Page 10 of Her Fated Alpha Prince
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KAEL
Kael stood alone on the palace’s eastern watchtower, arms braced on cold stone, watching the moon rise over the sea.
He hadn't shifted since bringing Ariana inside. His dragon coiled beneath his skin like smoke sealed in glass—silent, simmering, and not at all settled. Not since she arrived.
Not since shelooked at him like that.
He closed his eyes.
Her scent still clung to him—salt and silk, fear laced with something sweeter. Something that made his blood surge in ways he hadn’t felt in years.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was human. She didn’t belong here.
And yet, the moment she’d opened her eyes in the jungle, something inside him had clicked. Not gently. Not like fate weaving a delicate thread. No—this was a violent, ancient snap. Like a bond being forged in fire.
He’d known then. He just didn’t understandwhathe knew.
Behind him, footsteps echoed across the stone floor—soft, deliberate.
He didn’t turn.
“I hear you’ve been busy,” came Seryna’s voice, smooth as wine left out too long.
Kael didn’t answer.
She moved beside him, far too close, her crimson robe fluttering like smoke in the ocean wind. “A stray girl with no history appears from the sea, and you just happen to be there to catch her? Curious.”
His jaw flexed. “You heard Elder Varos. She’s a noble’s daughter.”
She smiled, slow and cutting. “You know I can smell lies better than blood, Kael.”
He turned to face her, eyes cold. “Then you should smell this one: stay away from her.”
Seryna didn’t flinch. Her lips curled like she’d been waiting for that exact threat. “You’re not thinking clearly. She's clouding your judgment. And judgment is the only thing that’s kept you from falling into ruin like your brother.”
The words hit harder than he let show.
Kael’s voice dropped. “Say his name again, and I’ll show you what clouded judgmentreallylooks like.”
A flicker of something crossed her face—disappointment, maybe. Or satisfaction.
“I only want to help you,” she said softly. “Like I always have.”
Her fingers grazed his wrist.
He didn’t move, didn’t speak. He just stared down at her, letting silence speak for him.
When he finally stepped away, she didn’t follow.
“She’s not one of us,” Seryna said behind him. “And sooner or later, the court will see it too.”
Kael kept walking, the heat in his chest burning higher with every step.
Not one of us.
The words echoed like a curse.
