Chapter 14 #2
“Making us invisible,” I say, feeling the spell take shape around me. It’s subtle, this magic—not a complete concealment, but something far more elegant. The air shimmers slightly, then settles. “Well, not quite invisible. More like…forgettable.”
She tilts her head. “Forgettable?”
“You’ll see.” I hold out my hand to her. “Come on. We need to leave now while the spell is fresh.”
She takes my hand, and I pull her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. The magic extends to encompass her, weaving around the two of us like a second skin.
We step into the corridor, and almost immediately, a servant walks past. His eyes slide over us without recognition, his pace never slowing.
“Did he just—” Daciana starts.
“Shh,” I murmur against her ear. “You’ll see.”
We continue down the hall, passing guards stationed at intervals. Each one looks in our direction, their gazes tracking movement, but there’s no recognition. No challenge. They sense something, someone, but their minds refuse to focus. We’re background noise. Wallpaper. Utterly unremarkable.
At the main entrance, two guards stand at attention. We walk right between them. One shifts slightly, a frown crossing his face, but he doesn’t stop us. Doesn’t even really see us.
Once we’re through the gates and a safe distance away, Daciana stops and turns to me, her eyes wide.
“Why does nobody seem to notice us?” she asks.
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes. “Because we’re little more than wallflowers at this point.”
“Wallflowers?”
“The spell I used is a stealth enchantment, but not the kind you’re probably thinking of.” I guide her forward, keeping us moving. “As we pass people, they get the feeling that somebody’s walking by, but their senses are dulled. They don’t focus on us. Their minds just…slide off.”
Her eyes light up with understanding. “So, they know we’re there, they just don’t care?”
“Exactly. Only somebody who has magic, like a witch, would be able to distinguish what’s happening. And even then, they’d need to get close to us to understand what I’ve done.”
A grin spreads across her face. “That’s a useful spell.”
“It is,” I agree, feeling warmth bloom in my chest at her delight. “It’s one of my favorites. But I can only maintain it for so long. That’s why we need to hurry.”
We walk quickly through the outer grounds, leaving the palace behind. With each step, I feel the tension in my shoulders ease. The pressure of being the alpha, of the constant political maneuvering, of the threats that seem to come from every direction—it all falls away.
“Where are we going?” Daciana asks, slightly breathless from our pace.
“It’s a surprise.”
She shoots me a look. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
We reach the edge of the grounds, where the carefully manicured gardens give way to dense forest. The trees loom tall and dark, their branches creating a thick canopy overhead. But there’s a dirt road—a well-worn path that cuts through the forest, leading toward the human town beyond.
When we reach it, I stop and turn to her.
“Hold on,” I say.
“What are you—Oh.” Understanding crosses her face. “We’re running?”
“The walk would take us two to three hours at least.” I grin at her. “But if I shift…”
Her eyes light up. “I’ll shift, too. We can—”
“No.” The word comes out before I can think about it.
She blinks. “No?”
I step closer, cupping her face. “I want to carry you.”
A slow smile spreads across her lips. “You want to carry me?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“You just wanna show off.”
“Maybe.”
I let the shift come, feeling my bones reshape, my body expand.
Within moments I’m on four legs, towering over her.
I lower myself so she can climb on. Daciana doesn’t hesitate.
She grasps the fur at my shoulders and swings herself onto my back with athletic ease.
Her thighs grip my sides, and her fingers tangle in my fur.
I take off.
The world blurs around us as I run. Trees whip past, the road unspooling beneath my paws. The wind tears through my fur, and I can feel the steady rhythm of Daciana’s breathing against my back, the way she moves with me, anticipating every shift and turn.
Carrying her like this makes something primal and possessive sing through my veins. She is mine to protect. Mine to carry. Mine.
I push harder, faster, eating up the distance. What would have been hours of walking becomes minutes of running. The forest rushes by in shades of green and brown, and all I can focus on is the feeling of her on my back, the way she fits perfectly against me even in this form.
Thirty minutes. That’s all it takes before the trees begin to thin and I can smell the human town ahead—cooking fires, fresh pastries, the earthy scent of construction and preparations.
