Chapter 3 Mate

Far away from the stone tower where Aria was held prisoner, an elderly pack member gradually opened his eyes. His breath caught; he felt something. An old link. Invisible but clearly strong.

The Alpha had discovered his soulmate. The elders' eyes turned stony. He got up from his stone seat high in the subterranean refuge. His eyes were apprehensive and concerned. This was not simply a personal affair. It jeopardized their pack's power balance.

"Find out who she is," he instructed one of his reliable followers, "immediately. And don't let the Alpha know."

Silently toward Kael's stone tower, the follower disappeared into the shadows. Rapid. Invisible.

Inside the dim chamber, Kael froze after letting his hand move from Aria. His eyes were lost, unfocused. He turned without a word, opened the door, and left.

Click here!

The door locked once again. Aria watched after him, bewildered, her body still tingling from that odd warmth. But her mind found nothing at all. She remained in the room's corner, consumed by doubts and fear.

Kael charged into his own room, closed the door. Breathing heavily, he stood there. His fists clenched, trying to contain the storm within.

"No... It cannot be..."

His soulmate was a human. Not a pack participant. Not of wolf blood. A disgrace. He was aware of what would result from the discovery of this fact. The old ones would scoff at him. The pack would inquire his leadership. The newly crowned Alpha would be perceived as vulnerable bound to a human. But he also knew one thing: the bond couldn't be broken. Not without expense. And that cost was his life.

Kael growled quietly, unsure of where to turn his wrath. At himself? At Aria? Or at the cruel fate that had played this twisted joke?

At last he made a single decision. He would keep her safe. But not with love. With loathing. A mask to hide the suffering of losing his father, which he felt was brought on by people still.

A shadow dashed between the trees as the evening progressed. Unseen, the elderly man's devoted supporter had entered Kael's domain.

He was speechless. His form melded with the fog in the trees. His gaze swept the area as he got close to the tower. No guards.

"The alpha grows careless," he mumbled.

He slid across a side window and into the home with a hunting wolf's speed. He was welcomed by an unknown smell, not blood nor wolf. human being. He crept towards one of the rooms. Though the door was sealed tight, there was just enough of a gap to peer through. He saw her there.

A girl. Young. Dazed. helpless. For a brief second, her eyes crossed his before he disappeared into the shadows. Aria recoiled, her heart thumping. She only knew that peril was real and close; she didn't know what she had just seen.

Deep in the elder's underground lair the following day, the man dropped on his knees before his teacher.

"The Alpha's soulmate is human," he announced abruptly.

For a few minutes the older man was silent. Then his eyes turned cold killer.

She must be gotten rid of. Before her presence weakens our Alpha.

This time, though, he passed over an assassin. He left on his own.

Aria woke up to her creaking door at dusk. It wasn't Kael or Rowan, though. Any one of the guards would do. An elderly man in a somber cloak was it. His eyes were focused; his face bore the signs of age and frigid hatred.

"So it's you," he mumbled.

Aria pulled back feeling an inexplicable danger from this stranger.

"There's nothing special about you... except one thing." He leaned in lightly. "Kael is bound to you. And because of that, you represent a danger to the pack as a whole.

Aria started to open her mouth, but no words erupted. The old man drew closer, whispering something that paralyzed her blood.

"You believe Kael could guard you? Once this bond is revealed, he won't even be able to defend himself."

She could only look frozen between destiny and terror. Her body shook. Her gaze was fixed on the door slamming cruelly ultimately. Whatever that guy was, her senses shrieked: he would kill her without hesitation.

Elsewhere in the tower, Kael had just completed organizing the nighttime patrol. Turning, he saw a person standing at his entrance.

"Elder Maeron," Kael remarked frostily, "what are you doing in my home without authorization?"

Maeron entered slowly, like a priest who knew every stone of the edifice.

Alpha, I am just passing by. Possibly yearning for some frankness.

Kael squinted his eyes. His body stiffened, "Honesty?"

Maeron stared at him as though unpeeling his own thoughts. "About your soulmate."

Kael's face changed not fear but rather a flicker of awareness. He covered it swiftly with a little grin.

"Elder, you're mistaken; I haven't discovered her."

Maeron laughed dryly, yet his eyes were blank. humorless.

He moved closer and asked, "Then why did you reject Lyra?" She will come at the full moon. Pureblood. The best partner for an Alpha. You are aware that every older person backs her.

Kael clenched his jaw but said nothing.

You believe you could conceal the link from me? From the pack?

"Elders cannot conceal a soul link. We feel it. We know the time it starts to take shape.

There was silence between them. Kael stayed stiff, hands closed. Maeron sighed and walked away.

"Sooner or later, Alpha... you will have to decide: your soulmate or your throne," he said and left.

The door closed behind him. At long last, Kael sat down, head drooped. The Alpha had no idea what to do for the first time in his life.

Aria leaned against the wall in the sealed room. Still ringing were echoes of the outside discussion. Though she had only captured pieces, that was enough. Kael had lied to save her. One word stayed in her mind. Soulmate.

She was unsure what that implied. But she knew one thing for sure: Kael was a hazard to her. Either because of who she was or the destiny that had brought them together.

The door creaked open. Aria spun swiftly, her body still tensed. It wasn't Kael, however. Rowan, with a wooden tray of hot food, was carrying it. He smirked softly.

"You have to eat or Kael will force me sit here and observe you until you finish every mouthful."

His voice was mellow, mocking. Some of the pressure in her chest was released. Aria quietly ate the food. Rowan sat back against the wall across the space. Minutes ticked by quiet but not cold. Aria eventually said in a low voice,

"What is... a soulmate?"

Rowan turned sharply, startled. His gaze became softer, though. "You heard us, eh?"

Aria just nodded once. Rowan grinned softly as though someone had challenged him to describe the stars to someone who had never seen the night.

"A soulmate is someone you're meant to be bound to. Even before your first encounter, your souls will be calling to one other. Your bodies will react when you do. Like electricity or a sensation you cannot define."

Aria dropped her eyes. The words set something in her. Kael's touch that evening. That odd spark that caused her to shake. She had believed it to be terror. But... was it?

Rowan followed her closely. "Did you feel it?" he softly enquired.

She raised her head to connect with his eyes. She then shook her head and lightly smiled.

"No. I was just inquisitive."

Rowan stopped; he knew she was lying; however, he did not confront her. He just stood, sighing quietly.

"Should you ever want to talk, I will be present."

Then he left, leaving Aria alone once more in a room now felt even smaller, burdened by a secret too great to reveal.