Chapter 1:The Encounter
1260 Words
The late afternoon sun cast a golden haze over Windhaven’s skyline, painting the city’s high-rises in a soft glow. The streets buzzed with activity pedestrians weaving between taxis, vendors shouting their prices, the thick scent of grilled meat and roasted corn clinging to the air. Despite the chaos, Kael Storm sat perfectly still in the back seat of his sedan, his expression unreadable as he stared out the tinted window.
He rubbed his temples slowly, feeling the weight of the day settle into his bones. Hours of back-and-forth negotiations had produced little progress. The deal with Azura’s infrastructure council a key part of his company’s expansion plans remained frustratingly out of reach. Local business leaders were stubborn, their demands masked in political undercurrents Kael didn’t have the time or patience for.
He could still hear Amari’s mindlink in his ear from earlier that day: “They don’t want outsiders dictating terms, especially not ones with accents and private jets.”
His lips curled into a faint smile. Amari never sugar-coated anything. It was why he kept her close.
Now, parked at a petrol station near the central business district, Kael was doing what he rarely allowed himself to do: pause. His driver/ friend, Zarek, and his security detail, Thane- also his friend, had stepped into the convenience store to grab snacks, while Amari stood just outside, scrolling through her phone but alert, she’s always alert.
Kael exhaled and leaned his head against the window. The world outside bustled. Cars honked. Vendors passed cold drinks through rolled-down windows. A child chased a loose football between pumps, stretching his legs it seemed. Everything seemed loud and close, yet he felt removed from it all as if floating in the in-between of his two realities.
And then he saw her.
She pulled up beside them in a dusty hatchback, a faint dent on the driver’s door the only sign of wear. She stepped out and stretched, lifting her arms above her head, eyes closed for a moment as she inhaled the warm air. Her dreadlocks were pulled into a loose bun that refused to be tamed, and a faded nonprofit logo peeked through the open collar of her blouse.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
She moved like someone grounded, unhurried by the noise around her. She greeted the petrol attendant with a wide smile, the kind that softened everything. And then she laughed- a sound light enough to reach Kael through his closed window.
His heartbeat stumbled.
There was something about her energy. Not just the easy charm or the way sunlight kissed her skin. It was something deeper. Primal.
She turned slightly and their eyes met.
Everything in Kael stilled.
The hum of the world faded; the noise sucked out of the moment. Her dark eyes locked with his, wide and startled, as if she felt it too, that sudden shift, the unexplainable pull. Recognition buzzed in his blood like static.
His wolf stirred.
He didn’t move. He didn’t blink.
Her gaze dropped abruptly, cheeks flushed, and she turned back to the attendant, fumbling for her wallet. Kael watched her movements, hyper-aware of every detail; the way her fingers trembled slightly, the tension in her shoulders. She felt it. Whatever this was, it wasn’t one-sided.
He was already halfway to opening his door when she glanced over again.
Their eyes met one last time- fleeting, sharp, like a spark flying across dry tinder.
Then she climbed into her car and drove off, her taillights merging with the evening traffic.
Kael sat back slowly, chest rising with a breath he didn’t remember holding.
Zarek opened the door moments later, a bag of snacks in hand. “Back to the hotel, sir?”
Kael didn’t answer right away.
Amari glanced at him through the open door. “You, okay?”
“I saw someone,” he said quietly, eyes still fixed on the street.
Thane raised an eyebrow. “A threat?”
Kael shook his head. “Not even close.”
Zarek looked amused. “You mean a woman?”
Kael said nothing, which was answer enough.
Amari leaned against the door. “We don’t have time for distractions, Kael. The board’s expecting updates. The city council’s being difficult. And don’t forget you promised to call your brother.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. Kade. His brother and Alpha of the Stormridge Pack. The reason Kael had been sent to Azura in the first place- handling international business while the Alpha kept the supernatural realm in order.
“I know,” Kael said, finally shifting back into the business persona that ruled most of his waking hours. “Let’s go.”
Still, as the car pulled back onto the road, his eyes remained fixed on the direction she’d gone.
Maya Adebayo tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as the traffic light lingered on red. Her heart was still racing, and she couldn’t figure out why.
The man in the black sedan. His gaze- dark, intense, unreadable- still lingered behind her eyes. She’d locked eyes with strangers before. This was different.
It had felt like… recognition. Like walking into a room and knowing someone without needing introductions.
She shook her head and exhaled. Ridiculous.
She was a single mother with a six-year-old daughter waiting for dinner and a mountain of work for the community center’s monthly report. She didn’t have time for handsome strangers who looked like they stepped out of a luxury magazine.
Her phone buzzed on the passenger seat. Nia.
“Hey,” Maya answered, putting the call on speaker.
“Where are you? You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”
“Petrol refill. I’m on my way.”
“You, okay? You sound weird.”
“I’m fine,” Maya lied. “Just tired.”
There was a pause on the line, the kind Nia always used when she didn’t believe her. “Is this about Zion calling again?”
Maya flinched. “No. Well… maybe. I don’t know.”
Nia sighed. “You know what I think. That man’s energy is toxic. But we’ll talk later. Just get here. We’re reviewing the youth grant proposals.”
“Copy that.”
Maya hung up and pressed her foot on the accelerator as the light turned green. She needed to clear her head. Focus. Zion had called twice this week after months of silence, and she wasn’t ready to deal with him. Not now. Not when she was finally finding her rhythm again.
And yet, the stranger’s eyes haunted her. Calm. Commanding. Like he could see straight through her.
Something about him made her feel both seen and unsettled.
“Get a grip, Maya,” she muttered under her breath. “You don’t even know his name.”
Back at the hotel, Kael stood in front of the massive windows of his suite, watching the city below turn to gold and shadow. He still hadn’t shaken the encounter. His wolf was on edge, pacing beneath his skin. Restless.
He knew what this feeling meant. Knew it from the stories. The ancestral pull that didn’t ask permission. The bond that came once in a lifetime.
A mate.
But she was human.
A beautiful, passionate, soulful human. And she had no idea what she was.
He didn’t know her name. But his wolf had sensed her.
Kael clenched his jaw and turned from the window. This wasn’t just about desire, it was something deeper. Something fated.
He would find her.
And when he did, the world as she knew it would never be the same.
- Writer
