Chapter Five :A Chance- Kai
1933 Words
I didn’t sleep.
Not even for a minute.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the same moment over and over again.
Sebastian.
His blue eyes.
His soft voice.
The warmth of his hand when I touched it.
The way his heartbeat had changed.
The way he had pulled his hand away.
The way he had looked at me.
I had spent eleven years imagining meeting my mate.
I had imagined hundreds of scenarios.
Thousands.
Maybe millions.
I had imagined meeting a woman in another pack.
I had imagined meeting her during an Alpha council.
I had imagined finding her at a business conference.
I had imagined her running into me.
I had imagined my wolf recognizing her before I did.
But I had never imagined this.
My mate was a man.
A human.
And a priest.
I turned onto my side.
My wolf was restless.
Mate.
“I know.”
Our mate.
“I know.”
Find him.
I closed my eyes.
“He’s not ours to simply take.”
My wolf went quiet.
That was something I needed to remind myself of.
Sebastian was my mate.
But he was also his own person.
I couldn’t force him.
I wouldn’t.
No matter how powerful I was.
No matter how much the bond pulled at me.
If Sebastian didn’t want me, I would have to respect that.
But the thought of him rejecting me still hurt.
It hurt more than I wanted to admit.
⸻
The next morning, I went straight to my mother’s office.
She looked up when I entered.
“You didn’t sleep.”
It wasn’t a question.
“No.”
She sighed.
“Come here.”
I sat across from her.
For a moment, I didn’t say anything.
Then I told her everything.
I told her about Sebastian.
About the bond.
About the way my wolf had reacted.
About the priest’s robes.
About my confusion.
When I finished, my mother was silent.
She looked genuinely shocked.
“Your mate is a priest?”
“Yes.”
She slowly leaned back.
“Well…”
She exhaled.
“What are you going to do?”
I laughed quietly.
“I have absolutely no idea.”
My mother smiled sympathetically.
“You waited eleven years.”
“I know.”
“And now that you’ve found him, you don’t know what to do.”
“Exactly.”
She thought for a moment.
Then she said,
“Don’t approach Sebastian directly.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t know our world the way we do. He doesn’t understand what the bond means yet.”
I nodded.
“Then what should I do?”
“Speak to Father Archie.”
I looked at her.
“He understands.”
“Exactly.”
She leaned forward.
“Archie has worked with our communities for years. He worked with your father. He’s worked with several packs and several Alphas. He understands our laws, our traditions, our bonds.”
She paused.
“More importantly, he knows Sebastian.”
That made sense.
“You’re right.”
“Let Father Archie help you understand the situation before you make a move.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
My mother smiled.
“Be patient, Kai.”
I stood.
“I’ll try.”
She laughed.
“You’ve never been particularly good at patience.”
“I know.”
⸻
The priests arrived later that morning.
And I immediately noticed something.
Sebastian was avoiding me.
Yesterday, he had been shy.
Today, he wouldn’t even look at me.
Whenever I moved in his direction, his eyes went somewhere else.
If I stood nearby, he found something else to do.
If I looked at him, he looked away.
It hurt.
More than I expected.
My wolf didn’t like it.
He’s rejecting us.
“Stop.”
He doesn’t want us.
“He’s scared.”
I didn’t know whether that was true.
But I wanted it to be.
Because the alternative was too painful.
I watched Sebastian from a distance.
He was helping organize supplies.
He spoke gently to the volunteers.
He smiled at the children.
He was completely comfortable around everyone.
Except me.
Eventually, I saw Father Archie.
I made my decision.
“Father Archie.”
He turned.
“Alpha Kai.”
“May I speak with you?”
He studied me.
“Of course.”
I led him to my office.
Once we were inside, I closed the door.
“Father, I’m sorry to pull you away from the work you’re doing.”
He smiled.
“Don’t worry. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
I sat down.
He remained standing for a moment before taking the chair opposite me.
I took a breath.
“I found my mate.”
His face immediately brightened.
“Congratulations.”
His smile was genuine.
“You’ve waited a long time.”
“Eleven years.”
“Then you have every reason to be happy.”
I looked at him.
“My mate is Sebastian.”
Father Archie’s smile disappeared.
Completely.
He froze.
His body went rigid.
He slowly sat back in the chair.
For several seconds, he didn’t speak.
I watched him carefully.
“You understand our laws better than most humans,” I said.
“I do.”
“Then you understand that mate bonds aren’t something to play with.”
Father Archie nodded.
“They are ancient.”
“Older than our packs.”
“Yes.”
I leaned forward.
“Sebastian is my mate. The Moon Goddess chose him for me.”
My voice softened.
“I’ve waited my entire life for him.”
Father Archie remained silent.
“I saw him wearing the priest’s robes, and I didn’t know what to do.”
