Chapter 3: Why do you hate me?
724 Words
The balcony door clicked open.
My entire body tensed.
Moonlight poured into my room as Alpha Kael stepped inside.
Tall.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
Just like I remembered.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The mate bond hummed between us.
A silent force pulling us together.
My wolf whimpered happily.
I wanted to strangle her.
Kael closed the balcony door behind him.
His silver eyes never left mine.
Most unmated wolves would have been thrilled.
Honored.
Excited.
Their mate standing in their bedroom in the middle of the night.
But all I felt was anger.
Pure anger.
"Leave."
His eyebrows lifted.
"Excuse me?"
"I said leave."
The air between us grew tense.
Nobody spoke to an Alpha that way.
Especially not a nineteen-year-old she-wolf.
But I didn't care.
Not anymore.
Instead of leaving, Kael took another step forward.
My wolf stirred.
Mate.
I clenched my fists.
"No."
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"I'm not your mate."
The lie sounded ridiculous even to me.
His eyes narrowed.
"The bond says otherwise."
"Then the bond is wrong."
For the first time, genuine shock crossed his face.
Interesting.
Apparently no woman had ever rejected Alpha Kael Ravenwood before.
Good.
Let him experience disappointment for once.
Kael crossed his arms.
"You walked away from me today."
"I know."
"You avoided me."
"Correct."
"You ignored the mate bond."
"Yes."
His jaw tightened.
"Why?"
The simple question hit harder than expected.
Why?
Because you killed me.
Because I begged for my life while you watched.
Because I loved you more than myself.
Because you chose her.
A thousand answers screamed inside my head.
But I couldn't tell him any of them.
Not yet.
Instead, I looked away.
"I simply don't like you."
Silence.
Then Kael laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound caught me completely off guard.
"You don't like me?"
His amusement irritated me.
"Is that funny?"
"A little."
I glared at him.
His smile disappeared.
Then his expression turned serious again.
"You're lying."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
His gaze sharpened.
"People lie with their words."
He pointed toward my chest.
"But not with their emotions."
I froze.
"The moment our eyes met today, I felt something."
My heartbeat accelerated.
Dangerous.
This conversation was becoming dangerous.
Kael took another step forward.
"You looked at me like you hated me."
My breath caught.
"And yet..."
His voice lowered.
"...it felt like your heart was breaking."
My blood ran cold.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
How could he possibly know that?
How could he sense that?
The bond.
Of course.
The mate bond connected emotions.
I had forgotten.
Kael studied me carefully.
"As if I had already hurt you."
I forced myself to laugh.
"You've known me for one day."
"Exactly."
His eyes darkened.
"So why do you look at me like I'm the villain in your story?"
My pulse hammered.
He was noticing too much.
Far too much.
I needed him gone.
Now.
I pointed toward the balcony.
"Leave."
This time, Kael didn't argue.
He simply stared at me.
Long and hard.
As if trying to solve a puzzle.
Finally, he nodded.
"Fine."
Relief flooded through me.
Then he added—
"But this conversation isn't over."
My relief vanished instantly.
Kael moved toward the balcony.
Before stepping outside, he paused.
Without turning around, he spoke.
"You should lock your door tomorrow."
I frowned.
"What?"
"The northern border will be attacked."
The words hit me like lightning.
My heart stopped.
No.
No.
That wasn't possible.
The northern border attack happened three weeks later.
I remembered it clearly.
Dozens of wolves died.
Including Martha.
Slowly, Kael turned toward me.
His expression was unreadable.
"How did you know that?" I whispered.
His eyes widened.
For the first time all night.
For the first time since meeting him.
Alpha Kael looked shocked.
Because he had never told me when the attack would happen.
Not in this life.
Not yet.
Yet somehow...
I already knew.
The room fell silent.
A terrible realization settled between us.
I knew things I shouldn't know.
And now...
Kael knew it too.
"Aria..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"What exactly are you hiding?"
The mate bond pulsed violently.
My heart pounded.
His eyes locked onto mine.
And for the first time since returning to the past...
I realized something horrifying.
Maybe I wasn't the only person carrying secrets from another life.
- Writer
