I should have known something was wrong the moment Kael smiled at me. Not a real smile—something sharp, deliberate, like a blade sliding through my chest. Before I could even react, he said the words that shattered everything I thought I knew:
"She's yours now."
My legs locked. My heart refused to beat properly. My mate… had sold me. Not to a stranger. Not somewhere far away. To him—the enemy Alpha. The name everyone whispered like a curse. The one who could kill a wolf without flinching.
I stumbled backward, catching myself on the edge of the hall. My vision swam. People were staring, but I couldn't see them. Only him. He stepped forward, slow, deliberate. Every movement radiated control, danger, and something that made my chest tighten and my stomach twist.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. My voice stuck in my throat.
He stopped a foot away, and I could feel the heat radiating from him like the sun burning through ice. His eyes scanned me, sharp, calculating, and I wanted to look away—but I couldn't. They pinned me to the spot.
"Careful," he said, low, dangerous, each word a caress and a warning all at once. "You're in my world now."
I swallowed, tasting fear and something else I wasn't ready to name.
Kael was gone. The crowd was gone—or maybe I didn't notice them. I was frozen in a spotlight of his presence.
Then he reached out. Not to touch—but to close the space between us. Every instinct screamed at me to pull back, to flee, but my body betrayed me. My knees shook, my hands trembled.
"I hope you survive tonight," he said, voice smooth, like velvet over steel.
Suddenly, a guard brushed past me, whispering that I had to follow. I hesitated, knowing every second with him was dangerous, yet irresistible. He noticed, his gaze hardening.
"You move when I tell you," he said sharply. The soft warmth of threat in his words made my pulse race. "Do not test me."
I nodded, almost mechanically, my mind screaming, my body aching to resist.
We walked through the long corridor, the tension thick enough to choke me. He didn't speak, but every glance he threw made my heart hammer, my thoughts scatter. At one point, he stopped suddenly, spinning me around so I bumped against his chest. I gasped, almost embarrassed—almost—but he didn't flinch. His eyes burned into mine, reading me like an open book.
"Don't think fear will save you," he said, dangerously calm. "It only makes you interesting."
I wanted to pull away. I tried. My hand brushed his sleeve—barely a touch—and the jolt was electric. He caught my wrist, holding it, and the smirk on his lips wasn't kindness. It was dominance. Possession. And maybe… something darker.
By the time we reached his private quarters, my mind was a storm—fear, confusion, and a pull I didn't understand. He stepped aside, letting me in, then closed the door behind me, the click of the lock reverberating like a death sentence.
I spun around, trying to put distance between us, only to find him suddenly in front of me again. Close. Too close. I could feel his breath, steady and controlled. My pulse raced.
"You'll learn quickly," he murmured. "Disobedience has consequences. Obedience… has rewards. You'll decide which you want first."
I wanted to argue, to shout, to run. Instead, my knees betrayed me, almost giving out under the weight of the room, the tension, and him.
He smirked—not cruelly, but like a predator savoring the hunt. And I realized, with a terrifying thrill, that the hunt wasn't over. It was just begun.