CHAPTER 5 : THE MEMORY HE DOESN’T WANT TO TELL
1050 Words
The words hit me like ice water.
“You’re the girl I failed to save.”
I blinked. My throat tightened.
“W-What… what do you mean?” I whispered, voice shaking.
Kael didn’t answer immediately. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on some invisible point beyond me. The silence was suffocating. I could hear my own heartbeat echoing like thunder.
Leon stepped forward. “Alpha…”
Kael waved him back, his hand firm and commanding. Even in his silence, his authority dominated the room.
He finally spoke, low and raw. “Ten years ago.”
I froze.
“I was hunting in the Shadowfang territory,” Kael began, voice hoarse. “I was younger, reckless. I thought I could save anyone. I… I failed.”
He looked at me now. His ice-blue eyes burned with a mix of guilt, anger, and something I couldn’t name—pain? “You were a child, barely a wolf yet, and I—”
I wanted to protest. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.
“You were taken.”
The words were sharp, cutting through the room.
I closed my eyes. Memories… or maybe fragments of stories my mother once whispered… stirred. A forest. Shadows moving too fast. My parents screaming. Wolves that weren’t wolves. Pain. Fear. And… him?
Kael’s voice broke through my memories. “I watched them take you. And I couldn’t stop them.”
“No…” My hand flew to my mouth. “That… that wasn’t real.”
“It was.” He stepped closer, closing the distance between us. The warmth of him was overwhelming. “And I swore, the moment I found you again, I would never let anything happen to you again.”
I felt my wolf stir inside me—a whisper, faint but undeniable. A pull toward him that I didn’t understand yet.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Why did everyone lie?”
Kael shook his head slowly. “Because they wanted to protect you. Even from the truth, Luna. You were too young to understand. And Shadowfang… they erased everything that could tie you to your past.”
“Everything?” I asked, my eyes wide. “Even my memories?”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Even your wolf.”
I swallowed hard. The realization hit me like a thunderclap. All those years of silence, weakness, feeling like I was nothing… it wasn’t my fault. It was theirs. And… his.
“You…” My voice caught. “You watched me… and did nothing?”
“I did everything I could,” he said fiercely. “I failed. And I’ve lived with that failure every day. I will not fail you again.”
I felt my breath hitch. Something inside me stirred—a mix of fear, anger, and a strange, dangerous curiosity. The bond between us hummed, faint but insistent. My wolf was awake now, though silent, as if testing him.
Kael’s hand brushed against mine, lightly, almost accidentally. Sparks shot up my arm. I flinched. He didn’t pull away.
“You feel it too,” he whispered. “The bond…”
I swallowed hard. “I… I do.”
His gaze softened for just a moment—human, almost vulnerable. Then the cold Alpha returned. “But this bond is dangerous. It could save you… or destroy you. Shadowfang knows about it. That’s why they tried to kill you tonight.”
I shivered. My pulse raced. Shadowfang… the thought of them hunting me again made the hair on my arms stand on end.
“I’m not weak anymore,” I said, voice shaking but firm. “I’m not a child. And I won’t let them take me again.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed, studying me. Then he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “Good. Because you’ll need strength. And fast. Shadowfang isn’t finished with you. Not by a long shot.”
Suddenly, a crash came from outside—the windows rattled. Dust fell from the ceiling. I leapt to my feet.
“Attack!” Rye shouted, already running toward the door.
Kael moved instantly, protective and commanding. “Stay here,” he ordered me, his voice dangerous. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“No!” I yelled, surprising even myself. “I can help!”
He froze. For the first time, he didn’t know what to say. His wolf instincts flared, his gaze flashing between me and the approaching danger.
“Luna…” His voice was low, warning, almost pleading.
I stepped forward. “I’m not afraid.”
Kael’s jaw clenched, his wolf growling low in his chest. Then, slowly, he nodded. “Fine. But stay close.”
Before I could respond, the windows shattered. Shadowfang wolves—faster, stronger, scarred—poured into the room, eyes glowing red with unnatural fury.
Leon and Rye leapt into action. Kael’s aura flared like a storm, silver energy radiating from him, pushing the intruders back.
I felt the bond stir, faint but urgent. My wolf inside me screamed. My arms tingled, my senses sharpened. I felt power I hadn’t felt before—raw, chaotic, but unmistakably mine.
I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and shouted, “Stay away from her!”
The Shadowfang wolves paused. Confused. Surprised.
Kael’s eyes met mine. “You feel it. Use it.”
I didn’t know how. But instinctively, I raised my hands. A wave of energy pulsed from me, a silver light erupting from my body, pushing the wolves back. They howled in pain, claws slashing the air as they stumbled away from the force.
Kael’s jaw dropped. “The bond… it’s awakening.”
I could feel my wolf stretching, awakening, growing stronger. The bond wasn’t just between him and me—it was inside me. Wild. Dangerous. Powerful.
The Shadowfang wolves regrouped, snarling, circling. But I was no longer the girl on the floor, weak and helpless. My heart pounded with something new. Something fierce.
I was ready.
Kael stepped beside me, his hand brushing mine once again. Sparks. Power. Connection.
“Together,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “We end this.”
The wolves lunged.
And the battle—the real fight for my life, and for my bond—had begun.
- Writer
