the pull of what shouldn't be
1204 Words
Chapter Two — The Pull of What Shouldn’t Be
Kael did not invite her closer.
Yet somehow, she was nearer than before.
Elara stood at the edge of the clearing now, boots sunk into damp earth, eyes fixed on him with a mixture of awe and unease. She didn’t look frightened—not truly. Curious, maybe. Drawn. That frightened him far more.
The bond pulsed again.
Kael felt it tighten like a living thing, a slow, deliberate pull that tugged at his chest and slid down his spine. His wolf leaned toward her, tail high, scenting. The vampire half sharpened its focus, cataloguing the rhythm of her heartbeat, the warmth beneath her skin.
Too much information. Too close.
“You’re shaking,” Elara said softly.
Kael hadn’t realized it showed.
“It’s cold,” he replied, too quickly.
She glanced at the moon overhead, then back at him. “You don’t look cold.”
He almost laughed at that. Almost.
“You should sit,” he said instead, gesturing toward a fallen stone near the ruins. “Just for a moment. Then I’ll show you a path back to the road.”
A lie. Or half of one. There was a path—but leading her away from him felt like trying to tear bone from bone.
Elara hesitated only briefly before nodding. She crossed the clearing, every step echoing in Kael’s awareness like a drumbeat. When she passed within arm’s reach, the bond flared hot and sudden, pain lancing through his ribs.
Kael turned away sharply, jaw clenched.
Control. Control.
She sat, rubbing her hands together. “Thank you. I didn’t expect to find anyone out here. Most people avoid these woods.”
“They’re right to,” he said.
Something in his tone made her look up again. Her gaze lingered, searching his face as if trying to read something written just beneath the surface.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He hesitated.
Names had power. Bonds even more so.
“Kael,” he said at last.
The way she said it back—testing the sound, gentle and careful—sent a shudder through him.
“Kael,” Elara repeated. “I’m glad I found you.”
He swallowed.
“You shouldn’t be.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with things unsaid. The moon climbed higher, its light bleaching the clearing silver. Kael felt the change creeping closer, the wolf stirring more insistently now.
He glanced at her again—and froze.
The bond had changed.
It wasn’t just pulling anymore. It was settling. Rooting itself into something deeper, threading through his instincts with frightening ease. Worse still, the chaos inside him—the constant war between hunger and fury—had dulled. Just a little.
Because of her.
Elara tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” he said honestly. “You.”
She blinked, then laughed softly, as if she thought he was joking. “I get that a lot.”
He didn’t smile.
Her laughter faded. “Okay. Not like that, then.”
Kael forced himself to meet her eyes. Up close, they were a strange shade—grey with flecks of gold, like storm clouds caught in sunlight. Not human eyes, he realized suddenly. Not entirely.
That realization landed with a slow, sinking dread.
“You said your car broke down,” he said. “Where?”
“About a mile south. Old road near the ridge.” She paused. “I was trying to walk back to town, but I must’ve taken a wrong turn.”
Of course she had. The forest didn’t let people wander into his territory by accident.
Kael exhaled slowly. Fate had a cruel sense of humor.
“I’ll take you part of the way,” he said. “But we leave now.”
Elara pushed herself to her feet. As she did, she swayed slightly—exhaustion, not fear. Instinct roared in Kael’s chest. He caught her elbow before she could fall.
The moment skin met skin, the bond snapped tight.
Pain ripped through him, sharp and blinding, followed by a rush of something dangerously close to peace. His wolf stilled. The vampire hunger receded to a distant murmur.
Elara gasped.
Her free hand flew to her chest. “What was that?”
Kael released her instantly, stepping back as if burned. “Don’t touch me.”
Her eyes widened—not in fear, but in confusion. “You felt it too.”
It wasn’t a question.
Kael turned away, fists clenched. If she knew—if she already sensed the bond—then things were worse than he’d thought.
“We’re leaving,” he said.
They moved through the forest quickly, Kael leading, Elara struggling to keep up. He adjusted his pace despite himself, positioning his body instinctively between her and every shadow.
She noticed.
“You don’t have to protect me,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” he replied. “I do.”
The words surprised them both.
They walked in silence for several minutes before Elara spoke again. “You live out here?”
“No.”
“You know these woods like you do.”
“I’ve had time.”
She frowned. “You don’t look old enough to have had that much time.”
Kael said nothing.
The road came into view at last, a pale ribbon cutting through the trees. Relief warred with something darker in his chest.
This was where he left her.
This was where he should walk away.
Elara stopped at the edge of the road. “Thank you,” she said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t run into you.”
Kael forced himself to take a step back. Then another.
“You won’t see me again,” he said.
Her brows knit together. “Why does that sound like a lie?”
Because fate was already laughing.
She hesitated, then reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. She held it out to him. “Just in case. If you ever… if you change your mind.”
Kael stared at it like it was a weapon.
He didn’t take it.
Elara’s hand trembled slightly as she lowered it. “Right. Of course.”
She turned to leave.
The bond screamed.
Kael moved before thought could stop him. “Elara.”
She turned instantly.
“If you feel… strange,” he said carefully, every word costing him. “If you dream of me. If you feel pulled back here—don’t come alone.”
Her breath caught. “So I will feel it.”
He said nothing.
She nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her eyes. “Then I guess this isn’t goodbye.”
“No,” Kael said, voice rough. “It isn’t.”
She walked down the road, her scent fading with every step. Kael stood there long after she disappeared, chest aching, instincts snarling.
The moon burned bright overhead.
And for the first time in a very long life, Kael Blackthorn was afraid—not of what he was, but of what he’d just found.
His true mate.
And everything he could lose because of her.
- Writer
