CHAPTER THREE — THE KINGDOM OF NIGHTFANG
1786 Words
The road stretched endlessly beneath the carriage wheels.
Hours passed—sun bleeding into the horizon, then slipping away entirely. Darkness swallowed the forest, and the only light came from the dim lantern swaying between me and the man who’d just ripped me from my life.
Kael hadn’t taken his eyes off me once.
He sat like a carved statue—hands braced on his knees, back straight, muscles coiled with an impossible, contained energy. His presence filled the entire carriage, curling through the air like smoke, making it hard to breathe.
I kept my arms folded tight across my chest.
His gaze flicked to my wrist again. The mark pulsed faintly—as if sensing his attention, responding to him.
“I told you to stop staring,” I muttered.
“And I told you I can’t.”
I glared. “You’re impossible.”
He leaned back slowly, spreading his thighs slightly, posture relaxed but gaze sharp.
“You’re trembling again.”
I sat up straighter. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
He tilted his head. “Is it fear?”
“No.”
Lie.
“Yes.”
Another lie.
“Maybe.”
Heat flared in his eyes, but not from anger. Something else—something deeper, heavier, and a little terrifying.
“Good,” he murmured. “Fear keeps you alert.”
I stared at him, startled at the bluntness.
“What is wrong with you?” I snapped.
He didn’t smile. “A long list.”
I sucked in a breath, pressing myself deeper into my corner of the carriage. “You expect me to sit here calmly while you kidnap me?”
“Would you prefer I carry you the rest of the way?”
His tone was maddeningly calm.
“No.”
His gaze darkened. “Then sit. And breathe.”
The way he said breathe made my pulse skitter. Commanding. Quiet. Too intimate.
I tore my eyes away from him and looked out the window.
The landscape had changed—trees thickened into towering black pines, their branches heavy with frost. The air itself felt different, humming with some ancient, electric charge that raised every hair on my body.
We crossed a stone bridge. The river below glowed faintly silver.
“This is the border?” I asked softly.
“Yes.”
A chill crawled up my spine.
“So once we cross… I’m officially trapped.”
His jaw ticked. “You are not a prisoner.”
I laughed bitterly. “I’m not free either.”
He didn’t respond.
The silence between us stretched tight. Heavy.
The carriage rattled over a patch of uneven ground, throwing me forward. I braced myself on the velvet seat.
Kael moved so fast I didn’t see it until it happened—he reached out and caught my forearm before I could fall.
His hand wrapped fully around my arm, warm and sure, fingers splayed over my skin.
The bond sparked violently.
Heat shot up my arm, down my spine, curling low in my belly with a force that stole my breath.
Kael inhaled sharply—like the contact affected him even more than it affected me.
“Careful,” he murmured, voice rougher now. “You bruise easily.”
My breath hitched. “Let me go.”
He did. Immediately. Almost too quickly—like touching me had cost him something.
His gaze burned.
“You feel it,” he said quietly. “Every time.”
“No,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
The way he said it made something inside me twist.
He turned his head away, staring at the window as if gathering himself.
“We’ll reach the capital soon.”
I stiffened. “What happens then?”
His jaw flexed. “You meet my council.”
“Your… council?” I echoed. “The same council you abandoned to chase my mark?”
His eyes slid back to me. “The same.”
“What will they think of me?”
His expression cooled. “They will think nothing.”
“That’s impossible.”
His voice dropped. “They will think nothing because I will allow nothing.”
The statement sent a shiver through me. Not just because of the dominance in his tone, but because of the warning behind it.
“Nightfang politics are… ruthless,” he added. “Wolves obey power. Power protects. And you—”
His gaze dipped again to my wrist.
“You have no defenses yet.”
“So I’m just supposed to hide behind you?”
Something flickered in his gaze—something sharp.
“You do not hide behind me,” he said slowly. “You stand beside me.”
My heart did something ridiculous and traitorous in my chest.
“I don’t want to stand beside you,” I managed.
His lips curved slightly. “You will.”
Before I could argue, the carriage lurched to a slow stop.
We both looked up.
“What now?” I whispered.
Kael rose smoothly, every movement predatory. “We’re here.”
My pulse hammered as he opened the carriage door.
Cold, wild air rushed in—and I gasped.
Because the Nightfang capital was nothing like the stories.
It was more.
Torches lined a massive stone archway rising out of the earth like the jaws of a beast. Towers spiraled into the sky, their windows glowing with orange firelight. Wolves patrolled the high walls, their silhouettes sharp against the night.
