WHEN AN ALPHA KNEELS

PROTECT HIM

WHEN AN ALPHA KNEELS

CHAPTER THREE

The bookstore fell into an unusual silence.

Not because the customers had stopped talking.

A group of university students still laughed quietly over steaming cups of coffee near the windows. An elderly man sat in the history section, turning the pages of a worn novel with practiced care. Somewhere on the second floor, a ladder scraped gently against a bookshelf as one of the assistants reorganized the classics.

Everything was exactly as it had been moments ago.

Yet to Kael...

It felt as though the world had paused.

The stranger standing at the entrance hadn't moved.

Neither had he.

For one inexplicable moment, all Kael could see were the man's striking silver-gray eyes fixed on him.

A strange warmth spread through his chest.

It wasn't unpleasant.

If anything...

It felt oddly familiar.

As though he had met those eyes before.

Impossible.

Kael forced himself to smile, silently pushing the strange feeling aside.

"Welcome to Ashford Books & Coffee."

The man's gaze lingered on him for another heartbeat before he finally spoke.

"I'm looking for a book."

His voice was low and composed, carrying the confidence of someone accustomed to being heard.

Kael nodded.

"What kind of book?"

"It's an old one."

A small laugh escaped Kael.

"I'm afraid that doesn't narrow it down very much."

For the first time, the stranger's expression shifted.

Not into a smile.

But something close.

"I suppose it doesn't."

Kael rested his hands on the polished wooden counter.

"Do you remember the title?"

The man spoke it quietly.

Kael repeated it under his breath.

The title sounded unfamiliar.

Very unfamiliar.

"Give me a moment."

He turned to the computer behind the counter, fingers moving quickly across the keyboard.

The bookstore's catalogue appeared.

Nothing.

He searched again, trying different spellings.

Still nothing.

He frowned.

Curious.

He expanded the search to the university archives.

Again...

Nothing.

The stranger watched him in silence.

Most people would have given up after the first failed search.

Kael didn't.

He searched a fourth database.

Then a fifth.

Several minutes passed before he finally sighed and looked up.

"I've never come across this title before."

The stranger remained calm.

"I expected as much."

"But..."

Kael closed the laptop.

"If the book truly exists, I'll find it."

The confidence in his voice wasn't boastful.

It was simply a promise.

The stranger studied him carefully.

"You sound certain."

Kael shrugged lightly.

"I spend my life surrounded by books."

"They have a funny way of hiding from people."

"But they always seem to appear when someone genuinely needs them."

For reasons he couldn't explain...

Those words stayed with the stranger.

Neither of them noticed Mrs. Harris watching from behind a nearby shelf.

She smiled quietly before disappearing into the café.

Kael stepped around the counter.

"You've come all this way."

"The least I can do is offer you a coffee while I continue searching."

The stranger glanced toward the café.

"I don't usually drink coffee."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"You don't?"

"No."

"Then today should be your first."

Without waiting for an answer, Kael disappeared behind the espresso machine.

The rhythmic sound of freshly ground coffee beans filled the bookstore.

A rich aroma drifted through the air.

The stranger found himself watching every movement.

The way Kael carefully measured the beans.

The patience with which he steamed the milk.

The small smile that appeared whenever he concentrated.

Everything about him seemed...

Peaceful.

It was an unfamiliar feeling.

The kind the stranger hadn't experienced in years.

A few minutes later, Kael placed a warm ceramic mug on the counter.

"There you go."

The stranger looked down at it.

"I'll warn you," Kael said with a grin.

"If you don't like it, I'll pretend I never made it."

A faint breath escaped the stranger.

It wasn't quite a laugh.

But it was close enough to surprise even him.

He lifted the mug and took a cautious sip.

Warm.

Smooth.

Comforting.

Much better than he expected.

Kael watched him expectantly.

"Well?"

The stranger lowered the mug.

"I've had worse."

Kael folded his arms dramatically.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Something about the young bookseller made conversation effortless.

For the first time in a very long while...

The stranger didn't feel the need to rush back to work.

And for reasons he couldn't explain...

Neither did Kael.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn't awkward.

It settled between them as comfortably as the quiet rustle of turning pages and the soft clink of coffee cups around the bookstore.

The stranger's eyes wandered across the towering shelves that stretched toward the second floor.

"I didn't expect a place like this."

Kael leaned against the counter.

"What were you expecting?"

"A small bookshop."

Kael laughed.

"I get that a lot."

He gestured around them.

"The café was Mrs. Harris' idea. She says people stay longer when there's coffee involved."

"And is she right?"

Kael smiled.

"She usually is."

The stranger took another sip of his coffee.

"I've noticed."

Kael tilted his head.

"Not many people your age come looking for rare books."

"I'm guessing you're not here because of an assignment."

The stranger shook his head.

"No."

"You collect them?"

"No."

"You inherited one and want to complete the collection?"

Again, the answer was no.

Kael chuckled.

"I give up."

For the first time since entering the bookstore, the stranger's expression softened.

"I've been told the book contains information I need."

"You sound determined."

"I am."

Kael studied him for a moment.

Whatever this book was...

It mattered.

He could see it in the man's eyes.

"I'll help you find it."

The stranger looked at him.

"You don't even know me."

Kael shrugged.

"I don't need to."

The answer came so naturally that it caught the stranger off guard.

"In here," Kael continued, glancing around the bookstore, "everyone who walks through that door is looking for something."

"A book."

"A memory."

"A place to breathe."

