chapter 5: want more
1288 Words
Moonlight filtered through the open windows of the Alpha’s estate, bathing the room in silver. The night was silent save for the ticking of the antique clock and the uneven rhythm of Kael’s breath. He stood at the edge of Lyra’s door, hand curled into a fist, struggling against the unbearable pull of her presence.
She was asleep.
Or at least, he hoped she was. It was safer that way—for both of them.
But gods, how he wanted to see her.
He didn’t enter. Not yet. He leaned against the doorframe, heart hammering in his chest. The curse burned at the edge of his control, a painful, smoldering reminder that touching her could destroy them both.
And still, he wanted to.
That alone terrified him more than any enemy pack or looming war ever had.
---
Earlier That Evening
After the emotionally charged moment they’d shared in the greenhouse, Lyra hadn’t said much. She was quiet during dinner, barely nibbling her food, though her eyes kept flitting toward Kael’s side of the table. His restraint had left her shaken, but it had also sparked something else in her: trust.
And curiosity.
Why hadn’t he taken what he clearly desired? Why did he keep choosing pain, restraint, over indulging the hunger in his eyes?
She didn’t understand it yet, but she wanted to.
So when she caught him watching her again across the candlelight, his jaw tight and his fists clenched under the table, she met his gaze directly.
“Why don’t you ever let yourself just feel?” she asked softly, the words barely audible over the flickering flames.
Kael’s eyes darkened. “Because what I feel could kill you.”
The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the low growl of thunder outside. Rain began to tap softly against the windows, nature mirroring the storm inside Kael’s chest.
---
Now
Lyra wasn’t asleep.
She sat on the edge of her bed, legs curled beneath her, the moonlight painting her hair silver. Her fingers ran along the scar on her wrist—the one Kael had once touched so gently it had made her chest ache.
She’d never seen anyone suffer from love the way he did.
And she was beginning to feel it too.
A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Lyra…” came Kael’s deep voice.
Her heart jumped.
“I can’t sleep,” he admitted, voice raw.
Neither could she.
She opened the door slowly, unsure of what she’d find—but Kael had already turned away, as if afraid to see her face. Or afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
“Come in,” she said softly.
He hesitated.
“I trust you.”
That broke something in him. He stepped inside, his large form dominating the room even though he stood perfectly still, tense, as though holding himself together with sheer willpower.
Lyra sat back on the bed, motioning to the space across from her. “You can sit. I promise I won’t bite.”
He let out a dry chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s the problem, little wolf. I might.”
---
They talked.
For hours.
About things that had nothing to do with curses or packs or pain.
She told him about her favorite flowers. He told her about the time he fought a bear to protect a wolf pup, only to get scolded by the Elders for interfering with nature. She laughed—really laughed—and Kael looked at her like he’d just discovered sunlight.
Then, without realizing it, they’d grown closer.
She reached for his hand instinctively.
He jerked away, pain flashing through his eyes. “Don’t.”
Lyra flinched. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—”
“No,” Kael said quickly. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
He looked down, ashamed. “Every time I want to touch you, my body screams for it. My wolf howls for you. But if I do… if I lose control…”
Lyra stood and stepped closer to him, ignoring the voice in her head warning her to stop.
“Then don’t lose control,” she whispered. “Let’s just feel. Together. A little at a time.”
Kael’s breath caught in his throat.
She was so close.
The scent of lavender and wild forest clung to her skin, drugging him. He closed his eyes and let the sensation wash over him.
“I want you,” he said hoarsely. “So badly it hurts. But I would rather live every night in torment than see you burned by my curse.”
Lyra’s chest tightened. “And what if I told you I’m already burning?”
Kael opened his eyes.
Something inside him snapped.
Slowly, carefully, like a man defusing a bomb, he reached out—but stopped just inches from her face.
“I would give you everything,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I would burn for you. Kill for you. Die for you.”
Lyra’s breath shook.
“Then show me,” she challenged gently. “Without touching. Show me you mean it.”
---
What followed was the most intimate hour of her life.
Kael never laid a finger on her—but he showed her his soul.
He pressed his lips to the air near her skin, tracing invisible kisses along her jawline, breathing in her scent like it was the only thing anchoring him to this world. He whispered words she’d never heard before—soft, ancient things in the language of wolves that curled around her heart like vines.
He looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
And Lyra… she was trembling, not from fear, but from something deeper. A hunger that mirrored his.
“Do you feel it too?” she asked breathlessly.
Kael nodded. “Every inch of me. Every second.”
The tension coiled around them like a rope pulled too tight.
Still, he didn’t touch her.
Instead, he stepped back—barely.
“Good night, Lyra,” he said softly, voice strained. “Sleep. Before I make a mistake I can’t take back.”
And with that, he left.
---
Later That Night
Kael stood under the freezing spray of the shower, growling low under his breath.
His hands trembled.
His chest heaved.
He hadn’t touched her, but gods—he’d wanted to. He still did.
His wolf was clawing to get out, screaming at him for being a fool. For walking away. For not claiming her right then and there.
But Kael clenched his jaw and forced himself to breathe.
He would not ruin her.
He couldn’t.
---
Meanwhile
Lyra lay in bed, heart racing, skin tingling from ghostly touches that hadn’t happened—but still left her scorched. Kael’s words played on repeat in her mind:
“I would die for you.”
She believed him.
And worse, she was starting to believe she would die for him too.
---
The Next Morning
Lyra awoke to the scent of pine and leather—and a tray of breakfast at her bedside. Warm muffins. Herbal tea. Fruit slices arranged into the shape of a wolf’s paw.
A note sat next to it, written in a bold, slanted hand.
> “You looked tired. Eat well, little moon. —K”
Her cheeks flushed.
She hadn’t realized how deeply Kael’s gentleness had sunk into her bones until now.
It was soft. Thoughtful.
And somehow, that made it even more dangerous.
She was falling for the cursed Alpha.
And she didn’t know if she could stop.
---
End of Chapter 5
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