Chapter 5
1308 Words
Aria’s POV
The scent of roses and sandalwood filled the air, steam curling up in soft tendrils. The marble tub was carved from black stone, wide enough to fit three men Kael’s size. He had it filled for her—scalding, silky, lined with petals.
She sat at the edge, robe barely clinging to her shoulders. Her bandaged arm trembled as she reached for the sash.
Behind her, the door creaked open.
“I said you didn’t need to come,” she murmured, not turning.
Kael’s voice was low. Lethal velvet.
“And I ignored you. Like I always will when your safety’s at stake.”
She turned then.
He was shirtless, his torso covered in faint scars, his trousers riding low on his hips. His hair was damp from rain. His eyes glowed faintly silver—still laced with whatever beast had awakened inside him earlier.
Aria clutched her robe tighter. “I’m not weak.”
“No,” Kael said, stepping into the light. “You’re wounded. There’s a difference.”
She didn’t answer.
He moved closer. “Let me take care of you.”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
Kael reached for her sash—his fingers brushing hers. “May I?”
A beat passed.
Then she whispered, “Yes.”
Slowly, reverently, he untied it. The robe fell open.
Kael’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. His hands brushed over her bare shoulders, easing the fabric down her arms.
She stood naked before him, vulnerable—but his gaze didn’t devour her. It worshipped.
“Get in,” he murmured.
She stepped in, sinking into the hot water with a gasp. The pain in her shoulder dulled into a throb. Flower petals floated around her. Her hair slicked against her back.
Then he came in behind her.
Fully clothed from the waist down, but barefoot. He slid into the tub and pulled her against his chest.
“Kael—”
“Shh.”
His hand skimmed her waist underwater. “Just let me hold you.”
She leaned back, letting her body relax against him. His breath warmed her ear.
“I saw your blood,” he said hoarsely. “I smelled your fear. And something inside me snapped.”
“You were terrifying.”
“I wanted to tear the whole world apart.”
He pressed his lips to her temple. “You don’t understand what you mean to me. But you will.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as he reached for a soft cloth and began to clean her gently—her collarbone, her shoulder, the faint blood streaks left behind.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly.
“Because this is the only way I know how to worship you.”
Her breath caught.
He turned her slightly, cupping her cheek.
“I want you to know that you are not just protected. You are mine.” His voice dropped an octave. “That means no one touches you. No one harms you. And no one sees you like this—except me.”
His lips grazed her jaw. “Ever.”
“Kael…”
His name was a prayer and a warning.
He didn’t push. But his voice thickened with desire.
“I could spend eternity just touching you. Kissing every scar, every shadow inside you. Teaching you what pleasure is. What devotion feels like.”
Her body trembled against his.
She turned in his lap, straddling him, naked in his arms. The water sloshed.
He looked up at her—feral and undone.
“You’re not ready,” he said.
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not.”
“But when you are,” he vowed, voice low and dangerous, “you won’t remember a life before me.”
She leaned forward, lips brushing his. “I already don’t.”
And then he kissed her.
Deep. Consuming. Like a man drowning who finally found air.
Aria’s POV
His bed was as massive as he was—sheets of dark silk stretched across thick, carved wood. The scent of pine, smoke, and something inherently Kael wrapped around her like a second skin.
She stood awkwardly near the edge, arms folded.
“You always kidnap women into your bedroom?” she asked dryly.
Kael raised a brow, stripping off his shirt. “Only the ones I don’t want anyone else looking at.”
“That’s romantic.”
“I thought so.”
He walked past her to the other side of the bed, tugging the sheets down and gesturing.
“Get in.”
“I don’t sleep well with people.”
He paused. “I don’t sleep at all unless you’re near.”
She opened her mouth. Closed it.
That shut her up.
Kael didn’t press. He just slid into the bed, shirtless, lounging like a wolf king, arms behind his head.
Aria climbed in cautiously, tucking herself beneath the sheets and keeping a few inches of space between them.
“So…” she said after a long beat. “This is weird, right?”
Kael turned his head toward her. “How so?”
“You’re a savage, bloodthirsty Alpha. I’m a traumatised cellar-goblin.”
“Goblin?” he laughed.
She grinned. “I’m not wrong.”
Kael turned onto his side, propping his head up with one hand. “You’re the most exquisite creature I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of naked people.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How many?”
He smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I would. You’re my future husband or whatever. I deserve the w***e history.”
Kael barked a laugh. “Alright then. Including pre-wolf life? Maybe twenty-one. Most were brief.”
She blinked. “Wow.”
“You asked.”
“Yeah but I wasn’t ready for a whole resume.”
“Your turn,” he said.
She scoffed. “I lived in a cellar.”
He arched a brow. “So… zero?”
“Absolutely zero. Unless you count books.”
Kael’s expression turned wolfish. “You had books?”
Her face burned. “Shut up.”
He rolled closer, closing the space between them. Their arms brushed under the sheets.
“You ever… touch yourself?”
“Kael!”
He grinned. “What? I need to know what I’m working with.”
She hid under the blanket for a second, then peeked out. “You’re evil.”
He leaned in closer. “So that’s a yes?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Their laughter faded into a thick silence. Not uncomfortable—just… charged.
Then, softly:
“I don’t know what to do with this,” Aria said, eyes locked on the ceiling.
“With what?”
“You. This. The feeling like if you touch me again, I’ll break open.”
Kael's voice dropped, serious now. “You won’t. I’ll hold every broken piece until you’re whole again.”
She rolled to face him. They were inches apart.
“I’ve never had someone… stay.”
“I’m not someone,” he said simply. “I’m yours.”
Their eyes locked.
No kiss. No wild need.
Just raw, burning closeness.
Kael reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. His thumb lingered on her lip.
“When you’re ready,” he whispered, “you’ll ask for more. Until then, this is enough.”
“You’ll wait?”
“I’ll starve if I have to.”
She laughed softly. “You’re dramatic.”
“You have no idea.”
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as if she were something precious. Her head rested on his chest.
And there, in the dark, under silk sheets and stolen peace, they simply breathed.
Two broken souls finally becoming whole.
- Writer
