Aria followed Kairo through the winding stone corridors, each step echoing as if the castle itself listened. Torches crackled along the walls, casting their shadows into sharp shapes, her small, tense silhouette beside his tall, predatory one.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Not temperature.
Atmosphere.
Power.
Every guard they passed bowed instantly. Some bowed to Kairo.
Others bowed once they saw her, eyes wide, unsure, whispering silently behind their fists.
A few didn't bow at all.
They just stared.
Hungry.
Curious.
Threatened.
Aria wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady her racing pulse.
Kairo noticed.
Without slowing his steps, he spoke.
"Do not shrink."
Her head snapped up. "I'm not—"
"You are."
His voice echoed off the stone. Calm. Sharp. Commanding.
"And in this place, showing fear invites attack."
"I'm not afraid," Aria muttered.
"Then stop holding your breath."
Her cheeks heated.
Of course he noticed that, too.
They reached a set of massive black doors, carved with wolves circling a moon. Two warriors stood guard. When they saw Kairo, they immediately stepped aside.
Aria expected him to open the door.
Instead, he turned to her.
"You enter first."
She blinked. "Why?"
"To show them you belong here."
Her stomach fluttered.
Not pleasantly.
Not entirely fearfully, either.
She pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside.
The room beyond made her breath catch.
Kairo's chambers weren't luxurious, they were built for dominance.
High, vaulted ceilings.
Dark stone walls lined with ancient weaponry.
A fireplace so wide it could swallow a man.
A massive fur-covered bed carved from blackwood.
And the scent.
His scent.
Dark pine. Storms. Warm skin.
It wrapped around her like invisible hands.
Aria's pulse stumbled.
Kairo brushed past her, closing the door behind him with a soft, final thud.
The sound felt like a lock sliding into place inside her chest.
She turned quickly. "Why am I staying here? In your room?"
"In my wing," he corrected.
"Not my room."
Relief washed through her, until he added:
"Not yet."
Heat rushed up her neck.
He didn't smirk.
He didn't tease.
He simply stated it like fact.
Unavoidable.
Inevitable.
Her breath caught. "What—what does that mean?"
Kairo walked toward her slowly, his golden eyes never leaving her face.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
He stopped in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze.
Close enough that the warmth of his bare chest brushed the thin fabric of her damp dress.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
He reached up, not touching her skin, but close enough to make her shiver and lifted a strand of her wet hair.
"You will stay in the adjoining chamber," he said quietly.
"Where I can reach you quickly if something happens."
"If something happens?" Her voice shook. "Or if I run?"
His eyes darkened.
"Both."
Aria swallowed.
She hated how small she felt beside him.
She hated how his presence stole the air from her lungs.
She hated… the tug in her chest every time he looked at her.
"What if I refuse to stay here?" she asked.
Kairo stepped even closer.
She backed up until her spine pressed into the stone wall.
He didn't trap her with his arms.
He didn't need to.
His presence caged her perfectly.
"If you refuse," he murmured, "I will pick you up like last night and place you exactly where I want you."
Her breath hitched.
His eyes flicked down to her lips.
Not accidentally.
"You don't have to make this harder," she whispered.
His jaw tightened, not with irritation but with restraint.
"You think this is hard for you?" His voice dropped, low and rough.
"You have no idea what holding back feels like."
Her thighs tightened.
This was wrong.
He was dangerous.
She should push him away.
But his closeness… his scent… that pull in her chest…
It betrayed her.
She inhaled shakily, and his eyes darkened further, pupils dilating like a predator catching the scent of prey.
He leaned in until his lips brushed her jaw, not kissing her, not touching, just close enough that his breath traced fire along her skin.
"I can feel your heartbeat," he whispered.
"Every time you lie about not wanting me."
Aria gasped.
"Stop," she whispered. "Please."
Kairo's lips brushed her ear.
A whisper of contact.
Barely anything.
She felt it everywhere.
"I will," he murmured. "For now."
Her knees nearly buckled.
Then he stepped back, giving her air, leaving her trembling.
"Your room is through that door," he said, pointing to a smaller entrance to the right.
"You will bathe. You will rest. And you will not leave this wing unless I escort you."
"Or what?" she challenged breathlessly.
His gaze locked onto hers.
"If you run again…"
His voice turned dark silk.
"I will not chase you in the rain next time."
Her breath stilled.
"I will hunt you in the dark."
A full-body shiver ran through her.
He turned away, heading toward the inner door.
But before he disappeared, he paused and looked over his shoulder.
"Aria."
She froze.
"You survived the hunt."
A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"You won't survive disobedience."
Then he vanished into the shadows of the adjoining hall, leaving her alone with her thundering pulse and the terrifying truth settling into her bones:
She wasn't afraid of the Alpha King.
Not anymore.
She was afraid of what he made her feel.
And that was far more dangerous.