Echoes of Doubt

Kael's POV

The annual ally meeting between my kingdom, Blue Storm, and the Moonveil Pack was a tradition that had lasted for centuries—one meant to solidify our bond and ensure the continuity of our shared history. But tonight, that past felt irrelevant in the midst of an inexplicable pull that furred my senses 

"Excuse me, I will be right back. I need to cater for something." My voice clipped as the usual cold tone echoed in the room, leaving no questions.

"You can go my king," Ria said, her voice uncanny and unreadable. "But Alpha Damon will be joining us soon."

I gave a curt nod and stepped away from the gathering, my strides steady yet my chest tightening with a sensation I hadn't felt in years. A scent curled through the air—intoxicating and foreign, yet painfully familiar. Pine and floral. It seeped into my lungs, flooding my body with an unsettling sense of déjà vu. 

My wolf leaped in merriness, growing restless. A low growl rumbled deep inside of me, a visceral response that caused my stomach to churn.

No. It can't be.

It's been seven years since I lost my beloved Lillith in the cold hands of death. I had buried that part of me beneath the deep layers of ice, never expecting to have a feeling of it again. Yet, here it was—an unwavering call that swirled through my blood.

I clenched my jaw, resisting the primal urge to follow it blindly, but my feet had already begun to move. The scent grew stronger with every step, leading me toward the towering arborvitae tree standing just beyond the packhouse mansion. The crisp night air carried a whisper of something beyond my understanding, and an unsettling awareness clawed at my thoughts. 

This feeling… It is viable. 

A flick of moment reeled through my thoughts as the air shifted, thick with tension, and then—

A low growl resonated from the dark shadows. 

Female. 

My wolf flinched, instincts roaring to the surface of its primality. I strained to see beyond the dim reflection of the distant lanterns, but the scent—gods, that scent—was attracting me.

"Who's there?" My voice is steady and measured.

My question was responded with awkward silence. 

I took a brace, cautious step forward, letting my heightened senses protect me.

Weak. The scent is fading.

I pressed forward, my pulse racing in my chest as my instincts shrieked at me to hurry. My footsteps were near silent against the soft earth as I descended into what seemed like an underground structure—a dungeon. The air turned heavy, damp with the stench of rusted iron and unwashed bodies. A place of suffering. A place of death. 

And then— 

A whimper. 

A figure lying helpless against the farthest floor, barely illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the narrow bars above. A woman. Her trembling running gasps for breath as if she was running out of life. What gave her posture was the frame curled into herself, as if shielding her body from a ghost only she could visualize.

For a while, my breath caught in my throat. 

The bond hit me with the pressure of a punch, searing through my defenses. My wolf howled in response to the surge that irrationally rippled through my nerves.

She lifted her head, ears suffused with unshed tears.

Fear. 

Mistrust. 

Pain. 

She flinched at my wavering presence, pressing deeper into the wall and thought she could find shelter. The manner at which her shoulders curled inward, the bruises marrying her skin, the haunted look that rippled her face—I had seen it before. On warriors after a fierce battle. On prisoners who experienced severed trauma.

Who did this to her?

Her lips trembled, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Who… who are you?" 

Her tone held no recognition of what I already knew. 

I was hers. She was mine. 

"I am here to help you." I let the words settle before continuing, my voice shadowed with promise.

Her breath caught for a flick moment, and something reeled on her eyes—distrust, defiance, but also something strange. Something shattered.

I took a cautious step closer. "I am Kael Draven, King of the Blue Storm Kingdom." 

Her hands clenched into weak fists. "And why would a king care about saving a nobody?" Her voice was mixed with pain and agony, but beneath it was a silent, broken plea for salvation.

I exhaled, my chest tightening. "Because no one will ever hurt you again." 

Not waiting for any further protest from her, with a single surge of strength, I tore through the rusted metal bars. 

******

Rhea's POV 

Light. Soft and golden, yet blinding. 

I winced as my eyes opened, my body filled with pain. The intoxicating scent of natural rose, fresh lavender and something warm, unfamiliar that filled my senses.

Where…? 

Panic surged through my spine as the memories reeled through ny mind–the dungeon, the cold stone ground, the clenched hands that had punched my muscles. I jolted upright, gasping as sharp pain rippled through my nerves.

"You're already awake." 

The deep, hoarse voice sent a current down my spine. I turned in immediately, my gaze landing on a burly looking figure near the window of something that looked like his room.

Him. 

The man from the dungeon. 

The one who called himself my savior. 

Kael Draven. 

His piercing dark eyes gaze me my place in glory, his posture rigid yet unwavering. He was strong—every movement, every breath reflected dominace. But his expression was uncanny as though cast from stone.

My heart pounded against my ribcage. 

"You should be hungry," he said, motioning his hands towards the tray on the cupboard beside me. "You need nourishment."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My body shrieked for maintenance, but the food idea churns my stomach.

Can I trust? 

My fingers held the sheets tighter, my weak voice barely above a whisper. "Where am I?"

"Blue Storm." 

My breath hitched. I had heard of it. The Lycan kingdom, ruled by a king as ruthless as he was untouchable. 

And now, I am here. In his home. 

I foist myself to meet his gaze. "But why? Why the salvation?"

Kael's expression didn't budge. "Because you are all mine."

A hollow grin tugged his lips before I could halt it. "So that's it, then? I'm just supposed to believe and accept that after everything?"

My voice quivered, the heaviness of my horrific past cutting through my throat. I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to break.

Kael stepped closer. "I am not Damon." 

Damon. That name alone sent an agonizing feeling through my senses. My hands trembled.

"He said the same thing before he—" I sucked in a sharp, catching breath, shoving the thought away from ravaging me.

Kael's jaw tightened. "I can never be him." 

Silence enshadowed us, weighty and suffocating. 

And yet… 

The strange feeling that pulled me with the strange man I just knew a few minutes ago kept tugging on my.chest. Undeniable. 

A treacherous thing, this bond. It burned through my veins, a pain that attracted me toward him.

But I couldn't be gullible to this fantacy again.

Couldn't trust him.

Kael turned, his tone turning to something primal. "Try getting enough rest today, because your training starts tomorrow."

I stiffened. "What?" 

"Just like that, no proper introduction." My voice trembled with restrained anger as I pushed myself up from the chair, my hands clammy. 

"Introduction…" Kael chuckled, stepping out from the room, not waiting for my protest.