Chapter 9 — What Is Mine
983 Words
Selene did not sleep.
Not truly.
But that night—
She drifted.
Not into rest.
But into something heavier.
Something pulling her under, deeper than darkness, deeper than the stillness she had lived in for centuries.
She felt it before she understood it.
A pull.
Low.
Insistent.
Alive.
Her body reacted first.
A sharp breath tore from her as her back arched slightly against the bed, her hand flying to her stomach as heat spread through her—slow at first, then suddenly overwhelming.
“No…” she whispered.
The sensation pulsed again.
Stronger.
Demanding.
Selene’s eyes snapped open.
The room was dim.
Firelight flickering.
But something had changed.
She could feel it.
Not faint anymore.
Not uncertain.
Alive.
Her fingers pressed harder against herself, her entire body going still as another pulse rolled through her—deep, steady, unmistakable.
This was no longer a question.
No longer something she could deny.
It was real.
A knock didn’t come.
The door didn’t open slowly.
It slammed.
Kael stepped inside.
Selene’s head snapped up instantly.
He looked… different.
Not just tense.
Not just alert.
Focused.
Locked.
Like something had been calling him—and he had answered without hesitation.
His gaze dropped immediately.
To her hand.
To where it rested against her stomach.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Charged.
“You felt it,” he said.
Selene didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Kael crossed the room in seconds.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
“Move your hand.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“That was not a request.”
His gaze lifted to hers.
Dark.
Commanding.
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
The air between them tightened instantly.
Selene held his gaze.
Testing him.
Pushing.
Then slowly—
She lowered her hand.
Kael stepped closer.
Too close.
His hand lifted.
Hesitated—
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then pressed against her stomach.
The contact was immediate.
Electric.
Selene’s breath caught sharply.
Because the moment his palm settled there—
The pulse hit again.
Stronger than before.
Kael froze.
His entire body went still.
His breath slowed.
His eyes darkened.
He felt it.
“Mine,” he said under his breath.
The word wasn’t meant for her.
But it still wrapped around her.
Still sank into her skin.
Selene’s fingers tightened at her sides.
“You don’t know what it is,” she said.
But her voice lacked strength.
Kael didn’t move his hand.
Didn’t even look away.
“I know enough.”
Another pulse.
His jaw tightened.
Something possessive—something primal—rose visibly in him now, no longer hidden.
“It’s growing fast,” he said.
Selene’s breath hitched.
Because she felt it too.
The difference.
The change.
Her body—
Was changing.
Not visibly yet.
Not fully.
But beneath the surface—
Everything felt different.
Heavier.
Warmer.
Unstable.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” she said quietly.
Kael finally looked at her.
“And yet it is.”
Silence stretched.
Then—
Selene shifted slightly.
Just enough—
And pain hit her again.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Kael’s expression changed instantly.
“What is it.”
“Nothing,” she said.
His hand tightened slightly against her.
Not hurting.
But grounding.
Holding.
“Don’t lie to me.”
Her gaze snapped to his.
“I don’t answer to you.”
His eyes darkened further.
“No,” he said.
A step closer.
“But your body does.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Because they were true.
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Selene gasped softly, her body tensing as the sensation rolled through her again—deeper now, almost… responsive.
Kael felt it beneath his hand.
His control snapped.
“You’re not leaving this room,” he said.
Selene blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
“That was not your decision to make.”
“It is now.”
The shift in him was unmistakable.
This wasn’t just concern anymore.
This was possession.
“You think you can keep me here?” she asked softly.
Dangerously.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Selene stared at him.
Trying to find hesitation.
Doubt.
Anything.
There was none.
“You would cage me?” she pressed.
His hand didn’t move from her.
His gaze didn’t waver.
“I would protect what’s mine.”
The words hit deeper this time.
Heavier.
More certain.
Selene’s breath faltered.
“You keep saying that,” she said.
Kael leaned in slightly.
Close enough that she could feel his breath now.
“Because you keep trying to deny it.”
Her heart—her impossible, unnatural heart—
stuttered again.
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Both of them felt it.
Kael’s grip tightened slightly at her waist now, pulling her just a fraction closer without asking.
Without permission.
Selene didn’t pull away.
And that—
That was the problem.
“You’re reacting to me,” he said quietly.
Her eyes narrowed.
“This is your bond. Not me.”
Kael’s expression shifted.
Something darker.
Something more certain.
“It’s both.”
Her breath caught.
He leaned closer.
“You feel it when I’m near.”
Closer.
“When I touch you.”
His hand pressed more firmly against her stomach.
“And it answers.”
Selene’s control slipped again.
Just slightly.
But enough.
“You’re dangerous,” she whispered.
Kael didn’t deny it.
“I know.”
Another pulse.
Stronger than before.
Selene gasped softly, her body tensing—
Then stilling.
Because this time—
It didn’t feel like pain.
It felt like something… settling.
Something choosing.
Kael felt it too.
His expression changed.
Not softer.
Not weaker.
Certain.
“It knows me,” he said.
Selene’s breath trembled.
“No,” she said.
But it wasn’t convincing.
Kael leaned in closer—
Stopping just before their lips could touch.
“Say it again,” he murmured.
Selene didn’t.
Because she couldn’t.
Because for the first time—
She wasn’t sure she believed it.
- Writer
