Kael's POV
I secured the cloth around her delicate wrists with more care than the situation demanded. The human girl lay unconscious at my feet, her breathing shallow but steady. I'd caught her earlier than planned — my investigation of Alpha Maxen was supposed to be discreet. Now I had his pet human as an unwanted complication.
*You shouldn't have chased her so hard,* Lykos scolded in my mind.
"She ran," I replied flatly, checking her pulse. "What was I supposed to do?"
*Not terrify her to the point of passing out.*
I ignored him, examining her more thoroughly now that she wasn't fighting me. Dirt smudged her pale skin. Her clothes were torn in multiple places. Bruises bloomed across her exposed flesh — some fresh from our encounter, others days old.
*She's beautiful,* Lykos murmured.
"She's human," I corrected sharply.
*She's ours.*
I froze, my hand hovering above her tangle of brown hair. "Repeat that."
*She belongs to us. Can't you feel it?*
"Impossible." The word came out harsher than intended. "She's human. We don't mate with humans."
*Since when do we follow rules?*
"Since they make sense," I growled, standing up to put distance between myself and the unconscious girl. "This is absurd. She's just a witness in my investigation."
Lykos laughed, the sound rumbling through my chest. *Then why are you so angry about another wolf's scent on her?*
I hadn't realized I was clenching my jaw until pain shot through it. The lingering male scent on her skin had been bothering me since I first caught her. It was familiar somehow, though I couldn't place it.
"That's professional curiosity," I insisted. "I need to know who she's connected to."
*Liar,* Lykos taunted. *Let me out. I'll show you how to handle our mate properly.*
"No."
*I won't hurt her.*
"You've done enough damage tonight."
I glared down at the girl — Hazel, she'd said. Even unconscious, her presence disturbed me. Something about her called to my wolf, and by extension, to me. It was unsettling. Unwanted.
Dangerous.
"I should just leave her here," I muttered. "Let the Blue Mountain Pack deal with their own problems."
*You won't,* Lykos stated confidently.
He was right. Something compelled me to keep her close, to protect her. It was irrational and infuriating.
With a resigned sigh, I knelt beside her again. "I need to move her. The pack could be searching these woods."
*Then be gentle,* Lykos instructed. *She's fragile.*
I scooped her up, surprised by how light she felt. Her head lolled against my chest, exposing the soft curve of her neck. Without thinking, I leaned down and pressed my nose against her skin, inhaling deeply.
She smelled like wildflowers and fear. Underneath that was something else — something uniquely her. My mouth watered involuntarily.
*Mark her,* Lykos demanded. *Cover that other wolf's scent with ours.*
"No," I snapped, but my control was slipping. My wolf pressed against my consciousness, demanding action.
Before I could stop myself, I was nuzzling into her neck, dragging my scent across her skin. My teeth grazed her pulse point, wanting to bite, to claim. A growl built in my chest.
*Yes,* Lykos purred. *She's ours to protect. Ours to possess.*
I jerked back, horrified by my actions. What was I doing? This was completely inappropriate. I was the Lycan King, not some hormone-driven adolescent.
"This is just to mask her scent from potential trackers," I told myself, continuing to brush my jaw against her hair and neck with more thoroughness than necessary. "Nothing more."
*Keep telling yourself that.*
When I finally pulled away, my wolf settled slightly. Her scent was now mingled with mine — a fact that pleased me more than it should have.
I shifted her in my arms, preparing to carry her to where I'd left my vehicle. As I repositioned her, her body pressed against mine in a way that sent heat straight to my groin. My arms tightened reflexively around her.
"Damn it," I hissed, fighting my body's reaction.
*Our mate,* Lykos insisted smugly. *Our perfect, fragile mate.*
"She is not our mate," I growled through clenched teeth. "She's human."
*So? Rules can be broken.*
"Not these rules. Not by me." I adjusted my grip again, slinging her over my shoulder to minimize contact. It didn't help. The feel of her soft body against mine was torture.
