CHAPTER 9

Aura

Life might sometimes feel like it's balanced on a knife; if you make a mistake, everything will sever too deeply. However, I've begun to breathe again here with Kai, in this little village nestled between silent mountains and forgotten trees.

I would wake up to the sound of Molly yelling at a slothful kitchen worker, the smell of pine and fresh earth wafting through the broken window, and the hum of Kai's old radio playing music from decades ago. Even when I'm freezing, this place is warm.

I catch myself smiling sometimes.

Not because the memories are gone. They’re still there, heavy like stones in my stomach. But because here, no one looks at me like I’m a mistake. No whispers of scandal. No accusing glares. No Ryder.

And especially not Leona.

I had never met somebody like Kai. The steady serenity in his presence caused the restless ache in my chest to subside for the first time in years. He talked more with his eyes than his mouth. Like a tune I nearly recognized, there was something about him that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

I’ve slipped into a rhythm. Mornings at Molly’s Diner, afternoons helping Mrs. Greaves with her herb garden, and evenings thinking I’m just another ordinary girl. Even if my body tells me otherwise.

One evening, while we were sitting on the veranda listening to the cicadas singing, Kai remarked, "You work too much,"

I drew my knees down to my chest and shrugged. I said to them, "I like it.”

His pale, contemplative eyes lingered. "You should see something beautiful once in a while."

I didn’t know what he meant until two days later.

Kai had a way of appearing without warning, leaning against doorframes, or walking up behind me without a sound. That day, he showed up outside Molly’s just as my shift ended, a half-grin on his face.

"Come with me."

I hesitated. "Where?"

"You’ll like it. Trust me."

And damn me, I did.

We pulled his old truck along winding routes only locals would know, deeper into the woods than I’d dared venture. The air got cooler, and sunlight dripped like liquid gold between branches.

I kept sneaking looks at him. The way his hands grasped the wheel, firm and sure. How he hummed beneath his breath, without caring if I heard. Something was anchoring about Kai – quiet yet sturdy like an anchor I didn’t realize I’d been lacking.

When the truck finally stopped, I climbed out, greeted by the surge of gushing water.

"Come on," Kai yelled, already ahead.

We walked in quiet, the forest growing deeper as we went, the branches arching overhead, filtering the late afternoon light into soft yellow lines over the soil. Leaves crunched underfoot, and I could hear the faint flow of water ahead.

When we stepped through a clump of low-hanging branches, the sight made my breath catch.

A waterfall.

"Wow," I whispered.

Kai chuckled. "Told you.”

I stood there, the mist touching my skin, my pulse slowing for the first time in weeks.

Notmassive, but tall enough for the water to drop in shimmering sheets over jagged rocks into a crystal-clear pool. Tiny wildflowers flanked the banks, and moss clung to the stones. The crisp fragrance of earth and water filled the wet, cool air. It felt undisturbed, like a secluded enclave shut out of the world exclusively for us.

"It's lovely," I exhaled.

Kai nodded and smiled slightly in satisfaction. "When the world gets too loud, I come here."

I gave him a quick look. "Trust me, I know that feeling."

We sat near the water's edge. But not in contact. There was nothing except the continuous rush of water and us since the sound of the falls was so loud that it drowned out everything else.

I cradled my knees against my breast, feeling calm while feeling strangely exposed under the open sky.

"Aura, why did you flee?" He asked quietly while keeping his eyes on the river.

Unsure of how to respond, I stiffened.

At last, I replied, "My past. A life that never belonged to me. People who thought of me as something they could control.”

Kai's jaw tightened as he nodded. "You owe them nothing at all.”

I looked at him, and for a moment, I wanted to spill everything — about Ryder, the mark, the nights I spent pretending not to care. But fear kept the words trapped.

Instead, I murmured, “Sometimes, I’m afraid it’ll find me again.”

He turned to me, his countenance unreadable. “If it does, it’ll have to get through me first.”

The words hit something deep inside me. No one had ever said that to me before. Not like that.

I felt warmth rise in my chest, new and terrifying.

Kai's face was drenched in warm gold as the light changed. He gazed on me as if I were the only thing worth seeing, and the stormy blue flecks in his eyes were darker than I remembered.

Kai shifted closer, and my pulse surged up. His fingers brushed mine, a touch so faint I nearly missed it. But my wolf didn’t. She stirred, interested, drawn.

I reached out, touching his hand without thinking.

The minute our flesh met, a spark raced through me.

When I looked up, his eyes weren’t pallid anymore. They’d darkened, a tempest gathering in them.

He leaned forward, so near I could feel his breath. I should’ve pulled away. Should’ve stopped it. But I didn’t.

I backed away as regret struck me, allowing his lips to be just a breath away from mine.

I clutched my hand back, my heart racing.

“I—I should go,” I mumbled, rising to my feet.

Kai stood too, his jaw clenched. “Aura…”

"I… I can’t."

He didn’t move. Just nodded, a slight smile curling his lips. "It’s okay."

I swallowed hard, looking anywhere but at him. "I’m sorry."

"You don’t have to be." He stood, extending me his hand. "Come on. I’ll take you home.”

~~~~

It was a quiet yet enjoyable ride back. Kai never made demands or pushed. And perhaps that's why it hurt so much.

My heart pounded in my ears as the forest hazed around me. What was that? What caused my wolf to react that way to him? It was never supposed to happen, not with anyone other than my mate.

Unless...

Reluctant to finish the thought, I shook my head.

I dropped onto the bed in my room again, one palm on my tummy. My wolf was restless, confused, and pacing.

And then I realized.

My stomach twisted in a strange, acidic way, and nausea swept up like a wave. I almost made it in time as I dashed to the restroom.

Once the nausea had passed, I looked at my image in the mirror. Light skin, dark shadows behind my eyes. And something else.

My scent was changing. Subtle, yet I could feel it in the way my senses intensified, the way my skin flushed.

I was still hiding the truth from him, from everyone. The pregnancy I hadn’t admitted out loud. But now… it was getting harder.

I closed my eyes and let out a quivering breath as I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach.

No.

Not now.

This new life I’d begun, this frail safety, wasn’t going to hold much longer.

And something told me — neither was the distance I was trying to keep from Kai.