The Reaction
1006 Words
Amaris barely had time to react to those harsh words.
The world spun suddenly… and everything went black.
Her body collapsed without warning.
“Amaris.”
Kael’s voice wasn’t a shout… but it wasn’t indifferent either.
He caught her before she hit the ground.
For a moment, he just stood there, staring at her in his arms, his brow furrowed as if something about the situation didn’t make sense.
“Amaris,” he repeated, this time with more concern.
But she didn’t respond.
He carried her quickly to the bed and searched through the medical kit without wasting time. He grabbed a vial, uncorked it, and held it near her nose.
“Come on… wake up.”
The effect didn’t take long.
Amaris’s face tightened slightly, her breathing deepened… and little by little, she opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Kael… far too close, watching her.
“You’re awake,” he said, without moving away.
Amaris blinked, confused.
“I… I’m fine…”
She tried to sit up, but he held her by the arm, forcing her to stay.
His expression shifted—calculating now.
“Are you pregnant?”
The question struck like a sudden bolt from the sky.
Amaris looked at him, startled.
“What?”
“It’s not a difficult question,” he replied. “Some she-wolves can conceive within hours.”
Amaris’s heart began to race, but she didn’t let it show.
“That… doesn’t happen to all of them,” she said, trying to sound convincing. “Many take time.”
Kael watched her in silence for a few seconds.
“I don’t want to wait,” he stated. “The sooner you fulfill your purpose… the sooner you stop being a problem.”
That made her tense.
“I’m not a problem.”
He let out a low, humorless laugh.
“I have a feeling you are.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Kael stepped closer.
Amaris didn’t step back… but her body still tensed.
He lifted his hand and gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look at him.
His gaze dropped slowly to her lips. And in that moment… the air shifted.
“Maybe it’s time to stop wasting time,” he said.
His other hand brushed against the fabric of her dress… not rushed, not rough, but intentional.
Amaris reacted immediately, choosing her words carefully.
“Seems no one taught you how to treat a woman.”
Kael paused, his eyes returning to hers.
“What do you mean?”
Amaris held his gaze.
“It doesn’t start like this.”
A second of silence passed—then Kael smiled.
But it wasn’t kind. It was dangerous.
“I only kiss someone I’m interested in.”
Amaris didn’t look away.
“You kissed me a few hours ago. Does that mean you’re interested?”
Kael tilted his head slightly.
“I can do it today… and not tomorrow.”
She took a steady breath.
“Then if you’re going to touch me… you’ll have to kiss me every time you do.”
Now it was him who fell silent—not because he lacked an answer, but because he hadn’t expected that.
His eyes studied her more carefully this time, as if truly seeing her.
“You’re asking too much… for someone who is nothing here.”
But he didn’t move away. On the contrary, he leaned in slightly, close enough for his breath to brush against hers.
Amaris didn’t move, didn’t retreat—and that… unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
Kael’s gaze dropped to her lips again. He leaned in—but stopped just inches away.
One second. Two.
Then he pulled back, as if he had made a decision.
“Don’t confuse what this is,” he said quietly.
He stepped away completely, and with him, the cold returned.
“Rest.”
And without looking at her again… he left the room.
The door closed, and Amaris remained there, motionless… her heart beating far too fast for someone who, supposedly, wasn’t meant to feel anything.
Kael walked straight to his study without looking back.
As soon as he entered, he shrugged off his jacket roughly and poured himself a glass of wine without even sitting down.
He took a long drink, as if that were enough to extinguish what burned inside him—but it wasn’t.
His jaw tightened.
“This makes no sense…” he muttered to himself.
He could still feel it—her closeness, her gaze, her lips… his body reacting just from being near her.
He glanced down at himself in frustration, bracing a hand against the desk.
“This can’t be…”
But the door opened without warning. Aldo walked in as if he owned the place.
Kael moved quickly, taking a seat behind the desk, hiding any trace of what had just happened.
“Everything okay?” Aldo asked, studying him.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
Kael exhaled deeply.
“No.”
Aldo raised an eyebrow, then his expression turned understanding.
“I figured… after everything that happened today. That attack wasn’t nothing.”
Kael nodded slightly.
“I know. And I’m going to find out who’s behind it.”
Aldo stepped closer, pouring himself a glass of wine.
“And what if it really was Amaris?”
Kael shook his head almost immediately.
“No.”
Aldo looked at him, surprised.
“You’re sure?”
“She doesn’t have the means for something like that.”
Aldo let out a low chuckle.
“Wow… I can’t believe you’re defending your wife.”
Kael met his gaze directly.
“I’m not defending her. I’m stating a fact.”
Aldo took a sip of his wine.
“Then you need to clear your head. Let’s go out… you know, a little fun, some women, forget all this.”
Kael didn’t respond right away.
But the idea… the idea of getting Amaris out of his head… seemed necessary.
“Fine.”
- Writer
