The Space Between Us
1758 Words
Nobody was stationed outside the door, but Adalyn could sense movement further down the hall. Voices. Footsteps. Not close, but not too far either
Normally, she'd use her wolf's senses to help assess the threat. Try and work out how many people were nearby, how alert they were, but her wolf was quiet. Still buried under whatever lingering effects the wolfsbane restraints had left behind. She didn't feel absent, just more distant that usual. Not helpful, but sadly not unfamiliar.
Adalyn eased the door shut again and slowly let the handle click back into place. She turned, scanning the room with a sharper eye now. If she was going to make a run for it, she needed something. Anything. A weapon, a map, even just shoes.
She moved barefoot across the floor, every step careful as she crossed into a walk-in closet. Inside, she spotted her jeans. All washed and neatly folded on a low chair. No sign of her T-shirt. She remembered the rip, the blood. It had probably been tossed.
She stepped out of the borrowed shorts and pulled on the jeans quickly. The cream cami top would have to do for now. She looked around for anything else she could use.
There were drawers toward the back. She yanked one open. Empty. The next. Also empty. In the third, something caught her eye, a slim chrome letter opener. She ran her fingers over it. It probably couldn't do much damage, but it was better than nothing if things went sideways.
She checked the rest of the space, eyes scanning for anything useful. Nothing but old papers, linen, and a few hangers.
"Crap," she muttered under her breath.
She was just going to have to take her chances. If she moved quietly enough, maybe she could avoid anyone entirely and slip out without being noticed.
She was shutting the final cupboard when she heard it.
A crisp crunch.
Startled, she spun around and nearly jumped out of her skin.
Kaiden stood just inside the threshold of the walk-in closet, leaning against the doorframe like he'd been there the whole damn time. A green apple sat in one hand, the other resting casually at his side. He was chewing slowly, watching her with mild amusement.
She hadn't heard him approach. Not a creak. Not a step. His eyes flicked to her jeans, then to the letter opener sticking out of her pocket. Still, he said nothing. Just took another bite of his apple.
Adalyn slowly rose from the floor, tensing like prey that had just realised it was being stalked.
Kaiden was shirtless, a pair of loose black track pants slung low on his hips. His hair was tied back with a strip of red thread, a few strands escaping to frame his sharp jaw.
He bit into the apple with deliberate ease, his gaze tracking her movements without apology.
She watched the juice trail down his knuckle. Watched the way his tongue swept it clean.
Casual and incredibly seductive.
His face didn't give anything away, but the shift in his stance said enough. He could feel the effect he was having on her, and he liked it.
"Find what you were looking for?" he asked, breaking the silence. His voice low and warm, grazing over her skin like velvet.
She stiffened. "I was just making sure your form of hospitality didn't come with chains this time."
His mouth twitched, the ghost of a smirk hinting at his playful side. "And here I thought you were planning to rob me."
He didn't move closer. Not yet. He just watched her, head slightly tilted, studying every inch of her like she was something unexpected. A puzzle waiting to be solved.
The silence ebbed on.
She crossed her arms, trying not to bristle. “Enjoying the view?”
His gaze dipped on reflex—slow, unashamed—then rose to meet hers. The corner of his mouth tugged into something dark and amused.
“Very much.”
Her pulse stuttered.
It wasn’t a tease. It was a truth. One spoken without hesitation, without apology. And in that single beat, Adalyn felt seen in a way that made her skin prickle. Like his eyes weren’t just looking at her… they were unravelling her.
Kai saw the shift. The slight recoil. The way she clutched the sheet tighter around herself.
And he cursed inwardly.
Fuck.
That wasn’t how he meant it to land. He hadn’t meant to sound like a goddamn predator. But the truth was, his wolf was close to the surface. Too close. and he was watching her like prey. Like something he’d been denied for too long.
“You know I’m not going to hurt you, right?” he said, voice low but steady. His eyes flicked to the letter opener tucked in her back pocket, just for a breath. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”
Still, she didn’t speak.
Her silence burned hotter than any accusation.
Kai clenched his jaw.
The bond roared through his blood, ancient and primal and achingly certain. Every instinct in him screamed to claim her, to touch her, to earn her trust before his wolf did something reckless.
