The King Who Could Not Help
1112 Words
The moment Aria kissed him, Kael knew something was wrong.
Not because of the kiss.
That had shattered him in entirely different ways.
It was what came after.
The scent.
At first it had been her usual scent—soft skin, wildflowers, the clean warmth that had haunted him since the ballroom.
Then it changed.
Deepened.
Sweetened.
Turned rich and dangerously alive.
It struck his wolf like lightning.
Mine.
The word slammed through every instinct he possessed.
His control nearly snapped on the spot.
When she pulled away, Kael had barely heard her words. Barely seen the horror on her face.
All he knew was that the air around her had become intoxicating.
Ancient.
Irresistible.
Mate heat.
His body recognized it before his mind did.
The moon goddess was claiming what belonged to her.
And if he stayed in that room another second, he would lose every shred of restraint he had left.
Then Ronan entered.
One look at Aria. One breath of the air.
Understanding hit both males instantly.
Kael left before instinct turned into disaster.
He strode through the corridors so quickly servants flattened themselves against walls to avoid him. Guards lowered their heads and prayed not to be noticed.
It was wise.
Because his temper was already bleeding through his skin.
Outside, in the training grounds, warriors froze mid-spar when they scented it.
Heads lifted.
Eyes sharpened.
Male wolves.
Every one of them caught traces of her heat carried on the palace air.
The nearest guard took one unconscious step toward the eastern wing.
Kael was in front of him before the fool understood his mistake.
His hand closed around the male’s throat and lifted him clear off the ground.
“Look at my wing again,” Kael said softly, “and I’ll decorate the gates with your spine.”
The guard choked out an apology.
Kael threw him aside.
Another pair of warriors still stood staring toward the palace.
He shifted enough for claws to flash from his hands.
They dropped to their knees immediately.
Good.
Fear was useful.
Nothing else was.
He crossed the grounds and entered the forest beyond the walls, putting distance between himself and the scent driving every male wolf insane.
It did nothing.
No matter how far he went, she was there.
In the wind.
In his blood.
In the bond.
His wolf paced beneath his skin, furious and desperate.
Go back.
Take her.
Ease her pain.
Claim her.
Kael braced both hands against the trunk of an ancient pine and fought himself.
He could feel her through the bond.
Not thoughts.
Never thoughts.
But everything else.
The shame first.
It hit like a blade.
She hated what she had done.
Hated wanting him.
Hated herself for it.
Then came confusion.
Fear.
A deep, helpless hurt that made something in his chest tear open.
Then the physical pain began.
A burning ache. Restlessness beneath skin. Need turned into suffering.
Kael’s head dropped forward against the tree.
He had faced wars without blinking.
Had broken rebellions with his bare hands.
Had buried enemies and allies alike.
Yet none of that had prepared him for the helplessness of feeling his mate suffer while being unable to stop it.
He was king.
Alpha of Alphas.
Ruler of every pack under the moon.
And still, he could not fix the pain of one girl behind a locked door.
Branches snapped behind him.
Kael turned sharply.
Selene stepped from the trees.
The chosen Queen.
Tall, elegant, dressed in fitted black leather with silver clasps at her throat. Her beauty was colder than Aria’s, sharpened by ambition and discipline. She moved like someone born to command and furious at being denied it.
“I heard the palace nearly burned,” she said smoothly.
Kael said nothing.
Her eyes narrowed as she took in his expression.
“So it’s true.” She stepped closer. “She’s in heat.”
The word from Selene’s mouth sounded like mockery.
Kael’s silence confirmed enough.
Jealousy flickered across her face before she buried it.
“She’s human.”
“She is mine.”
Selene’s jaw tightened.
For years she had stood beside him in ceremonies, councils, wars. The packs already called her future queen. It had been practical. Orderly. Acceptable.
Then Aria arrived and turned certainty into ash.
Selene softened her voice and moved nearer.
“You need relief, Kael.”
He looked at her as if noticing her for the first time.
She took that as permission.
Mistake.
She placed a hand on his chest and guided him backward toward the hunting lodge hidden deeper in the trees. A private chamber used during winter patrols.
Inside, she closed the door and stepped into him.
Her hands slid over his shoulders.
Her mouth brushed his jaw.
Once, not long ago, he might have tolerated it.
Now the bond reacted like violence.
Pain exploded through his chest.
Not his pain.
Aria’s.
Sharp. Immediate. Agonizing.
Kael shoved Selene away so hard she hit the wall.
The room shook.
She stared at him in shock.
“What—”
“If I touch another female,” he said, voice gone deadly quiet, “she suffers.”
Realization dawned in Selene’s eyes.
Then rage.
“She is doing this to control you.”
Kael stepped forward.
“No. The bond is.”
Selene’s hands curled into fists.
Years of patience. Years of status. Years of being seen as queen.
All stolen by a silent girl who had been in the palace less than a day.
“She has bewitched you.”
Kael’s eyes turned gold.
“Choose your next words carefully.”
Selene lifted her chin.
But hate had already taken root.
He could scent it now beneath her perfume.
Cold.
Patient.
Venomous.
Not for him.
For Aria.
Kael understood the danger instantly.
And for the first time in years, Selene understood fear.
“Stay away from her,” he said.
Then he turned and walked out before his temper chose blood.
The bond pulled him back toward the palace.
Toward the pain behind the eastern wing door.
Toward the girl who hated him.
Toward the one thing in the world he could not command.
When he reached her corridor hours later, trays of untouched food lined the wall.
Silence lived behind the door.
Kael stood there alone, hand resting against the wood.
On the other side, he felt her curled into herself.
Exhausted.
Still hurting.
Still fighting.
He closed his eyes.
“I would take it from you,” he said quietly to the door. “If I could.”
No answer came.
Only her pain.
And for the first time since becoming king, Kael felt powerless.
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