Lina stayed two more nights.
Not because she asked, and certainly not because Kael invited her to—but because the rain hadn't let up, and the bruises on her ribs hadn't faded. She moved carefully, quietly, respecting the space he kept between them. But even with all her silence, Kael could feel her presence pressing into the walls he'd spent years building.
She didn't speak unless spoken to. She didn't ask questions. And yet… she noticed everything.
The way he tensed when she stepped too close.
The scars on his knuckles, like reminders of battles he never talked about.
The way his eyes softened for the smallest second when he thought she wasn't looking.
Kael pretended he didn't notice her watching him. But he did.
He noticed everything about her.
The third morning, he came back from a run in wolf form—his dark grey fur soaked from the woods. When he shifted at the tree line, he expected her to be asleep. But she wasn't.
She was standing at the edge of the porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, eyes wide.
"You're fast," she said softly.
He blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "You watched me?"
"I heard you," she said, brushing damp hair from her face. "You don't run like a normal wolf. You… glide."
Kael stepped up onto the porch, water dripping from his shoulders. "Most people scream when they see me shift."
"I've seen worse."
He arched a brow. "From the wolves you were running from?"
She nodded. Her voice lowered. "They weren't just cruel. They enjoyed it. Controlling, punishing, owning people like me."
Kael's jaw clenched. "And what were you to them?"
She looked him dead in the eyes. "A mate. Claimed without choice."
The fury that flared in Kael's chest was sudden and violent. His wolf surged under his skin, growling in protest at the very idea. Not because she was his. Not yet.
But because no woman—no wolf—should ever be taken by force.
"Who?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going back."
"I didn't ask if you were," Kael said, stepping closer. "I asked who."
Lina looked at him carefully. "Why do you care?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Maybe it was because she reminded him of a life he could never have. Maybe it was the way she looked at him without fear. Or maybe it was the simple, painful fact that for the first time in years… he felt something again.
Kael turned away sharply. "You'll stay here until you're healed."
"I'm not yours to command."
He stopped in his tracks.
Then, slowly, he looked back at her. "No. You're not. But you're in my territory. And as long as you are, no one touches you."
Her breath caught.
Not because of the threat in his voice.
But because of the promise.
She watched him disappear into the woods again, his broad shoulders vanishing into the trees. And for the first time since she escaped her old life… she felt safe.
Even if he couldn't admit it yet—Kael was already protecting her.