The room was colder than it should have been, despite the fire crackling in the hearth. The shadows on the walls seemed to dance, stretching longer with each passing minute. Selene sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers tight around the quilt, trying not to feel the weight of Kael's presence beside her. The council's demand hung over them, the three nights they had to share this room stretching out like an eternity.
Kael had barely said a word since they'd entered. His eyes, usually intense but controlled, seemed lost in thought, distant. He stood at the window, staring out at the darkened forest beyond the packhouse, his jaw clenched tightly.
Selene couldn't take it anymore. The silence was suffocating, pressing in from all sides. "Kael," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't know what she expected — an apology, an explanation, something to break the ice between them.
His head turned slightly toward her, his eyes narrowing as he met her gaze. "What?" he asked, the word curt, as if he'd been interrupted from a deep thought.
She swallowed, trying to steady her racing heart. The atmosphere in the room felt thick with tension, an invisible force drawing them closer yet keeping them apart. "This isn't right," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "They're testing us. This whole thing, it feels like a trap."
He didn't respond at first, his gaze flicking back to the window. The lines of his back were tense, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. Selene couldn't stand it any longer — the distance between them, the silent barrier that had been erected the moment they entered the room.
She stood up, the floorboards creaking under her weight. Slowly, as if drawn by some unseen force, she moved toward him. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw how tense he was, his muscles rigid. He was holding himself back, as if he was afraid of something — or someone.
"You're angry," she said, stepping closer. "But not at me."
Kael didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on the trees outside. His voice, when it came, was low and tight. "You don't understand," he muttered.
Selene took another step forward, stopping just behind him. She could feel the heat of his body, the raw power that radiated off him even when he was still. The connection between them was undeniable, a magnetic pull she couldn't ignore.
"Then make me understand," she urged, her voice softer now, vulnerable.
He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto hers, and for a moment, there was nothing but the tension between them. The fire crackled in the hearth, the only sound in the room besides their breathing.
"Everything I do," Kael said, his voice raw with emotion, "everything I've done… it's because of the curse. Because of the failure I am."
Selene felt her heart tighten at his words. She took a hesitant step forward, closing the distance between them. "Kael," she whispered, "you're not a failure. You're not broken."
His eyes flashed with something dark, a storm brewing behind them. He looked away, his jaw clenched. "You don't know what it's like to have everything stripped away. To be… powerless."
The pain in his voice cut through her, and for a brief moment, she reached out, her hand brushing against his arm. The warmth of his skin, the fire of his touch, sent a shiver down her spine. The room seemed to shrink around them, the distance closing with each passing second.
Their breaths were shallow, their hearts pounding in time. Selene felt the familiar pull again, that aching desire to close the gap, to bridge the space between them. She could feel him resisting it, but she couldn't help herself. She was drawn to him — to the man beneath the Alpha, the broken soul that had somehow survived so much.
Kael's hand shot out suddenly, gripping her wrist with surprising force. "Selene," he growled, his voice low, desperate. "You don't understand. This… this bond isn't something I wanted."
The words cut through her, and for a brief moment, the room was thick with the weight of everything left unsaid. But before she could respond, Kael's grip softened, his thumb tracing a line along her skin. His eyes, dark with emotion, searched hers, looking for something — an answer, an understanding, something he couldn't find in himself.
"You don't get to push me away like that," she said, her voice unsteady but determined. "I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever."
Kael's expression faltered, a crack in his carefully controlled mask. The tension between them was almost unbearable, the air thick with unspoken words and desires left hanging in the space between them. Without thinking, she reached up, her fingers brushing against his cheek.
It happened so fast. The room seemed to tilt, the world narrowing to the two of them. Kael leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that was hesitant at first, like he was testing the waters. Selene's heart raced, every nerve in her body on fire as she kissed him back, her hands threading through his hair, pulling him closer.
But just as quickly as it had begun, the moment was shattered.
The door to the room slammed open with a force that echoed through the silence. Marcus stood there, his face a mask of concern, his eyes flicking between them with the tension of someone who had just walked into a powder keg.
Marcus. Again.
"What the hell is going on here?" Marcus asked, his voice sharp.
Kael immediately pulled away from Selene, his breath ragged, his expression a mixture of frustration and something else — something he couldn't quite name. Selene stepped back too, her heart pounding, her head spinning from the intensity of the moment.
"I… I didn't mean to interrupt," Marcus said, his voice softer now. He hesitated, glancing at Selene, then back at Kael. "But the council is waiting for you, Kael. We need to go."
Kael nodded, his expression hardening again as he turned to face Marcus. He said nothing more to Selene as he walked past her, heading toward the door.
Selene stood frozen for a moment, her hand still trembling where it had been pressed to her lips. The kiss — it had felt so real, so powerful, but it had been snatched away just as quickly as it had begun. And now, the air between her and Kael was thick with unresolved tension, with something that both of them were afraid to acknowledge.
As Kael left the room, Marcus shot her a glance, one filled with understanding and something else she couldn't quite decipher.
Selene sighed, her body still humming from the kiss. Her heart still ached, a strange mix of longing and frustration. She was more confused than ever about what she felt for Kael, and now, more than ever, she knew the storm between them was far from over.