Chapter Seven
The path curved gently beneath their feet, scattered with leaves that whispered secrets as the wind passed through. Aysa walked ahead, her steps light. Eira followed closely behind, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at Nahila, who trailed them in silence.
Nahila had barely spoken all morning. She wasn't sulking, nor did she seem upset-it was something else. A quiet that felt deliberate. Measured.
As they turned a bend lined with tall, crooked trees, something-or rather, someone-caught Eira's eye.
A woman stood just ahead, off to the side of the path. She was strikingly beautiful, with features so precise they seemed carved from marble. Her hair was long and black, pulled back into a low knot. Her skin was pale, smooth, and untouched by the sun.
But it was her clothes that unsettled them most.
She wore a long, fitted black coat-not the sort of thing one would wear for a walk in these woods. Not flowing fabric, no hints of color, no embroidery like the garments of old. The coat was sleek, almost too clean, too modern, too... out of place.
None of them had ever seen her before.
She stood unnaturally still, as if she had been there long before they arrived, waiting. Watching.
Aysa came to an abrupt halt, and Eira nearly bumped into her.
"Who is that?" Aysa asked under her breath.
"I don't know," Eira murmured.
Nahila said nothing.
The woman slowly turned her head, and her gaze landed directly on Nahila-as if she had known she would be there. Her expression was unreadable, eyes dark and strangely distant. She didn't speak. She didn't move.
And yet, her presence was deafening.
Then, as if deciding they were no longer worth her attention, the woman turned and walked silently into the forest.
No sound of leaves rustling. No snap of twigs beneath her feet.
Just-gone.
For a moment, none of them moved.
"She doesn't look like someone who belong here," Eira said at last, her voice low.
Nahila's face remained unreadable. But her fingers were clenched tightly around the hem of her sleeve.
"No," Nahila said softly. "She doesn't."
And then, without another word, she walked on ahead-faster now, as though trying to leave something behind.
Eira's POV
I can't stop thinking about her-the woman. It's like her presence has somehow marked this place, like she's seeped into the walls, into my thoughts. She didn't seem like she belonged here, not in the way people belong to places or moments. She was... out of place. But beautiful, unnervingly beautiful. The thought lingers, like a shadow I can't shake off. I don't know why it bothers me so much. I try to push the thoughts away, but they cling, like the weight of her gaze I feel even now, even though she's gone.
But then my mind drifts back to them. Kael and Nahila. The way they were together earlier. The way they seemed to share something I wasn't a part of. It hit me harder than I expected-like a sharp pang I couldn't ignore. Why does it bother me so much? I shouldn't care. I shouldn't feel this weight, this tightness in my chest. I don't even want him. Not really. Right.
But then, as I stand there, staring at the door, waiting for Kael to come in, the truth creeps in quietly, like a whisper in the back of my mind: I care. I do care. And it's not because of the bond-no, it's something else. It's real, this... pull I feel toward him. And that's the part that scares me the most.
I hear the door creak open behind me, and Kael's voice cuts through the tension in the air.
"How was the walk?" he asks, his voice light, casual, like everything is fine, like nothing has changed.
But everything has changed. I can feel it-feel the distance between us, though it's only just begun. I don't answer him immediately, my gaze drifting to the floor, trying to gather myself, trying to process these emotions that don't make sense. I don't want to feel them, but I can't help it.
"Are you okay?" His voice is softer now, more concerned. But it's like he's pulling me back into a reality I don't want to face.
I don't know why I do it, but suddenly I'm moving toward him. My feet carry me before my mind can catch up, and within a breath, I'm standing too close. Too close for comfort. I tiptoe slightly, the tension in my chest rising, and before I can stop myself, I kiss him.
It's gentle, a soft, tentative press of lips, but it's enough to send a rush of warmth through my body, a whirl of emotions I can't even begin to understand. It's too much. Too fast. Too... real.
When I pull away, I can see the shock in his eyes, the confusion mirrored in the way he stares at me. "I... I'm sorry," I stammer, my heart pounding in my chest. "I didn't mean to-"
But before I can finish, he's stepping closer, his face inches from mine, his eyes searching mine for some kind of explanation, some kind of answer. His lips part as if to say something, but I can't hear it. The only thing I can focus on is the weight of what I've just done, the realization sinking in that I've crossed a line.
"I'm sorry," I whisper again, stepping back. "I didn't-"
He's closer now, his hand reaching out for me, but my body instinctively recoils. "No, no," I mutter, shaking my head. "I love Ronan. I love Ronan." The words spill out, desperate, a feeble attempt to push him away, to convince myself that what just happened doesn't mean anything. That it doesn't change anything.
Kael stares at me, his gaze darkening, his face unreadable. "He's dead, okay? He's dead, Eira." His voice is sharp, cutting through me like a blade.
I feel something snap inside me, a surge of anger, raw and sudden. Without thinking, I slap him. It's a quick, hard motion, a slap I don't even register until I see his face twist in pain, both physical and emotional. And then I freeze, my hand hovering mid-air, the weight of what I've just done sinking in.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice trembling. My whole body trembles, and I feel the world spinning beneath me. "Please, Kael. Please... Can I just be alone?"
I don't wait for his answer. I just turn, retreating into myself, the wall around my heart thickening, stronger than ever before. But even as I walk away, I hear his voice behind me, his words cutting through the silence like a knife.
