The storm engulfed the estate.
Rain beat on the roofs, stone paths turned into rivers of silver in the moonlight.
Kael hardly noticed it.
He strode across the courtyard, cloak whipping in the wind behind him.
His instincts told him he was making a mistake.
But his wolf pushed him forward.
More quickly.
Kael scowled.
“Why?”
No response.
Nothing but the same desperate urgency that had been after him since dawn.
His clothes were soaking wet by the time he reached Seraphina’s wing.
The guards outside her chambers snapped to attention.
Alpha.”
Kael gave a nod of acknowledgement.
“Lady Seraphina has retired?” “Yes, Alpha.” “Has anyone come in since sunset?
“No.” He was looking at the closed doors.
It was logical he should go. whatever strange dreams haunted him, not her.
But each step he took away from the room felt .
.
. wrong.
As if he were abandoning something precious.
Or somebody.
His hand went up.
Before he could knock even–
The door swung open.
Seraphina stood in the doorway in a simple cream silk nightrobe, her long dark hair loose about her shoulders.
She seemed surprised to see him, as he was surprised to see her.
For several seconds there was silence between them.
Rain dripped from the hem of Kael’s cloak, pooling on the polished floor.
“You ought to be asleep,” Seraphina said softly.So you should.”
Her lips curved in a faint, tired smile.
“I wasn’t much of a sleeper.
Kael looked at her face.
She looked drained.
No, not really.
Emotionally.
Like she’d been carrying a weight for days that no one else could see.
An uncomfortable guilt settled in his chest.
“I had come to see that you were all right.”
Her brows went up a bit.
“That’s interesting.
I heard about yesterday.
“I’m still alive. ””I see that.
“So why are you here?”
His mouth opened.
Not a word was said.
For he did not know it.
Not really.
How could he explain dreams that were more real than memories?
Or the invisible force that drew him to her?
“I…
His voice quavered.
I don’t know.
Seraphina looked into his red eyes.
…
For the first time since she had returned…
She saw doubt.
Not from an Alpha.
From a guy.
Something within her gave.
A little bit.
She moved aside.
“You might as well come in.
Kael paused before entering.
Her room was plain.
One wall was a book case.
A small fire burned quietly in the fireplace.
Maps and handwritten notes were scattered across a desk by the window.
He saw them immediately.
“You’ve been looking into things.” “I’m trying to stay alive.
He couldn’t dispute that.
Silence fell between them.
Not clumsy.
Be careful.
Each seemed to be gauging the other.
Finally Kael spoke.
“I have been dreaming. Seraphina’s heart skipped a beat. Dreams. What sort?”
He looked away from her, at the fire instead.
“I see a woman. Her fingers gripped the sleeves of her dress. I can’t make out her face.”
Lies.
He could”.
He just didn’t know it yet.” “She’s…”
He frowned.
“Being put to death.’
Each word was a knife into Seraphina.
She did not allow herself to respond.
And?
‘I can’t move.” “I can’t help it.
“I just…
His jaw tightened.
“I observe.
The room seemed suddenly too small.
Too hot.
Too well-known.
Seraphina’s breathing grew ragged. Enjoying the story?
The place of execution.
The chains.
The rain.
Kael, silent.
Her wolf growled in the depths of her mind.
“Careful. She tried to keep herself steady.-Why do you think the dream means anything? Finally, Kael met her gaze. Because each time I wake…”
He slapped a hand on his chest….
I feel like I’ve let someone down.”
The words shattered something inside her.
They didn’t erase the past or anything.
But they sounded real.
She looked away before he could see the emotion in her eyes.
You should forget it.
“I can’t.” Then stop trying to rationalize everything.I never walked away from a mystery.” “No.” She whispered.
“You’ve ignored much worse.
Kael frowned.
“What does that mean?'”
She saw her mistake too late.
“It means nothing.
‘It didn’t sound like anything.
She stepped slowly backwards.
“It doesn’t matter.
“That’s important to me.”
He took a step toward her.
She drew back a pace, instinctively.
But their separation shortened.
Kael stopped.
I think…”
He was at a loss for words.
“I’ve hurt you.” You haven’t.
Another lie.
You don’t believe that.
Seraphina closed her eyes for a second.
When she opened them up again…
Behind him was the platform for the execution.
The headsman lifted his sword.
Rain dripped onto the wood under her knees.
Iron chains bit into her wrists.
No…”
Kael saw the color drain from her face.
Seraphina?”
He reached for her without a second thought.
His fingers were inches away…
And then—
Her eyes were wide with terror.
