Chapter 3 – When Instinct Lies
893 Words
Aria kept her head down as she navigated through the tables, quietly collecting empty goblets left behind by the distracted nobles. The soft music playing in the hall helped to cover the tension still hanging in the air, like the aftermath of a storm that had passed but left the sky heavy with clouds.
Everything looked fine on the surface.
Yet something felt off.
Mate.
Her wolf repeated the word in her mind with a quiet certainty.
The bond hadn’t faded.
It hadn’t weakened.
If anything, it seemed more intense now that she was trying to ignore it.
With each step closer to the high table, she felt her heart rate shift slightly. Every time Kael's presence came within reach of her senses, something within her sprang to life.
Mate.
She carefully lifted another goblet and added it to her tray.
Focus.
Don’t think about him.
Don’t question why he hesitated.
Don’t dwell on what might have happened if he hadn’t pulled away.
“Aria.”
Mira's voice pulled her gently from her thoughts.
“You’re moving slower than usual.”
“I’m just tired,” Aria replied softly.
“You seem distracted.”
Aria didn’t argue with her.
Mira leaned in a bit, pretending to adjust the tablecloth.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Mira whispered.
Aria hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
“Yes.”
“And him?”
Aria stole a quick glance at the high table before looking away again.
“He felt something.”
“But not enough?”
“Not enough.”
Mira frowned, clearly troubled by this.
“That shouldn’t be the case.”
Mate bonds are instinctual.
They aren’t based on opinions.
They don’t hesitate.
Yet Kael had looked at her as though something about their connection didn’t quite add up.
As if his instincts had given him a message he couldn't trust.
"I just don’t understand,” Aria admitted quietly.
Mira scrutinized her face.
“Maybe he’s unsure.”
“Alphas shouldn’t be unsure.”
“Alphas are still wolves, though.”
Aria let out a soft sigh.
“Yes.”
But wolves take their instincts seriously.
That was what made this whole situation feel so precarious.
Across the hall, Kael listened intently as one of the elders discussed supply routes between territories. His face remained calm and attentive, but his mind wasn’t fully focused on the conversation. Instead, a quiet awareness hung in the background of his senses.
He could sense where she was in the room without even looking.
He didn’t need to see her to know when she moved.
Mate.
His wolf had reacted immediately.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Yet something within him resisted that conclusion, as if his instinct had reached out and hit a wall of hesitation.
“You’re unusually quiet tonight,” Elder Doran remarked.
“I’m just listening,” Kael replied evenly.
“And thinking,” the elder added knowingly.
Kael chose not to respond to that.
Beside him, Luca had been observing quietly.
“You want to look into the girl,” Luca said softly.
“Yes.”
“She doesn’t have a known origin.”
Kael’s fingers briefly halted on the armrest.
“That can’t be right.”
“Agreed.”
Every wolf within pack territory had a record. Lineage mattered. History mattered. Identity mattered. A wolf without a history was definitely unusual—especially one that was attracting this kind of instinctual recognition.
“She arrived six winters ago," Luca continued quietly, "but there's no record of which pack she came from.”
“Who approved her entry?” Kael asked.
“No signature listed.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. That was impossible. Pack borders were tightly monitored. Every entry documented. Unless someone had deliberately allowed an exception.
“Go on,” Kael urged quietly.
Luca nodded.
Across the hall, Selene watched their conversation with keen interest. Though she kept a polite smile while talking to one of the elders, her attention was clearly split.
Kael wasn’t easily distracted. Once he made a decision, he rarely wavered. But tonight, something had thrown him off balance, and that disruption could lead to danger.
Selene tightened her grip on the stem of her glass. A servant shouldn't be able to sway an Alpha's attention. A servant shouldn’t create doubt. And a servant definitely shouldn’t make instinct falter.
Aria moved to the far side of the hall, placing the last goblet on her tray with care. Her movements were calm, practiced, and nothing out of the ordinary. But her thoughts were anything but.
Mate.
Her wolf echoed the thought once more. But something felt off about their bond, like a door that was only half open, or a word that was only half spoken.
If their bond truly existed, why was the Alpha resisting it?
And if the Alpha was doubting his instinct, what did that say about their bond itself?
She adjusted her grip on the tray, feeling a wave of uncertainty. Uncertainty could be dangerous, as it often led to questions. And questions could attract attention.
Aria had always managed to evade attention in the past. But now, it had found her—not because of anything she’d done, but because her instincts had picked up on something that everyone else seemed to overlook. And when instincts take notice, it’s rarely without cause.
- Writer