I started walking, focusing on my mission rather than the woman in my arms. I was here to investigate Alpha Maxen's violations of Lycan Law. Harboring humans within a pack was strictly forbidden without proper authorization, which I knew Maxen didn't have. I'd been tracking this case for months, gathering evidence before making my move.
Now I had a first-hand witness. That was all she was. All she could be.
*She fits perfectly against us,* Lykos observed, ignoring my attempts at professional detachment. *Did you notice how her breathing synchronized with ours when we held her?*
"Shut up."
*I wonder what her skin tastes like.*
I nearly stumbled at the image that flashed through my mind. "Enough!"
A soft moan from the girl made me freeze. Was she waking up? I adjusted her position, lowering her from my shoulder to cradle her against my chest again. Her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.
Relief washed over me, followed immediately by self-disgust. Since when did I fear confrontation? I was the Lycan King. My word was law. My presence inspired terror in the strongest Alphas.
Yet here I was, tiptoeing through the forest with an unconscious human, afraid she might wake and look at me with those wide green eyes again.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered.
*It's instinct,* Lykos corrected. *The most natural thing in the world. Our mate needs us.*
"If you say 'mate' one more time—"
*What? You'll what? Deny what every cell in your body already knows?*
I continued walking in stubborn silence. Trees thinned as I approached the hidden clearing where my SUV waited. I'd have Hazel safely tucked away at my private compound by morning. There, I could question her properly about Maxen's activities without distractions.
Without Lykos's interference.
*You can't separate us,* my wolf reminded me, reading my thoughts. *I'll always be here, reminding you of what you're trying to ignore.*
"There's nothing to ignore," I insisted, even as her scent filled my nostrils again, making my head spin. "She's human. End of discussion."
*Then why does your body react to her like this?* Lykos challenged. *Why did touching her feel like coming home?*
"Physical attraction can be explained by biology. It means nothing."
*Explain the rage you felt when you smelled another wolf on her.*
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack. The memory of that other wolf's scent still lingered beneath my own marking, and it filled me with murderous intent.
"Professional interest," I lied again. "She's connected to my investigation."
*You wanted to tear out his throat.*
I didn't bother denying it. The urge to hunt down the wolf who had touched her was almost overwhelming. Only my iron discipline kept me from abandoning my mission to seek bloody vengeance for a crime I couldn't even name.
We reached the clearing. My black SUV sat waiting, hidden under the shadow of a massive oak. I shifted Hazel to one arm, using my free hand to open the back door. Carefully, I laid her across the back seat. Her hair fanned out beneath her head, dark against the leather.
I stood watching her for longer than necessary, something dangerous stirring in my chest.
*Mine,* Lykos whispered. *Ours.*
I slammed the door harder than intended and walked around to the driver's side. Inside the vehicle, I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, focusing on my breathing.
"She's just a witness," I told myself firmly. "Nothing more."
*Then why is your heart racing?* Lykos asked. *Why can't you stop thinking about how she felt in your arms?*
I started the engine, refusing to answer. The truth was too terrifying to acknowledge.
Because if Lykos was right — if this human girl was somehow my fated mate — everything I believed about myself, everything I'd built, would crumble. Lycan Kings did not mate with humans. I'd killed lesser Alphas for suggesting such a thing was possible.
Yet here I was, consumed by possessive rage over a woman I'd just met. Unable to explain why her scent called to me like nothing ever had. Why the mere thought of another wolf touching her made me want to commit murder.
*Say it,* Lykos challenged. *Admit what you already know.*
"There's nothing to admit," I growled, putting the SUV in gear and pulling away from the clearing.
In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of her sleeping face. Something tightened in my chest — something I refused to name.
*Mine,* Lykos insisted once more. *Our mate.*
I had no answer for him this time. No logical explanation for the primal need coursing through me. Only the growing, terrifying suspicion that my wolf might be right.
And if he was, gods help us both.