Page 38 of Her Fated Alpha Prince
A soft knock broke the silence. Kael turned sharply. “Enter,” he said, voice low.
The door creaked open to reveal Merek, his closest confidant, eyes sharp and wary. Merek came in and out of his life like a breeze. It could be years and yet it seemed like no time passed at all. Merek was always there when he was needed. “The shadow was seen again near the southern gate,” Merek said,voice clipped. “Guards are on edge. Something’s moving, but no one can catch it.”
Kael nodded, already pulling on his cloak. “I’ll see to it.”
As they stepped into the night, the chill bit through Kael’s cloak. The city around them was a labyrinth of stone and secrets, quiet but for the distant drip of water and the occasional rustle of leaves. The tension in the air was thick, the kind that made every shadow feel alive.
They moved quickly, slipping through narrow alleys and past shuttered windows, the silence pressing close. “Do you think it’s related to Ariana?” Merek asked, eyes darting.
Kael hesitated, the weight of his thoughts heavy. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I won’t let anything happen to her.”
As they neared the gate, a flicker of movement caught Kael’s eye — something too swift and dark to be a man. He signaled for Merek to stop. They crouched behind a low wall, breath held, eyes straining.
A whisper floated on the wind, barely audible but unmistakable. Magic — old and raw, seeping from the cracks in the city’s bones. Kael’s hand went instinctively to the dagger at his belt, fingers tightening.
The shadow moved again, just beyond the torchlight. A figure, cloaked and silent, watching, waiting. The city’s secrets were stirring, and Kael knew this was only the beginning.
“We’re not alone,” he murmured.
Merek’s eyes met his, grim and certain. “No. And whoever this is… they’re playing a deeper game.”
Kael’s mind raced, thoughts circling the council, the warnings, and the fragile thread that tied him to Ariana. If the danger was inside these walls, trusting anyone could be a mistake.
The night pressed on, colder now, the city holding its breath. And somewhere in the darkness, a plan was unfolding—one that would change everything.
The cloaked figure slipped through the shadows like smoke, every step deliberate, every movement silent. Kael’s pulse quickened, but he forced himself to stay still, to wait for the right moment. Merek’s breath was shallow beside him, tension visible in the rigid set of his shoulders.
“Who are you?” Kael whispered under his breath, fingers still wrapped tight around his dagger’s hilt. But the figure didn’t answer. Instead, it vanished deeper into the labyrinth of the city, melting into the darkness like a ghost.
Kael rose slowly, signaling Merek to follow. The chase was on, but Kael’s mind spun faster than his feet. Was this the shadow Elder Varos had warned about? Was it connected to the warnings about Ariana? Or was it something else—something far more dangerous?
They rounded a corner, the alley narrowing, forcing Kael to slow. Up ahead, the figure paused, almost sensing their presence. Kael tensed, ready to strike, but before he could move, a sudden, sharp crack split the air.
A trap.
Merek cursed, diving aside just in time as a net whipped out from the shadows, its coarse ropes aimed to snare. Kael barely had time to dodge, rolling to the side, the net grazing his cloak but missing him by inches.
“Run!” Kael barked, sprinting after the figure who was already vanishing into a hidden passageway.
The labyrinth of backstreets twisted and turned, the cold stone walls pressing close. Kael’s breath came in ragged bursts, his muscles burning, but he pushed harder, refusing to lose the shadow now slipping through the maze like a shadow within shadows.
Suddenly, the figure stopped and turned, revealing a face partially hidden beneath the hood—a flash of silver hair catching the moonlight. The eyes met Kael’s, fierce and unreadable.
“You’re close,” the voice was low, almost a whisper, “but not close enough.”
Before Kael could respond, the figure vanished again, melting into the night with the ease of a wraith.
Kael skidded to a stop, frustration coiling in his chest. Who was this elusive stranger? Friend? Foe? Or something more complicated?
Merek caught up, panting. “That was Elder Varos,” he said grimly. “He’s been waiting. If even he’s moving in secret, the stakes are higher than we thought.”
Kael rubbed his jaw, eyes narrowing. “And Ariana… she’s caught in the middle of all this. We need to protect her, whatever it costs.”
Merek nodded. “The council will be watching now. They won’t let this go.”
Kael’s mind raced with possibilities. The city’s shadows were growing darker, the game more dangerous. But beneath it all, a single truth remained clear—he would face whatever came next, not just as a guardian, but as something more.
For Ariana.
