THE WAY HE LOOKED AT ME
1538 Words
I made the mistake of thinking dinner would calm everything down, but it didn't..
If anything, the tension inside the mansion only grew worse the longer Alpha Kael stayed.
The dining hall looked almost unreal tonight. Golden chandeliers glowed above the massive table while servants moved carefully around expensive wine and polished silverware like one wrong movement would start a war.
Maybe it actually could, because pack alliances were fragile things.
Just one insult, one wrong word, or one embarrassing mistake…
That was all it took sometimes.
Which was exactly why Father kept glaring at me like I personally planned to destroy the evening.
I stayed near the far wall quietly with the other servants, helping refill glasses whenever needed while trying my best to become invisible.
Invisibility was a skill I mastered years ago.
Unfortunately…
Alpha Kael kept ruining it.
I could feel his eyes on me even when I refused to look directly at him.
It made no sense.
Jasmine sat beside him looking stunning enough to distract any normal man. She laughed softly whenever he spoke, leaned slightly toward him during conversations, and smiled perfectly at all the right moments.
She was trying.
Everyone could see that.
But Kael—
Kael barely seemed interested.
Not openly rude, he was just distant, in a controlled manner.
Like his mind kept drifting elsewhere.
And every single time I accidentally looked in his direction…His eyes were already on me.
It was becoming a problem.
A dangerous one.
I reached carefully across the table to refill one of the councilmembers's wine glasses when Father’s sharp voice suddenly cut across the room.
“Kira.”
My hand jerked slightly.
Wine spilled across the tablecloth. The entire dining hall fell silent. My stomach dropped instantly.
Of course.
Of course it had to happen tonight.
Heat rushed into my face as every pair of eyes slowly turned toward me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered immediately.
Father’s expression darkened.
“Careless.” He screamed.
The word hit harder than it should have.
Because he didn’t say it like a mistake.
He said it like a description of who I was.
I grabbed a cloth quickly, trying to clean the spill before it spread further.
“I said I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fix incompetence.”
My throat tightened painfully.
Not now. Please do not now.
I could already feel it happening—that horrible pressure behind my eyes whenever too many people looked at me at once.
Don’t cry.
Don’t embarrass yourself.
Not in front of him.
Especially not in front of him.
“I’ll replace the cloth,” I managed quietly.
Father looked unimpressed.
“You should learn to control your emotions before speaking in public.”
Humiliation burned through my chest so hard it almost hurt physically.
Around the table, everyone avoided looking directly at me now.
Everyone except Kael.
I could feel his gaze already.
It was steady, literally watching everything.
Then Jasmine sighed softly beside him.
“It was just an accident,” she said sweetly.
I hated when she defended me.
It always sounded like pity.
Father leaned back in his chair stiffly.
“Excusing weakness repeatedly creates more weakness.”
Something cold settled heavily inside me.
Weak.
That word again. It hit me.
“Alwaysweak,", “tooemotional,", “tooquiet,", “too much trouble.”
I lowered my head quickly before anyone saw the anger building in my eyes.
“Interesting.”
The deep voice instantly drew everyone’s attention.
Kael swirled the wine in his glass slowly before finally looking toward Father.
“You speak to your daughter like she’s one of your soldiers.”
Everywhere went silent. There was absolute silence.
I stopped breathing again.
Father’s expression tightened dangerously.
“Kira lacks confidence,” he answered carefully. “Discipline is necessary.”
Kael’s eyes flicked briefly toward me.
“And humiliation helps with confidence?”
My pulse stumbled violently.
What was he doing?
Seriously—what was wrong with this man?
Nobody defended me twice.
Nobody even defended me once.
The air around the table became painfully tense.
Even Jasmine looked uncomfortable now.
Selene quickly forced a smile.
“Alpha Kael simply misunderstands our family dynamics.”
“No,” Kael answered calmly. “I understand them perfectly.”
The room went still.
Father’s wolf pushed sharply against the atmosphere for half a second before disappearing again.
It was a warning..
Kael didn’t react. He didn’t even blink.
That somehow made him scarier.