I slow as we approach the edge of the forest, my pace dropping to a trot, then a walk. When we’re still far enough in the cover of the trees yet close enough to see the town, I stop and lower myself to the ground.
Daciana slides off smoothly. “That was fast.”
I shift back, the transformation rippling through me until I’m standing before her in human form again. “Worth letting me carry you?”
“I suppose.” But she’s smiling as she says it, reaching up to brush a leaf from my hair. “Though I could have kept up.”
“I know.” I catch her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “But I wanted to.”
She studies my face for a moment, a warm look in her eyes. I take her hand and lead her forward, out of the tree line. The human town spreads before us, and I can see workers setting up stalls and vendors arranging their wares.
“They’re getting ready for something,” Daciana observes.
“A festival. It opens tonight.” I let the stealth spell drop completely as we step into the street. The magic releases with a soft sigh, and suddenly, we’re just two people among the busy crowd. “But for now, we can explore.”
I’ve never been to this side of the human town, and from the way Daciana’s eyes widen, neither has she.
“I haven’t explored this area,” I admit, looking around. “But we can do it together.”
Her hand tightens in mine. “I’d like that.”
We wander through the streets, watching the town come alive. Workers call to each other, hammering and sawing. The smell of baking bread drifts from a nearby shop, and I pull Daciana toward it.
“Try this,” I say after purchasing two still-warm rolls from the baker.
She takes a bite and closes her eyes. “Oh, this is good.”
We continue walking as we finish our bread. I buy a couple of sticks of candied fruit from a vendor who is setting up his stall early, and Daciana grins at me.
“You’re going to spoil me.”
“That’s the plan.”
We explore the narrow streets, discovering small shops tucked into corners—a bookshop where Daciana spends twenty minutes browsing, a curiosity shop filled with human trinkets and oddities, a textile merchant with bolts of colorful fabric.
At a flower stall, I buy a crown woven from white and yellow blooms, which I place carefully on Daciana’s head.
“How do I look?” she asks, striking a dramatic pose.
“Beautiful,” I say honestly.
She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks flush pink.
We find another small bakery and buy meat pies, enjoying them as we continue on our way.
Daciana asks questions about everything—why the humans build their houses this way, what that symbol means on a door, how they make the glass for the windows.
I answer what I can and make up what I don’t know. She laughs at my creative explanations.
The sun climbs higher, and we eventually find ourselves in a quieter part of town where a wild garden grows—a space that seems half-cultivated, half-forgotten, with wildflowers blooming in chaotic patches.
“Here,” I say, guiding Daciana to a massive oak tree that provides shade from the afternoon sun.
She sits beneath it, and before I can arrange myself, she pats her lap.
“Come here.”
“What?”
“I’ll be your pillow. Here.” She pats her lap again.
My heart clenches in my chest. I lower myself down, resting my head in her lap, and she immediately starts running her fingers through my hair.
This is peace. This is what I’ve been searching for without knowing it.
“Can I ask you something?” she says after a while.
“Anything.”
“What are your childhoods like? Since you reincarnate with your memories, are you ever really a child?”
I close my eyes, letting her fingers soothe my mind. “As soon as I can talk, I share the passcode with a member of Artisem’s family. They make arrangements for me, help me transition back into…well, being me.”
“And your family?”
“Within my own family, it’s open knowledge. When I reincarnate, I’m treated like an adult until I become one physically.” I pause. “I have always been the alpha. The position becomes mine as soon as I’m ready to take it.”
Her fingers pause in my hair. When I open my eyes, she’s gazing down at me with what looks like sorrow.
“That sounds tiring,” she says softly. She touches my face, tracing the line of my jaw. “When do you get time for yourself?”
I reach up, curl my hand around the nape of her neck, and pull her down toward me. Our lips meet, and I kiss her tenderly, trying to pour everything I feel into it.
“This is my time for myself,” I whisper against her mouth. “My time with you.”
She smiles, stroking my face. But there’s still that sadness in her eyes.
