The Alpha’s touch
983 Words
Aria’s POV
"Beautiful."
The word barely left his lips, but I heard it as if it had been carved into my bones.
No one’s ever called me that before—not even as a lie. The best I’ve been called is “passable,” “plain,” or “tolerable when quiet.” But beautiful?
Especially from him?
I stared at Alpha Kael Von Miller—every terrifying inch of him. Towering, broad-shouldered, and dressed in black like the shadows themselves answered to him. I’d expected to be paralyzed by fear. Instead, I was paralyzed by the softness in his voice, a sharp contradiction to everything I’d heard about him.
His stormy grey eyes stayed locked on mine like they were searching for something... something only I could offer.
My mouth went dry.
Kael didn’t just have presence—he was presence. The others I’d seen at the border were large, yes. But this man made them look ordinary. Even the fabric of his shirt seemed to strain against the sheer power of him.
And yet, somehow, I wasn’t thinking about the torture tools in the room anymore.
I was thinking about his eyes.
He leaned closer, his movements slow, deliberate. I wanted to pull back, but the ropes around my arms and ankles held me in place. I was completely exposed—bruised, bleeding, broken—and still, he watched me like I was worth something.
“Rowan,” he said, never taking his gaze off me.
His breath brushed my skin—warm, intoxicating. Beneath it, I caught the faint scent of something earthy and sharp, like pine and steel. His voice was a balm and a blade all at once.
“Yes, Alpha,” came the Beta’s response from somewhere behind him.
Kael’s next words were quieter, more to himself than anyone else. “Have you seen anything so delicate... so unguarded?”
Rowan didn’t answer.
“They almost killed her,” he continued, voice lowering an octave. “Idiots. They wouldn’t know a rare thing if it bit them.”
I didn’t believe him, of course. Not really. Why would someone like him see something special in someone like me?
But still... something shifted inside me.
Kael moved even closer. His hand rose, and I instinctively flinched, bracing for the sting that always came next. I turned my face to the side, eyes shut tight, a quiet whimper escaping my throat.
Only... the strike never came.
Instead, something warm brushed my cheek.
Fingers. Just fingers.
Calloused, yes. But gentle. They moved across my skin with a surprising tenderness, gliding down my jawline, then lifting my chin until my eyes met his once more.
The emotion behind his gaze made my stomach knot. It wasn’t pity. It was something else—something unreadable.
He tucked a damp strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering.
“Why did you expect pain?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
“Where are you from?”
I opened my mouth, closed it again. My instincts screamed at me to lie. Every part of me told me that if he found out who I really was—whose blood I carried—I’d be dead before I took another breath.
Still, his touch hadn’t wavered.
“The... Wolfsbane Pack,” I whispered.
His brow furrowed. “Alpha Morven’s territory.”
I gave a slow nod. That was all I would admit. I wasn’t about to tell him I was the disgraced daughter, the discarded mate, the walking shame of the Alpha’s bloodline.
“And why did you cross into my land?” he asked again.
That question I really couldn’t answer.
I lowered my eyes. “I got lost. That’s all.”
He didn’t buy it. I could see it in the slight twitch of his jaw. But instead of pressing further, he did something I hadn’t anticipated.
He crouched in front of me, resting both palms against my cheeks.
“Hey,” he said softly, like speaking to a child or a wounded animal. “It’s alright. You don’t have to explain anything right now. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I wanted to believe him.
His voice was so... human. And that terrified me more than anything. Because if he meant it, that meant he was capable of kindness. If he didn’t, it meant he was a master at faking it. Either way, I was vulnerable.
My eyes burned. Tears spilled before I could stop them.
Kael’s expression changed. He stood abruptly, as if suddenly shaken, and turned toward Rowan with sharp intensity.
“What are you doing just standing there? Untie her.”
Rowan blinked, taken aback. “Alpha, are you sure—”
“I said now.”
Rowan didn’t question him again. He stepped behind me and began to undo the ropes. My skin throbbed where they’d dug into my wrists and ankles, the raw flesh angry and red. I tried not to wince, but Kael noticed.
His jaw clenched. “You were too rough.”
“I... apologize,” Rowan said, glancing away.
“Make it right,” Kael snapped. Then turned to the guards.“Prepare a guest room. One close to mine. And summon the maids. She needs food, water, and someone to treat her wounds.”
I stared at him.
Surely, I’d misheard. Guest room?
Kael looked at me again. “You’ll rest. You’re safe now.”
Safe.
That word landed somewhere deep in my chest and stayed there like a burning coal. It wasn’t safety I believed in—but his voice, somehow, made the lie feel like it mattered.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
But I didn’t resist when he reached out and steadied me on my feet.
And I didn’t look away when he said again, this time softer than before—
"You’re safe with me, Aria. You are."
- Writer
