"Layla."
He said my name, his voice so hoarse it barely resembled his own. Then he crouched down, bringing his gaze level with mine, and reached out with that still-bleeding hand, his fingers gently brushing my cheek. The touch was careful, as if handling something fragile that might shatter at any moment.
"Did he hurt you?"
His fingertips grazed the swollen area, where the skin was taut and stinging hot. But his touch brought a strange comfort, like ice soothing a burn.
"Your face is swollen." His voice trembled, those golden eyes surging with something bordering on madness. "He hit you."
It wasn't a question—it was a statement, laced with barely suppressed rage.
"Your lip's bleeding too." His thumb lightly wiped my lower lip, coming away with a smear of red. He stared at it for a long time, so long I thought he might never look away.
"I should have killed him," he said suddenly, his voice low, almost to himself. "I should have just snapped his neck."
Killed him.
Snapped his neck.
Coming from Kayden, those words carried a chilling sense of reality.
He really wanted to kill.
For me.
That realization made my heart clench painfully, squeezing until it almost stopped.
"You..." My voice was faint, like wisps of smoke on the verge of dissipating. "Why are you here?"
"You went off the grid," Kayden said. "Anna called me, said you'dgone missing."
"So you... came looking for me?"
"Yes."
"But I..."
"I'm sorry," he interrupted, his tone laced with cautious sorrow. "I promised I'd disappear, but here I am in front of you again."
I froze. No, that wasn't what I meant—I wasn't blaming you...
"You must hate me," Kayden said, pausing as he lowered his head slightly, like a wolf submitting. "But I had to make sure you were safe."
Heat pricked at the corners of my eyes, tears spilling over like a dam bursting.
How could I hate him?
He'd come for me, saved me again, just like he had seventeen years ago. Back then, rogue wolves had cornered me, and I'd thought it was the end—until Kayden appeared under the moonlight, like salvation from the heavens, pulling me out of the fray. I still remembered the splattering blood, the vicious claw marks, his blood dripping onto my hand, the hottest sensation I'd ever felt in my life.
And now... he'd shown up once more in my moment of deepest despair, saving me yet again.
Fate had woven another bond between us, just when I'd thought I'd severed him from my life for good. That's what it means to be mates—cut the tie, and you're still ensnared in an inescapable destiny.
My heart pounded fiercely, hot and excited, crashing against my ribs as if trying to break free.
Because I'd fallen for him all over again.
"Don't cry," Kayden said softly. He raised his hand to wipe away my tears but hesitated midway and let it fall. "It's okay, Layla. I'm here."