And beyond it all—
A castle.
Dark stone. Razor-edged spires. Ancient symbols carved into its surface. It loomed like a sleeping titan, watching the world with eyes older than time.
My breath caught in my throat. “This is… huge.”
Kael stepped onto the ground, then turned and extended his hand to me.
My stomach flipped.
“I can get down myself.”
He didn’t argue. “Try.”
I narrowed my eyes at him—and then climbed down, gripping the edge of the carriage.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, my knees nearly buckled.
Before I could fall, strong hands wrapped around my waist—Kael’s.
He pulled me upright, body pressed against mine for one heavy, breathless moment.
Heat rushed through me, the bond flaring so bright my vision blurred.
His voice brushed my ear.
“Ahead of you is a kingdom full of wolves who will smell your fear before they see your face.”
I stiffened.
“You think I’m afraid?”
“You are,” he murmured. “But you walk anyway. That’s good.”
He stepped back, hands sliding away slowly—reluctantly.
“Stay close,” he said.
“Or what?”
“Or someone else may try to touch what is mine.”
My body flamed with anger—and something else.
“Stop saying that.”
“I will—when your mark stops answering me.”
Before I could respond, the gates crashed open.
And the entire courtyard fell silent.
Every wolf, every warrior, every servant… dropped to one knee.
“All hail King Kael,” a guard called.
“And his fated match.”
My stomach dropped.
Kael’s hand found the small of my back.
Possessive. Grounding. Caging.
A tall woman stepped forward—long dark braid, sharp cheekbones, eyes like a hawk.
Sarina. The commander.
Her gaze slid over me, cool and assessing. Then she bowed to Kael.
“My King,” she said. “The council waits. They heard… rumors.”
Kael’s jaw hardened. “Let them wait longer.”
Her eyes flickered. “And her?”
Aria, she didn’t say.
Human, her tone implied.
“She comes with me,” Kael said.
Sarina’s nostrils flared—but she stepped aside.
We moved through the courtyard. Wolves whispered behind us.
“A human?”
“Is she pretty?”
“Why her?”
“The king looks—different.”
Kael’s hand remained on my back, guiding me with a subtle but unbreakable pressure.
When we entered the castle, the air changed.
Magic hummed.
Heat wrapped around us.
And something deep, deep inside the walls seemed to exhale.
Kael glanced down at me. “The castle knows when a mate enters.”
I swallowed hard. “That’s not comforting.”
He huffed—a sound dangerously close to a laugh.
We turned a corner—and nearly collided with another wolf.
A tall man. Light hair. Cold, assessing eyes. Draped in council robes.
He stopped dead when he saw me.
Then he smiled—slow, sharp, predatory.
“Ah,” he said. “So the rumors were true.”
Kael stepped in front of me so quickly I didn’t even see him move.
“Mind your words,” he warned.
The man’s smile widened. “Why? Did I say something wrong? Or is the truth too… delicate for you to hear?”
Kael’s growl vibrated through the floor.
The councilor’s gaze slid past him to me—hungry and curious.
“So this is the girl fate handed our King.”
His eyes roamed openly—too openly.
My stomach twisted.
Kael moved so fast the corridor blurred.
He slammed the man into the wall, forearm pressed against his throat.
“If you look at her again,” Kael said softly, “I will pluck out your eyes.”
The councilor choked, but his smile didn’t fade. “Possessive already?”
“Leave,” Kael snarled.
The man slid away, coughing, but his smirk lingered.
“Welcome to Nightfang, little human,” he said to me. “Try not to die too quickly.”
Kael lunged—but the man disappeared into the shadows.
I stood frozen, pulse racing.
Kael turned to me slowly, chest rising and falling hard.
“You are not safe here,” he said in a low, ragged voice. “Not until I make you safe.”
“Then why did you bring me?”
His eyes burned.
“Because I couldn’t leave you,” he said. “Not even if I wanted to.”
I opened my mouth—then closed it when a guard rushed around the corner.
“My King—there’s a situation in the throne hall. You’re needed immediately.”
Kael exhaled sharply, then took my wrist.
“Stay with me.”
I didn’t get a chance to answer.
He pulled me through the corridor—
—right into the throne hall—
Where dozens of wolves were already gathered.
All whispering. All staring.
And at the center of the room, standing bold, furious, and unafraid—
Was my mother.
My breath left my body.
“Aria!” she cried.
The entire hall erupted.
- Writer
