Chapter 7
Aria's room felt smaller than ever that evening, the shadows stretching along the walls like silent witnesses to her turmoil. She had hoped the confrontation earlier would have kept Kael at bay, but now, knowing he was her mate, the thought of avoiding him seemed almost impossible. Every corner of her mind screamed that she hated him—that she had hated him for years—but deep down, a stubborn, infuriating part of her felt the pull she refused to acknowledge.
The knock on the door came at the worst possible moment, precise and deliberate. She knew who it was before she even turned. Kael. The sound of his name sent a mix of anger and… something else through her. She hesitated, hand frozen over the doorknob, breathing shallow.
"Aria," his voice was low, smooth, but threaded with an intensity that made her pulse spike. "We need to talk."
She opened the door cautiously, bracing herself. Kael leaned casually against the doorframe, but even in that relaxed posture, there was a predator's alertness in his stance. His amber eyes, so impossibly sharp and yet warm when they focused on her, unsettled her in a way she hated to admit.
"I don't have anything to say to you," she spat, trying to sound braver than she felt. "You're the last person I want to see right now."
Kael stepped closer, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. "Aria… you think this is a choice? That you can ignore what's been written in the stars for us?"
Her stomach twisted. "I don't care what's written! I don't… I don't want you, Kael. Never have, never will."
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing, a small, infuriating smile brushing his lips. "You think you can decide that? The moment our bond awakened, the truth became clear. You are mine, Aria. Whether you accept it or fight it doesn't change the fact that you cannot live without me."
Her hands trembled as she backed away, trying to put distance between them, but he mirrored her movement, closing it down effortlessly. Every time he moved, the space shrank, until the only thing she could focus on was him. Every memory of childhood torment, every insult, every shove, every cruel joke he had ever thrown at her came flooding back—and with it, the undeniable heat that now simmered between them.
"You're impossible!" she hissed, voice breaking with frustration and a strange tremor of fear. "Why now? Why me? After everything?"
Kael's gaze softened, just a fraction, but the intensity never left his eyes. "Because fate doesn't wait for convenience, Aria. It doesn't ask permission. It doesn't care about your hatred or your stubborn pride. All it knows is that you're mine. And deep down, you know it too."
Aria's chest heaved. She wanted to slam the door, to run, to scream, anything to drown out the magnetism she was powerless against. And yet, her feet remained rooted, betraying her. She hated that she couldn't move. Hated that her body, her mind, even her heart seemed to answer to him despite every protest.
"I… I hate this," she whispered, almost to herself, tears brimming in her eyes.
Kael took a deliberate step closer, voice dropping to a husky murmur that made her heart thump against her ribs. "And yet, here you are. You can try to fight it, Aria, you can scream and claw, but your wolf… your mate… has always been waiting for me."
Her wolf stirred at the mention, a deep, primal acknowledgment that made her breath hitch. She didn't want to admit it, couldn't, but a part of her—the wild, buried part of her she had kept locked away for years—recognized him. It recognized him in ways she could never rationalize.
Kael reached out slowly, hand brushing against her cheek, deliberately gentle yet electrifying. "I don't ask for permission. I claim you, Aria. And I will protect you. No one else can, and no one else will."
She jerked back instinctively, shoving him away. "Stop! Don't… don't touch me!"
He smiled, a dangerous, knowing curve of his lips. "I'm not touching you, Aria. I'm connecting with what's already yours."
The words should have made her furious. They should have made her scream, but instead, they sent a shiver down her spine. Her wolf responded, and her own instincts betrayed her as her heartbeat raced in chaotic sync with his presence.
"You're infuriating," she breathed, clenching her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. "You… you made my life miserable. Every day I lived in fear of you, and now… now you claim me? Why? Why would anyone want someone like me?"
Kael's hand moved to her shoulder, firming without aggression. "Because I see you, Aria. All of you. Even the parts you think are broken, unwanted, unloved… I see them, and I want them. You are not unwanted. You are not unloved. Not to me."
Her body trembled, heart pounding like a war drum. She hated him for making her feel this way. Hated that every word, every look, every infinitesimal movement made her forget the years of pain, the insults, the teasing, the fear. He had become both her tormentor and the center of a fire she couldn't put out.
"I… I can't," she whispered, voice quivering. "I won't… I won't give in."
Kael's gaze softened, but his voice remained steady, unwavering. "Then fight, Aria. Fight me. Fight what you've always denied. But know this… the more you fight, the stronger the bond becomes. The harder you resist, the more inevitable it will be that you and I… will end up together."
Her wolf growled at the truth of it, a deep, instinctual sound that made her shiver in both fear and reluctant desire. She clenched her eyes shut, willing herself to resist, to run, to deny the pull she could no longer pretend wasn't there.
Kael stepped closer one last time, closing the final space between them, his voice dropping to a low, intimate whisper. "I cannot live without you, Aria. I never could. You may hate me, despise me, even fear me… but your wolf, your heart… your very essence has been calling for me all along."
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, silence fell, the only sound her racing heartbeat and the distant howl of wolves in the night. She wanted to argue, to push, to reject. But somewhere deep inside, where reason met instinct, she knew he was right. She had felt it before, even as a child. She had feared it. She had denied it. But it had always been there.
Kael's amber eyes searched hers, unwavering, unyielding, impossibly bright. "One day, Aria… you'll see that this isn't hatred. This is fate. This is us. And no matter what, I will have you, even if it takes forever for you to understand it."
Aria's hands fell to her sides. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. She wanted to push him away, but she couldn't. And for the first time, she understood the truth of her life: Kael was not just her tormentor or her enemy. He was the fire she could never extinguish. Her mate. Her wolf. Her inevitable destiny.
And she hated him for it.
And yet… she would never be the same again.
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