CHAPTER 3 THE LYCAN KING'S CLAIM
633 Words
Aria couldn’t move.
The words echoed in her mind, heavy and impossible to ignore.
My mate.
Her chest tightened as the bond pulsed again, stronger this time, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to her alone. She took a shaky step back, her eyes locked on the man standing before her—the Lycan King.
Kael Draven.
“No…” she whispered, shaking her head. “That’s not possible.”
Her voice came out weaker than she intended, but her wolf stirred restlessly, pacing beneath her skin. It knew. Even if her mind refused to accept it, her wolf had already recognized him.
Kael tilted his head slightly, studying her reaction with calm intensity. “You feel it,” he said, his tone certain. “The bond does not lie.”
Aria swallowed hard. Of course she felt it. It was overwhelming—nothing like what she had felt with Logan. That bond had been gentle, like a quiet pull. This… this was consuming.
“I was already rejected,” she snapped, a flicker of anger breaking through her fear. “I’m not going through that again.”
Something dark flashed in Kael’s eyes.
“I am not him,” he said, his voice dropping dangerously low.
The air around them shifted, heavy with power. Aria’s breath caught as an invisible pressure wrapped around her, forcing her to acknowledge the difference. Logan had been an Alpha. Strong. Respected.
But Kael… Kael was something else entirely.
A sudden growl echoed from the trees.
Aria stiffened, her head snapping toward the sound. Shadows moved between the trunks—low, fast, circling. Her wolf reacted instantly, fear mixing with instinct.
“What is that?” she whispered.
Kael didn’t look away from her. “Rogues,” he said simply. “And they’ve already picked up your scent.”
Her heart dropped.
Before she could react, a pair of glowing eyes lunged from the darkness. A massive wolf burst into the clearing, teeth bared, followed by two more.
Aria stumbled back, panic surging through her veins.
“Stay behind me,” Kael ordered.
“I’m not weak,” she shot back, even as her voice trembled.
One of the rogues lunged.
Everything happened too fast.
Aria’s instincts kicked in. She raised her hand without thinking—
—and a sudden burst of energy exploded from her.
The rogue was thrown back violently, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.
Silence fell.
Aria stared at her hands, her breath coming in sharp gasps. “I… I didn’t—”
Kael turned to her slowly, his expression no longer calm.
It was intense. Focused. Almost… impressed.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
The remaining rogues hesitated, growling uncertainly before retreating into the shadows.
Aria’s heart pounded as the forest grew quiet again.
“What… what was that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kael stepped closer, his gaze never leaving her. “That,” he said, “is power.”
She shook her head, backing away. “No. I’m just an omega—”
“You are not ‘just’ anything,” he cut in sharply.
His voice held authority, certainty… truth.
Aria froze.
“For an omega to repel rogues with raw force alone,” he continued, his tone quieter now, “means only one thing.”
Her throat went dry. “What…?”
Kael stopped in front of her, close enough that she could feel his presence, strong and overwhelming.
“You are far more than your pack ever told you,” he said.
The bond between them pulsed again, stronger than before.
Aria’s chest tightened.
Nothing about her life made sense anymore.
Not the rejection.
Not this power.
Not him.
And yet… for the first time, she wasn’t just afraid.
She was curious.
- Writer
