So, this is the first chapter that sort of follows Kaleb instead of Kaia. They'll be mixed in between the Kaia chapters, but let me know what you think about it, so I know whether or not to keep doing it in the future. :)

A weary sigh left Kaleb as soon as the doors thudded shut, but it was as much made of relief as it was of exhaustion. He could feel Kaia's eyes as he approached the desk, tracking his movements and analyzing them. 

That was something that he had noticed about her. Kaia was always watching him. And he could always tell when her dark doe eyes--those deep pools of near-black that Kaleb swore he could lose himself merely staring into--were following him. There was a feeling, like sparks dancing across his skin, when she looked at him. 

When he finally turned around, letting himself fall into the chair behind his father's desk, Kaia was still staring at him. She lingered a few feet away, shifting from one foot to the other, her arms wrapped around her middle as if she were trying to comfort herself. Kaleb watched her for a long moment. 

He let the sight of her fill him up, so beautiful it pained him. She was like a ghost still, or maybe an angel; Kaleb didn't even bother scolding himself for thinking such a popular thought because it felt like the only word that could adequately capture her. She was ethereal, beyond this world. She looked like she belonged high above it, peering down and laughing sweet bells at the goings and comings of the messy world below her, the world filled with lies and secrets, blood and grime. With death. 

"Thank you," she said suddenly. When Kaleb met her eyes, he realized that she was desperate for him to understand how sincere she was, how deeply she felt her gratitude. It confused Kaleb. 

"What do you have to be thankful for?" Kaleb asked, his voice heavy. He genuinely wanted to know. Kaleb had watched her for days before he revealed himself to save her in the woods. He didn't regret it at all, of course. Kaleb would have lost her if he'd elected to remain hidden. But, in doing so, he had dragged her into his Pack, his world, into the web of alliances he had to manage. Here, one had to watch his back else a knife end up in it. 

But it was more than just his relief at her survival that kept regret from his heart when he remembered rescuing her; he was selfish, perhaps. He'd pulled her into the middle of his mess when he should have pushed her away, far from any lycanthrope that would be tempted to hurt her. Instead, she was here with him. 

That was how selfish Kaleb was. Because, even if he had wrecked her, Kaia stood with him in the ruins of his life. She stood beside him on the balcony where his parents had once announced the truce between humans and lycanthrope, on the stage he'd been forced to mount alone. She'd brushed past him like the sweet smell promising food to the starving man, a flare of hope, a flash of light in the painful, lonely dark. 

Such a deep pleasure came with having her here, at seeing her wrapped in his clothes, her pale, delicate body light against the dark fabric. She was here, enveloped in his clothes, in--Kaleb felt the moment he saw her standing there--him, his scent and all. He couldn't stand the thought of her borrowing someone else's, even a woman's; Kaleb wanted Kaia to be his and having Rosy bring her his clothes was just one way of asserting himself. Yes, it was selfish, but Kaleb would expose her to the dangers of the lycanthrope world to have her close to him. 

Kaia gave Kaleb a small, shy smile, looking up at him from behind her long lashes, "What should I be grateful? You mean, besides your saving my life? Twice?"

Kaleb barely even noticed it, but the front that he always put up fell away the moment she smiled at him. He found himself smiling back and nodding. "Besides that."

"Well," Kaia said, stepping forward and sitting in the chair across from Kaleb. She pulled Kaleb's clothes tighter around her body, and Kaleb ignored that same something that lurched within him. Go to her, it urged. Touch her. "I'm not sure if..." Her voice ran out of strength, and she cast her eyes down. 

Kaleb leaned forward, intrigued. What was happening in that beautiful head of hers? Her eyes were distant as if she had remembered something. Kaleb stared at her, trying to decipher what her expression could tell him. But it didn't take long. Kaleb had seen that look before, that vacancy; her eyes had once been full of laughter and joy, but when the happiness disappears only memories remain. And emptiness. It was familiar. 

He'd seen it in his own eyes ever since his parents died. "You've lost someone."

Kaia looked up at him instantly, confusion on her face. How had he known? But she didn't ask. Instead, she just nodded. "My mom."

Kaleb wasn't sure what to say next. He cursed internally. Kaleb knew that this was the moment that he was supposed to offer her condolences, to show her not only sympathy but empathy. He knew her pain, and he wanted her to understand that. But he couldn't will his words into existence. 

Kaia forced a weak smile, "I lost her when I was seven." Memories flooded Kaleb. Of his parents' smiles. Of the loving look in his mother's eyes. Of the prideful look in his father's. Of their blood. "I've..." Kaia started, taking a deep breath, her eyes determined. They flicked up to meet Kaleb's, full of intent. "Ever since that night, I've barely ever been apart from my brother or my dad," she explained, "They're always worried about me."

