Ten miles of peach blossom

Chapter 2

*Ayin's pov*

The air shifted.

Energy coiled in the wind—ancient, electric, alive.

My breath caught as I stepped through the trees...

And there he was.

Backlit by moonlight, his figure emerged—broad shoulders cloaked in black, hair like the night itself, and eyes…

Those eyes.

Golden. Glowing. Locked on me like a hunter finding his prey.

*It was him.*

The mate I rejected.

The one who caused the death of my parents—*Alpha Kaydel*, feared head of the werewolf clan.

*He was supposed to be dead.*

My father had sealed him away with his life. I watched it happen. I felt the earth swallow him whole.

And yet… here he stood.

The bond didn’t snap gently—it *detonated*, ripping through me with force. My fox tails flared uncontrollably, glowing bright with ancient recognition.

I gasped—not from fear, but from fate. From fury.

From a connection I thought had died with my past.

And in that moment, every instinct inside me whispered one truth:

*I was never meant to run.*

“Ayin… are you okay?”

Selin’s voice broke through the haze, soft and confused behind me.

I turned slightly, enough to see the worry in her eyes.

But my gaze snapped forward again.

Back to the space where he stood.

Empty.

He was gone.

Did I see him… or was I just hallucinating?

The question repeated over and over in my head, like a drumbeat I couldn't silence.

My heart was still racing. My fox aura flickered beneath my skin, unstable. Confused.

Was it possible that Alpha Kaydel—*my mate*—was really alive?

Or had the weight of guilt and grief finally broken something in me?

“Ayin…”

Selin’s hand wrapped around mine, warm and grounding. She looked at me with those deep, worried eyes—the way only a sister would.

“Please,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”

I blinked, trying to steady my breath. Behind her, I saw her lover standing a short distance away, his arms crossed, watching silently. A hint of suspicion in his stance.

I forced a soft smile and turned back to Selin. “I’m okay,” I said, my voice quiet. “Just… a little tired.”

She didn’t look convinced, but nodded slowly.

“I need to rest,” I added, straightening my posture. “Tell the guards: no one is to disturb me.”

Selin hesitated before squeezing my hand gently. “Alright,” she said, but her eyes lingered on me, as if trying to read the truth I wasn’t ready to say.

I walked past her slowly, my body still trembling beneath the surface. As I stepped into the quiet safety of my chambers, I let out the breath I’d been holding in.

I wasn’t sure what scared me more—

That I had imagined him…

Or that I hadn’t.

Soon, sleep took over me.

***

He stepped forward—slow, deliberate.

My heart pounded like war drums, echoing in my chest. I couldn’t move.

Didn’t want to.

His scent wrapped around me again—stronger this time. Familiar. *Dangerous.*

Then he spoke.

One word. Rough. Low.

Like the first rumble of a coming storm.

*"Found you."*

Before I could react, he was inches away. His eyes burned into mine—dark and consuming.

Then his fingers brushed my lips.

Soft… but wrong.

He slipped one into my mouth—uninvited. Dirty. Possessive.

The world tilted.

I tried to pull away, scream—anything.

But I couldn’t move. My limbs were frozen. My voice, lost.

A single tear slid down my cheek, hot and silent.

And then—

I gasped awake.

Panting.

Drenched in sweat.

My fingers trembled as they gripped the sheets, my heart still racing.

It was all… a dream.

But it *felt* too real.

The scent still clung to my senses—wild and smoky. My lips tingled where he touched them. My body, despite the fear, still buzzed with some strange leftover energy.

I swung my legs off the bed and sat there, dazed, staring into the shadows of my room.

"Found you."

Those two words echoed in my mind like a curse.

Why now? Why *him*? Why that dream?

It wasn’t just a nightmare. No… it was a *warning.*

And I had a sinking feeling—

He was coming.

I pressed my palm to my chest, trying to calm the frantic rhythm of my heart. The moonlight spilled through the window, casting pale lines across the floor… but it offered no comfort.

Not tonight.

I reached for the goblet of water beside my bed, hands trembling, and took a slow sip. But it didn’t wash the taste of him away.

That dream—it wasn’t just imagination.

I *knew* him. I remembered that voice.

The one who shouldn't still exist.

The one sealed away by blood, bone, and a vow spoken over a thousand years ago.

Alpha Kaydel.

My rejected mate. The destroyer of my family.

And now… he was awake.

I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why.

But I *felt* him.

Somehow, the bond we thought was broken had clawed its way back. Violent. Starving. And it wanted me.

I stood slowly, legs unsteady, and walked to the window. The wind howled through the trees like a warning. The stars above offered no answers—just a silent witness to the return of something ancient.

If Kaydel was back, then no one was safe.

Especially not me.

A sudden knock at the door made me jump.

Three slow taps.

Measured. Intentional.

“No... not now... I can’t use my magic,” I kept whispering to myself, backing away from the window.

My fingers trembled as I pressed them to my temple. After awakening my tenth tail, I knew the cost—I had to wait *fifty days* before summoning any of my power. No spells. No shields. No weapons. Nothing.

I was vulnerable.

“Damn it…” I hissed under my breath, scanning the room for anything useful. My gaze landed on the drawer by my bed.

I lunged for it, yanking it open and grabbing the nearest dagger. The cool steel grounded me for a moment. Familiar. Trusted.

Three knocks echoed through the door.

Slow. Measured. Intentional.

My blood froze.

Clutching the dagger tightly, I moved toward the door, careful not to make a sound.

“Who’s there?” I called out, trying to mask the quiver in my voice.

A pause. Then—

“It’s me. Selin.”

I didn’t lower the blade. Not yet.

The bond. The vision. The scent. Alpha Kaydel.

It could be a trick.

But when I cracked the door open, I saw her—Selin’s pale face and wide, frantic eyes. Real. A fox. Herself .

She slipped inside quickly and closed the door behind her.

Relief warred with unease. I opened the door just a crack, peering out into the dim corridor. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and alert.

“The world already felt it ,he's back” she whispered.

My blood turned cold.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “That pulse in the air. That dark energy... he's back, Ayin.”

I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. My worst fear had just been confirmed.

Selin placed a hand on my shoulder. “You already know he's back, don’t you?”

I nodded. “Alpha Kaydel.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. Just the weight of the truth between us. Heavy. Crippling.

I looked at her, and for the first time in years, I said it aloud. “I think the seal is broken.”

And if the seal was broken, it meant one thing—

Kaydel was no longer trapped.

He was free.

And he was coming for me.

Whether to claim me…

Or destroy me.

Either way, the clock had started ticking.