Kael.

For a moment, everything else disappeared. The castle, the threat hiding somewhere within its walls, the unanswered questions surrounding Selena.

All of it faded into the background as I stared into her eyes. It would have been so easy.

The bond between us was not subtle. It pulled at every part of me, demanding that I close the distance, that I stop fighting something that felt inevitable.

My wolf wanted one thing. Her!

The need to claim her burned beneath my skin, stronger than any command I could give myself.

Just one movement. I felt the urge to just give her a kiss and if I dare to, there would be no going back.

I knew that the moment I crossed that line, everything I had spent years building would collapse.

The order in my pack, the trust of my people, the careful distance I had maintained between myself and the daughter of my greatest rival.

Selena was not just a woman standing in front of me. She was Alpha William’s daughter.

The same Alpha I had cursed the last time I saw him. The same man who had the power and influence to challenge the vampires but chose to bow instead.

A man who allowed his own daughter to become a sacrifice for a system that had oppressed our people for generations.

And yet... I was standing here, wanting her. Wanting to protect her and wanting to claim her.

The irony almost made me laugh. A part of me hated Alpha William for planning to sell her.

Most of the time, I buried that thought because it complicated everything.

Because if I admitted that I hated him for what he was doing to Selena, then I had to admit that I cared about her and caring about her was dangerous.

My mind told me to remember who she was. My wolf told me I already knew.

Maybe it wouldn’t be chaos if I claimed her. Maybe it would fix everything. Maybe it would finally give me a reason to stop pretending that the bond between us did not exist.

My thoughts were interrupted when Selena suddenly slipped away from me.

The loss of her warmth was immediate and strangely disappointing.

I hated that I noticed. I hated even more that for a brief second, I felt rejected. A feeling I quickly pushed away.

She looked amused. "Did you lose your guard, Alpha?"

I stared at her while she had the audacity to smile. "You almost forgot our agreement."

I cleared my throat. "I did not forget."

Her eyebrow lifted. "You looked like you were about to."

I turned away, pretending to focus on anything else in the room. The fact that my face felt warmer irritated me.

I was an Alpha. I did not get embarrassed yet somehow, Selena had managed to make it happen twice in one day.

"You talk too much," I muttered.

She laughed softly. "And you avoid admitting when you’re wrong."

I ignored that. Instead, I noticed the question forming in her eyes as she looked around my chamber.

"Why is the castle so quiet?" She suddenly asked.

I looked at her before saying. "The servants are restricted from moving around freely because of an imposter"

Her expression immediately changed. "So an imposter is still inside?"

"Possibly."

"And you don’t know who?"

"We don’t yet but we are searching for him."

Concern crossed her face. "Alpha Kael—"

"I will find him." The confidence in my voice made her relax slightly.

"You really think he won’t get to me?" She asked while having the look of fear.

I looked directly at her. "No one gets to you." The words came out before I could stop them.

A strange silence followed and I looked away first because I suddenly felt the urge to just pin her against the wall and do crazy things to her.

Instead of commenting, she shifted her attention. "Your father’s painting."

I frowned. "What about it?"

She studied me. "You loved him?"

The question was simple but the answer wasn’t. "I can’t really say that."

Her eyes narrowed. "Then why keep his painting?"

I remained silent because explaining it was difficult. Because it sounded foolish. Because the truth was something I rarely admitted.

"It was painted after a rebellion." Selena waited as I continued. "The man who painted it was the son of a rebel werewolf. My father conquered his pack."

I looked at the painting. "He made him use his own blood to create the paint."

Horror filled her face. "That is cruel."

I looked at her. "You sound surprised."

"Because it is."

A small smile touched my lips. "You expected my father to be kind?"

"Not really." She looked back toward the painting. "I just didn’t expect something so horrible."

I shrugged. "My father was not a gentle man."

The silence returned then she asked the question I expected. "Why don’t you have a painting of your mother?"

