I knew enough.”
My heart skipped.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he studied my face like he was searching for something.
Then he said, “Tell me what happened.”
I hesitated.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
His tone was not loud.
But it was not a request.
I swallowed.
“I met him here,” I began slowly. “At this same place. I felt the bond. My wolf woke up for the first time in my life.”
My voice shook.
“I thought… I thought it meant something.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“And then?” he asked.
I looked away.
“He rejected me,” I said. “Just like that. Like I was nothing.”
Silence filled the space between us.
Then—
“Did he touch you?”
The question caught me off guard.
“What?”
“Did he touch you after he felt the bond?”
“No,” I said quickly. “He didn’t even come close.”
Kael exhaled slowly.
Like that mattered.
Like that changed something.
“Good,” he said.
I frowned.
“Why does that matter?”
His eyes met mine again.
“Because you are still mine to claim.”
My breath hitched.
“That’s not how this works,” I said.
“It is for me.”
Something felt wrong.
Not in a bad way.
In a confusing way.
“Why are you so sure?” I asked. “Most Alphas don’t even care about mates. They just take what they want.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“I am not most Alphas.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
He stepped closer again.
This time, I didn’t step back.
“I have been looking for you,” he said.
My heart skipped again.
“That’s impossible.”
“It is not.”
“How could you be looking for me when I didn’t even know my wolf existed?”
“Because your existence was hidden,” he replied.
I froze.
“What?”
“You were kept away,” he continued. “Untrained. Unseen. Unnoticed.”
My mind raced.
How did he know that?
“Who told you that?” I demanded.
“No one needed to tell me,” he said. “I knew what to look for.”
“For what?” I asked.
His gaze dropped slightly… then lifted again.
“For someone rare.”
A strange feeling crept into my chest.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Hope.
“All my life,” I said slowly, “I was told I was nothing.”
“They lied.”
“Then what am I?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence made my heart pound harder.
“Kael,” I pressed, “what am I?”
Before he could speak—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
A branch snapping.
My body went still.
Kael’s expression changed instantly.
His eyes turned cold. Alert.
“Someone is here,” I whispered.
“I know.”
His voice dropped.
“Stay behind me.”
My chest tightened.
“I don’t want trouble—”
“You already have it.”
Footsteps approached.
Fast.
Heavy.
And then—
He appeared.
Alpha Adrian.
My heart stopped.
His eyes locked onto me first.
Then shifted to Kael.
And everything changed.
The air turned dangerous.
“You,” Adrian said slowly.
Kael didn’t react.
But I felt the tension in him.
Like a storm waiting to break.
“Adrian,” Kael replied.
The way he said his name…
They knew each other.
My stomach dropped.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Adrian said.
“I go where I want.”
Adrian’s gaze darkened.
“This is my territory.”
Kael’s lips curved slightly.
“And yet, your mate is standing with me.”
The words hit like fire.
Adrian’s eyes snapped to mine.
“What did he just say?”
I couldn’t speak.
My throat felt tight.
“He is lying,” Adrian said quickly. “Aria, come here.”
My body didn’t move.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe I was scared.
Maybe I was confused.
Or maybe…
I didn’t want to go.
Kael’s voice came low beside me.
“Don’t.”
Just one word.
But it held weight.
Power.
Choice.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Aria,” he said, more forcefully now. “Come. To. Me.”
I flinched.
My wolf stirred again.
But this time…
It didn’t move toward Adrian.
It stayed still.
Focused.
On Kael.
Adrian noticed.
And his expression changed.
Shock.
Then anger.
“What did you do to her?” he demanded.
Kael’s voice stayed calm.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It is not my fault you couldn’t see her worth.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Adrian’s fists clenched.
“You think you can just walk into my territory and take what is mine?”
Kael’s eyes darkened.
“She was never yours.”
The words hung in the air.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Adrian turned to me again.
“Is this true?” he asked.
I opened my mouth.
But no words came out.
Because I didn’t know the answer.
Everything felt too fast.
Too confusing.
Too much.
“Aria,” Adrian said, softer now. “You don’t understand what he is. He is not someone you should be near.”
My chest tightened.
“And you are?” Kael cut in.
Adrian ignored him.
“He will use you,” Adrian continued. “That’s what he does.”
Kael let out a low laugh.
“And what did you do?” he asked. “You rejected her.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“That was different.”
“Was it?” Kael’s voice sharpened. “Or was it convenient?”
I looked between them.
My heart was racing.
“What is going on?” I asked. “Why do you both sound like you already know everything about me?”
Neither of them answered.
That scared me.
“Tell me!” I shouted.
Kael looked at Adrian.
Then back at me.
“You deserve the truth,” he said.
Adrian stepped forward.
“No.”
Kael ignored him.
“You are not just a Beta,” he said.
My breath caught.
“You carry Alpha blood.”
The world tilted.
“What?”
Adrian’s voice came sharp.
“Stop.”
But Kael continued.
“Your wolf was suppressed. Hidden. Controlled.”
I shook my head.
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“Then why didn’t anyone tell me?” I demanded.
“Because if they did,” Kael said, “you would become a threat.”
A cold feeling spread through me.
“A threat to whom?”
This time…
Adrian answered.
“To everyone.”
Cliffhanger
My heart pounded as their words sank in.
If I am truly something powerful… then why did my own Alpha reject me instead of protecting me?
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