Chapter 2 THE WOLF KING IN THE SHADOWS

KAEL'S POV

I should have stayed in my realm. The council warned me, the Oracle warned me, even my wolf snarled at the risk, but none of it mattered. Not when her scent... warm vanilla, soft jasmine, and something ancient called to the deepest part of me.

I buried my destined mate years ago, sworn never to claim a mate. I built my reign on blood, shadow, control, and solitude. And yet there she stood, fragile yet defiant, marked as mine by the moon itself.

I had been watching her for seven moons, slipping through the thin points between realms, stepping into her world only when necessary. The portals were unstable, thin as glass, easy to shatter if used too often. But for her, I opened them anyway. I always would. Tonight, she finally saw me.

I stood across the road, cloaked in shadows, watching her hurry down the dim street. Her aura shimmered faintly, her power waking far earlier than expected. That alone terrified me more than any enemy.

My wolf pushed forward in my mind, restless, possessive.

Mine.

Her eyes lifted. The moment they landed on me, everything inside me froze.

She wasn't supposed to see me this soon. Humans glanced past shadows, they blinked, dismissed, rationalised. But she... she looked directly at me, as if her soul recognized me before her mind could. The golden heat in my eyes flickered, betraying my presence.

She whispered, "Can I help you?"

Help me?

If only she knew the reason I stood there, silent and unmoving, was because several creatures in my realm had already sensed her existence. They felt my bond ignite. They felt my claim. And they wanted her dead before the bond was fully sealed.

I tilted my head, studying her, heart pulling, wolf roaring, the mate bond tightening around my chest like a chain. Her fear rippled through the air-sharp, trembling, but beneath it... curiosity. Recognition.

Just as she stepped closer, a dark ripple brushed against my senses.

Shadow beasts. Too near.

I didn't have time to linger. With a single swipe of my hand, I tore open a portal beside me, a swirling rip of silver and black mist-and stepped through just as she blinked. The human street vanished. The scent of iron and forest rushed into my lungs.

"Back in my realm." I landed on the moss-covered stone floor of my throne hall. My Beta, Rowan, waited with tense eyes.

"You crossed again," he said. "Kael, this is reckless."

"I don't care." My voice came out deeper than intended; the wolf was too close to the surface. Rowan swallowed. "Word is spreading. The moment your eyes glowed, every creature who followed the Shadow Queen felt it. They know you found your mate."

The Shadow Queen, powerful enough to challenge me, ruthless enough to kill Amara without hesitation.

"I told you," I growled. "No one touches her."

"But she's human," Rowan whispered. "No defences here or there."

Exactly why I watched her, from the shadows. Anywhere danger crept, I would be there.

Tonight, when she fell asleep at her desk, I slipped through the veil and stood beside her window, cloaked in darkness, just watching her breathe. My wolf calmed only when I knew she was safe.

I shouldn't have let myself get that close, but the bond pulled like gravity.

Mine.

She dreamed of me again, pulled into the echo of my world. I felt it. Our souls brushed like sparks in the dark. That was when I almost lost control. My hand hovered near her cheek and, when she startled awake, eyes wide with fear... I vanished before she could turn.

Now, pacing the length of the throne room, I dragged a hand through my hair. The beast under my skin mirrored my movements, massive and rumbling. If I shifted now, I'd tear the stones from the floor.

"She saw me," I muttered.

"Already?" Rowan froze.

I nodded. "Her power is awakening earlier than predicted."

My wolf growled low, a warning, a promise.

"Then I'll watch her even closer," I said.

"Kael, if the council finds out"

"I am the king," I snapped. "Let them try."

A long silence passed.

"You know what happens when a mate bond snaps into place," Rowan said quietly. "You'll be uncontrollable, possessive. Ruthless."

I bared my teeth in a humourless smile.

"I already am."

Torches flickered, shadows curled at my feet. Something crossed into her world, hunting. My vision sharpened, eyes burning gold.

"I have to go," I growled, opening a swirling portal back to her realm. Rowan grabbed my arm.

"Take warriors with you!"

"No," I snarled. "If they see her... if they even look at her" My voice dropped to a growl that made the air shiver. "I will kill them myself."

The portal expanded, silver winds whipping around me. Her scent brushed my senses again, jasmine, warmth, fear. The bond pulsed hard. She needs me. Without another word, I stepped through.

Back to her world. Back to the shadows surrounding her window. And may the moon goddess help anyone who tries to take her.