I looked at her. "My mother was different." A small smile appeared on my face. "She was charming. Loving. Everything my father wasn’t."

"Then why keep his painting and not hers?" She suddenly asked and that question stopped me.

I had asked myself the same thing countless times. "I don’t know." It was the truth.

I walked closer to the painting. "When I look at him before making an important decision, I remember everything he told me I would never become."

Selena listened carefully. "And?"

"And I remember that I proved him wrong."

Her expression softened. "That is actually..." She paused. "Strangely charming."

I looked at her. "Charming?"

She shrugged. "In a strange way."

I shook my head. Only Selena could describe something connected to my father’s cruelty as charming.

Then she suddenly changed the subject. "The imposter."

I looked at her. "What about him?"

"If you want to catch him, you need to stop searching."

I frowned. "Explain what you mean."

She walked around the room as she spoke. "If he knows you are aware of him, he will hide."

I quietly listened. "But if everyone continues acting normally, he will think he has succeeded."

Her eyes met mine. "And he will become careless."

Unfortunately, she was right but I couldn’t just give in so I crossed my arms and asked. "And allow him to move freely around my castle?"

"Your guards will be watching." I went silent without saying anything.

"Am I wrong?" She asked.

No she wasn’t but I won’t admit it.

I immediately mindlinked Beta Bastien. ’Allow the servants to return to their duties.’

There was a pause then his confused response came. ’Are you sure?’

’Yes.’ I said and ended the connection.

Selena smiled slightly. "You obviously listened to me."

"Do not get used to it." I said, almost rolling my eyes.

She laughed and the sound was unexpectedly pleasant. Then she looked down at herself. "I need clothes to change."

I looked at her as the infirmary gown was not suitable. Especially not when my wolf was already struggling.

I opened my wardrobe and removed one of my robes.

She looked amused. "You are giving me your clothes?"

"It is temporary."

She reluctantly put it on. The robe was oversized on her, falling around her body and somehow that made it worse because it actually looks good on her.

My wolf reacted immediately and I forced myself to look away.

"Are you alright?" She asked, staring into my face.

"I am fine."

She smiled. "You don’t look fine."

I ignored her. Instead, I poured two cups of ale. "Tell me about yourself."

She looked surprised. "Why?"

"Because I know very little about you."

She accepted the cup. "Before that..." She hesitated. "My roommate Sally, I need to know that she’s alright."

I immediately mindlinked the head healer. A few moments later, I answered after getting a reply. "She is currently sleeping. She will recover."

Relief crossed Selena’s face. Only then did she relax.

We sat at my desk. For the first time, there was no argument between us.

She told me about her childhood. About her mother dying during childbirth. About growing up with her father but when she spoke about Alpha William, her voice changed.

She became quieter. I could feel the distance between them. The disappointment and the fact that the vampire situation had destroyed something between them.

I listened then she asked. "What do you think about it?"

"About what?"

"The vampire’s oppression." She said and I already knew what she meant.

I looked down as the truth was simple. I hated it more than she knew. I wanted freedom for our people. For all of them, but I couldn’t tell her that.

Not when I knew what hope could do. Hope could make people reckless. Hope could make someone like Selena believe she could change centuries of cruelty alone.

So I gave her the answer I thought would keep her grounded. "It is the way things have always been."

Her face changed as I continued. "If we were stronger than them, would we not have done the same?"

The silence that followed was heavy. I knew she was disappointed in me. I could feel it and strangely, that bothered me.

Before I could say anything else, I received a mindlink from Beta Bastien.

’Alpha Kael.’ His voice was urgent. ’The real scout has arrived.’

I straightened before asking. ’What happened?’

A pause then his voice lowered. ’He is injured.’

My grip tightened around the cup as I asked, ’How badly?’

’He keeps repeating one word.’ Beta Bastien says.

I stood up immediately as I asked, "What word?"

Beta Bastien’s voice came through almost immediately. "Vampire!"