Page 43 of Her Fated Alpha Prince
“Then tell me everything,” she said, surprising herself with the steadiness in her voice. “No more secrets.”
Kael stepped closer, his breath warm against her cheek. “The silver bloodline isn’t just about power. It’s about sacrifice. About walking a path where every choice could burn you alive.”
A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't cold. It was the heat of possibility, the dangerous edge of something new.
“Then I’m ready to walk it,” Ariana said, meeting his gaze. “Even if it kills me.”
His lips curved into a slow, almost sorrowful smile. “I hoped you’d say that.”
For a moment, the world outside faded. The moonlight filtering through the window cast silver shadows on the walls, mirroring the fire sparking between them.
Kael reached out, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw, gentle but commanding. “You have no idea what you’re about to unleash.”
Ariana’s breath hitched. The air pulsed with electricity, every nerve ending alive with tension and promise. The promise of danger, but also something deeper — connection, trust, something neither of them dared to name yet.
Slowly, Kael closed the distance, his mouth hovering just above hers. His eyes searched hers, silently asking permission, silently begging for surrender.
She didn’t hesitate.
Their lips met in a collision of heat and need, fierce and urgent. It was the kind of kiss that shattered boundaries, that burned away doubt and fear in a single touch. Her hands found their way to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart, matching the fire inside her own.
Kael’s hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as if afraid to let go. Every inch of her body responded — every whisper of skin, every pulse of breath.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, the space between them charged with new energy.
“Whatever comes next,” Kael murmured, his forehead resting against hers, “we face it together.”
Ariana’s heart soared and sank all at once. The path ahead was shadowed and uncertain, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone.
As the night deepened, they stayed there — two souls caught in the storm of fate and fire, their hands entwined, their breaths mingling in the quiet.
Outside, the garden pulsed with life, the flowers glowing like embers in the dark.
And somewhere, deep within her, a flame had finally been ignited — one that would either consume her or light the way.
CHAPTER 16
_____
KAEL
The night pressed close around him, thick with silence that felt less like peace and more like waiting. Kael stood just beyond the garden’s edge, the scent of jasmine mixing with something sharper, something burning low beneath the surface. His thoughts tangled — restless, searching.
Ariana. Her name tasted like a secret on his tongue, heavy with things left unsaid. He had watched her from shadows, felt the pull of her like a current he couldn’t resist. But tonight, it wasn’t enough to watch. He needed more. Clarity. Truth.
The garden shimmered under the moonlight, the flowers still glowing faintly from her touch. He stepped forward, the soft grass brushing against his boots, and the air seemed to hum — a vibration only he could feel.
His hand hovered over the petals of a crimson bloom, almost reluctant to touch. They bent toward him, as if recognizing his presence. A laugh — low, steady — slipped out before he could stop it.
“Like a wild thing,” he murmured, “already claiming this place.”
A voice from behind made him freeze. “They recognize you too.”
He turned. Ariana stood framed in the archway, eyes wide but steady. The moonlight caught the silver threads in her hair, the way her skin seemed almost translucent in the dark.
Kael’s breath hitched.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” she said, voice soft but firm. “Not now.”