I swallowed.
“I don’t know what the right approach is.”
Father Archie finally spoke.
“I understand your concern.”
“I don’t want to pressure him.”
“Good.”
“But I also don’t want to lose him.”
Father Archie looked directly at me.
“That is the difficult part.”
I nodded.
“Especially because I don’t even know whether he understands what he felt yesterday.”
“He may not.”
“He’s human.”
“Yes.”
“The bond doesn’t affect humans exactly the way it affects wolves.”
Father Archie nodded.
“I know.”
“Unless the bond progresses fully, he may not experience what I’m experiencing.”
Father Archie sighed.
“That is true.”
I looked down.
“When he touched my hand yesterday, he pulled away.”
Father Archie didn’t answer.
“I could feel something.”
He finally said,
“Sebastian probably felt something too.”
I looked up.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m not certain.”
He paused.
“But I know Sebastian. He is not someone who easily ignores his conscience.”
I understood.
“His priesthood.”
Father Archie nodded.
“Yes.”
I leaned back.
“How long?”
He hesitated.
“Three months.”
My eyebrows lifted.
“Three months?”
“Sebastian is still in formation. He has not been ordained.”
I felt something inside me loosen.
“He isn’t a priest yet.”
“No.”
“So he could still leave?”
“If he decides that priesthood is not his calling, yes.”
I nodded slowly.
But Father Archie still looked troubled.
“However…”
I waited.
“This is not something I can decide for him.”
“I know.”
“And I won’t.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to.”
Father Archie studied me.
“You are a powerful Alpha, Kai.”
“I know.”
“You could probably have Sebastian brought here.”
My jaw tightened.
“I would never do that.”
“I know.”
He smiled faintly.
“That is why I respect you.”
I remained silent.
“You could use your authority,” he continued. “But you came to me instead.”
“I want Sebastian to choose me.”
Father Archie nodded.
“Then you must give him the freedom to do exactly that.”
I looked toward the window.
“I can be patient.”
“I believe you can.”
“Will you speak with him?”
Father Archie considered it.
“I can have a conversation with him.”
“About the bond?”
“About mates. About your history. About what the bond means.”
I nodded.
“Without forcing him?”
“Without forcing him.”
“Thank you.”
Father Archie stood.
Before leaving, he turned back.
“Alpha Kai.”
“Yes?”
“Be patient with him.”
“I will.”
“He has spent his entire life believing he knows exactly what his future looks like.”
I understood.
“And suddenly that future may be changing.”
I nodded.
“Give him time.”
“I will.”
Father Archie left.
And for the first time since meeting Sebastian, I felt a small amount of hope.
Not certainty.
Not victory.
Just hope.
⸻
By evening, Sebastian was still avoiding me.
I didn’t approach him.
I wouldn’t.
If he needed distance, I would give him distance.
When I returned to my office, Aiden was already waiting.
He looked at me.
“So?”
I sat down.
“I spoke with Father Archie.”
“And?”
I looked at him.
“Sebastian isn’t a priest yet.”
Aiden’s eyebrows rose.
“Really?”
“He’s still in formation.”
“For how long?”
“Three months.”
Aiden smiled.
“That’s good.”
I gave him a look.
“Is it?”
“Of course.”
He sat across from me.
“That means he can choose you.”
I shook my head.
“You’re forgetting something.”
“What?”
“He’s human.”
Aiden’s expression changed.
“The bond doesn’t affect humans the same way it affects us.”
He nodded.
“Right.”
“Until the bond progresses fully, Sebastian may not feel everything I’m feeling.”
I leaned back.
“He doesn’t have the same instincts. He doesn’t have a wolf telling him who I am.”
Aiden nodded slowly.
“But he felt something.”
I looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because you said he pulled his hand away.”
I frowned.
“That’s not exactly proof.”
“Maybe not.”
Aiden smiled.
“But humans don’t usually react that way to a handshake.”
I didn’t answer.
He continued.
“Either way, three months gives you time.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
Then Aiden said something that made me laugh.
“Even if he were already a priest, you’d still have a chance.”
I looked at him.
“Of course I’d have a chance.”
“Exactly.”
“But now…”
I paused.
“My chances are better.”
Aiden smiled.
“That’s the spirit.”
I looked toward the window.
Three months.
Ninety days.
It wasn’t much.
But after eleven years of waiting…
Ninety days felt like a lifetime of possibilities.
I didn’t know whether Sebastian would choose me.
I didn’t know whether he would understand the bond.
I didn’t know whether he would leave the Church.
I didn’t know whether the Moon Goddess had brought us together to give us happiness or to test us.
But I knew one thing.
I had found my mate.
And for the first time in eleven years…
I had hope.
That was enough.
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