The morning sun had barely broken over the horizon, yet the palace gardens were already alive with movement. Birds chirped in the pines, dew sparkled on the leaves, and the scent of wet earth filled the air. I stood in the shadows of the veranda, boots silent against the stone, eyes fixed on her.
Selene Ardyn, my ward, the daughter of my fallen brother in arms, moved with a grace I could not name. Seventeen years old and already the height of her mother, her hair fell in silver waves across her shoulders, and her eyes glimmered with a stubborn intelligence that mirrored Lucan's own. The same stubbornness that had always made me smile… and made my chest tighten in ways I refused to acknowledge.
She wielded the training sword with precision, each swing calculated, each step careful yet light, her body fluid and confident. And yet, despite all her strength, she was still Selene. Still in my care. Still under my protection. Still, painfully, not mine.
Kaen stirred beneath my skin, low and restless. She is ready to awaken soon, he murmured. You feel it, Alpha. The pull is stronger now.
I clenched my jaw. Not yet. My voice in the shadows was sharp, low. She is mine to guard. Nothing more until the Goddess wills it.
Still, I could not tear my eyes from her. The way her hair caught the sun, the curve of her shoulder as she shifted her stance, the determined tilt of her chin, it was maddening. Every instinct in my body, every line of power that had made me feared across the lands, screamed at me to step forward, to claim, to hold, to warn the world that she was under my protection and mine alone.
I took a slow step toward the garden path, careful not to alarm her. She paused mid-swing and glanced over her shoulder. "Uncle Darian," she called with a bright smile. Her voice was clear, melodic, and familiar in a way that set my wolf on edge. "Come watch me, or are you hiding because you know I'll surpass you one day?"
I allowed a small, controlled smile. "I am merely observing, to ensure you do not injure yourself," I said, voice low, calm, but edged with authority. I could smell her excitement, her youthful determination, and the faint, intoxicating scent that was hers alone. Kaen growled softly at the edges of my mind, warning, urging.
She is more than a child now. The pull grows.
"Darian," she said, dropping the sword lightly to her side and brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You've been standing there like a shadow all morning. Come teach me something. I want to learn more than what the old instructors tell me."
I stepped forward, each movement deliberate, controlled. I could feel Kaen's restlessness beneath my skin. Do not hesitate, Alpha. Protect. Guide. Mark her path.
I cleared my throat. "Very well," I said. "If you wish to learn, then you must understand that skill is not only in your hands but in your mind and instincts. Strength alone does not make you a warrior… or a leader."
Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity, and for a moment, I allowed myself to soften. I knelt slightly, lowering my stance to match her height, careful to remain a guide, not a threat. "Observe me," I said, taking a slow step back. "Every move you make is an extension of yourself. Your sword is an extension of your will, your body an extension of your mind. To strike without thought is to invite failure. To guard without foresight is to invite danger."
She mirrored my stance, eyes intent. "I understand, Uncle Darian. But what if danger comes too fast to think?"
I froze. Even the question carried weight, a prescient awareness she could not possibly know. My wolf growled low, anticipation and warning coiling in my chest. She senses the pull too.
I exhaled slowly. "Then you react as you have trained. You trust your instincts. You trust your mind, your body… and you trust me to guide you." My gaze held hers, the unspoken weight of my promise pressing into the space between us. I will protect you, Selene. I will not fail you, even from the shadows.
She nodded, determination hardening her delicate features. "I trust you."
The words struck me like a blade. She meant only what she knew, trusting her guardian, her uncle, the Alpha who had taken her in. And yet, beneath that innocence, beneath that adolescent respect, something more lay hidden. The same pull Kaen had warned me of, subtle, silent, yet impossibly strong.
I forced myself to step closer, only enough to adjust her stance, my hands brushing lightly against hers as I guided her grip. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to linger, to hold, to claim. Kaen growled, reminding me that the bond that would bind us both was closer than it had ever been.
Soon, the wolf whispered. Soon, the Goddess will make it impossible to resist.
I pulled back quickly, masking the tension. "Enough for now," I said. "The mind and body must rest. Even warriors require patience."
She huffed, a mix of frustration and amusement. "You always tell me patience, but you never stop moving yourself."
I allowed a small smirk. "Even an Alpha must choose when to act and when to wait. Learn that lesson well."
Her gaze lingered on me longer than necessary, and I felt it, the dangerous spark of something unspoken, something forbidden, threading between us. It made my wolf restless, my chest tighten, my pulse race. She did not know yet. She could not possibly understand. But the bond,the pull that had been quietly stirring since her father's death, was awakening.
And I knew, with a certainty that chilled me, that the moment she turned eighteen, the Goddess would claim what had always been meant to be mine.
For now, I would teach, guide, and protect. I would walk beside her, silent and watchful, a shadow in her life. And I would wait.
Because when destiny came for us both, there would be no holding back.
And I would not hesitate.