Chapter 35 #2
Reiya’s hand found his arm. “Jodhar’s choices are his own, Kaelen,” she said, her tone firm but gentle. “You can’t take responsibility for his actions.”
His jaw clenched. “I should’ve listened. To you. To Alarik. But I let my pride blind me.”
She stepped closer, her voice soft but insistent. “Kaelen, Jodhar would’ve chased us no matter what. He wants the bounty.”
He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. “I made it worse.”
Reiya caught his hand, and he didn’t pull away. “I used to think all Alphas were the same. Controlling. Dominating. Only interested in taking what they wanted.”
His head snapped up, his throat tightening, but she continued before he could speak.
“Then I met you.” She held his gaze, unwavering. “You’re nothing like them. You’re kind. Thoughtful. You make me feel . . . safe . You’ve shown me that strength doesn’t have to be about control. It can be about care. About understanding. About supporting those you love.”
Kaelen’s chest tightened. Her words stripped away the frustration, the self-recrimination, leaving only the unspoken ache he hadn’t allowed himself to name.
“But you can’t do everything alone,” she whispered. “And you don’t have to. Let me be there for you too, Kaelen. Let me bear some of this weight.”
His breath left him in a shudder. He reached up, cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over her skin. She was warm beneath his touch, steady in a way that made something in him come undone.
“You’re so good for me,” he murmured, his voice thick. “And I only hope I can be half as good for you. But, by gods, Reiya, I want to be. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Her lips parted, her eyes widening slightly, and in that moment, there was no space left for hesitation.
She leaned into his touch, resting her cheek against his palm, her own hand coming up to meet his.
“You already are,” she whispered. “You don’t need to prove anything to me.”
Something inside him splintered.
The guilt, the frustration, the weight of the past—it all unravelled in a single, desperate pull. He wasn’t thinking, wasn’t second-guessing. He moved, cupping her face with both hands, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones as he closed the distance between them.
The first touch of her lips shattered everything he thought he knew about love, about desire, about connection.
Every kiss before this had been a hollow thing—a fleeting pleasure, a performance with no depth.
But this— this was fire in his veins, a truth he hadn’t known he was searching for until now.
What he once mistook for love paled in comparison.
Her lips were soft but certain, meeting his with a purpose that left no room for doubt. When he moved, she followed. When he sought, she gave. When he deepened the kiss, she met him without hesitation.
This wasn’t just a kiss; it was a reckoning. A forging of souls. Every broken, uncertain piece of himself seemed to find its place, reshaped in the heat of her touch.
Her hands slid up his arms, gripping his shoulders as if to steady them both, and he let himself fall—completely, irrevocably.
There was no guilt here, no fear. Only Reiya.
The taste of her—faintly sweet, tinged with the earth and spice of the desert—undid him.
His fingers threaded through her hair until he cupped the back of her head, desperate to hold her closer.
Perhaps this wasn’t perfection, wasn’t fantasy. There were no silken sheets, nor whispered promises .
But this was raw. Real. Devastatingly beautiful.
When they finally broke apart, their breaths mingled in the small space between them, foreheads resting together as though neither could bear to pull away. Kaelen traced the curve of her swollen lips with his thumb, his heart hammering against his ribs.
“I’ve wanted to do that for longer than I care to admit,” he murmured. “And, gods help me, Sáel, I don’t think I ever want to stop.”
Her gaze lifted to his, her cheeks flushed, lips still parted. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t have to. The way her fingers curled around the nape of his neck, the way she leaned into him, told him everything.
But two words slipped. “Then, don’t.”
With a low, aching groan, he kissed her again. Slower this time. Deeper. She melted against him, clinging as though she, too, was losing herself in this undeniable thing between them.
If she had the power to make him feel this whole, this alive, then he would do whatever it took to protect it. To protect her.
Even if it meant facing his deepest fears.
Even if it meant standing against the world itself.
He stiffened when the air crackled with tension, thick with the tang of bloodlust.A sharp whistle sliced through the air, and the moment shattered.
His body moved before his mind could catch up. He tore himself from Reiya, spinning to shield her just as an arrow struck. Pain erupted in his chest, a brutal force knocking him off-balance. The impact sent him staggering, the world tilting as a sharp, searing heat bloomed beneath his skin.
Reiya’s scream cut through the haze—distant yet piercing enough to anchor him. He gasped, forcing himself upright, but the fire burning through his veins told him everything he needed to know.
Poison.
His grip tightened around the hilt of his scimitar as his vision blurred at the edges. Each breath came shallow, the venom sinking its claws into him, but he kept his focus locked on her. She was gripping his arm, holding him together even as his body threatened to collapse.
A slow, mocking clap echoed through the night .
Jodhar emerged from the shadows, flanked by a dozen men, their weapons glinting coldly beneath the moonlight.
“I knew you’d take the hit for her,” Jodhar sneered, his smirk curling with satisfaction. “You’re so predictable, Sunborn mutt. Always playing the noble hero.”
Kaelen forced himself straighter, biting back a grimace as fire licked through his blood. His lungs could not take enough air. He swayed, but he gritted his teeth.
