Chapter eight

Author POV

Alpha Caleb shoved Kaia into the back seat and slammed the door shut.

“What if they catch us?” Kaia’s voice trembled, fear tightening her chest.

“Then they’ll have to try harder,” Caleb said sharply. “Just stay low.” He strode to the driver’s side, slid in, and fired up the engine.

Kaia’s mind raced as the car shot forward. Where did this car even come from? It wasn’t the one he’d driven before. Nothing added up.

“Who are you?” she demanded, gripping the seat. “How did you even get another car?”

Caleb stiffened, his jaw tight. He hadn’t expected that question. Silence stretched between them, heavy and tense.

If I don’t act now, they’ll force her to marry a stranger. I had to do this. I can’t let her know too much.

“Why are you quiet?” Kaia pressed, panic edging her tone.

Caleb let out a rough chuckle. “The car’s mine. I called someone the moment the attack started. I had to find a way to get you out.”

Kaia blinked, disbelief flashing in her eyes. “Then you must be rich to have so many cars?”

“I’m not,” he said quickly. “They’re my parents’ cars. They made it clear—if I don’t find a mate, none of it belongs to me. I told them I was in danger. That’s the only reason they let me take it.”

He hid the rest of the truth behind a tight smile. I’m sorry I lied. You can’t know who I really am.

“You still have parents who care enough to protect you,” Kaia muttered bitterly. “All they want is for you to find a mate. Mine… my fate isn’t that lucky.”

Then her eyes widened. A sudden memory struck her like a blade.

“My grandmother!” She lunged for the door handle, her voice breaking. “Please—stop the car! I have to help her before they get to her!”

“Kaia, stop!” Caleb barked, catching her wrist before she could throw the door open. “I’ll handle it. Just tell me where she is. I’ll send my parents’ guards. Trust me.”

Desperate, Kaia spat out the address. Caleb immediately grabbed his phone, issuing rapid orders. His voice was clipped, commanding, every word a promise of action.

He ended the call and turned back to her, eyes dark and unyielding. “They’ll reach her in time. But you need to stay calm and stop fighting me. You’re hurt, and you need treatment now.”

Kaia’s breath came in shaky bursts, her heart hammering as the car sped through the night.

Caleb pressed harder on the accelerator, the engine growling as the car tore through the night. In the back seat, Kaia lay against the door, her eyes half-closed, bruised but stubbornly awake.

Then, soft and sudden, her voice rose in a low melody—the Moonlight Song.

Caleb’s chest tightened. Each note wrapped around him like a spell, pulling at a part of him he’d buried years ago. Before he realized it, a tear slipped down his cheek. He caught it with the back of his hand, jaw clenching as he forced his face back into control.

Why is she doing this to me?

Ten years since the curse. Ten years since he’d felt anything but duty and rage. Women had come and gone, drawn to the Alpha Prince. None of them had ever stirred the need to protect. But Kaia—someone he’d met barely three hours ago—was tearing down walls he thought were unbreakable.

Is this… what a mate bond feels like?

Her song faded into silence. Caleb glanced at her in the rearview mirror, his chest still aching.

“You’re… incredible,” he said, a small smile breaking through. “I’ve never heard anyone sing like that.”

Kaia’s lips curved shyly.

“Did you train? Music school?” he asked.

She shook her head. “It’s a gift. I never went to school. My grandmother taught me what she could. We live on the outskirts of the pack. If you want proper schooling, you have to move into the main pack—and I can’t. My father… he never cared. My sister’s educated though. I heard she even went to the human world two years ago to study more.” Her voice wavered, and tears glimmered in her eyes.

Caleb’s gaze softened. “It’s not school that makes someone wise. It’s the heart. And yours… is pure.”

Inside Kaia’s mind, Lisa—her wolf—let out a delighted giggle.

Kaia blinked in surprise, heat rushing to her cheeks as she caught Caleb watching her with an intensity that made her heart stumble.

“You’re such a good man,” Kaia said softly, her voice carrying a fragile warmth. “I’m really not good at judging people. When I jumped in front of your car, I thought you were nothing but cold. The way you looked at me through the mirror… it scared me. But now, knowing you more, you’re… different. You’re actually kind.”

Caleb’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Her words sank deep, stirring something he’d locked away for years.

What if I told you I haven’t changed at all? he thought bitterly. What if I told you I’m exactly as cold as you first believed? I never let anyone close. Even my Beta keeps his distance. But you…

He stole a glance at her. You break the walls I’ve built for ten years in a matter of hours. And I’d do anything to keep you near. Even if it means hiding who I really am. Because how could I tell you that the man you’re trusting is the cursed Alpha you swore never to marry?

“Maybe I’m not really a good man like you think,” he said at last, his voice low. “Even my parents say I’m a bad son.”

Something in the way he said it made Kaia’s heart jolt. There it was again—that strange duality. Sometimes warm, sometimes distant as ice.

Before she could respond, the car slowed and came to a smooth stop.

“We’re here,” Caleb said.

Kaia frowned and sat up slightly. “Here? This is… your home? I thought you were taking me to a hospital. And you promised to drop me near my grandmother.”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped out, his expression unreadable.

Kaia barely had time to react before her door swung open. Caleb bent, scooping her into his arms with a strength that left her breathless. The sudden closeness made her heart skip wildly.

“Hey—”

“Don’t be stubborn,” he cut in, his eyes colder now, sharper. “You need treatment first.”

He slammed the door shut with his foot and carried her toward the looming house, his grip firm, his scent—woodsy and dark—wrapping around her as the night swallowed them whole.