I stepped back quietly before things worsened further.
The last thing I needed was to become the reason tonight collapsed completely.
Dinner resumed eventually, but the atmosphere never recovered properly after that.
Conversation became stiff and forced.
Everyone could feel the tension sitting at the table with us.
And somehow…
I felt responsible for all of it.
Hours later, the dinner finally ended.
Relief hit me instantly.
Guests slowly moved toward the ballroom area downstairs while music began filling the mansion softly.
I escaped toward the kitchen before anyone could stop me.
The moment the doors swung shut behind me, I exhaled shakily.
My chest still felt tight.
I felt stupid.
Why was I reacting this much?
Because he keeps looking at you.
I grabbed a tray roughly before focusing on stacking empty glasses.
That was easier and safer.
Just simple work, simple thoughts.
No dangerous Alphas involved.
“You’re avoiding the ballroom.”
I nearly dropped the tray.
Kael stood near the kitchen entrance casually, like appearing behind people unnoticed was completely normal behavior.
My heartbeat immediately lost control.
“You scared me.”
“You scare easily.”
I frowned slightly.
“Why are you here?”
“Shouldn’t I ask you that?”
“I’m working.”
His eyes moved slowly around the kitchen before returning to me.
“Your father treats you like hired staff.”
The comment irritated me instantly.
“At least I’m useful.”
The moment the words left my mouth, silence settled heavily between us.
Because I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Kael studied me carefully now.
Not mockingly, not with pity, but worse.
Like he was trying to understand me.
And for some reason that felt far more dangerous.
“You think usefulness earns love?” he asked quietly.
My chest tightened painfully.
“Why do you care?”
“I didn’t say I cared.”
“Then stop asking questions.”
Instead of looking annoyed, he looked amused.
Very slightly amused.
Which somehow irritated me more.
“You’re angry,” he observed.
“No, I’m uncomfortable.”
“With me?”
“With this conversation.”
A quiet huff of laughter escaped him.
The sound caught me completely off guard.
Because it softened him instantly.
Just enough to become unfairly attractive.
I looked away quickly.
Dangerous.
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
That's all it screamed.
“You know,” he said calmly, “you’re the first person tonight who hasn’t tried impressing me.”
I snorted softly before stopping myself.
“That’s because I don’t care enough to.”
That's a lie, not entirely though, but enough.
His eyes darkened slightly with interest.
“There you go again.”
“What?”
“Speaking honestly.”
I hated how aware he seemed around me.
Like he noticed every small thing I tried hiding.
It made me nervous.
No—
worse than nervous.
I feel seen.
And I didn’t know how to handle being seen.
Voices echoed faintly from the ballroom outside.
Music drifted softly through the hallway now.
Pack members laughing.
Glasses clinking.
The celebration continues.
Kael stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to touch me.
But enough to make my breathing uneven.
“You keep looking at exits whenever I speak to you,” he said quietly.
I swallowed hard.
“So?”
“So you act like you’re waiting for permission to leave.”
My pulse quickened.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
I hated this conversation.
Mostly because part of me knew he was right.
Years of living inside this house taught me to escape tension before it became dangerous.
To stay small,quiet,t and forgettable.
But somehow standing near Kael made all those instincts feel exposed.
Like he could read them too easily.
“I should go back to work,” I muttered.
“You’ve been working all night.”
“That’s what happens when people spill wine.”
A small smirk touched his mouth.
My stomach flipped stupidly.
Goddess.
This man was a problem.
I moved around him quickly before my brain betrayed me further.
But just as I reached the doorway—His voice stopped me again.
“Kira.”
I froze.
No one said my name like that carefully, like it mattered.
Slowly, I turned back.
Kael watched me steadily from across the kitchen.
And for the first time since meeting him…Hiss expression softened completely.
“You shouldn’t let people make you feel invisible.”
The words hit something deep inside me so suddenly it almost hurt.
Because invisible was exactly what I’d been my entire life.
Before I could answer—A sharp crash echoed from outside.
Then Jasmine’s angry voice followed immediately.
And somehow…
I already knew everything was about to get worse.
- Writer