But she was pulling away.
And it gutted him.
“I get it,” he said finally, quieter now. “You don’t trust me.”
A breath passed between them. He studied her face, slower now.
"I just can't help but wonder if it's just me... or if that's just how you are with everyone."
She hesitated, then said, "Trust is earned"
His jaw ticked at that. Like he was seeing her for the first time through a different lens.
"It wasn't supposed to go like this," he said, exhaling hard. "Last night. Me bringing you here."
Her brow lifted. "You mean kidnapping me?"
He didn't deny it.
"I didn't have a plan," he said honestly. "Just instinct. Get you away from there. Talk to you without a dozen threats breathing down our necks."
"So you put me here," she said quietly, scanning the room again.
"Just somewhere quiet and safe. Away from all the noise."
Her gaze stayed on him. "And what now?"
Kai didn't know how to respond. He hadn't thought that far ahead if he was honest with himself. Her challenging stare was rattling him. It's like he had his hands caught in the cookie jar and was having to explain himself, but he didn't know how. He didn't have the answers yet.
Kai inhaled deeply then took a slow step forward. He rested the half of his apple on a cabinet then gestured toward her.
"Can I?" he asked, changing subjects and motioning gently to her hands.
She hesitated briefly, confused by reasoning, but then offered them up to him.
He took them in his, warm and careful. The contact of her hands in his felt reassuring. She was here in front of him. His wolf practically purred beneath his skin.
His thumbs swept over the backs, pausing where bruises had bloomed the day before. Not a trace remained.
"You heal fast," he murmured, eyes lifting to hers.
"Lucky me," she said, attempting dry humour, but it fell flat under the weight of his gaze.
"You're not what I expected," he said with a wry smile creeping back in to his lips
She would have taken that with offence had he not smiled at her so warmly when he said it.
"What did you expect?" she asked, the edge in her tone softened by curiosity.
He gave a slow shrug. "Honestly? I'm not sure. But I didn't think you'd keep looking at me like you're waiting to see what the catch is"
Adalyn's voice came out quieter. "Maybe I am."
"Why?"
She didn't look away. "Because nothing that feels this intense is ever simple."
A beat passed. Then he said, "I'm not here to claim you."
Her breath hitched whilst her stomach dipped. She should've felt relief. But instead, it felt like a door had quietly closed. One she hadn't even realised she was hoping would stay open
"I just want to talk to you. Get to know you. Figure this out... without forcing it."
Adalyn released the breath she didn't realise she was holding. This wasn't a rejection? Something lifted in her chest eased at the realisation. It was the gentleness in his voice. Or the way he looked at her like she wasn't just a bond to be claimed, but a person worth knowing.
And suddenly, that sliver of hope she'd buried beneath all her doubt stirred, fragile and new.
She searched his face. "You'd really wait?"
"Yes" he responded quickly without hesitation
She bit her lip. "Even if I decide not to?”
Kai had to hold back a grimace at the thought that that could even be a possibility in her eyes, but he knew he'd have to move cautiously with what he said to not have her fleeing from what this could be between them.
"Is that what you want?" he cut in, voice lower now. "To walk away from this before it even starts?"
She cursed herself inwardly. Why was her it nature to try and push him away?
She blinked, genuinely confused. "I don't know. I barely know you."
"Then let's fix that," he said simply. "No pressure. No chains. Just us. Talking."
Her walls wavered, not down, not yet but enough for the tension to thin between them.
"And for the record," he added, stepping just close enough for her to feel the warmth of him, I'm not going to pretend I don't feel this. It terrifies me how much I want you. But I'll never use that against you. I know this is all new for you. You need time to process it, and I can give you that. As long as it takes."
Adalyn swallowed hard. There he went again with his effortless declaration.
Kaiden's brow quirked, a faint smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. "You're still wary, which is understandable" he said, softer now. "But at least you're not running this time?" He tilted his head at the end of his playful question. Quite clearly a reference to her running of in the square before.
She rolled her eyes, but the flush in her cheeks gave her away.
He didn't laugh. Just watched her a beat longer, then tilted his head toward the door.
"Come and eat something. I brought food."
"Is that a peace offering?" she asked.
He smiled. "Let's call it a bribe."
- Writer
