16.
906 Words
The word Princess didn’t land like a greeting.
It landed like a blade.
My body went completely still in Kael’s arms.
Even the bond seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, like it didn’t know how to react to what had just stepped out of the darkness.
The man stood beneath the trees like he had always belonged there.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Wrong.
His silver eyes reflected the moonlight in a way that made my skin crawl. Not because they were unfamiliar—
But because they were not.
They were the same as mine.
Exactly the same.
Kael tightened his hold on me instantly.
I felt it through the bond before I even saw it.
Alarm.
Instinct.
Threat recognition.
Mine.
The word didn’t feel like thought anymore.
It felt like a reflex inside him.
The stranger tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was something he had been searching for a very long time.
“Well…” he said softly. “You look weaker than the stories said.”
Something inside me snapped at that.
“Who are you?” I asked, voice unsteady.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
“That depends on which name you remember.”
Silence crashed into the clearing again.
Even the warriors behind Kael didn’t move.
Theron stepped forward slowly, his expression colder than I had ever seen it.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The man glanced at him briefly.
“Oh, I should.”
His gaze returned to me.
“Especially now.”
Kael’s voice dropped dangerously low behind me.
“Step away from her.”
The stranger finally looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Like Kael was something mildly interesting standing in his way.
“You’re the Alpha,” he said casually.
Kael didn’t respond.
The stranger smiled again.
“Not bad,” he added. “For someone standing between her and what she actually is.”
The bond reacted instantly.
Sharp.
Painful.
Confused.
I flinched slightly.
Kael felt it immediately.
His arms tightened protectively again without hesitation.
The stranger noticed.
And smiled wider.
“Oh,” he murmured. “So it’s already started.”
Theron’s voice cut through sharply.
“What do you want?”
The man exhaled slowly.
“Want?” he repeated, almost amused. “That implies choice.”
He took one step forward.
Every wolf in the clearing tensed instantly.
Even Kael’s warriors shifted into attack stance.
Kael didn’t move away from me.
Not even slightly.
The stranger stopped.
The forest itself felt like it was holding its breath again.
“I didn’t come for you,” he said finally, looking at Kael. “I came for what you’re holding.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“She’s not yours.”
A soft laugh escaped the man.
“No,” he agreed. “She isn’t.”
Then his gaze softened slightly as it returned to me.
“She’s ours.”
The bond exploded violently.
Pain.
Heat.
Confusion.
I gasped sharply.
Kael immediately adjusted his grip, grounding me again.
The stranger’s eyes flickered slightly at the contact.
Interest.
Recognition.
Then something darker.
“Interesting,” he murmured. “The bond is still incomplete.”
Theron went still.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“You know about the bond.”
The man finally sighed as if the conversation was becoming slightly tedious.
“I helped create it.”
The entire clearing froze.
Even the wind stopped.
I felt my heart drop.
“What?” I whispered.
He looked at me again.
And for the first time, his expression wasn’t amused.
It was almost… disappointed.
“You really don’t remember anything,” he said quietly.
Theron’s voice turned sharp.
“You’re lying.”
The man didn’t even look at him.
“I wish I was.”
Kael stepped forward slightly, placing himself more directly in front of me.
Fully protective now.
Alpha energy flared.
Dangerous.
Commanding.
But the stranger didn’t react like a normal wolf would.
He didn’t bow.
He didn’t flinch.
He simply observed Kael like one would observe a lock on a door.
“I see why she chose you,” he said.
Kael’s eyes darkened.
“I didn’t choose anything.”
The stranger smiled faintly.
“That’s the funny part.”
A pause.
“She didn’t either.”
The bond pulsed again.
Hard.
Wrong.
Like something inside it was reacting to words I didn’t understand.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
It felt too tight.
Too full.
Kael noticed instantly.
His voice softened slightly.
“Lira.”
Just my name.
But it steadied me.
The stranger’s gaze flicked between us.
“Protective already,” he murmured. “Even after rejection.”
Kael’s expression sharpened.
“What do you know about that?”
The man tilted his head again.
“More than you.”
Silence.
Then—
He took one final step forward.
This time, Kael growled low in his throat.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Warnings rippled through the warriors behind him.
But the stranger only smiled.
And when he spoke again, his voice dropped lower.
Almost gentle.
“You didn’t reject your mate, Alpha.”
A pause.
“You interrupted a bond that was still forming.”
The world tilted.
My breath caught.
Kael went still.
Completely still.
And in that silence—
The stranger looked directly at me.
“And now,” he said softly, “it’s waking up in ways none of you are prepared for.”
- Writer