“And you’ll always be a coward,” he spat. “Leaving a sandshrike in the wagon instead of facing me yourself. You don’t fight—you slither .”
Jodhar’s laugh grated against his ears. “Coward? I call it strategy. Why waste my strength when one arrow is all it takes to bring you to your knees?” His gaze slid to Reiya, dark and possessive. “And once you’re gone, who’s going to stop me from taking her?”
Kaelen lunged, fury burning hotter than the venom. His fingers closed around his scimitar, but his legs buckled before he could strike. Reiya caught him, arm locking around his shoulders, her strength holding him upright.
“You’ll never touch her,” he growled. “I’ll die before I let you lay a hand on her.”
“Oh, I know,” Jodhar purred, smirk widening. “That’s why I aimed at you first. And now?” He spread his arms, as if presenting his inevitable victory. “Here we are.”
Reiya’s voice cut through the venom’s grip, sharp as a blade. “What does that prove, Jodhar? That you’re too afraid to face him in a real fight? That the only way you win is by cheating?”
Jodhar’s grin sharpened. “It proves I win. That’s all that matters.”
Then the mercenary’s eyes slid to him, gleaming with malice. “I’ll gut you to the spine, Sunborn—and make sure that little Omega bitch watches you bleed.”
His fists clenched, jaw tight. The insult landed, as Jodhar meant it to—but he held his ground. The bastard wanted fury. He wouldn’t get it.Not yet.
The agony threatened to crush him, but he forced a chuckle, his lips curling despite the pain.
“Oh, Jodhar,” he rasped, shaking his head. “You’re going to have to try harder than this.” He lifted his chin. “Even with poison in my blood, I’m still not convinced you’ve got the skill—or the brain—to finish me off.”
Jodhar leaned in, breath thick with stale ale and arrogance. “Let’s see if you can still speak when my men kill everyone—except for this pretty little bitch you like. I knew she was the one everyone’s after.”
Kaelen forced a smirk, though his grip on his sword was slipping. “Desperate for the prize money, are you, maggot?”
The brute barked out a laugh. “That bounty’s for fools. I know someone willing to pay a hell of a lot more.”
Kaelen’s knuckles turned white around his hilt, but his strength was fading fast. Castiel. That bastard was behind this all along. Had they been working together from the start?
His body rebelled against him, limbs leaden, breath shallow.
The venom coiled through his veins, slowly taking over.
The taste of his own blood was bitter in his mouth; he nearly gagged.
He needed to move, cut Jodhar down where he stood, but each second was a battle against the dark tide pulling him under.
“Kaelen,” Reiya’s voice cut through the haze. A cool hand cupped his cheek, keeping the oblivion at bay. “Listen to me. You need to trust me now.”
Her eyes locked onto his, fierce and unwavering, burning through the fog in his mind.
“Reiya, no,” he rasped, shaking his head weakly. “You need to run. I’ll distract them?—”
“No.” Her grip on his shoulder tightened, her voice a blade of certainty. “We’re getting out of here. Together.”
He wheezed. Every instinct screamed to shield her, to send her running while he protect her. But the fire in her gaze burned through his objections.
She wasn’t asking for his trust—she was demanding it.
His body betrayed him, too weak to argue. With a grim nod, he leaned into her, his weight heavy on her smaller frame. Shame gnawed at him, but she didn’t falter. She bore it, steady and unyielding, as if the entire world wasn’t crashing down around them .
“Hold on,” she whispered.
Then—gravity seized them.
The world tilted without warning. They plunged down the sandy slope, firelight and shadows blurring into chaos.
Jodhar’s curse rang out above them, followed by the sharp hiss of arrows embedding into the sand where they’d stood moments before.
The ground rushed to meet them, sand scraping against Kaelen’s skin, tearing at his senses.
Reiya’s grip never wavered. He felt her arms steadying him, her body shielding his from the worst of the descent.
Each jarring impact sent painful shockwaves through his shoulder, the venom burning like molten iron in his veins, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the bitter edge of his failure. He should’ve protected her. He should’ve been the one leading them to safety.
Instead, he was the weight she had to carry—dragged, bruised, broken.
Reiya’s voice rang out, clear and commanding, slicing through the fog of pain. “We’re under attack! Warn everyone!”
The camp erupted into motion. Shadows darted, voices shouted, figures rushed toward them. He gritted his teeth, forcing his body to respond. Muscles trembling, he tried to rise, but the poison dragged him down. Bitter blood surged up his throat, and he coughed up the black liquid onto the sand.
“Stay down,” Reiya ordered, pressing her hands against his shoulders. Her touch was a contradiction—gentle enough to soothe, firm enough to command. He hated how much he needed it.
“I can fight,” he rasped.
Her gaze snapped to his, blazing with frustration and something deeper—fear. Not for herself, but for him .
His chest ached with the pain that had nothing to do with the arrow.
“No, you won’t,” she bit out, voice shaking. “For once, Kaelen, just listen. Let me take care of you.”
The words struck deep, unravelling something in him. Her fierce resolve was both infuriating and comforting.
She wasn’t leaving him .
Not now. Not ever.
And for that alone, he would fight . For her, for this moment, for everything they had yet to become.