"You can't run from this, Eira. You can't just hide behind your feelings for him."
I bite my lip, my heart aching. I feel the weight of his words, but more than that, I feel the weight of the bond. The bond that drags me closer to him, even as I try to pull away. It feels like something else. Something bigger than both of us. But what if Nahila has already claimed him? What if this bond-this pull-is something I can't control?
I feel the weight of her, her presence lingering in the air, like an invisible force between us. And it makes me sick to my stomach. She's already been here. She's already had him. And I can't... I can't compete with that.
I close my eyes, my head spinning. I can't think. I can't breathe.
"Please," I whisper again, almost to myself. "I just want to be alone."
I hear Kael's footsteps as he approaches, but I don't turn around. I don't want him to see the tears I'm fighting to hold back. I don't want him to see the truth-how much this hurts, how much she hurts me. But it's the bond. It's always been the bond, hasn't it? The reason why I'm here, why I can't leave, why I'm stuck in this... this mess.
But I know one thing.
I can't lose myself to it. Not to him. Not to Nahila.
Not to any of it.
I sat there, still crying, my tears slowly staining the pillow beneath me. The weight of everything that had just happened-Kael, the kiss, the words-felt like a storm inside me, swirling out of control.
I was numb. No. I wasn't numb. I was overwhelmed. Why had I kissed him? Why had I acted like that? Why did it feel like the bond was pulling me, forcing me to feel things I wasn't ready to understand? The confusion, the anger, the pain, it all seemed to be tangling up inside me, and I didn't know how to make sense of any of it.
I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in my hands. How could I have done that? I love Ronan. I had loved him for as long as I could remember. But Kael, with that strange, irresistible pull... it was like something was happening to me that I couldn't control.
Just as my breathing started to steady, my mind started to drift-no. No, I couldn't think about him again. I couldn't think about Kael. But as my thoughts spiraled, a feeling, cold and sinister, crept in. Something wasn't right.
I could feel it.
And then... there she was.
The woman.
I froze, my heart hammering in my chest. How had I not seen her earlier? I wasn't sure if my mind was playing tricks on me, but there, just beyond the window, stood the figure of a woman. She was tall, her features sharp, her long hair flowing as if there was no wind. But it wasn't the beauty that made me tremble. It was her eyes. Unblinking, unfeeling, like she was staring straight into my soul.
I gasped, my pulse racing. What the hell...? I scrambled back, my legs shaking beneath me. The woman's gaze remained locked on me. It felt as though she was waiting for something, something that made my blood run cold.
I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, the room spinning. My fingers fumbled for my phone, but my vision blurred, the panic setting in. I couldn't think, couldn't focus. Then, just as the terror threatened to consume me, I screamed.
The sound tore from my throat, raw and desperate, as I fell backward, crashing onto the floor.
"Eira?" Kael's voice echoed through the room, panicked, and before I could even register what was happening, I saw him-his wolf form, charging through the door, and then he shifted back into his human form, eyes wide, concerned.
"Eira, what's wrong?" His voice was rough, urgent.
I couldn't speak. My breath was shallow, my body trembling uncontrollably. I couldn't get the image of the woman out of my head. Her face, her eyes... I wanted to forget it, but I couldn't.
I barely noticed Kael kneeling beside me until his hands were on my shoulders, pulling me into him. "It's okay, you're safe now," he murmured, his warmth enveloping me. His heartbeat was steady against my ear, but mine was erratic, erratic and loud.
"Kael..." I gasped, my voice trembling. "There was a woman... outside the window... she-she was just staring at me, and I... I couldn't move. I couldn't... she's still out there. She's still out there, Kael."
He pulled back slightly, his brows furrowed, looking toward the window before his gaze snapped back to me. "What woman?" He sounded confused, but there was also a hint of worry in his voice. "Who are you talking about?"
"I-" My throat tightened, and I couldn't form words. The image of her burned behind my eyes, and I shook my head in horror. "She... she just stared at me... her eyes were so... cold. I-I'm not sure if it was real. It felt like I was dreaming. Like... like she was waiting for something."
Kael didn't say anything at first. He was just looking at me, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he pulled me closer, holding me tightly, almost protectively. His lips brushed the top of my head. "You're safe. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let anything happen to you."
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the image of the woman wouldn't leave me. The coldness of her gaze, the silence, the way it felt like I had been marked by her. I couldn't shake it off.
"I... I don't know what's real anymore," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please, Kael. Please stay with me. Just for tonight. I don't want to be alone."
I felt his breath catch in his throat before he sighed deeply. There was a long pause, but then I felt him nod. "I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly.
I held onto him, clutching his shirt, and I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me even closer. In that moment, I didn't care about anything else. I just needed him to be here. To protect me from whatever it was that haunted me.
I felt the silence stretch between us, thick and heavy, and then, almost like an afterthought, I whispered, "Do you think I'm crazy?"
"No," he answered immediately. "No, Eira, you're not crazy. You're just scared. We'll figure this out. Together."
I nodded into his chest, my tears still falling, but now with a sense of something else-something darker. Something I couldn't explain.
And as I lay there in his arms, I could feel the bond tugging at me again, a reminder of something deep and hidden that I wasn't ready to face.
But it wasn't just the bond pulling me.
It was the woman. Her eyes. Her cold, unblinking stare.
I would never forget her.