Kael’s Desperation
Kael sat in the corner of the dimly lit hut, his shoulders hunched as he watched Isla stir on the small, makeshift bed. The moonlight seeped through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting faint streaks of light across her pale face. Her chest rose and fell steadily, but her features were tight, as though her dreams were haunted. Kael leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, his knuckles white. He had thought bringing her here would ease the turmoil in his chest, but instead, it felt like a noose tightening around his neck.
When Isla began to move, her head rolling to the side, his breath caught. Her eyes fluttered open, confusion flickering in their depths as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
“Kael?” Her voice was groggy, her tone heavy with disbelief. She pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking at him. “What…what are you doing here? Where am I? Where are we?”
Kael straightened, his lips twitching into a faint, forced smile. “You’re safe,” he said softly, his voice trembling with a mix of relief and desperation. “You’re back with me. We can start over again.”
Isla stiffened, her body going rigid as she scanned the room. “Start over?” she repeated, her voice sharp with disbelief. “Kael, what are you talking about? What have you done?”
He leaned closer, his hands reaching out but stopping just short of touching her. “I saved you, Isla. From Crimson Fang, from him. You don’t belong there—you belong with me. We can be together now, like it was always meant to be.”
Isla’s eyes widened in horror as his words sank in. “Kael,” she said firmly, her voice shaking, “take me back. Now.”
Kael’s forced smile faltered, and his jaw tightened. “Why would you want to go back to that pompous Alpha?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Isla, he’s a ruthless wolf. You don’t know a thing about him.”
Isla sat up fully, her eyes blazing as she met his gaze. “And yet I chose him,” she said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Kael, you betrayed me. Do you remember that? Do you remember how you abandoned me when I needed you the most?”
His face twisted, guilt flashing briefly in his dark eyes. “I made a mistake,” he said, his voice cracking. “I was weak. But I can fix it. Let me fix it, Isla. Just give me another chance.”
Her hands balled into fists at her sides, her breathing quickening as she glared at him. “Fix it?” she spat. “You can’t fix this, Kael. You can’t undo what you did. If you really cared about me—if you ever cared about me—you’d take me back to Crimson Fang. To my mate.”
Kael’s face darkened, the anguish in his expression hardening into something colder. He shook his head slowly, his voice low and firm. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Isla challenged, her voice breaking. “If you love me, why won’t you let me go?”
“Because I can’t lose you again,” he said through gritted teeth, his hands trembling. “I won’t.”
Isla’s heart sank as she realized the depths of his desperation. “Kael,” she whispered, her voice softening despite herself. “This isn’t love. It’s obsession.”
Kael flinched as if she had struck him, but the hardness in his gaze remained. “You’ll see,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “You’ll see that I’m the one who truly cares.”
