6
900 Words
The air changed.
Kael felt it first.
A shift.
Subtle—but wrong.
Every instinct inside him snapped to attention.
Danger.
His arms tightened slightly around Eli.
“Stay close,” he said quietly.
Eli frowned, pulling back just enough to look at him. “What’s wro—”
“Don’t move.”
The tone in Kael’s voice wasn’t gentle anymore.
It was command.
Alpha.
And something about it made Eli’s heart stutter—
Not in fear.
But in instinctive obedience.
Then—
A slow clap echoed through the empty street.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Touching,” a voice drawled from the shadows. “Truly.”
Both of them turned.
A figure stepped forward.
Tall.
Composed.
Eyes dark with something far more dangerous than anger.
Amusement.
Kael’s entire body went rigid.
“…Riven.”
The name came out like a warning.
Like a threat barely contained.
The man—Riven—smiled.
“Well, well. The great Alpha Kael,” he said lightly. “Still as predictable as ever.”
Eli glanced between them, confusion rising again.
“You know him?” he asked quietly.
Kael didn’t answer.
Didn’t take his eyes off Riven.
“Leave,” Kael said, his voice low. “Now.”
Riven tilted his head, as if considering it.
Then laughed softly.
“After coming all this way?” he replied. “I don’t think so.”
His gaze shifted.
Landed on Eli.
And something about it made Eli’s chest tighten painfully.
“…So this is him,” Riven murmured. “The one you destroyed your world for.”
Kael stepped forward instantly, placing himself fully in front of Eli.
Shielding him.
“You don’t get to say his name,” Kael growled.
Eli’s heart skipped.
The protectiveness in his voice—
It wasn’t normal.
It wasn’t human.
Riven’s smile widened slightly.
“Oh, I won’t just say his name,” he said calmly. “I’ll take him.”
Everything went still.
Then—
The bond reacted.
Violent.
Eli gasped, grabbing his chest as pain shot through him.
“What—what is happening?!” he cried out.
Kael turned immediately, panic flashing across his face.
“It’s okay,” he said quickly, reaching for him. “I’ve got you—”
“Too late.”
Riven moved.
Faster than anything Eli had ever seen.
Dark energy lashed out—
Straight toward him.
But Kael was faster.
A low, feral growl ripped from his chest as he intercepted it, the force colliding with him instead.
The impact sent him sliding back, his hand tightening painfully over his side.
“Kael!” Eli shouted.
Something inside him snapped.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not for himself—
For him.
Kael straightened slowly, his expression no longer controlled.
No longer restrained.
His eyes—
Glowed.
Bright gold.
Dangerous.
Inhuman.
“Last warning,” Kael said, his voice no longer entirely human.
Riven’s expression darkened slightly.
“There it is,” he murmured. “The beast.”
That was the last thing he said before Kael moved.
Not fast—
Not this time.
This time it was something else.
Something heavier.
Something terrifying.
Power.
The ground beneath them cracked slightly as Kael stepped forward, his presence pressing down like a storm.
“You erased his memories,” Kael said, each word colder than the last.
Riven didn’t deny it.
Instead—
He smiled.
“He was easier to control that way.”
Something inside Kael broke.
Completely.
A deafening growl tore through the air—
And for a split second—
Eli saw it.
Not fully.
But enough.
A shadow behind Kael.
Massive.
Wolf.
Eyes glowing like fire.
“…Kael,” Eli whispered, frozen.
But Kael didn’t hear him.
Didn’t see anything but Riven.
“You don’t get to touch him,” Kael said, his voice layered—human and something deeper.
“Not in this life.”
Riven attacked first.
Dark energy surged forward—
But Kael tore through it.
Literally.
Like it was nothing.
Their clash shook the air, power colliding in violent bursts that Eli could barely process.
Everything was too fast.
Too overwhelming.
Kael was winning—
But not easily.
And then—
Riven smiled again.
“…Let’s see how well you protect him like this.”
Before Kael could react—
A second force shot past him.
Straight toward Eli.
This time—
Kael was too far.
“ELI!”
Everything slowed.
Eli couldn’t move.
Couldn’t think.
The attack was right there—
About to hit—
And then—
It stopped.
Mid-air.
Frozen.
A faint glow surrounded Eli’s body.
Soft.
Silver.
Protective.
Everyone froze.
Kael’s eyes widened.
Riven’s smile disappeared.
“…Impossible,” Riven whispered.
Eli stared at his own hands, trembling.
“What… is this…?” he breathed.
The energy around him pulsed once—
Strong.
Ancient.
Alive.
And then—
It vanished.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Riven stepped back slowly, something new in his expression now.
Not amusement.
Not control.
Interest.
“Well…” he said quietly. “That changes things.”
Kael moved instantly, placing himself in front of Eli again, more protective than ever.
Riven didn’t attack again.
Not this time.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
“We’ll meet again,” he said.
And then—
He was gone.
Just like that.
The street fell silent once more.
But nothing felt the same anymore.
Kael turned slowly
soo... how was it
- Writer
