The Beast's Desire

Chapter 8: Stirring Tides

Kael stared at the city skyline from the balcony of his penthouse suite, a crystal tumbler of scotch in his hand. The late-night breeze from the Windhaven coast rolled through the open doors, whispering against his shirt. His wolf was restless beneath his skin, pacing, urging, hungering for more of Maya. The second date had gone better than he could have hoped. She had opened up to him, shared more about her life, her daughter, and even her pain. But the weight of the secret he still held pressed heavily on his chest.

He hadn’t told her. Not yet. Not that he was a werewolf. Not that he was from the Stormridge Pack. Not that he wasn’t just some wealthy businessman but a supernatural being bound by laws and loyalties she couldn’t yet imagine. The words had hovered on his tongue, aching to be spoken, but fear held them back. He didn’t want to scare her away. Not when the bond between them was blooming, not when her presence had finally calmed the part of him that had always felt untethered.

Kael downed the last of his drink and turned back into the suite. He needed clarity. He needed to speak with someone who understood the pull of the mate bond. He grabbed his phone and texted his sister-in-law, Mila. As the Luna and Seer of the Stormridge Pack, and a woman from another pack, she had once walked the very path.

Kael: Can we talk? I need your perspective on something.

Her response came quickly.

Mila: Of course. Let’s talk in the morning.

Maya sat on the edge of her bed, her laptop open but ignored. Amina was fast asleep beside her, a small arm thrown over her stuffed giraffe. The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast soft shadows across the room, but Maya’s thoughts were far from peaceful.

Kael.

There was something about him that she couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t just his looks, though those didn’t hurt. It was the way he listened. The way he made her feel like she was the only person in the world when he focused on her. The way her heart pounded when he smiled.

But she couldn’t shake off the discomfort from earlier that day. Seeing Zion again had been jarring. Having him push for dinner had set her on edge, and yet, part of her had agreed because she wanted to be done with the tension that always lingered between them. She hadn’t expected him to walk in at that exact moment. Kael had seen her discomfort. She wondered what he thought. Would he believe she was playing both sides? Would he question her loyalty, her integrity?

She sighed and closed her laptop, reaching for her phone. No new messages from Kael. She bit her lip and typed one anyway.

Maya: Hey. Thanks again for tonight. I really enjoyed it. Hope you got home safe.

She stared at the screen for a moment before hitting send.

Kael saw the message just as he was slipping into bed.

Maya: Hey. Thanks again for tonight. I really enjoyed it. Hope you got home safe.

He smiled despite himself, his wolf’s ears perking up.

Kael: I did. And I enjoyed it too. I’ll call you tomorrow?

Her response was instant.

Maya: I’d like that.

**************

The late afternoon sun filtered through the slatted blinds of the café in central Windhaven, casting soft golden stripes across the worn wooden floors. Kael sat at a table tucked into a quiet corner, nursing a coffee he’d long since stopped sipping. His gaze remained fixed on the entrance, distracted by thoughts of Maya. Their last encounter had left him in a state of restless contemplation. He needed answers and perhaps even more, he needed to give her some of his own.

Windhaven, a bustling city with whispers of magic woven beneath its sleek surface, offered enough anonymity for a werewolf like Kael. But the closer he got to Maya, the more he feared the fragile balance of his two worlds tipping into chaos.

Mila, his pack’s head seer and trusted confidante, had visited earlier that morning, drawn by the shifting energies Kael had stirred. “Your aura has changed,” she’d murmured, brushing her fingers across his shoulder. “The bond is awakening.”

He’d stiffened. “It’s too soon.”

“Maybe. But the bond chooses, not you.”

Kael had barely managed a nod. Mila’s presence had stirred memories of the supernatural realm; the one he’d had to leave frequently behind to serve the pack in the human world. Now, both worlds were colliding, and Maya was the epicenter.

He was pulled from his reverie when his phone buzzed. A message from Maya lit up the screen.

Maya: “Dinner tonight?”

He smiled, typing back quickly.

Kael: “Name the place. I’ll be there.”

Maya paced the narrow hallway of her apartment, heart pounding. Amina was with her friend Tumi for the evening, giving Maya rare free time. But it wasn’t just any night. This dinner with Kael felt… pivotal.

She checked herself in the mirror, adjusting the soft emerald wrap dress she’d chosen. It hugged her curves but still felt like her; confident, not overdone. But it was her thoughts, not her outfit, that made her hesitate.

Zion.

Ever since he'd seen her and Kael together at the café, his behaviour had shifted from passive annoyance to low-grade possessiveness. That afternoon, he’d shown up at her workplace uninvited.

“We need to talk,” he’d said, eyes hard.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she’d replied, voice firm.

“I’m Amina’s father, Maya. I have a right to know who’s sniffing around my daughter.”

The irony of his sudden interest after vanishing when Amina was four months old wasn’t lost on her. But his presence had rattled her. Especially because he knew nothing of Kael’s true nature and she herself still only sensed there was more to him than he let on.

Still, she had agreed to meet Kael. Because part of her wanted to know more about him, too.

The restaurant they chose, Emberlight, sat on the edge of Windhaven’s artistic district. Chic, intimate, and dimly lit, it was perfect for stolen glances and quiet conversations. Kael arrived early again, and when Maya entered, his heart stuttered. She looked radiant, her aura more vivid than ever.

They greeted each other with a warmth that hovered just above flirtation. The waiter led them to a private booth.

Over a shared bottle of red wine and roasted aubergine starters, their laughter began to flow. Kael found himself entranced not just by Maya’s beauty, but by her fire; her stories about community organizing, the challenges of single motherhood, and her dreams of building a community advocacy centre.

“I used to think I needed to prove I could do everything alone,” she admitted, swirling the wine in her glass. “But lately, I’ve realized that doesn’t mean I have to be alone.”

Kael nodded slowly. “I understand that more than you know.”

A beat of silence passed between them.

“Maya,” he began, voice low, “There’s something about me you should know. Something… different.”

Her eyes flicked up. “Different how?”

Kael hesitated, the words clawing at his throat. But revealing his nature wasn’t a casual confession. It came with consequences. And fear.

He shifted. “I will tell you. Soon. But first… I want to understand more about where you stand with him.”

Maya’s brow furrowed. “Zion?”

Kael nodded. “I saw you two at the restaurant last week. You looked… uncomfortable.”

Maya sighed, setting down her fork. “He wants to act like the last six years didn’t happen. Like he didn’t leave us. He’s suddenly trying to reinsert himself, but only now that he sees someone else cares.”

“And do you care?” Kael asked, voice quiet, but intent.

Maya met his gaze. “About you?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

“I do,” she said finally. “I don’t know what this is yet, Kael. But it feels… real. Different.”

Kael’s chest tightened. The bond pulsed between them, just beneath the surface. Even his wolf stirred, urging him to close the space, to claim her, to tell her everything.

But she wasn’t ready. And neither was he.

Their entrées arrived, temporarily diverting the emotional tension. They shifted to lighter topics - travel, music, the absurdity of Windhaven’s parking fines.

Later, when they stepped out into the cool night, Kael offered his arm, and she took it without hesitation.

“I’d like to see you again,” he said, voice earnest.

“You will,” Maya replied, smiling.

As he watched her drive away, Kael exhaled deeply, his heart pounding with a strange mix of dread and hope.

Tonight, he’d nearly crossed a line. Soon, the truth would come. But for now, he’d savor the moments they still had in the fragile space between the worlds.

And somewhere in the distance, Mila stood in the shadows of Windhaven’s moonlit streets, watching Kael with knowing eyes. She whispered into the wind, “It’s already begun.”