Chapter Seven
1266 Words
Kai's Regret
Kai Blackwood hadn't slept. Not truly.
He had lain in his massive bed in the Alpha's quarters, staring at the dark ceiling beams until the first gray light of dawn crept through the windows. The sheets were tangled around his legs, soaked with sweat from restless turning. His wolf paced inside him—agitated, snarling, clawing at the confines of his mind with a fury he hadn't felt since Mira's death.
The rejection ceremony replayed endlessly behind his eyes.
Elara stepping into the circle—small, trembling, but with her chin high. The white shift dress clinging to her slight frame. Her auburn hair catching moonlight like living flame. The shift itself—beautiful, impossible. A pure white wolf, larger than any omega had a right to be, glowing as though the moon had poured its essence straight into her.
And then his own voice—cold, cutting, absolute. I reject you.
The way her face had crumpled—not dramatically, not with hysterics, but quietly. Devastatingly. The pain in her luminous green eyes before she'd locked it away and walked out with whatever dignity he'd left her.
He had told himself it was necessary. He had lost Mira because she was gentle. Sweet. Unable to defend herself when rogues attacked. The guilt still woke him some nights, choking him with memories of her broken body in his arms. He couldn't—wouldn't—risk another soft mate. The pack needed a strong Luna. He needed a partner who could fight beside him, not hide behind him.
Elara was everything he couldn't afford. Small. Quiet. Late to shift. An omega. Weak.
But the ache in his chest since last night—the hollow, gnawing void—was worse than anything he'd felt in years. The bond, half-formed and then severed by his own words, should have faded quickly. Rejection was meant to cut clean. Instead, it bled.
He rubbed his sternum hard, as if he could physically erase the pain.
A knock sounded at his chamber door—sharp, urgent.
"Enter," he growled.
His beta, Dax, stepped inside, bowing slightly. Tall and broad, with close-cropped blond hair and sharp blue eyes, Dax had been Kai's right hand since they were pups.
"Scouts returned from the eastern border," Dax said without preamble. "Rogue tracks. Large male. Wounded, but moving with purpose. Headed straight toward the old border cabin."
The cabin. Elara's cabin.
Kai was on his feet in an instant, power rolling off him in waves that made Dax lower his gaze instinctively.
"When?"
"Last seen just before dawn. Storm covered most of the scent, but it's fresh."
Kai's wolf snarled inside him—fierce, possessive. Some rogue dared encroach on his territory. On her.
He strode to the wardrobe, yanking on black pants and a fitted shirt, boots next. His movements were sharp, controlled violence.
"Prepare a team," he ordered, voice lethal. "Six warriors. Armed. We ride now."
Dax hesitated. "Alpha… the rogue may already be at the cabin. With her."
The words hit like a blade. Kai's vision tunneled. For a heartbeat, red rage clouded everything.
"Then we ride faster."
He stormed from the room, Dax hurrying to keep pace. Within minutes, six mounted warriors thundered from the compound gates, Kai at the lead on his massive black stallion. The horses ate up the ground, hooves drumming like war beats.
The forest blurred past—pine and oak streaked with early morning mist. Kai's mind raced faster than the horse beneath him. He told himself this was about territory. About protecting pack borders from a dangerous rogue.
But the lie tasted bitter.
The truth—the one he refused to examine—was simpler and far more terrifying. He needed to see her. Needed to know she was safe. Needed… her.
The thought brought a fresh wave of self-loathing. He had rejected her. Publicly. Cruelly. He had no right.
Yet the pull in his chest—the remnant of the severed bond—grew stronger with every mile, as if the forest itself was drawing him to her.
They reached the river crossing by mid-morning. The old bridge creaked under the horses' weight. Beyond it, the path narrowed, overgrown and rarely used.
The cabin came into view—a lonely silhouette against the misty trees. Smoke rose faintly from the chimney. Someone was inside.
Kai dismounted with predatory silence, signaling the warriors to fan out. They moved like shadows, encircling the cabin.
He approached the porch alone, boots silent on the damp earth. The door was closed, but he could hear movement inside—soft footsteps, the clink of a kettle.
And scents.
Elara's scent—wildflowers and warm honey, now laced with something new. Power. Moonlight. And another. Male. Dominant. Alpha. Rogue.
The scent wrapped around Kai like smoke—foreign, threatening, and infuriatingly intertwined with hers.
His wolf roared to the surface, claws extending, vision sharpening.
He slammed a fist against the door—hard enough to rattle the frame.
"Elara," he called, voice carrying easily through the thin wood. "Step outside. Now."
Silence. Then soft footsteps approached. The door opened slowly.
Elara stood there—barefoot, wearing an oversized man's shirt that hung to mid-thigh, sleeves rolled multiple times. Her auburn hair was loose and tousled, cheeks flushed, green eyes wide with surprise and wariness.
She looked different. Stronger. More alive. And the scent of the rogue clung to her skin.
Kai's control frayed.
"Who's inside?" he demanded, stepping closer.
Elara didn't back down. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze steadily.
"A wounded traveler I helped," she said evenly. "It's none of your concern."
Kai's eyes raked over her—the way the shirt dwarfed her frame, clearly not hers; the faint red marks on her neck that looked suspiciously like love bites; the flush that deepened under his scrutiny.
Jealousy—raw, feral, blinding—exploded through him.
"You're still under my protection," he growled. "Rogues are my concern."
Ronan emerged then—shirtless, bandaged, filling the doorway behind her with his massive frame. Silver eyes locked on Kai with lethal calm.
The air crackled with Alpha power—two dominant forces colliding.
Kai's wolf lunged against his control.
"Get away from her," Kai snarled, voice barely human.
Ronan smiled—slow, dangerous, utterly unafraid. "Make me."
The warriors shifted closer, hands on weapons.
Elara stepped fully onto the porch, placing herself between them.
"Enough," she said, voice ringing with new authority that made both Alphas pause. "This is my home now. You banished me here, Alpha Blackwood. You don't get to dictate who shares it."
Kai's eyes snapped back to her—pain and fury warring in their storm-gray depths.
"You heard the lady," Ronan said softly from behind her, one possessive hand settling lightly on her shoulder. "Leave."
For a long moment, no one moved.
Kai's gaze dropped to Ronan's hand on her skin. Something inside him shattered.
He turned abruptly, mounting his horse with rigid control.
"This isn't over," he said, voice low and deadly, eyes still fixed on Elara.
Then he wheeled the stallion and rode away, warriors following in tense silence.
But the jealousy burning in his veins was hotter than dragonfire. And deep in his chest, regret began to fester like an open wound.
He had rejected her to protect his heart. Now, watching another male touch what should have been his, he realized the brutal truth.
He had only succeeded in breaking it himself.
And the rogue who had dared lay claim to her? Kai would destroy him. Whatever it took.
- Writer
