CHAPTER THREE: THE ALPHA’S RESTLESSNESS
1162 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Alpha Kael Bloodmoon stood on the balcony of his manor, the wind pressing cold fingers through his dark hair. Below, the pack grounds were alive with noise—the aftermath of the festival still burning like embers in the night. Laughter, drums, the clinking of goblets. Yet none of it reached him.
His wolf, Zion, was pacing violently inside him.
> “She’s here,” the beast growled, voice echoing through his mind. “You can feel it too.”
Kael clenched his jaw, gripping the railing until the veins in his hand stood out. “Enough,” he muttered under his breath, though no one was there to hear. “I don’t have time for this.”
But his wolf didn’t stop. Zion never did when it came to instinct.
> “Her scent is driving us mad.”
“You mean that girl from the outer village?” Kael scoffed. “The deaf one?”
“Our mate.”
The word hit like thunder.
Kael’s breath caught, and for a moment, the Alpha’s proud mask slipped. The mere thought of that girl—the quiet one with the sad eyes and silent lips—made something shift in his chest, something dangerous and forbidden. He had seen her earlier that day, just once, when the crowd gathered for the festival. Her gaze had flickered toward him, uncertain but curious. She had looked… ethereal. Too calm. Too still. Like the world around her was loud and she existed beyond it.
And somehow, that stillness unsettled him.
He turned sharply, his boots echoing against the marble floor as he headed inside. The walls of the manor were lined with portraits—his father, the former Alpha, staring down with judgment in his eyes. Kael could almost hear the old man’s voice: “A Bloodmoon never falters. You choose strength, not weakness.”
And weakness was exactly what this felt like.
“Kael,” a soft voice called from the doorway.
Selena Rivers glided in like she owned the air around her. Golden hair, a crimson gown that shimmered against her pale skin. Beautiful—flawlessly so. She smiled the kind of smile that looked painted. “You vanished the moment the celebration began. People are asking for you.”
“I’m not in the mood,” Kael replied curtly.
She tilted her head, feigning concern. “You’ve been on edge all day. Is something wrong?”
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. Selena was perceptive, and that made her dangerous. He didn’t answer, moving past her to the table where a decanter of wine waited. He poured a glass with steady hands.
“It’s nothing,” he said finally. “Just pack matters.”
Selena stepped closer, her perfume flooding the air—sweet, suffocating, familiar. “You’re not lying to me, are you, my Alpha?” she purred, fingers tracing the edge of his arm.
Kael tensed. Once, that touch would’ve thrilled him. But tonight, it only reminded him of how empty everything suddenly felt.
His wolf growled again.
> “She is not the one. The true one is near.”
“Stop it,” Kael hissed under his breath, his eyes darkening.
Selena blinked. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly, brushing past her. “I need to patrol.”
He left before she could speak again. The cold air outside was a relief—bracing, clean, and real. He walked toward the forest edge, where moonlight fell in broken patterns across the ground. His heightened senses picked up every rustle, every distant heartbeat. And somewhere among those sounds… one stood out. Steady. Soft. Familiar.
He followed it.
The path led to the edge of the village, where the noise of the festival faded into silence. There, near the stream, he saw her.
Aderin Ayelala.
She was kneeling, her bare feet touching the water as her fingers traced patterns in the reflection of the moon. Her hair glowed faintly silver under the light. The world around her was silent—no music, no noise, no chatter—just stillness and breath.
And for the first time in years, Kael’s heart forgot how to beat.
Zion went still. “There she is.”
Kael’s throat felt tight. “No,” he whispered. “No, it can’t be.”
Aderin’s wolf turned her head slightly, as if sensing his presence, even without hearing him. Her eyes—clear, calm, unknowingly powerful—met his. For a heartbeat, everything stopped. The air between them thickened, charged, alive with something primal.
The mate bond snapped into place like lightning through his veins.
Kael staggered backward. Heat flooded his body, his wolf roaring in triumph. But with that power came terror. Not her. Not a girl from the lower ranks. Not the deaf one the pack pitied. His father’s ghost seemed to laugh in his ears.
> “A Bloodmoon never kneels for the weak.”
Aderin rose slowly, confusion crossing her face as she took a tentative step forward. Her lips parted slightly, trembling, though no sound came. The moon’s glow kissed her skin, and in that moment, she looked nothing like the outcast he’d always ignored—she looked divine.
“Don’t,” Kael said sharply, more to himself than her. He turned away, forcing his breathing to steady.
But she didn’t stop. She took another step, and the scent of her hit him—wild jasmine, rain, and something holy. His wolf howled.
> “She’s ours. Don’t you feel it?”
“I said enough!” Kael growled aloud, his voice rough and broken.
Aderin froze, startled by his sudden outburst. For a moment, her eyes glimmered with hurt, then confusion. She couldn’t hear his tone, but she could see it—the rejection in his stance, the anger in his eyes.
Her fingers moved hesitantly, signing one word: Why?
Kael’s chest tightened. He understood enough of her gestures to know what she asked. Why was he pushing her away? Why was he angry at what fate had chosen?
Because fate was cruel.
“Go home, girl,” he said, his tone hardening to stone. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
Her brows furrowed. She took a step back, then another, her silence louder than any scream.
Kael turned and strode into the darkness, his heart pounding like a war drum. Zion was snarling, clawing inside him, fighting his human pride.
> “You fool. You’ll destroy us both.”
Kael didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Every instinct screamed that claiming her would ruin him, that the pack would never follow a deaf Luna. That his father’s legacy would die in shame. And yet, as he walked away, her eyes haunted him—the quiet storm he couldn’t silence.
From the shadows, the Moon Goddess watched, her silver eyes dim with sorrow.
The first thread of destiny had been pulled.
And with it, the curse began to stir.
- Writer
