The Forbidden Touch
1157 Words
At night, the castle became a labyrinth of shadows.
Every step echoed too loudly as Elara made her way toward the royal bathhouse, the sound of her own footsteps unsettling in the silence.
When she arrived, the doors were slightly ajar.
Steam slipped through the narrow opening, curling into the corridor.
She paused for a moment.
Took a breath.
And stepped inside.
The scent of cedar wrapped around her instantly.
The Alpha was already there.
He sat inside a massive wooden bath, the water rising just below his chest. His dark hair was wet, heavy strands falling around his face.
And his body—
Impossible to ignore.
Powerful muscles shifted beneath skin gilded by torchlight, droplets of water tracing slow paths over the scars that marked his chest and broad shoulders.
He didn’t look human.
He looked like a predator at rest.
Waiting.
Elara lowered her gaze immediately, her breath catching.
“I am here, my lord,” she whispered.
Her voice sounded too small in that space.
He didn’t respond right away.
“Come closer.”
She obeyed.
Each step felt wrong.
Like walking toward something she wouldn’t survive.
When she was close enough, he gestured toward the brush beside the bath.
“Scrub.”
He tilted his head forward slightly, exposing more of his back as if the command required no explanation.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Elara picked up the brush with trembling hands.
And began.
His skin was warm.
Solid.
Like carved stone.
When her fingers brushed him by accident, a sharp, electric sensation shot up her arm, making her heart stutter in a way that felt… dangerous.
“Harder.”
She pressed more firmly.
Silence settled again.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Her breathing grew shallow, the heat from the water blending with the warmth spreading through her body in ways she didn’t understand—didn’t want to understand.
“Have you ever bathed a man before?” he asked suddenly.
Elara swallowed.
“No, my lord…”
She felt his muscles shift beneath her touch.
And something inside her shifted with it.
Then—
His hand closed around her wrist.
The world stopped.
A small, broken sound left her lips as her entire body went rigid. The brush slipped from her fingers, disappearing into the water with a soft splash that echoed far too loudly.
Her wrist fit entirely within his grasp.
Too fragile.
Too soft for a place like this.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Kael felt it.
The uneven rhythm against his palm.
And he hated that he noticed.
He pulled her slightly closer.
Elara stumbled forward, her body tilting over the edge of the bath, dangerously close to him. Steam wrapped around them both, and the thin fabric of her dress clung to her skin, outlining curves she had always tried to hide.
“We are alone,” he said, his voice low, rough. “There is no need to pretend innocence.”
“I-I’m not pretending…”
He pulled her closer.
“Look at me.”
She hesitated, her gaze fixed somewhere beyond his shoulder.
“I said… look at me.”
Slowly, she obeyed.
And forgot how to breathe.
His amber eyes locked onto hers—too deep, too dark, as if they could swallow everything she was.
She didn’t understand.
Didn’t know what she had done wrong.
Didn’t know why he was looking at her like that.
Tears gathered in her eyes without permission, making them shine even brighter.
His expression darkened.
Kael tilted his head slightly, his nostrils flaring as his chest rose and fell in a heavier rhythm, his breath brushing against her skin.
Then a low growl left him—deep, vibrating through the air and through her bones.
“Your scent…”
Before she could react, he leaned in, his nose brushing along the sensitive curve of her neck as he inhaled deeply.
Elara’s eyes fluttered shut, her head tilting instinctively to the side. A sharp current ran through her entire body, her knees weakening so suddenly she nearly collapsed against him.
Her heart was out of control.
His heat—suffocating.
And then—
He let go.
Abruptly.
As if he had touched something forbidden.
As if he had remembered who he was.
Elara staggered back, her skin burning where he had touched her, her breath uneven.
His gaze dragged slowly down her body, his chest rising and falling with restrained intensity.
“You… should not wear that dress,” he said, his voice rough, controlled in a way that felt forced.
She blinked, confused.
“It’s… the only one I have, Your Majesty.”
“It is inappropriate.”
“Why?”
His jaw tightened.
“Do not question me, servant.”
She stepped back, trembling.
“M-my lord, I—”
“Silence.”
The word cut through the air instantly.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
“I want you in a different dress the next time you stand before me.”
She lowered her head, her cheeks flushed deep red, the color spreading down her neck.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Leave.”
She didn’t hesitate.
Turning quickly, she walked toward the door, forcing herself not to run. Her fingers trembled as they closed around the handle.
She could feel his gaze on her back.
Heavy.
Possessive.
Burning into her with every step.
The door closed softly behind her.
Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath.
Alone in the bath, Kael remained still.
Steam rose slowly around him, dissolving into the colder air.
But his body did not cool.
His fingers still tingled from the memory of her skin.
And that scent—
Sweet, unsettling—
Still lingered, invading his senses, weakening the control he prided himself on.
His wolf was restless.
And he didn’t understand why.
Kael looked down.
The water concealed part of him.
But not enough.
His body had already reacted.
A primitive response.
Instinctive.
Unacceptable.
His hand clenched beneath the surface.
The courtesans never caused this.
None of them.
No woman did.
His jaw tightened.
Irritation.
Frustration.
Hunger.
She was only a human.
Fragile. Temporary.
Something he could break with one hand.
And yet—
His body responded as if it wanted to claim her.
Kael sank deeper into the water, as if he could drown the instinct clawing its way to the surface.
It didn’t work.
Her scent was still there, clinging to his skin, lingering in his lungs, seeping into something deeper—something he could not simply will away.
His hand clenched beneath the water, tight, controlled… and still, not enough.
He had spent his entire life mastering the beast within him.
And tonight, a human girl had made it stir.
Unacceptable.
His eyes darkened slowly, not with restraint—but with decision.
If she was the cause, then she would be the one to endure the consequences.
And next time—
He wouldn’t let her leave.
- Writer
