Chapter 5 The Awakening

KAEL

The moment she falls, the hall erupts into chaos.

Gasps ring out. Noblemen and women rise from their seats, whispering furiously, their words tangled in confusion. Varethorne warriors shift on their feet, tense and uncertain, while our own soldiers look to my father, waiting for his reaction.

Her father, the Varethorne Alpha, is the first to move. His face twists in concern, and his voice booms through the great hall.

"Guards! Take her to the upper chamber. Now."

The girl-his daughter, the one promised to my father-lies motionless on the stone floor, her veil slipping just enough to reveal the pale curve of her cheek. My gut tightens.

She's too still.

The guards rush to obey, scooping her up with careful hands. But my father, Alpha Zareth, is already furious. He stands from his throne, his face twisted with rage.

"This is an insult!" he bellows. "A mockery! You planned this."

The Varethorne Alpha's gaze snaps to him. "She's ill. Or afraid. But the treaty stands."

My father scoffs. "Afraid? You think I would take a coward as a mate?"

His words claw at my skin, scraping something raw inside me. My hands curl into fists.

This isn't right.

I don't know why, but I can't just stand here.

The guards carrying her disappear through the carved archway, and before I know what I'm doing, my feet are already moving.

"Where the hell are you going?" Roran's voice is laced with amusement, his hand grabbing my arm. "Stay, brother. Eat, drink. Enjoy the pastries."

I shake him off.

He laughs. "Don't tell me you actually care about this girl."

I don't answer. I can't. I don't have the words for this... thing growing inside me.

This isn't just curiosity.

It's something sharper. Something darker.

I need to know if she's all right.

I follow the guards up the spiral stone staircase, my boots silent against the worn stairs. The upper chambers are dimly lit with lanterns, casting flickering shadows on the ancient walls.

The guards hesitate as they see me trailing them. One stops. "Where do you think you're going?"

I meet his eyes, cold and unwavering. "My father sent me. To ensure there's no foul play."

It's a lie, but they don't know that.

They exchange wary glances before nodding. "Fine. But you stay under watch."

I step inside.

The room is small, warm from the lingering embers in the hearth. They lay her on a wide bed, thick furs piled beneath her fragile form. The flickering candlelight dances over her face.

And I finally see her.

She is the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on.

Her skin is like the soft glow of moonlight, unblemished and delicate. Her lips, slightly parted, are full and tinted with the faintest shade of rose. Her dark lashes rest against her cheeks, so thick they cast shadows. Her nose is perfectly shaped, and her high cheekbones give her a regal, almost untouchable air.

I can't breathe.

Something shifts inside my chest, something violent and possessive.

Mine.

The thought comes unbidden, unwanted.

I force myself to take a step back.

I don't know this girl.

And yet... I do.

The way my body responds, the way my instincts scream at me to protect her, to claim her, to shield her from my father-it's unnatural. It's maddening.

I watch her.

She twitches, her brows drawing together. Her fingers curl into the sheets, her breathing uneven. She's dreaming.

Or fighting something inside her mind.

I don't move. I don't speak. I just watch.

The healer arrives moments later, an old man who introduced himself as Gangedi, draped in thick robes that smell of dried herbs and oils. He moves to her side, placing his wrinkled hands on her forehead.

"She shouldn't have collapsed like that." I hear myself say.

"She's burning up," he murmurs.

"Was she ill?" I ask, more to myself than Gangedi.

"No, she was fine this morning," a guard replies from the threshold.

"Will she wake?" I ask before I can stop myself.

Gangedi glances at me, studying me in a way I don't like.

"She will," he says. "But whatever plagues her, it's not just fear."

I don't know what he means by that. I don't ask. He examines her, wipes her forehead with a cloth drenched in herbal water and asks me to keep an eye on her before leaving.

I just keep watching her.

Minutes pass. Then longer.

She shifts again, a soft noise escaping her lips.

Then, finally-her lashes flutter.

"She's waking up!" I can't help the excitement in my voice.

I inhale sharply.

Her eyes open.

A deep, endless shade of brown, like rich earth after rain, like something ancient and powerful.

Her gaze locks onto mine.

And for the first time in my life-

I feel like I am the one who has been caught.