~Aria's POV

"Alpha Kael?" Mrs. Henderson’s voice cracked like glass, sharp and shaky.

I blinked, confused. Alpha what now? I shifted. My heart pounded hard in my chest, as if it wanted me to set it free. My body trembled. I tried not to think about it, or about him.

I blinked, remembering the title she had called him. My throat suddenly felr dry and empty. I looked at her, then at the man standing by the door. Kael. So, he had a name. A title too, apparently. The feared Lycan King? I've once heard of a Lycan king from Maris and the women in the pack. They said he was the most feared in the world. Now that I was staring at him, I understood them. I understood those people who had said that he was feared. His aura alone was enough to make the whole café turn chill. His eyes, he would fix them on you, as if he was trying to know your every secret.

This... all these felt like a joke. A very horrible joke. It was the same man whose touch made my skin light up like fire. It was the same man who had held me that night. It was the same man that breathed into my neck and held and looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered to him.

Now, he stood tall, his dark eyes locked on me, hands shoved in his pockets like he wasn’t rattling the entire damn room with just his presence. Every customer suddenly got quiet, frozen in place. Even the sound of coffee dripping behind the counter felt loud. Mrs. Henderson’s face drained of colour. She bowed quickly, eyes fixed on the floor.

“Forgive me, Alpha Kael. I-I didn’t know you were coming. Please, accept my—”

He didn’t respond. Not a word. Just kept staring at me. His eyes didn’t flicker. Didn’t blink. Didn’t move from my face.

I shifted uncomfortably, clutching the counter like it could anchor me. Something about him was different now. Not just dangerous. Not just powerful. It was something else. Bigger and colder. Like he ruled things I had no business understanding.

A tall man behind him stepped forward. Kael nodded once.

"Clear the room," he said.

The man didn’t hesitate. He snapped his fingers and the command spread like wildfire. Chairs screeched back. Customers scrambled out. Even Mrs. Henderson, who never shut up, was halfway out the door before I could blink.

Someone spilled coffee. Someone left a bag behind. No one looked back. It was like a fire alarm had gone off. And yet, no one screamed. They just moved. Quiet and afraid. Like they knew not to anger a storm.

Soon, it was just us.

Kael walked toward me, slow but sure. I stood frozen behind the counter, breathing faster than I should.

He stopped a foot away. Close enough I could feel the tension roll off him in waves. His voice was low.

"Why did you leave me that night?"

I swallowed. My voice wasn’t ready to come out. Not yet. So I blinked up at him, feigning confusion.

"I think you have the wrong person," I said, steady as I could.

His jaw ticked. That slight shift in his expression was enough to tell me he wasn’t buying it. He leaned over the counter slowly, one hand braced beside my elbow. I didn’t flinch, but every nerve in my body went on full alert.

"Don’t play dumb with me, Aria," he said, calm and cold. "I don’t like games."

My hands gripped the edge of the counter harder. My heart beat fast. He was too close. Too intense.

I straightened. "I don’t know who you are. I’m just a worker here."

He didn’t blink. Didn’t move. "You know exactly who I am. Just like I remember every inch of you."

I took a slow step back, trying to create space. "Whatever you’re looking for, I’m not it."

He tilted his head, studying me. "No. You’re exactly what I’m looking for."

Then he turned to the man still standing by the door.

"Bring her."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

I took another step back, but two men were already coming. I turned to run, but one of them was faster. He grabbed my arm. I kicked and shouted, but the other pressed a cloth to my face. A sharp scent hit my nose. It made everything spin.

My limbs went weak.

Kael stepped forward, catching me as my knees gave out. I couldn’t move any more. My vision blurred.

“Take her to the car. Carefully.” His cold voice was the last thing I heard before darkness took over me.

When I opened my eyes again, I snapped it back shut because of the extremely bright light in the room. I groaned, feeling my head throb. I brought my hand to my head and rubbed on it, then I opened my eyes slowly, the white ceiling drawing me slightly out of my haze. I blinked repeatedly. My room didn’t smell like sweet flowers and peace and neatness. No. My room smelt like the way someone who was struggling to exist house would smell. The smell of despair, fear and struggle. I sat up like the bed stung me, looking around.

The big chandelier that was in the middle of the room made me panic. I gripped the sides of my head, groaning in pain, thrashing around. The memories of the thing that happened earlier rushed into my head. The door opened forcefully and from the corner of my eyes, I saw him walk slowly towards me. His eyes did not betray any hint of emotion. I shifted slightly on the bed. He kept walking forward. I crawled fast on the bed till my back hit the headboard.

“What do you want from me? Where am I? What have you done to me?!'“ I yelled, unable to hold back, despite my fear. His oy response was the tiny quirk on his lips.

“I'm teaching you a lesson. A lesson that no one, I mean, no one runs from me and thinks they have escaped me.“ He said calmly like he hadn't just kidnapped me and brought me to a strange place without my permission and as if he doesn't know how much it was freaking me out!

I shot off the bed, eyes wild. “You’re insane! Do you even hear yourself right now?! You kidnapped me, drugged me, dragged me to—wherever the hell this is—and now you’re talking about lessons?! What are you, some kind of sick control freak?!”

He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He just watched me like I was a puzzle he already solved but still enjoyed watching unravel.

“You ran,” he said simply. “Actions have consequences.”

I stared at him, baffled. “Consequences? For what? A one-night stand?! You don’t get to say you own me because of a one night stand!”

He stepped closer, not fast or slow. Just… sure. Like he was sure he was going to win this no matter what.

“You think this is about that night?”

“Isn’t it?!” I snapped, my breath shaky. “Then what the hell do you want from me?!”

“I want you,” he said calmly. “Whole. Unbroken. And I’ll have you, whether you like it or not.”

I took a step back. “You’re insane.”

He stepped towards me, a cold smile on his face, and I stepped back, my heart huddling in my chest. He walked until our bodies touched, then he leaned forward and then sniffed my neck. He growled, his eyes gleaming and his fists clenching by his side.

“Mate.”