Too close to the fire
1323 Words
Ariya spent the rest of the morning pretending she wasn’t being watched.
It was a skill she’d learned young, how to move through a room like she didn’t feel eyes on her back, how to ignore the low hum of attention that set her nerves on edge, but Black Hollow made it harder. The town didn’t just watch, it measured,weighed and judged.
And every glance felt different now, sharper and curious in a way that made her skin itch.
She left the diner with a paper cup of coffee she didn’t really want and walked down Main Street, boots scuffing against cracked pavement. Lyra Blackthorn’s words echoed in her mind.
You’ve already changed things.
“I don’t even know what I did,” Ariya muttered.
The pull in her chest answered, tightening faintly as if amused.
She stopped short.
There it was again,that strange sensation, like someone tugging gently on a thread tied around her heart, not painful, not frightening but intimate
Her breath hitched, and she pressed a hand flat against her sternum, “okay,” she whispered. “That’s new.”
The feeling didn’t fade. Instead, it shifted angle, direction and a sense was there.
Against her better judgment, Ariya turned and followed it.
Kael felt her the moment she stepped into his territory.
The bond surged, warm and sudden, nearly knocking the breath from his lungs. He froze mid-conversation, every muscle going taut.
“No,” he growled softly.
The pack member in front of him, a broad shouldered wolf named Dax blinked . “No, what?”
Kael straightened, forcing control back into his voice. “Nothing. Patrol the western ridge tonight, double the watch.”
Dax frowned. “That’s Alpha land, we haven’t had trouble there in”
“Do it,” Kael snapped.
Dax dipped his head and backed away without another word.
Kael turned toward the trees, jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
She was walking straight toward him.
Damn it, Ariya.
He’d told her to leave, warned her and still, here she was, tugging at the bond like she didn’t even realize she was holding the other end.
He should move, should put distance between them before the pull became something he couldn’t fight.
Instead, he stayed.
The forest welcomed Ariya like it remembered her.
The air cooled as she stepped beneath the canopy, shadows stretching long and deep between the trunks, sunlight filtered through the leaves in pale, shifting patterns, dust motes dancing like tiny sparks.
Her steps slowed, instinct guiding her deeper.
“Hello?” she called, her voice softer now.
A shape moved ahead.
Her pulse jumped but this time, she didn’t feel fear.
Kael stepped into view, leaning casually against a tree as though he hadn’t been pacing the forest like a caged animal moments before. His dark shirt clung to his frame, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms dusted with faint scars.
His golden eyes locked onto her.
The pull snapped tight.
Ariya sucked in a breath, heat flooding her cheeks. “You.”
His gaze swept over her, slow and deliberate, and she felt it everywhere, “You followed me.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she said honestly. “I just felt you.”
The words hung between them, heavy with implication.
Kael’s jaw flexed, “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“Well, it is.”
Silence stretched, thick and electric.
“You need to stop coming into the forest,” he said finally, “Especially alone.”
“Why?” She challenged him. “Because it’s dangerous? Or because you are?”
His lips twitched despite himself. “Both.”
Ariya folded her arms, trying and failing not to notice how close he was. “You don’t scare me.”
“I should.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” she asked. “You act like I’m fragile.”
Kael took a step closer.
“No,” he said quietly. “I act like you matter.”
Her breath caught.
The honesty in his voice undid her more than any threat could have. She searched his face, seeing conflict etched into every line, desire held back by force of will, protectiveness warring with something darker.
“Then tell me the truth,” she said. “What’s happening to me?”
His eyes flared brighter, and for a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer.
“You’re standing on cursed land,” he said
The forest seemed to be still around them.
“Cursed how?” Ariya asked.
“By blood, by power, by wolves who made promises to the moon and paid the price for it.” His gaze dropped to her throat, where her pulse fluttered wildly. “And you walked into it like you belong here.”
A shiver ran through her. “I don’t believe in werewolf fairy tales.”
Kael huffed a soft, humorless laugh. “You should.”
She stared at him, heart pounding. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly.”
Something inside her clicked. Memories she couldn’t place, strength she’d never questioned, anger that came too fast when she was threatened.
“Then what am I?” she whispered.
Kael’s voice dropped to a near-growl. “You’re the reason the bond didn’t reject me.”
Her knees nearly buckled.
“What?”
He closed the distance between them in two strides, stopping just short of touching her. She could feel his heat, his presence overwhelming and grounding all at once.
“A mate bond,” he said. “Ancient. Rare. And not something either of us consented to.”
Ariya’s heart raced. “You’re saying this feeling isn’t attraction alone,”
“It’s instinct, fate, a pull that will only get stronger,”he said.
Her mouth went dry, "That's impossible.”
“Yet here you are,” he murmured.
The forest seemed to lean in, shadows thickening around them. Ariya became acutely aware of how close he stood, of how her body responded without permission, leaning toward him, craving the solid warmth of his arms.
Kael noticed.
His breath hitched, control slipping for a heartbeat. His hand lifted,hovering inches from her cheek,before he clenched it into a fist and dropped it to his side.
“If I touch you again,” he said roughly, “I don’t know if I’ll stop.”
The warning sent a thrill through her, equal parts fear and longing.
“Why are you fighting it?” she asked softly.
He met her gaze, raw honesty burning there. “Because loving me could get you killed.”
Before she could answer, a sharp howl cut through the air, urgent, alarmed.
Kael stiffened.
“Trouble?” Ariya asked.
“Yes.” His eyes darkened as he glanced deeper into the woods. “And you shouldn’t be anywhere near it.”
He grabbed her wrist firmly but carefully and the moment skin met skin, the bond flared violently.
Ariya gasped, her free hand instinctively clutching his shirt to steady herself. Kael swore under his breath, golden eyes blazing as he fought the surge.
For one suspended second, they stood pressed together, bodies aligned, breath mingling.
The world narrowed to heat and pulse and want.
Kael leaned in, forehead resting against hers, his voice a broken whisper. “This is what I’m afraid of.”
Her fingers tightened in his shirt. “Then don’t let go.”
That was almost his undoing.
Another howl echoed closer this time.
Kael pulled back abruptly, releasing her wrist. “Go. Now.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll handle it.”
She hesitated, then nodded, backing away reluctantly. The pull stretched, aching, until the distance finally dulled it.
As she turned and ran, Kael watched her disappear into the trees, his wolf raging inside him.
Soon, the bond was promised.
And for the first time, Kael wasn’t sure whether he feared that… or wanted it more than anything.
- Writer
