CHAPTER TWO — THE KING’S CLAIM
1493 Words
“Until you.”
The words hung in the air, thick and electric, wrapping around me tighter than his fingers ever could. My heart stuttered, then tripped over itself, breath skittering out of my chest in short, uneven bursts.
Kael didn’t blink. Didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe, as far as I could tell. He watched me like a wolf that had finally cornered its prey—and was deciding whether to devour or drag it home alive.
“You have a talent for challenging me,” he murmured, voice low and silken. “Most wolves tremble when they hear my steps. But you…”
His gaze traveled slowly down my face, my throat, the trembling pulse at the base of my neck.
“You make my blood burn.”
My knees wobbled. “I’m not going with you.”
Kael’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t frown, didn’t snarl, didn’t strike. He simply reached out—slow, deliberate—and slid his hand up my arm until it rested over my mark.
The world went white.
The bond roared to life again, surging through me in hot waves, making my breath hitch and my body arch forward like it recognized him without my permission.
“Your magic answers me,” he said softly. “Your wolf answers me.”
“My wolf is confused,” I snapped, even though my voice shook.
His golden eyes flickered—like he found my defiance entertaining… or tempting.
“Confused,” he repeated. “I see.”
His hand dropped suddenly, as though he’d made a decision in that exact second.
“We leave.”
My stomach plummeted. “No—”
Kael didn’t wait.
He turned sharply toward his guard captain. “Bring the carriage forward.”
Then to another: “Secure the perimeter. No one interferes.”
Wolves scattered instantly, bowing their heads, terrified to even breathe wrong.
Jaxon stepped forward, voice breaking:
“Aria doesn’t want this. You can’t take her from her home!”
Kael didn’t bother looking at him. “She’ll want it eventually.”
“She won’t!” Jaxon spat. “She’s not yours!”
That did it.
Kael moved so fast the air snapped. One second he was standing in front of me, the next he had Jaxon pinned against a tree by the throat, the bark cracking under the force.
“Do not,” Kael growled, “presume to know what belongs to me.”
“Stop!” I cried, running forward.
Kael froze—only because I’d spoken. He turned his head just enough to see me from the corner of his eye.
The grip around Jaxon’s throat loosened by a fraction. Not enough for him to stand without shaking. Just enough for him to breathe.
“Let him go,” I said, voice trembling.
A long, silent stare.
Then Kael released him, letting him fall to his knees.
Jaxon coughed violently, clutching his neck. When he finally lifted his face, his eyes were glassy with fury. And heartbreak.
“I’ll come for you,” he whispered hoarsely.
Kael’s jaw flexed. “Try.”
Two guards stepped forward instantly, blocking Jaxon from coming anywhere near me.
My mother rushed in behind them, grabbing my shoulders with shaking hands.
“Aria,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “My baby, please—please don’t say anything else. Don’t anger him.”
My voice cracked. “Mom—”
She cupped my face, pressing her forehead to mine. “Live. Just live. Whatever you have to do… survive this.”
Pain ripped through my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her neck, breathing in her scent like it was the last air I’d ever get.
“Enough.”
Kael’s voice wasn’t loud, but it snapped the moment like a brittle twig. Two guards stepped between us, gently but firmly pulling me backward.
My mother’s hand slid out of mine.
Everything inside me went cold.
“No—wait!” I reached for her again.
Kael caught my wrist mid-air.
The bond flared, burning through my veins.
“Let me say goodbye!” I hissed.
“You already did.”
I tried to yank away, but he didn’t budge. His grip wasn’t bruising—but it was absolute. The silent, undeniable promise of a king who had never once lost anything he desired.
A deep rumble shook the ground as a massive black carriage rolled into the clearing. It was pulled by two enormous wolves—no, not wolves. Beasts. Twice the size of ours, fur dark as night, eyes glowing faint amber.
Royal mounts.
Kael turned to me. “You will ride with me.”
“I won’t.”
“You will.”
His voice was steel wrapped in velvet. Final. Unarguable.
A guard opened the carriage door. Warm, low golden light spilled out from inside—luxurious, intimidating, unmistakably royal.
Kael guided me forward. Not dragging. Not shoving. Just… directing. As if he knew exactly how little pressure it would take.
When my foot reached the first step, something in me snapped.
I spun and shoved him.
He didn’t move an inch.
Not even a sway.
Instead, he looked down at the hand still pressed against his chest. His heart thrummed under my palm—steady, powerful.
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
“Do you want my patience to end?”
“I want you to leave me alone!”
He leaned down, face inches from mine, breath brushing my lips.
“That,” he murmured, “is no longer possible.”
Heat rolled through me again—weather, power, magic, I didn’t know. All I knew was that my heart was racing so fast it hurt.
Kael placed his hand over mine on his chest—not removing it, just trapping it there. His skin was hot, his pulse a deep, steady thrum.
“Get in the carriage,” he said softly.
“I hate you.”
He smiled—slow, dark, unbearably confident.
“You will. And then you won’t.”
With that, he guided me inside.
The door shut behind us with a heavy, final thud that echoed like the closing of fate.
⸻
Inside, the carriage was absurdly elegant. Soft velvet seats, lanterns casting warm shadows, the faint scent of pine and smoke. But none of it mattered.
Because Kael sat directly across from me.
Legs spread slightly. Coat open. Eyes fixed on me with a focus so intense it made my skin prickle.
The carriage began moving. Wheels crunching over dirt. Forest swallowing the last sounds of my pack.
My home.
My mother.
Jaxon.
Gone.
Silence stretched between us—thick, suffocating, intimate.
Finally, Kael spoke.
“You’re shaking.”
“No I’m not.”
“You are.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Your presence is… overwhelming.”
His brow arched. “Good.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I know.”
He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. The lantern light caught on the edges of his eyes, turning the gold into molten fire.
“You think I wanted this?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed. “Didn’t you?”
“No.”
His gaze darkened.
“But I need it.”
A shiver ran through me. “Why?”
He studied me for a long, slow moment.
Then:
“You’ll learn soon enough.”
My stomach flipped. “That is not comforting.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
The carriage rocked. Trees blurred past the small window. My pulse hammered in my ears.
Kael’s eyes dropped to my wrist again.
The mark pulsed as if answering him.
“Stop staring at it,” I muttered.
“I can’t.”
“Try harder.”
His gaze lifted to mine, and my breath caught.
“I tried,” he said softly. “The moment it appeared on my skin.”
My heart dropped. “Your skin?”
He slowly tugged back the sleeve of his coat.
My breath froze.
Because on the inside of his wrist—etched in glowing gold and silver—was the same swirling mark as mine.
Bound.
Matched.
Fated.
A bond that could not be broken.
The air in the carriage thickened until it was hard to breathe.
Kael’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“You are mine by magic, Aria. Whether either of us likes it or not.”
My chest ached. “I didn’t choose this.”
“Nor did I.”
His eyes locked with mine.
“But I will not lose what the moon has given me.”
The carriage shuddered as it crossed into King’s territory, magic crackling faintly against the wooden frame.
Kael didn’t look away.
“From this moment,” he said softly, “your life belongs to the crown.”
And the terrifying part?
Somewhere deep inside me…
my wolf didn’t protest.
- Writer
