CHAPTER 4; The Alpha’s Restraint
1183 Words
Kamari’s Pov;
The first thing I felt was heat.
My body ached like I’d been dragged through fire. When I opened my eyes, the ceiling above me spun slowly, dark beams shifting in and out of focus. My breath came out rough.
I wasn’t in my room.
I tried to sit up, but my head throbbed. A hand pressed gently on my shoulder.
“Don’t move.”
Reis.
He was sitting beside the bed, head lowered, hands clasped like he’d been praying or trying not to break something.
“What happened?”
My voice sounded small.
“You passed out.” His tone was low, controlled too controlled. “Found you on the balcony. You shouldn’t have been outside.”
“I saw something.” I swallowed hard. “A man. A rogue. Behind you.”
His jaw tightened.
“There was no one there when I got to you.”
I shook my head.
“I’m not making it up, Reis.”
He finally looked at me. His eyes were tired but sharp.
“I didn’t say you were. But whatever you see, whatever’s happening to you, it's connected to your blood. You need to be careful.”
“My blood?”
He leaned closer.
“Keturah told me about last night. About the light. You’re not just a wolf, Kamari. You’re something more, and right now, that makes you a target.”
The words hit me like a punch. I wanted to argue, but deep down, I knew he was right. Something was changing.
“What did the council say?”
I asked quietly.
He stood, pacing. His movements were sharp, restless.
“They want to question you. Officially. They’re already sniffing around about the guardian oath. If they find out what you are…” He stopped, running a hand through his hair. “They’ll tear you apart to understand it.”
I sat up fully, ignoring the dizziness.
“Then what do we do?”
His gaze found mine.
“We lie.”
The way he said it calmly, sure, like he’d already decided made my heart twist.
Before I could ask more, Rheya burst in. “Reis!” She looked shaken, pale.
“You need to come. Now.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Silas. He’s with the council messenger. They’re asking questions about Kamari.”
Reis’s eyes darkened.
“Of course he is.”
I started to get up, but he turned sharply.
“You’re not coming.”
“I’m not staying here either.”
“Kamari…”
“I’m not hiding in a room while they decide my fate.”
Something in me snapped. Maybe it was fear, maybe pride, maybe the fire that came from being tired of being protected. Either way, I walked past him before he could stop me.
We reached the main hall. Silas stood near the council messenger tall, cold-eyed, acting too calm for someone who should’ve been nervous.
“…we just need to confirm the terms of the guardian oath,” the messenger was saying. “And if it’s still valid.”
Silas smiled slightly.
“The Alpha hasn’t renewed it in years. I’m afraid it may already be void.”
Reis’s voice cut through the room like thunder.
“You overstep.”
“Do I?” Silas asked, looking bored. “I’m just serving the pack’s best interest. The law must be followed.”
I clenched my fists. The way he said it “the law” made my skin crawl.
Reis moved closer to him. “You think the council’s law means more than mine?”
“I think the council has questions about why you’ve kept a ward past her oath,” Silas said smoothly. “Questions that could cost you your title.”
Reis’s wolf flickered in his eyes quick, dangerous.
“You forget your place.”
The messenger stepped between them, nervous.
“Alpha Vyxen, please”
“Get out,” Reis growled, voice dropping to that low, commanding tone that made the whole room still. “Now.”
The messenger hesitated only a second before leaving. Silas stayed a little longer, like he wanted to push one more button, then smiled faintly and walked out too.
The silence that followed was sharp.
Rheya exhaled, shaking her head.
“He’s testing you, Reis.”
“He’s betraying me,”
Reis muttered, almost to himself.
When he looked at me again, something in his face had changed. The wall he always hid behind it cracked. Just a little.
“You shouldn’t have come down here,”
he said.
I stepped closer.
“And what? Let him talk about me like I’m some problem you need to fix?”
His eyes softened for the briefest second.
“You’re not a problem. You’re the reason I’m losing control.”
The words hung between us. My chest felt too tight, like the air had turned thick.
“Reis…”
He turned away, pacing again.
“I’ve spent years trying to keep this line this distance. You were a child then, it was simple. But now…” He stopped, looking at me like he was fighting something inside. “You shouldn’t look at me the way you do.”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
“That’s the problem,”
he said quietly.
I took another step forward.
“Then stop pretending I am.”
He went still. For a moment, the world did too. His breath hitched. The wolf inside him stirred. I could feel it.
I should’ve stopped. But I didn’t.
I reached for his hand, the same way I used to when I was younger, when I was scared. His fingers didn’t move, didn’t pull away. Just tense.
“Reis,” I whispered. “I’m not scared of you.”
He looked up then, eyes glowing faint green. “You should be.”
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t soft or gentle. It was everything he’d been holding back years of restraint breaking in one heartbeat. His hand slid to my neck, his breath shaking against my mouth. I felt his control slipping, the wolf inside him clawing to the surface.
I kissed him back because I couldn't. My body didn’t listen to reason anymore.
Then he pulled back fast, like he’d burned himself. His chest heaved.
“This can’t happen again.”
I wanted to say something but footsteps echoed down the hall.
Rheya’s voice came first, quiet and broken.
“You kissed her.”
We both froze.
She stood at the end of the hallway, eyes wide, betrayal written all over her face.
“The council’s going to destroy you for this.”
Reis turned toward her, his voice low but shaking.
“Rheya, listen…”
She shook her head and ran before he could finish.
He didn’t move. Neither did I. The only sound was the wind through the cracked window.
When he finally spoke, his voice was almost a whisper
“It’s over.”
He looked at me like it hurt to breathe.
“They’ll come for you now.”
- Writer
