Chapter 10 Primal Attraction

Seraphine's POV

Why would a stranger risk himself to save me?

I stared at him through the lingering pain, every instinct screaming contradictory messages. Run. Stay. Trust him. Fear him. My body felt like it was fighting itself, torn between rationality and something far more primitive.

"Why did you save me?" The words came out weaker than I intended, but I needed answers.

Kaelen's intense gaze never wavered. Those strange double pupils seemed to flicker with something dangerous. "Why did you trespass on my territory?"

His question hit like a challenge. Territory. The word carried weight I couldn't ignore. This wasn't just some Good Samaritan—this was someone with power, someone who claimed ownership over these woods.

I tried to sit up straighter, fighting through the dizziness. "I didn't know this was anyone's territory."

"Everything within a fifty-mile radius belongs to me." His voice carried absolute certainty. No boasting, just fact.

The way he said it made something deep in my chest flutter. Authority radiated from him like heat from a fire. I should be intimidated, should be planning my escape. Instead, I found myself drawn closer to that invisible flame.

His breathing remained uneven, like he was fighting for control. When the wind shifted, carrying his scent toward me, my body responded with a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with embarrassment.

What the fuck is happening to me?

"I'm Kaelen," he repeated, then added with deliberate emphasis, "Alpha of the Shadowmere pack."

Alpha. The word hit me like a physical blow, explaining everything and nothing at once.

Now I understood why my body kept betraying me, why every cell seemed to vibrate in his presence. This wasn't just attraction—this was biology. Pure, undiluted evolutionary response to an apex predator.

He was stunning in a way that defied easy description. That white-gray hair caught sunlight like metal, creating an almost ethereal contrast against his strong features. His face was all sharp angles and masculine lines, the kind of bone structure that belonged on magazine covers or ancient statues.

But those eyes... Christ, those eyes were something else entirely. The double pupils gave him an otherworldly appearance, like looking into the face of some mythological creature. When emotion flickered through them, they seemed to catch gold light from somewhere internal.

"Who are you?" His voice dropped lower, more commanding. "Why is a lone wolf bleeding in my forest?"

Lone wolf. He knew what I was. Not just human, not just some lost hiker. He recognized something in me that I barely understood myself.

"Sera," I managed, avoiding his real question. "My name is Sera."

The moment my name left my lips, something shifted in his expression. His nostrils flared slightly, and those unusual eyes dilated. The gold flecks became more pronounced, like sparks catching fire.

He's reacting to me the same way I'm reacting to him.

The realization sent electricity racing down my spine. This wasn't one-sided. Whatever was happening between us, it was mutual and completely beyond our control.

I tried to stand, needing distance from the intensity of his presence. My injured leg betrayed me immediately, buckling under my weight. I pitched forward, expecting to hit the ground again.

Instead, strong arms caught me. Kaelen moved faster than should have been possible, one hand wrapping around my waist while the other cupped my face with surprising gentleness.

"Easy," he murmured, his breath warm against my cheek. "Don't push yourself."

His touch sent shockwaves through my nervous system. My skin felt like it was on fire wherever he made contact. The hand on my face was calloused but tender, thumb brushing across my cheekbone with reverent care.

"Tell me your full name." The request came out soft but unmistakably commanding.

I should refuse. Should maintain some mystery, some protection. Instead, I heard myself whisper, "Seraphine. Seraphine Hale."

His pupils contracted sharply at the sound. "Seraphine."

The way he said my name—like a prayer, like a curse—made my knees go weak all over again. His other hand tightened against my waist, pulling me fractionally closer.

We were inches apart now. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, could see the pulse jumping in his throat. His scent surrounded me completely—wild and clean and intoxicatingly male.

I need to ask him why I'm here. Need to find Lyralei. Need to focus on the mission.

But all rational thought scattered when his thumb traced my lower lip. The simple touch made me gasp, and I saw his eyes flash with gold in response to the sound.

"What are you running from?" he asked quietly. "What brings a lone wolf so far into dangerous territory?"

I couldn't answer. Couldn't form coherent words when every nerve in my body was focused on the places where his skin touched mine. Instead, I found myself leaning into his touch, seeking more contact.

This is insane. I don't know this man. I don't know anything about him except his name and the fact that he saved my life.

Yet every instinct I possessed was screaming that I belonged here. In his arms. Under his protection. With him.

"I don't know what this is," Kaelen growled, his voice rougher now. The gold in his eyes pulsed brighter. "But I can't control it."

Neither could I. Without conscious thought, I reached up and traced the line of his jaw. His skin was fever-warm under my fingertips, and I felt him shudder at the contact.

"Sera..." My name came out like a warning.

I ignored it. Ignored every rational voice in my head screaming that this was too fast, too intense, too dangerous. Instead, I tilted my face up toward his, drawn by a force I couldn't name and didn't want to resist.

He met me halfway.

Our lips crashed together with desperate hunger, all pretense of control evaporating. This wasn't a gentle first kiss or tentative exploration. This was claiming. Consuming. Pure need made manifest.

I tasted snow and wildness and something uniquely him that made my body arch against his instinctively. His hands tangled in my hair, holding me exactly where he wanted me while his mouth moved over mine with practiced skill.

God, yes. This. This is what I've been missing my entire life.

The thought should have terrified me. Instead, it only made me press closer, desperate for more contact, more heat, more of whatever this overwhelming sensation was.

Kaelen lifted me easily, settling my back against the trunk of a massive pine. The bark was rough through my torn jacket, but I barely noticed. All my attention was focused on the man pinning me in place with his body weight.

His mouth moved to my throat, finding the pulse point with unerring accuracy. When his teeth grazed the sensitive skin, I couldn't suppress the moan that escaped.

"Fuck," he breathed against my neck. "You're going to drive me out of my mind."

His hands found the hem of my damaged shirt, fingers skimming over bare skin. Each touch sent fire racing through my veins. I'd never felt anything like this—this complete loss of control, this desperate need for another person.

"Kaelen..." His name came out breathless and needy.

Those golden eyes fixed on mine, pupils dilated with desire. "Tell me to stop."

I should. Any reasonable person would. But reason had fled the moment he touched me.

"Don't you dare stop."

Something primal flickered across his face—not quite human, not quite civilized. His hands moved with new urgency, mapping the curves of my body through fabric that suddenly felt like an unbearable barrier.

The snow around us began to melt from the heat we generated. My back arched as his mouth found that sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. When he bit down gently, testing, my entire world exploded into sensation.

This is what they mean by fated mates.

The thought came from somewhere deep and instinctual, bypassing my rational mind entirely. I'd never believed in such things, had always dismissed them as romantic fairy tales.

But this—this undeniable pull, this perfect synchronicity of need and response—this was real. This was inevitable.

And I was completely, utterly lost to it.