Chapter 9
The moment the chamber doors closed behind us, Malakai's hand fell away from my back—not gently, not harshly, but as if he had to force himself to let go.
The room felt different now.
Warmer.
Darker.
Charged.
As though something unseen lingered in the air, pacing, hungry.
Malakai moved first—crossing the room in three long strides, checking the windows, the shadows, the corners. His senses sharpened like a predator on alert.
Not for himself.
For me.
"Sit," he said without turning.
I didn't. "Tell me what's going on."
He finally faced me.
And the look in his eyes—raw, unguarded for the barest moment—made my breath catch.
Fear.
A king afraid… because of me?
"What opened the door?" I asked slowly.
"Something that shouldn't be anywhere near this palace," he said, voice low. "Not with the wards raised. Not with my power guarding the walls."
His jaw flexed.
"It shouldn't have been able to touch you."
A chill crawled down my spine.
"Was it a person?" I whispered.
"No."
My stomach sank.
"An animal? A creature?"
"Elaine," he said, stepping closer, "the only thing that could open that door… is something tied to you."
The air left my lungs.
"Tied to me? But I don't have—"
"A wolf," he finished. "Yes. I know."
"Then what is it?"
He didn't answer.
Not right away.
Not until he stood directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat rolling off him. His gaze swept over my face, lingering on the faded mark on my chest—the place Eamon's rejection had ruptured something inside me.
"It's your magic."
"My… what?"
"There is power in your blood," Malakai murmured, his voice deepening. "Ancient.
Dormant. Waiting."
I shook my head. "That's not possible. If I had magic, someone would've noticed. Eamon would've—"
"Eamon saw only what was convenient," he cut in sharply. "Your father blinded himself to anything that challenged tradition. The pack council dismissed you as soon as they smelled weakness."
His eyes darkened.
"They were all wrong."
My pulse stumbled.
"Then why is it awakening now?"
His fingers twitched—as if he wanted to touch me but held himself back.
"Because your bond shattered," he said.
"When Eamon rejected you, something broke open. Something older than wolves.
Older than kingdoms."
Silence thickened between us.
Then he added, quietly:
"And because you came here."
My chest tightened. "What does the palace have to do with it?"
"This place responds to power," he said. "To bloodlines. To destiny."
"Destiny?" I repeated, barely holding back a disbelieving laugh. "Malakai, I'm not—"
"You are not ordinary," he said over me. "You never were."
His tone was so stern, so certain, that for a moment I forgot to breathe.
But the weight of his words pressed down on me until my knees trembled. I sank onto the edge of the bed.
He watched, every muscle taut.
"I felt it," he said quietly. "When the door opened. When the air shifted."
"You said that before," I whispered. "That you felt something in me."
His voice softened in a way that made heat coil tight in my stomach.
"I feel everything that touches you."
My breath hitched.
"It's the awakening," he continued. "A phantom connection, not a bond. Not yet."
"Not yet?" I whispered.
His jaw clenched. "Do not ask for what you are not ready to understand."
"So you do know," I pressed, leaning closer.
"You know exactly what's happening to me."
His eyes flicked to my lips—just for a fraction of a heartbeat—but enough to send a shiver through me.
"Yes," he said. "And this palace is the last place your power should fully awaken."
"Why?"
He straightened, rising to his feet with lethal grace.
"Because," he said, "my enemies can sense magic. Even traces of it. And if they realize what you carry, they will tear this kingdom apart just to get to you."
My blood went cold.
"Why me?"
"Because you are the last of a line that was supposed to be extinct."
I stared up at him.
"Malakai… what am I?"
"You," he said quietly, "are the first light this cursed kingdom has seen in centuries."
My heart pounded.
"And that," he added, "is why I should send you away."
The words stabbed deeper than I expected.
"You want me to leave?"
His eyes flickered—pain, conflict, hunger—all warring beneath the surface.
"No," he breathed. "I don't."
A charged silence pulled tight between us.
"But keeping you here puts you in danger," he said. "Every moment you stay, you risk exposing what you are. And once the Council learns the truth—"
"They'll kill me."
"They'll try," he corrected darkly. "And I will drown this palace in blood before I let them touch you."
The room thickened with tension—dark, fierce, protective.
I swallowed hard.
"What are you so afraid of?" I whispered.
He turned away for a long moment, gripping the edge of the table so hard the wood cracked under his hand.
Then he looked back at me.
And for the first time, Malakai didn't hide.
"I am afraid," he said slowly, "that if your magic awakens fully… you will no longer be safe with me."
My breath caught.
"Because of the prophecy?" I asked.
He froze.
Just a fraction.
But I saw it.
"There is no prophecy," he said sharply.
"You're lying."
His eyes flashed with something dangerous—fear wrapped in fury.
"Elaine," he said quietly, "there are truths that will destroy you if you learn them too early."
"Then tell me now."
"I cannot."
"Why?"
"Because you are not ready."
I stood.
"So you'll just keep me in the dark?"
His eyes softened. "Not forever."
He stepped closer—slowly, as if closing the distance between us was a choice he might regret.
His hand lifted.
But he didn't touch me.
His thumb hovered a breath from my cheek.
"When your power awakens," he murmured, voice barely audible, "you will change everything."
My heart hammered so hard I thought he could hear it.
"But until then," he added, "you stay by my side."
"Is that another order?"
"No," he whispered.
"A warning."
The temperature dropped.
And from somewhere deep within the palace…
a distant howl ripped through the night.
Not wolf.
Not human.
Something older.
Something calling my name.
Malakai's face drained of color.
"Elaine," he breathed, "get behind me."
"What—"
"Now."
The howl echoed again, closer.
Too close.
And for the first time since arriving in this cursed palace…
I knew something had come for me.
Something that knew exactly what I was becoming.