Chapter Six
701 Words
The Look in His Eyes
E . Peaceleigh
Kael Blackthorn hadn’t moved.
He stood on the balcony, muscles tight, hand gripping the railing as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. His wolf had gone silent—stunned, almost disbelieving.
It was her.
Alina.
Three years ago, she had disappeared into the night, unmarked and rejected. He had watched her run. Had told himself it was for the best. That keeping her away would keep her safe. That the bond would fade.
It didn’t.
Every night since, he’d felt her absence like a thorn in his soul. Every full moon, the ache grew sharper. The curse twisted deeper. And now—here she was. Standing in his territory like she owned the earth beneath her feet.
She wasn’t the girl he remembered.
The girl who had looked at him with hope and soft fear. This Alina stood tall. Sharp. Composed. Her scent had changed too—still familiar, but laced with something stronger, almost… untouchable.
Her eyes met his, and she didn’t flinch.
She smiled.
That tiny, knowing smile pierced through him harder than any dagger.
He walked down the stairs slowly, one heavy step at a time. When he reached the courtyard, warriors had already gathered, tense and uncertain. No one knew who she was. Not anymore.
“Clear the area,” he said quietly.
The crowd hesitated.
“I said—clear it.”
They obeyed.
Only the wind remained, brushing leaves across the stone.
Kael walked closer, his boots crunching the gravel, until he was just a few feet from her.
He couldn’t speak right away.
Neither could she.
The silence stretched between them, tight and electric.
Finally, he said, “You came back.”
Alina raised an eyebrow. “That’s what happens when people walk, Kael. Sometimes, they return.”
He flinched at the sound of his name from her lips.
“How did you get past the patrols?” he asked, though he already knew. She was fast. Skilled. Deadlier now.
“I wasn’t hiding,” she said simply.
He nodded. “I noticed.”
Another pause.
He studied her—tried to find the pieces of the girl he had once known. But they were buried under steel and scars and self-control. She was still breathtaking. Still his mate.
But different.
Better.
“Why now?” he asked.
Alina tilted her head slightly. “Why not?”
He didn’t have an answer for that.
His wolf stirred suddenly, howling inside him for the first time in weeks. She’s here. She’s ours. Touch her. Claim her.
Kael shut it down.
“You’re not safe here,” he said.
Alina stepped forward—just one step—and her eyes never left his. “You made sure of that the first time.”
The guilt punched him square in the chest.
“I did what I had to do,” he muttered.
“Lie to me again,” she said, softly but sharp, “and I’ll walk out of here right now.”
He swallowed. His hands were fists at his sides.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Kael looked down. His breath came slow. Measured. Then, in a voice barely audible:
“There’s a curse on my bloodline. Any mate I mark… dies.”
Alina didn’t flinch. She didn’t gasp. Didn’t cry.
She just nodded once. “I know.”
His head snapped up. “What?”
She stepped closer, now just a breath away. “I found out two years ago. A witch told me. She also told me the curse has a loophole. But I wasn’t ready… then.”
His heartbeat kicked.
“And now?” he asked.
She leaned in slightly, her lips just a whisper from his. “Now I’m not here to be yours… I’m here to see if you deserve to be mine.”
And just like that, she turned and walked past him, toward the Alpha Hall.
Kael stood frozen, torn between shock and longing, her scent still clinging to the air like a ghost he could almost touch.
She was back.
And this time, she held the power.
[ To be continued ]
- Writer
