Amina
638 Words
chapter 15
amina pov
I don’t leave Zainab alone until I’m sure she’s inside the car.
Only then do I turn back.
The pull hits immediately.
Not sharp.
Not violent.
Just… there.
It’s the kind of pull you feel in your bones before your mind catches up—the quiet certainty of something unfinished. I’ve felt it once before, years ago, and I buried it deep because bonds are not always blessings.
Especially not across packs.
I don’t need to search for him.
Kael is waiting near the far end of the parking structure, leaning against a pillar like he knew I’d come. Calm. Still. Guarding without looking like it.
Typical.
“So,” I say, approaching slowly, “you’re the shadow.”
His mouth twitches. “And you’re the complication.”
I smile faintly. “Fair.”
Up close, there’s no mistaking it. His scent is layered—command, restraint, loyalty sharpened by years of choosing duty over desire. Beta energy, yes—but something heavier beneath it.
The kind that doesn’t bend easily.
My wolf stirs uneasily.
Him.
“I didn’t come here for her,” I say before he can accuse me of anything.
“I know,” Kael replies.
That gives me pause. “You do?”
“You didn’t seek her out,” he says. “You found her.”
I nod. “She feels… exposed. Like a light without a shield.”
“She has shields,” he says quietly.
“Yes,” I agree. “Too many. And none of them human.”
Silence settles between us.
“I’m from the Ashira Pack,” I say finally. “Eastern territories. We specialize in integration. Blending. Watching without interfering.”
“Observers,” Kael murmurs.
“Guardians,” I correct. “When needed.”
“And why are you here?” he asks.
I meet his eyes. “Because the elders started moving months ago. Because rumors don’t stay rumors for long. And because when I passed through the city… I felt her.”
He stiffens slightly. “You felt the bond.”
“I felt something circling her,” I say. “Something powerful enough to draw attention. She doesn’t know what she is yet—but others will.”
His jaw tightens.
“I didn’t plan to stay,” I continue. “But then I met her. And now I won’t leave.”
Kael studies me carefully. “You’re risking pack politics.”
“I know.”
“Kings don’t like interference.”
“I’m not interfering,” I say softly. “I’m anchoring.”
The pull between us tightens then—subtle but undeniable. Not possession. Not hunger.
Recognition.
My wolf presses forward, curious.
Him again.
“You feel it too,” I say.
Kael doesn’t deny it. “Yes.”
“But you won’t act on it,” I add.
“No,” he says immediately. “Not while she’s this vulnerable.”
I nod, respect settling in my chest. “Good. Then we understand each other.”
“What do you want?” he asks.
“I want her safe,” I answer. “And I want you honest.”
He exhales slowly. “You chose the wrong place for simplicity.”
I smile, just a little. “I’ve never liked easy paths.”
We stand there for a moment longer, two wolves from different packs pulled into the same orbit by a girl who doesn’t yet know how many worlds are quietly rearranging themselves around her.
As I turn to leave, Kael speaks again.
“Stay visible,” he says. “No secrets.”
I glance back at him. “You first.”
And for the first time since I arrived in this city, the pull doesn’t feel like a warning.
It feels like alignment.
- Writer
