Chapter 8: The Alpha Who Returned
660 Words
The Stormfang border alarms triggered just before sunrise.
Three unfamiliar wolves.
One in a tailored suit, his presence smug and unmistakable.
Liam Blackfang.
Kael arrived at the gate in less than a minute, shirtless, barefoot, his wolf just beneath the surface and ready to rip.
Jace stood beside him. “Should we run them off?”
Kael’s voice was cold. “Not yet.”
Liam crossed his arms, smirking. “I’m here for Aria.”
Kael’s wolf surged.
“She’s not yours,” Kael said, his tone flat.
Liam shrugged. “She was. Still might be.”
That did it.
Kael’s fist slammed into Liam’s jaw so fast the other wolves barely had time to react. Liam hit the ground, coughing blood.
“She’s under my protection,” Kael growled. “And if you so much as breathe her name without her permission again, I’ll tear your throat out.”
Aria was in the training ring when the scent hit her.
Familiar.
Bitter.
Rotten.
Her heart dropped.
Nyra her wolf snarled inside her.
“He’s here.”
“Who?” Jace asked, seeing the shift in her eyes.
“My past,” she whispered.
Jace's expression hardened. “Stay here.”
But Aria was already moving.
By the time she reached the border, Kael was standing over a bleeding Liam, chest rising and falling like a caged storm.
Liam looked up, dazed then saw her.
“Aria.”
She stopped dead.
He stood slowly, wiping the blood from his lip.
“You look… different.”
“I am different,” she said coldly.
He stepped forward.
Kael immediately blocked him. “You’re done talking to her.”
“Aria,” Liam said, ignoring him. “I made a mistake. I was young. I was angry. I”
“You cheated on me the night we connected,” she snapped. “You rejected me while I was on the floor, screaming from the pain you caused. Save your speech.”
“I never stopped thinking about you.”
“I did,” she said. “Right after I ran and chose myself over you.”
Liam looked stunned.
Then… desperate.
“You belong with me. We were mates.”
“I have a new mate,” she said softly.
Kael stiffened.
It wasn’t a lie.
It wasn’t a full truth.
But it was enough.
And Liam’s face crumbled.
“I’m not yours anymore,” she added. “You threw that chance away.”
Kael stepped forward. “You heard her.”
Liam hesitated.
Then… he turned, shifted, and ran.
Coward.
The ride home was quiet until Kael finally spoke.
“You said I’m your mate.”
Aria looked out the window. “You are.”
“But you didn’t accept it.”
“Because I’m scared.”
He nodded. “So am I.”
She looked at him, startled.
Kael didn’t do fear.
Didn’t admit fear.
And yet… here he was, raw, honest, eyes locked on hers.
“What are we doing, Kael?”
“Whatever this is,” he said softly, “it’s real. I feel it every time you breathe near me. Every time someone else looks at you. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”
Aria swallowed. “So mark me.”
He blinked.
“I’m not ready to accept a full bond,” she said, voice shaking. “But… I want to be yours. I want to try.”
Kael’s wolf surged.
He reached out slowly, fingers brushing her neck.
And then finally his lips found hers.
Possessive.
Hungry.
Claiming.
She melted into him, every broken piece of her soul wrapping around his like they were meant to fit.
He didn’t bite her.
Not yet.
But as he whispered into her ear, voice low and shaking with restraint, she knew the moment was coming.
“Soon,” he promised. “You’ll wear my mark. And the world will know who you belong to.”
- Writer