He smiled gently.

"I just help them search."

The stranger found himself asking a question before he could stop himself.

"And what are you looking for?"

Kael blinked.

"No one's ever asked me that before."

He looked toward the rain beginning to fall outside the windows.

"I suppose..."

He smiled to himself.

"A quiet life."

"No great ambitions?"

"I don't need millions to be happy."

"No desire to be famous?"

Kael laughed.

"I'd rather people remember the books they borrowed than the person who handed them over."

The stranger stared at him.

It was such a simple answer.

Yet somehow...

It felt richer than every conversation he'd had in years.

Outside, the rain grew heavier.

Thunder rolled across the sky.

Customers hurried closer to the windows, watching the streets disappear beneath sheets of water.

The stranger glanced at his watch.

"I should leave."

Kael nodded.

"I understand."

He placed the empty mug on the counter.

"It was good."

"The coffee?"

A tiny pause.

"The conversation."

Before Kael could respond, another clap of thunder shook the windows.

The rain wasn't slowing down.

Kael looked toward the entrance.

"You didn't bring an umbrella."

"I'll have my driver pull closer."

"Even then, you'll still get soaked."

Without another word, Kael disappeared into a small storage room.

A moment later, he returned carrying a large black umbrella.

He held it out.

"Take this."

The stranger looked at it, then back at Kael.

"And you?"

"I've got another one."

"I'll return it."

Kael smiled.

"Whenever you have time."

"It's only an umbrella."

The stranger accepted it.

As the umbrella changed hands...

Their fingers brushed.

A strange warmth shot through both of them.

Kael instinctively pulled his hand back.

His heart skipped once.

Then settled.

That was... strange.

Across from him, the stranger's expression became unreadable.

For the briefest moment, something flashed through his silver-gray eyes.

Shock.

Just as quickly, it vanished.

Neither of them spoke of it.

Neither of them understood it.

Outside, the rain continued to pour.

The stranger inclined his head politely.

"Thank you."

Kael smiled.

"You're welcome."

The stranger turned and walked toward the door.

For reasons Kael couldn't explain...

His eyes followed him until the bell above the entrance chimed one last time.

Only then did he realize...

The mysterious customer had walked away without telling him his name.

And somehow...

He found himself hoping the umbrella would bring him back.

The rain showed no sign of stopping.

It fell in heavy sheets, blurring the city into a watercolor of gray skies and shimmering lights.

The black sedan waiting by the curb pulled forward the moment the stranger stepped outside.

An umbrella appeared over his head before the rain could touch him.

"Good afternoon, sir."

The driver opened the rear door with practiced precision.

The stranger gave a slight nod.

But instead of getting in...

He turned.

Through the rain-speckled glass of the bookstore, he could still see the young bookseller.

Kael had returned to the counter, carefully stacking a pile of newly arrived novels. A little girl tugged at his sleeve, holding up a picture book.

The stranger watched as Kael crouched to her height, listening with complete attention before pointing her toward the children's section.

His smile was effortless.

Genuine.

The kind that couldn't be bought.

The little girl hugged the book to her chest and ran off happily.

Without realizing it...

The stranger smiled.

It was small.

Barely noticeable.

But it was there.

"Sir?"

The driver's voice pulled him back.

"The rain is getting heavier."

"...Right."

He ducked into the car.

The door closed with a muted thud, shutting out the sound of the storm.

"Head back to the office?" the driver asked.

The stranger didn't answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the bookstore through the rain-streaked window.

Then...

Kael looked up.

As though he had sensed someone watching.

Their eyes met.

Everything changed.

A violent thud echoed inside the stranger's chest.

His heartbeat stumbled.

Then raced.

His fingers tightened around the handle of the umbrella resting across his lap.

Another heartbeat.

Harder.

Stronger.

His breathing grew uneven.

No...

His chest tightened with an unfamiliar pressure.

For three years...

There had been nothing.

No instinct.

No pull.

No voice.

Only silence.

Now...

Something deep inside him cracked.

Not painfully.

Like ice breaking at the arrival of spring.

A warmth spread from the center of his chest, flowing through his veins with terrifying speed.

His pulse thundered in his ears.

Then—

A voice.

Not one he heard with his ears.

One he felt.

Ancient.

Powerful.

Unyielding.

Go back.

His breath caught.

His hand slammed against the leather seat beside him.

The driver glanced into the rearview mirror.

"Sir?"

The voice came again.

Louder this time.

Protect him.

His heart pounded so violently it hurt.

The umbrella slipped from his grasp and rolled onto the floor of the car.

Every instinct buried inside him for the past three years surged to life.

Not with rage.

Not with dominance.

Not with the hunger every Alpha was taught to expect.

With one overwhelming need.

Don't leave him.

The stranger gripped the door handle.

His body leaned forward on its own.

As if it intended to leave the car.

To return to the bookstore.

To stand beside the young man with warm hazel eyes.

His jaw tightened.

"What..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"...is happening to me?"

Outside, Kael frowned.

A strange ache settled over his own heart.

He looked toward the black sedan still parked across the street.

For a fleeting second...

He had the overwhelming urge to walk outside.

To make sure the stranger was all right.

The feeling was so sudden, so irrational, that it startled him.

Before he could move, Mrs. Harris called from the café.

"Kael, could you give me a hand?"

He blinked.

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Coming!"

He gave the sedan one last curious glance before turning away.

Across the street, the stranger watched him disappear between the towering bookshelves.