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1436 Words
KADE
The moment I set my eyes on him, rage slammed into me like a storm.
Her ex was standing there like he had every right to say her name, like he hadn’t shattered her heart and left her bleeding in the snow. My wolf surged forward in fury, possessive and territorial. The sudden urge to tear him apart came upon me.
MINE
That was all my wolf could think of.
I felt jealousy burn in my chest when I thought of how he had touched her once, held her, claimed things he never deserved. The thought of it made my hands curl into fists.
But I stayed still. For her sake.
I watched Isla stiffen beside me. Her body language told me everything that she didn’t want to see him, that she didn’t want to hear his voice or be anywhere near him.
He stepped closer.
“Isla,” he said in a soft tone, like he was trying to sound sorry. “Can we talk?”
She took a deep breath, then stepped back. “Stay away from me. I don’t want to speak to you.”
Good. I thought.
He scoffed, his gaze turning to me with pure disgust. “You’re choosing this psychopath over me?” he said. “You’ll regret this.”
Isla’s shoulders straightened, she lifted her chin and spoke with a steady voice despite the pain I smelled on her.
“I’ll rather choose this psychopath over and over again,” she said. “Because he kept me safe when all you’ve ever done was hurt me and lie to my face.”
Something twisted in my chest at her word. I felt pride, I felt pain and a strong need to protect her from anything, including herself.
Her ex laughed. “You’re not in your right senses, Isla. He’s bewitched you. He’s not who you think he is.”
Then he said the word.
“He’s a monster.”
I lost control of myself. I moved toward him before I could stop myself.
In a blur, I was on him, my hand closing around his throat, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing. His feet kicked uselessly in the air as his eyes widened in fear.
“Say it again,” I growled.
My fangs slid out, I didn’t even bother to hide them anymore. My eyes burned gold, my wolf right at the surface, snarling.
“Call me a monster one more time.”
He clawed at my arm, gasping for air but my grip on his throat tightened the more.
“Kade!” Isla screamed. “Stop! Let him go!”
Her voice echoed in my head, cutting through my rage, but it wasn’t enough to stop me now.
All I saw was red, all I could feel was the need to end his life, to end this human who posed as a threat to Isla. To make sure he never looked at her again or spoke her name.
I tightened my grip again.
He went limp. That was when I released him.
His body hit the ground hard, unmoving.
Silence filled the air.
Isla stared at him, then at me. Her face drained of colour.
“You killed him,” she whispered.
Before I could explain, she turned and ran into the dorm building.
“Isla…”I called her.
It was too late.
I heard drawers open, things shoved into a bag. When she came back out, she had a few clothes in her arms and a raging fire in her eyes.
“I told you to let him go,” she said, he voice trembling. “You killed him.”
I stepped closer. “Don’t be ridiculous. He passed out. He’ll wake up with a headache and no memory of what happened.”
She shook her head violently. “I don’t care. Stay away from me.”
Her words hit harder than I expected.
I let out a low growl and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward me before she could move.
“You promised,” I said in a dark tone. “You promised to behave if I brought you here. Don’t make me regret it.”
She tried to pull away. “I changed my mind.”
Her eyes flashed with anger and fear. “Get your hands off me or I’ll scream.”
I stopped immediately. I stared at her, truly seeing her. Not just as my mate, not just the bond, but a woman who had been hurt too many times, who was afraid of losing control.
Slowly, I let go of her.
The moment my hand dropped, she stepped back like she expected me to attack her.
That broke me. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said quietly.
She laughed bitterly. “That’s all you’ve done since I met you.”
She turned and walked away, clutching her things and disappearing into the night without looking back.
I stood there, my wolf pacing restlessly inside, rage and regret mixing together.
I had tried to protect her. But I had only succeeded in pushing her farther away.
Every part of me wanted to chase after her, to pull her back into my arms and reassure her of her safety. That I would never hurt her.
But I didn’t move.
Forcing her would only break the little trust that remained between us. SO I let her go even though it tore my heart apart.
I turned away and focused on why I came to town in the first place.
Her scent clung to me, impossible to ignore. I knew I could easily find her later. For now, there was someone I needed to meet.
I followed a narrow path to the edge og town where an old house stood alone. The building looked abandoned, its walls worn out by time, but I knew better.
I knocked once.
The door opened slowly.
“Took you long enough to show up,” the old man said.
“Greetings,” I said.
The old man studied me for a moment before letting me in. “Why are you here, Alpha Kade?”
I stepped inside. The house smelled of old books, herbs, and secrets. We discussed for a long time. I told him about the rival wolf who had tried to take Isla away, about the rival clan.
Then I told him about how Isla was slowly slipping further away from me no matter how hard I tried to protect her.
“She doesn’t trust me,” I admitted.
The old man laughed. “That’s because you’re doing everything wrong.”
I frowned. “I protect her. I keep her safe. I even stood against the council just for her sake.”
“Yes…yes,” he said, shaking his head. “But tell me, Alpha, how many times have you visited her chambers just to sit with her?”
I hesitated. “I…haven’t”
He raised a brow. “Why is that?”
“I run a pack. I don’t have time for…”
“That,” he cuts in, “is the problem. Kade, she’s a human. Humans need attention, they crave affection even when they don’t say it, and they want presence. Without those, your mate will always feel alone.”
His words hit me harder than a blade.
“But I thought I was giving her the space she needed,” I said.
“Sometimes, space without care feels like rejection,” he replied gently.
As we discussed, we stepped outside together.
That’s when I saw her.
Isla was sitting at the entrance, her arms wrapped around her body, shivering in the cold. Her hair was a bit messy, her cheeks red from the wind. She looked small, fragile and vulnerable.
My chest tightened.
She looked up and froze when she saw us, her eyes widened in recognition.
“I know you,” she said, pointing at the old man. “You own that old library. You gave me that book about werewolves.”
The old man laughed. “Yes, child. I know it’s difficult to process.”
I saw the confusion on her face.
“I’ll explain everything when we get back,” I said quietly. “That’s if you’re coming with me.”
Her eyes softened and for the first time, she didn’t look afraid.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” she asked.
I gave no response.
I nodded to the old man in farewell and turned away. She followed behind me, our footsteps quiet as we walked in silence.
- Writer
