Kael.

Sleep had become so impossible and frustrating for me to have. My wolf rut session is almost driving me insane.

I had spent the last hour staring at the ceiling of my chamber, trying to force my mind into silence, but my wolf refused to cooperate. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her.

Selena!!!

The way she looked at me when she challenged me. The way she stood in front of people far more powerful than her and still spoke as though she carried the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders.

It was infuriating, It was dangerous and it was becoming impossible to ignore.

My wolf had been restless for hours, pacing inside me, pushing against every wall of control I had built. The bond between us had always been there, but lately it felt like it was becoming something alive. Something that wanted to make decisions before my mind could even catch up.

I dragged a hand over my face and sat up. "This is ridiculous," I muttered.

My wolf only responded with a wave of frustration. I knew exactly what it wanted. My wolf wanted her and the thought alone irritated me.

I had spent years building discipline, learning control, putting my duties above every personal desire. I was the Alpha of Blackbourne. Every decision I made affected thousands of lives.

Yet somehow, one woman had managed to disrupt the balance I had spent years maintaining.

And the worst part was that she was the one person I could never allow myself to want.

Selena Vale! The daughter of Alpha William. My enemy’s daughter.

The daughter of the man who had willingly accepted the vampire’s rule instead of fighting against it.

The same man I had cursed the last time I saw him. I hated what he represented.

He represented Weakness disguised as obedience. Fear disguised as survival and yet Selena was nothing like him.

That was the part that confused me the most. She carried his blood, but not his beliefs.

She questioned everything, she challenged everything and even me.

I stood from my bed, unable to remain still any longer. Perhaps a walk would clear my head. Perhaps exhaustion would finally silence the rut of my wolf.

Without thinking too much about it, I left my chamber and moved through the quiet halls of the castle.

The entire place was asleep.

Guards stood at their posts, servants rested in their quarters, and the only sound was the faint echo of my footsteps against the stone floors.

But somehow, my feet carried me toward the servants’ quarters.

I stopped before I reached them because I saw movement in the main hall.

The exact place where Selena had been gathering servants.

My eyes narrowed as even from a distance, I could recognize her. She was standing among them, speaking quietly.

For a moment, I simply watched. There was something about seeing her there that made my chest tighten.

She looked like she belonged anywhere she decided to stand. Not like a prisoner, not like a servant but like someone who could change things.

My wolf pulled toward her instantly. I hated it. I turned away before I could make a mistake.

I returned to my chamber again but even there, I could not escape her.

Every thought led back to her. Every breath seemed to carry her scent and eventually, I stopped fighting.

And when I finally moved again, I already knew where I was going. I was going to see her.

The moment I appeared before her, her expression changed. It was mixed with Surprise, Confusion and something else I refused to name.

My anger from earlier returned. She had lied to me, she had walked into danger and she had gathered people inside my castle and lied into my face.

Part of me wanted to demand answers. Part of me wanted to remind her that she could not continue putting herself at risk.

But another part of me, the part connected to my wolf, only wanted to be near her, only wanted to claim her and make her mine.

I reached for her, stopping her movement and her eyes widened slightly. "Alpha Kael..."

Hearing my name from her lips only made things worse. I should have stepped away. I should have remembered our agreement but the bond between us was pulling harder than ever.

I wrapped my hand around her neck before lowering my voice and whispering into her ear. "You lied to me earlier."

Her expression shifted. "I didn’t—"

"You did." I said through gritted teeth and silence settled between us.

She looked away briefly, then back at me and somehow, even when she was caught, she still looked stubborn.

I ignored her look and lowered my lips towards hers, I had the urge to claim her lips and kiss her roughly but instead, I found myself sniffing her neck... licking her skin as she trembled at my touch.

I lifted her off her feet abruptly, pinned her against the nearby pillar then I held her both hands above her head as I planted kisses all over her neck and down to her collarbone.

Selena kept trembling as my lips made contact with her skin.

"Wh..a..t are you doing to me...?" Her voice quivered as she asked.

Almost immediately, I could smell her arousal. My heat wanted him to kiss her and fuck her right there but I held myself back.

All I could do was bring myself to caress her bare skin and continue to kiss and lap at her skin.

Selena soon began to moan and held me to her body as I rained pleasure upon her.

"Ohhuh please... Kael..." she continued moaning and it sounded like music to my ears.

I abruptly stopped and lifted her to my head level against the pillar, making her legs straddle my shoulders.

"I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget in a hurry."I declared as I aimed to raise her tunic but she suddenly stopped me.

I found apprehension in her eyes and it immediately clicked to me that she was a virgin.

"Gosh, I’m so stupid!" I apprehended myself by remembering she’s just 18 years old. What was I expecting?

I didn’t waste time in putting her down and she seemed unhappy and didn’t want me to leave her but at the same time, she looked hesitant to let me do what i wanted to do with her.

"What happened to our deal not to culminate our mate bond?" She suddenly asked me but in a weak tone.

I sighed painfully before speaking, "My wolf rut could over power my own judgement and I’d be forced to do crazy things to you."

Her grip still didn’t leave me until I planted a kiss on her cheek then I eventually forced myself to step back from her.

"You need to sleep." I muttered. Still, I hated myself at that moment but couldn’t bring myself to start what I might not be able to finish.

Her brows furrowed but I forced myself to ignore it as I turned away before I could lose control.

Leaving her there was harder than it should have been. My wolf hated every step away from her but I had no choice.

Because if I stayed, I did not know if I would be strong enough to remember everything I was fighting for.

When I returned to my chamber, I sat in silence as the memory of her expression stayed with me.

I kept thinking of how soft Selena’s skin was and the sound of her moans... I wanted more but with the effect she was having on me; it’s best I avoid her as much as possible.

It was the only way to keep my promise but my wolf was still restless. It was still burning with too much energy.

I needed to release it so I left the castle. The forest welcomed me with cold air and silence.

The moment I shifted, my wolf took over and I ran faster and further into the thick forest, until the sounds of the castle disappeared completely.

The moon hung above me, casting light through the trees as I moved through the darkness.

For the first time in hours, my mind became quiet but only for a moment because when exhaustion finally forced me back into my human form, I lay in the forest clearing staring at the sky while a new dangerous thought entered my mind.

"What if the vampires that paid Alpha William a visit had believed his words? What if they believed Selena was here?"

"What if they were no longer waiting for Alpha William to deliver her? What if they decided to come and take her themselves?"

My eyes hardened as the thought alone filled me with anger. I pushed myself up slightly, staring into the darkness around me.

I had been preparing for enemies inside my borders but perhaps I needed to prepare for enemies coming from beyond them.

"I have to prepare for their potential invasion!"