KAEL’S POV The darkness swallowed me whole.
It was heavy and suffocating.
I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear, and an ocean of ice-cold water pressed hard against my lungs, trapping me in the deep, silent depths of my own failing mind.
I was drowning inside my own skin, locked in a cage where my senses were completely cut off from the real world.
Every agonizing second felt like an eternity as I drifted through the void, unable to draw a single breath of air.
Where am I?
My wolf was silent, like he wasn’t a part of me anymore.
I tried to reach him but there was nothing there.
Just an empty space that threatened to pull me under.
I fought against the suffocating void, trying desperately to piece together the torn fragments of my memory.
The last thing I remembered was standing in the howling snowstorm outside the main gates, using every last drop of my Alpha aura to force the guards to their knees before declaring Clara to be my fated mate.
It had been a calculated lie to show my absolute authority over the council and protect her from their judgements and to save her life but the moment those words left my lips, my mind drifted back five long years into the past.
Back to that dark, chaotic night that had forever changed my life.
I couldn’t stop the memories from flooding in, filling the void behind my closed eyes.
I remembered the shadowy storage room, the overwhelming scent of rain and wild honey filling the warm air, and the delicate, breathtaking woman who had burned like a sudden, brilliant fire in my arms.
She had begged me that night but I was too overcome by the power of that aphrodisiac to stop.
I had heard her cries and yet, I couldn’t stay away from her.
I had never learned her name, nor had I ever seen her face clearly in the dim light before I vanished without a trace the next morning, leaving her alone in that darkness.
I couldn’t face her.
I tried convincing myself that it was a mistake and that I had dreamt it but I remembered the feel of her body.
For five long, agonizing years, that mystery woman had haunted my every waking thought and every midnight dream.
After I left her there, I had gone back and she wasn’t there anymore.
I had searched the entire country for her, tearing through territories and following dead ends, only to come up completely empty-handed.
A sudden jolt of sharp panic pierced through the dark memories, jerking my consciousness violently back to the present.
The doctor.
Is Clara okay?
What did those bastards do to her while I was unconscious?
I was supposed to save her.
And yet, I collapsed on top of her.
Way to go, Kael.
The Pack Elder would definitely not pass on the opportunity.
The old man was known throughout the entire Northern territory for being ruthless, manipulative, and relentless, driven by his belief in ancient rules and his own ambition.
He viewed every outsider as a parasite waiting to infect our traditions.
But not even an Elder could stand against the sacred, untouchable laws of a mate bond, let alone execute an Alpha’s declared mate without starting an immediate civil war among our warriors.
As I struggled to move my paralyzed limbs against the heavy weight holding me down, a faint, golden burst of light broke through the dark void.
And then…
I heard it.
Her soft, melodic voice echoing softly right beside me in the quiet room.
“…It’s kind of scary at this point.” A hundred questions flooded my racing mind.
What scared her?
Is she hurt?
Did those old fools lay a hand on her while I was out?
Clara kept talking into the quiet bedroom, her sweet, melodic voice whispering about every single thing, complaining softly about our traditional medical tools, murmuring about her life, and speaking words I couldn’t fully understand in my hazy state.
With each gentle word she spoke, the suffocating dark water surrounding my soul began to reduce.
The sound of her voice pulled me back to reality, giving me the strength to push against the stiffness of my body.
Suddenly, a soft touch brushed against my face.
I could feel her small, delicate hand gently tracing the skin of my cheek, followed by the undeniable, intoxicating heat of her warmth as she sat down on the mattress right beside me.
God, I wanted to hold her.
Even if it was only for a single second.
I loved the feel of her skin against mine.
The fact that she was this close and I could smell her calmed me more than anything else.
I wanted to reach up, wrap my hand tightly around hers, run my fingers through her long, soft hair, pull her against my chest, and tell her everything was going to be alright.
And right behind that overwhelming urge…
a dangerous, protective rage flared in my chest.
I had spent far too much time away taking care of the rogue attacks along the southern border, and in my absence, the traditionalist Elders had grown arrogant wings.
They actually dared to disrespect their Alpha and they had tried to lock up my guest in a moldy cell.
This was the same woman who had risked everything to walk through a blizzard and save my life.
I made a promise to myself that instant.
The moment I opened my eyes and stood up from this bed, I would handle every single one of them.
I would clean the council of their corruption once and for all, and no one would stop me.
But for now, I didn’t care about politics, pack laws, or the betrayal from the council.
I just wanted to lie still and feel the gentle, radiating warmth of Clara resting beside me.
As her breathing slowed into a deep, steady rhythm, resting her cheek just inches from my shoulder, an unexplainable pull tugged hard at my soul.
I didn’t know why, nor could I explain why a simple human doctor made my chest ache with such intense, fierce possessiveness, but having Clara beside me felt so damn familiar.