As they should be, Kaleb thought. Kaia was in danger. He knew that better than anyone, having witnessed the attacks on her. He'd had to stir up a conflict between his Pack and theirs. An Alpha attacking another Pack, even in self-defense? It was against the Accords. He'd have to smooth it over, make compromises and sacrifices. 

Her scent was an issue. It was unusual. There was, of course, the smell that was unique to their mate bond. She smelled like vanilla to Kaleb. But beyond that, there was something else, something intriguing that called out to the lycanthrope in Kaleb. He was going to need Elias to assign some lycanthrope to keep an eye on her if she wanted to leave the Mansion. 

A softness crept over Kaia's face, near invisible at first and then blooming into something so beautiful all thoughts of the Accords and what costs he'd have to pay vanished. Kaia was here. She was exquisite. He would give anything. 

"I've never been alone, Kaleb. But I've always been lonely," she said, the softness fading quietly into sadness. Kaleb's chest ached. The sorrow that he'd seen in her ever since he'd first found her suddenly made sense. 

Loneliness is the worst disease. Kaleb knew from experience, and his heart went out to her. "But I watched you today, forcefully carving a place for me and defending it. Luna." 

Kaleb watched in awe as her eyes shone, glittering with unshed tears. She took a shaky breath. Kaia seemed innocent, fragile. Kaleb was struck, at that moment, by how different they were. Kaleb didn't remember the last time he'd cried. Not since his parents' funeral? He was strong for his people, for the human and the lycanthrope lives that depended on that strength. 

And Kaia...she was a little white moth in danger of being snuffed out of existence by a carelessly placed hand or a clumsy shoe. At that moment, she could have blown away in the wind. She was human. The realization made fear and longing grind against each other within Kaleb like two clenched fists, knuckle to knuckle.

 If he gave in, would he hurt her? Kaleb wondered if anyone could understand that feeling. He doubted that Kaia could. And, for a flash, he felt alone; the despair came with such force that, for a heartbeat, he stood alone on an island, no one for miles upon miles who would understand him. And then...

"Luna," Kaia whispered as Kaleb stood, the word dispelling his thoughts and bringing him back to her, back to his father's old study with its dusty books and its heavy thud of responsibility. Each time she whispered that word, Luna, he lost another piece of his heart to her. Perhaps it was because of all that the title entailed--an intimate ceremony that, however outdated he had once thought it to be, Kaleb could only imagine with a strange exhilaration--but Kaleb had to be closer to her. So he rounded the desk, leaning against it so that the relic from his father was no longer a wall between them. 

She looked up at him, taking in another shaky breath, "I just wanted to thank you." 

Kaleb nodded brusquely. "It comes with responsibilities, you know," he said, trying to change the subject subtly. He couldn't utter those words: you're welcome. It felt wrong already that she was thanking him. He had put her in danger. She was human. She was at risk in a world of beasts, of fangs and claws, because she wasn't one. And he cherished and abhorred that truth because of all it meant. 

"I'd assumed so," she replied quickly, "And I'm sure I'll hear all about them." 

"I'm sure," he repeated. Silence fell. Once again, Kaleb had failed in his interactions with her. How did he usually speak to people? No, he spoke to them harshly, in anger or annoyance. He didn't want to be that way for Kaia, not for her. He knew that he'd already slipped up a few times. So he stayed quiet, unsure of what to say or to do. Think, Kaleb. Think. 

"Kaleb," Kaia said, breaking the silence. He looked up, grateful that she'd managed to speak up because he couldn't find his words. She looked serious, her eyes pleading. "May I see my dad?"

Kaleb hardened. He couldn't do that, not while Kaia's attackers were still at large. There hadn't been any time to contact that other Packs in the area and unearth who it had been that had attacked her. He hadn't made any agreements yet to protect her, make her the one and only human that was off limits to lycanthrope. Her delicious scent alone would put her in danger the minute she stepped outside. 

"It would only be for a little just to let him know that I'm alright, that I'm alive. He's probably worried right now, my brother, too. They need to know that I'm-"

"You can't, Kaia," he said harshly, more abrupt than he'd meant to sound. He watched her tense up at the sound of his voice, and it made him feel sick. 

"I can't," Kaia repeated like the words didn't quite make sense. She looked up at him, willing his next words to let her understand. When she spoke, there was a hint of anger in her tone, "Why?"

Kaleb sighed, pained and filled with doubt, "It's too dangerous."

Those words set Kaia on fire. She bolted upright instantly, hands in fists and eyes ablaze. Her voice was loud, accusatory. "That's all anyone has ever told me. It's dangerous, Kaia. Not today, Kaia," she snapped, "Come with me then, Kaleb. Walk with me. Carry me if it makes you feel better about my safety, for god's sake, but let me see my father." 