“You always seem to be living for somebody else,” she says. “When do you ever live for yourself?”
“My life is for you.”
She kisses me again, and when she pulls back, she says firmly, “No. That’s no way to live a life.”
The words hit harder than they should. I want to argue, want to tell her that living for her is enough, but she continues before I can say anything.
“What do you want to do?” she asks. “If you had a choice. If there were no responsibilities, no reincarnation, no alpha duties. What would you want?”
I stare up at her, stunned. “Nobody has ever asked me that.”
“I’m asking now.”
I reach up, catching the end of her braid where it falls over her shoulder. I wind it around my fingers, considering the question. Really considering it.
“I’d want a peaceful life,” I finally say. “One where I’m not responsible for anything or anyone. Where I can simply…exist.” I tug gently on her hair. “And I’d want you by my side. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” She raises an eyebrow.
I think harder, letting the fantasy build. “I’d want to wake up next to you every morning. Have boring days planned—nothing exciting, nothing dangerous. Just normal things. Going to the market. Cooking dinner. Reading books.” I pause. “Going to sleep with you next to me. Every single night.”
Daciana laughs, the sound bright and genuine. “Why am I in every scenario?”
“Because I’m only ever happy when you’re with me.”
Her expression softens, and she leans down to kiss me again. “I plan to be with you for a very long time.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
My magic stirs beneath my fur, and without conscious thought, I extend it outward, creating a protective barrier around this tree. Nothing will disturb us. Nothing will get past my shield.
We stay for hours. She ruffles my hair, and I toy with her braid. We talk about nothing and everything. She tells me about a book she read once, a love story that ended badly. I tell her about the first time I saw her in this lifetime, how my instincts recognized her before my mind did.
A few other people pass through the garden—an elderly man tending to some of the flowers, a couple of children chasing each other through the wildflowers before their mother calls them back—but nobody pays us any attention. We’re just another couple enjoying the day.
The sun moves across the sky, casting dappled shadows through the leaves above us. I close my eyes, listening to Daciana’s heartbeat, feeling her fingers trace patterns on my scalp. This is the most peaceful I can remember being. Not just in this lifetime—in any lifetime.
“Kieran?” she says softly.
“Mm?”
“Are you falling asleep?”
“Maybe.” I crack one eye open to look up at her. “Is that okay?”
She smiles, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. “Yeah. It’s okay.”
So, I let myself drift. I let the tension drain from my body. I let the constant vigilance, the endless planning, the weight of centuries fall away.
Here, under this tree, with Daciana’s hands in my hair and wildflowers blooming around us, I’m not an alpha. I’m not a reincarnated warrior with the weight of past lives on my shoulders.
I’m just Kieran. And that’s enough.
When Daciana’s fingers trace the shell of my ear, I shiver slightly.
“I love you,” she whispers.
My eyes flutter open. She’s looking down at me with such tenderness that my throat tightens.
“I know you doubt it sometimes,” she continues.
“Wonder if I’m saying it because of the dreams, because of who you were before.
But Kieran, I love you. This you. The one who can’t keep his hands off me.
The one who uses stealth spells to sneak me out of the palace.
The one who buys me candied fruit and flower crowns.
” She leans down, pressing her forehead to mine.
“The one who only wants boring, peaceful days with me.”
Something breaks open in my chest. Something raw and real and entirely wonderful.
“Say it again,” I whisper.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Kieran.”
I lift my chin to kiss her deeply and desperately.
“I love you, too,” I say, the words feeling both foreign and perfectly natural. “Gods, Daciana. I love you so much, it terrifies me.”
She smiles against my lips. “Good. We can be terrified together.”
“Together,” I agree.
And here, in this human garden under an ancient oak with strangers passing by, I finally let myself believe that this is real. That she is mine. That maybe, just maybe, we can have those boring, peaceful days I’ve dreamed of.
Not today. Probably not for a long time.
But someday.
And until then, I’ll take every moment like this one—stolen time where we’re just us, where the world can’t touch us, where love is simple and uncomplicated and wholly our own.