““Don’t touch me!”
She yanked back hard.
As if his hand was the knife that had once cut her down.
The words hurt Kael more than any weapon could.
“Don’t touch me!”
He stopped moving.
His extended hand dangled in the void between them.
Seraphina was pressed against the stone wall beside the fireplace, her breath ragged, her emerald eyes wide with unmistakable terror.
Not rage.
Not envy.
Fear.
Meat.
Instinct.
The kind of fear that came from having lived through something too horrible to remember.
Kael held his hand out, slowly.
Sorry.
His voice was barely more than a whisper.
I didn’t mean to–” I know.
She cut him short.
But her body wouldn’t believe her words.
Every muscle stayed tense.
PACKING TO LEAVE.
Ready to rumble.
Ready to survive!
More than anything, Kael was bothered by the contradiction.
Her mind told her she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
But her instincts told her otherwise.
Why?’
What had caused her to behave that way?
Instead he stepped backwards carefully.
“I will not come any nearer.
Seraphina shut her eyes.
She hated herself for losing her temper.
She had sworn to never again allow the past to govern her.
But one little gesture…
One familiar gesture.
And she was on her knees once more, beneath an overcast sky, watching the man she loved die without a word.
She made herself breathe.
Slowly.
Her wolf stood with her in the darkness of her mind.
Not a word.
Just standing between her and the memory.
“Protecting her.
A long moment passed before one of them said anything.
Rain outside filled the silence.
“Kael finally broke it. When I tried to take you…”
His brow wrinkled.
“You looked at me like I’d already killed you.”
Seraphina’s heart gave a twist.
She averted her eyes.
I overreacted.
”No.” His answer was instant.
“You responded. They’re not the same.”
She had no case at all.
Because he was right.
That was not sensible.
It was a matter of survival.
Kael stared into the fire. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“I’m beginning to feel like I’ve forgotten something important.” “You haven’t,”
The answer came too quickly.
He looked at her.
How do you know?
I remember enough for the two of us.
The words almost slipped out.
Instead she said, “As some things are impossible to forget.
He looked hard at her face.
There was suffering there.
Not fresh hurt.
Old hurt.
The kind that had become part of the soul.
He’d seen warriors with such scars after a war.
But Seraphina had never been in one.
So where had that expression come from?
Suddenly, his wolf stirred.
“Not in a violent way.
With sorrow.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sadness crashed through him.
It knocked the air out of him.
His knees gave way.
He braced himself against the edge of the table.
What…
His heart pounded wildly.
Pain exploded beneath the mark on his chest.
Hot.
Burned.
As if silver had been poured under his skin, molten silver.
His teeth ground together.
“What is going on? At once Seraphina’s wolf lifted its head. The draw. Her breast throbbed in response. Not in pain.”
With acknowledgement.
Kael stumbled backwards.
The fire was spreading.
He tore at his shirt collar.
The mate mark glimmered faintly in glowing deep red.
Unthinkable.
This wasn’t done by Mate marks.
Not after years of quiet.
Not unless—”
He glanced at Seraphina.
She had not moved.
She had not touched him.
But the nearer he’d come to her…
The agony had become stronger.
What did you do?
The question came out through his clenched teeth.
Seraphina’s expression grew hard.
I did nothing.
A new wave of pain washed over him.
He bent over double.
His wolf howled inside him.
Not in anger.
In grief.
Pictures flooded his mind.
Not full memories.
Fragments.
Rain.
Chains .
A hand shaking, reaching for him.
A woman’s voice, choked, whispered his name.
And then,
A blade, glinting in a sky full of storm.
Kael drew a breath.
His sight blurred.
The room spun about him.
He could no longer tell dream from reality.
At last his knees gave way.
He fell to the wooden floor with a heavy thud.
Every nerve in his body felt as if it were aflame.
The burn moved through his veins from his chest.
He tried to get up.
His arms did not obey.
Seraphina moved toward him instinctively.
Then halted.
And compassion struggled with fear in her own breast.
For one awful heartbeat…
Neither of them stirred.
Kael lifted his head just enough to meet her gaze.
Confusion.
Pain.
And there was guilt in his eyes.
His body convulsed again.
The burn became unbearable.
The dark pulled him in.
Kael’s knees cracked against the wooden floor.
His body was on fire, as if molten silver had been poured into his veins.
He looked up at Seraphina, his scarlet eyes filled with pain and disbelief.
What… did you do to me…?’
And then another wave of pain tore through him.
He doubled over, hand on chest, and the mate mark burned like living fire.