Years folded over themselves like the turning of pages, and I watched Selene grow under my vigilant gaze. She was no longer the fragile infant wrapped in her mother's shawl; she was a child of light and determination, her blue eyes reflecting curiosity and a strength I knew had been inherited from Lucan. And yet, to me, she remained fragile. Always fragile. Always in need of protection. Always… not mine.
I had thought I understood desire. I had thought I knew what it meant to crave, to hunger, to ache for something just beyond reach. But this, watching her, guarding her, feeling the tug of the Goddess between us, was a hunger that gnawed deeper than any battle wound, any rival, any conquest. I wanted her safe. I wanted her near. I wanted to shield her from the world's cruelty… and yet I could not allow myself to acknowledge the more dangerous desires that stirred whenever she smiled at me, laughed, or reached for my hand.
Kaen growled softly, a low vibration in my chest. She is not yours… yet. But soon.
I had long since learned that Kaen did not make mistakes. The wolf stirred with the truth I refused to name. Every instinct, every nerve, every dark corner of my soul whispered it: the girl I had raised, the daughter of my fallen friend, would awaken the mate bond when the Goddess willed it.
I turned from the gardens to the balcony of my chambers, moonlight washing over the courtyard below. The wind carried the faint scent of pine and river water, the familiar mix of the lands I had conquered, ruled, and bled for. But nothing filled the hollow inside me like the ache of her absence when she was not in my sight.
Lucan's death had left me with many things: the weight of the kingdom, the responsibility of the pack, the ghosts of battle. But none haunted me like the thought of failing Selene. She had been fifteen when her father died, and I had taken her into my life, my home, my pack. Every decision I made since that day had been with her safety in mind. Every word, every action, every battle fought was so that no harm would reach her.
And yet, fate was patient. The Goddess did not rush her plans. She waited, weaving the threads of destiny with a careful hand. I felt it in every moon, in every heartbeat, in every quiet moment when Selene's laughter reached me before I saw her.
I remembered the first time she had run to me unafraid, blue eyes wide with trust. My hand had hovered, unsure, caught between the law I had imposed on myself and the instinct I could no longer deny. Kaen had growled in warning, but I had not pulled away. I could not. I had held her, feeling the warmth of her small body against mine, and had whispered the words I would repeat a thousand times in my mind:
I will not fail you.
That promise, simple and pure, was the first step toward the bond the Goddess had designed. I had protected her as a guardian, as her uncle in name and in duty. I had loved her from afar, from a distance I swore I would never cross. And all the while, the pull of destiny was wrapping around us, quiet, unyielding, insistent.
I closed my eyes and breathed her in, the soft scent of her hair, the faint hint of soap and morning dew, the warmth that clung to her even when she was not near. It was maddening, impossible, intoxicating. She was everything I had been seeking without knowing, the mate I had longed for, and yet the rules of man, of wolf, of king, kept me from claiming her.
The Moon Goddess watched silently, her light spilling over the balcony and touching the curve of my jaw. Soon, the wind seemed to whisper. Soon, Alpha. She will awaken. She will call. And you will answer.
I clenched my fists, tasting the ache in my chest and the fire that had lain dormant for years. I had ruled kingdoms, bested enemies, and faced death countless times. But I had never faced a challenge as consuming as the one that awaited me when Selene's bond with me awakened.
I would not fail. I would not allow weakness to touch her. And when the Goddess claimed her as my mate, I would be ready. Possessive. Protective. Unyielding.
Until that moment, I would watch. I would guard. I would nurture. And I would wait, knowing that the hunger that had driven me for nineteen years would finally be sated in the way fate intended.
Selene Ardyn, the daughter of my best friend, my ward, my charge, the one I had been sworn to protect, was unknowingly the answer to a longing that had defined my entire life. And the thought of her turning eighteen, of her wolf awakening, of the Goddess claiming what was hers… made my pulse quicken and my jaw tighten.
I would not be gentle when the day came. I would be dark. I would be possessive. I would claim what was always meant for me.
And until then… she would remain under my protection, under my care, under my watchful eyes. And though the world saw only an Alpha King guarding his ward, I alone knew the truth: she was the mate I had been waiting for. And when destiny called, I would answer, without hesitation, without fear, without regret.
The moon shone bright and full over the High Pack that night, bathing the palace in silver light. I stood alone on the balcony, feeling the weight of the crown, the pull of destiny, and the hunger in my chest that no victory could ever satisfy.
And I made my silent vow:
She will never be unprotected. She will never be alone. She will be mine… when the Goddess wills it.
The wind whispered back, carrying the scent of pine and promise.
And I waited.