Possibilities spun through Kaleb's head, gears working. If Kaleb was with her, he doubted lycanthrope would try anything. He was respected, even amongst the other Packs. Even if the Prowlers were small, they were the bridge between the human world and the lycanthrope world. They were instrumental, and everyone knew that. No one wanted to disrespect Kaleb's father, Alpha Alexander. If Kaleb was there...

He was struck by an intense--if annoying--desire to do anything and everything to earn Kaia's respect, her approval. If she were to be his Luna, he would need it, and she would need his. He looked up at her to see her hopeful expression, her hands clasped. Her doe eyes were wide as she watched him. The little creature stirred deep in Kaleb's chest, rising and clawing to get free. He was getting used to it now, but it still made a deep growl form at the back of his throat. 

Kaia's eyes narrowed alluringly as she noticed a change in him. It was like she could see right into him. She knew what was spinning around in his mind. If she knew already, then there was nothing to lose. He didn't hesitate to draw her against him, and she pressed her hands against his shoulders as if it were as natural as breathing. Their embrace was like a familiar song: they could never remember where they'd learned the lyrics, but they knew that the words would not, could not leave them. 

Kaleb leaned over Kaia, his arms encircling her waist, his fingers entwined in her silky hair. He whispered his words in her ear as if they were a secret. He spoke and granted her wish, but there was also a deeper meaning to what he said. There was a hidden question, a wish of his own. "You won't leave my side the entire time." 

Kaia leaned into him. She understood. "I have to protect you," he said as he lowered his head, closing his eyes as he breathed in her vanilla scent. He would grant her this one thing, would not let her out of his sight for a moment once they were free of the Prowler Mansion. "So you can't leave my side."

Kaia's hands slid along his chest, and Kaleb had to fight every instinct that told him to act on the lycanthrope impulses that thrummed in him at her touch. He focused on her words, willing them to be enough of a distraction for him to keep his lips from hers. "I don't think I'll ever be able to leave your side." 

So much for distraction. Kaia's words had been the last tug, loosening all resistance he had left. He had to close to distance. He pulled her harder against him, their forms fitting together in that perfect way bodies do. They were intended just for this. She didn't resist him; perhaps she was as captive to it as he was. 

Kaleb's lips were so near Kaia's, stinging with inevitability. He relished the moment before their kiss. It was poetry. It was the feeling that authors have tried to capture across centuries and languages in a fruitless struggle. 

Such a moment could not be captured into words, not by humans and not by lycanthrope. It was beyond them, unnamable and indescribable. 

"Kaleb," scolded a voice, shocked. 

Kaleb froze, cold dread washing over him, robbing him of the heat between them. He withdrew, looking up. Kaia's hands fled. Kaleb felt unwelcome discomfort at that, so he kept her locked in his arms where she belonged to compensate. She wouldn't leave him just because of a little embarrassment. 

"What the jumping Jesus are you thinking, Kaleb?" demanded Rosy from where she stood, all judgment and soft edges where she stood glued to the doorway. 

Kaleb cleared his throat. Honestly, he hadn't been thinking. "You know you can't," Rosy said as if she were reminding a child not to steal from the cookie jar, "Not until the ceremony."

Kaia blanched, "Ceremony?"

Kaleb sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "The Lunar Ceremony." 

"There is plenty time for canoodling after the ceremony," Rosy said, sweeping towards them and stealing Kaia from his arms. He growled, and Rosy just gave him her signature 'stop being a child' look, dismissing him as if he were a pesky pup. Rosy was the only one who could ignore that Kaleb was the Alpha and take care of business, do what she wanted in spite of him. He was usually grateful for her frankness, but when she was stealing Kaia from him...less so. 

"For now," Rosy said matter-of-factly, "Kaia will need some clothes of her own, so we need to chat. And a bath, poor child." 

Kaia let out a little laugh. "Thank you." Before they disappeared behind the door, Kaia sent a look over her shoulder, and Kaleb knew that she regretted her abduction just as much as Kaleb did. But, Kaleb thought as the door shut behind them, maybe it was for the best. Kaleb was forbidden from...canoodling until Kaia was officially his Luna, which meant the Lunar Ceremony as per Pack tradition. 

And besides, Kaleb had things to get in order. He had to contact the other Packs, find Kaia's attacker and get the word out that Kaia was to be his Luna, was his. They wouldn't touch her then. Hopefully. 

And Kaleb had to plan this new outing for Kaia. Her father. 

He wasn't happy, but he would do it for her. He knew how valuable parents were if only because he'd lost his. Their absence left gaping holes; one in the pack, the huge one he had to fill as Alpha in his father's place, and one in Kaleb himself. Kaleb wondered if anything could ever fill the second. 

But, for now, he only had to concern himself with the other Packs and with Kaia. Kaleb swore to himself that he would protect her with everything he had. With his Pack. With his rank. With his strength. 

With his life.  

Hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think about it in votes/comments should it suit you. Thanks for reading. :)