Chapter 3 The Alpha's Warning

Nara sat on the cold ground of the clearing long after the warriors had dragged away the rogue's body. Her hands still trembled. Her clothes were torn, her breath uneven, and her heartbeat felt like a frantic drum inside her chest.

She could still feel the heat of Kael's touch on her wrist...

And the pain in her chest from his rejection echoing like a bruise on her very soul.

Mate... Mine...

The bond inside her whimpered like a wounded creature. It didn't understand why he had pushed her away.

But her mind understood perfectly.

She was nothing.

He was everything.

This was how the world worked.

Soft footfalls approached, and Nara tensed.

It wasn't Kael. His presence was like a storm-heavy, dark, impossible to ignore. Whoever approached now felt lighter, almost familiar.

"Nara?" A gentle voice whispered.

She turned.

Lira-her only friend-stepped through the trees, her brown eyes wide with worry. Her braid was messy, her apron stained from the kitchen. It looked like she had run the whole way here.

"What happened?" Lira gasped, kneeling beside her. "I felt the ground shake, and then-everyone started talking about rogues and Alpha Kael-Nara, are you hurt?"

Nara tried to speak but her voice cracked. Shame burned at her throat.

Lira's face softened. She reached out, brushing dirt from Nara's cheek the same way she had done since they were children hiding from bullies.

"You're shaking."

"I-I'm fine," Nara whispered.

It was a lie.

She was far from fine.

Lira looked around nervously. "Kael was here. I smelled him. Did he hurt you? Did he threaten you?"

Nara's lips parted. A strange ache filled her chest.

"He..." She swallowed. "He rejected me."

Lira froze.

The forest went silent.

Then-

"What?" Lira's voice cracked like a twig. "Rejected you? As what?"

Nara looked down at her dirt-stained hands. "As... his mate."

Lira's scream was loud enough to scatter a flock of birds overhead.

"What do you mean he rejected you as his mate? You're-Nara, you're his-"

"Don't say it out loud," Nara whispered, panicked. "Please."

If anyone heard... If the pack found out...

Weak, useless Nara became the mate of the most powerful Alpha in the region?

They would tear her apart before Kael even had the chance.

Lira pressed her hands to her mouth. "This is... this is huge. The Goddess doesn't make mistakes. Kael must have felt the pull. The bond. How could he reject you?"

Nara hugged her knees. "Because I'm me."

Lira opened her mouth to argue, but a sudden chill washed over them both.

Nara stiffened.

Lira's nostrils flared.

Someone else had entered the clearing.

A shadow moved between the trees, and then Kael stepped into the light-massive, broad-shouldered, and radiating raw power. His presence made the air heavy. Even the forest seemed to bow around him.

Lira scrambled to her feet and instinctively stood in front of Nara.

Kael's eyes glowed faintly. "Move."

"That's my friend," Lira snapped, surprising them both. "If you want something from her, you'll have to go through me."

Kael didn't growl.

He didn't shout.

He simply raised one eyebrow.

Lira's courage evaporated. She stepped aside quickly, mumbling. "I was just leaving anyway."

When she disappeared into the trees, Kael's gaze fixed sharply on Nara.

She felt pinned to the earth.

His voice came out low. Controlled. Dangerous.

"We need to talk."

Nara rose slowly. Her knees felt weak, but she forced herself upright. She didn't want him seeing how easily she broke. He had already seen too much.

"You don't owe me anything," Nara whispered before he could speak. "You made yourself clear."

His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't comment.

Instead, he stepped closer.

Too close.

"You will not leave the pack borders," Kael said. It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order. "Not alone. Not without permission. Not ever."

Nara's heart dropped. "Why? Because you don't want people to know the Moon Goddess tied you to a weakling?"

He actually flinched-but only for a moment.

"There was a rogue today," he said coldly. "And it wasn't alone."

Nara blinked. "There were more?"

Kael nodded once. "Three sets of tracks. Only one attacked. That means the others were watching."

Her blood ran cold.

"Watching... me?"

Kael's eyes darkened. "Possibly."

Nara's breath caught in her throat. "But why? I'm no one."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out."

He turned away, pacing like a caged beast. Something about his movements felt... restless. Agitated. Like he didn't have full control.

Then he stopped and stared at her again.

"Someone is hunting you, Nara."

The clearing tilted slightly.

Hunting her?

For what reason?

She wasn't important. She wasn't powerful. She wasn't even a proper wolf. She couldn't shift, couldn't fight, couldn't-

"I think you're mistaken," she whispered. "Nobody wants anything to do with me."

Kael's eyes flashed. "The rogue said your name."

Her stomach dropped violently. "What?"

Kael stepped closer. "Before it attacked you, it said your name. Nara. Clear as day."

Nara stumbled back.

"No. No, that's impossible. Rogues don't-don't talk like that. They don't identify pack members. They're-"

"Mindless?" Kael finished. "Savage? Yes. Normally."

He leaned in.

"But that one wasn't normal."

Her heart thudded against her ribs.

His scent-pine, storm, something darker-wrapped around her, making her head spin. She hated that her wolf reacted to him even after everything.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

He clenched his jaw. "Neither do I."

For a moment, they stood in a heavy silence. Then Kael dragged a hand through his hair, clearly irritated-either at the situation or himself.

"You're staying under watch," he said. "Either I watch you. Or I assign someone."

"I don't need a babysitter," Nara whispered.

"I don't care what you think you need."

His voice cracked like thunder.

She flinched.

Kael froze.

He looked away-for the first time, almost guilty. His tone lowered.

"Nara... this isn't a game. This is not about the mate bond. This is about your life."

She swallowed painfully. "You don't even want me as a mate. Why do you care what happens to me?"

His eyes snapped to hers. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

"It doesn't matter what I want," he said quietly. "If you die... the bond tears me apart with you."

Nara's breath hitched.

So that was it.

This wasn't protection.

It was self-preservation.

The hurt stung sharp and fast.

"I see," she whispered.

He didn't deny it.

He stepped back, turning slightly away, putting distance between them like he always did.

"I will send someone to escort you back to the pack house."

"I can walk on my own."

"Nara-"

"I said I can walk," she repeated, stronger this time.

A small spark.

The first hint of a fire she didn't know she had.

Kael noticed. His expression shifted-curiosity, irritation, something else she couldn't name.

He exhaled deeply. "Fine. But keep your eyes open."

Nara turned, already walking away.

She expected him to leave.

He didn't.

Instead, he said quietly behind her-

"Your scent... it's changing."

She stopped dead.

"What?"

"When the rogue attacked you... your scent changed. Just for a moment. And it wasn't... normal."

A cold wind swept through the clearing.

"What do you mean?" Nara whispered, barely able to breathe.

Kael didn't move.

"It smelled like ancient magic," he said. "Something I haven't sensed in years."

Her entire body went numb.

Ancient magic?

Her?

Impossible.

"Whatever you are, Nara..." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "It's waking up."

Her heartbeat slammed in her ears.

She turned around-

But Kael was already gone. Disappeared into the shadows as if he had never been there at all.

Behind her, a twig snapped.

She froze.

Slowly... very slowly... she turned her head.

A pair of glowing eyes stared at her from the dark trees.

Not Kael's.

Not human.

Not familiar.

Just a low, rumbling growl-

right behind her.

And then the creature lunged.