Chapter 32 Something Wrong - Aleksandr’s POV
I caught her scent before I saw her—lavender and vanilla with an undertone of distress that made Skoll surge forward in my mind. The meditation garden came into view as I rounded the corner, moonflowers beginning to open in the fading light. And there she sat, shoulders hunched forward, fingers twisting anxiously in her lap—a posture I hadn't seen since her first days at the castle. Something was wrong. Elder Nora nodded respectfully as we passed each other on the stone path, her expression giving nothing away, but the tension in her movements told me enough.
'Kaela sad,' Skoll whined, pressing against the boundaries of our shared consciousness. 'Go to her. Now.'
For once, I didn't need my wolf's urging. I quickened my pace, the garden's tranquil atmosphere doing nothing to calm the sudden tightness in my chest. These evening meetings had become the highlight of my days—watching Amelia grow more comfortable, seeing the spark return to those mismatched eyes. But tonight, something had shattered that progress.
"Amelia," I said softly as I approached the stone bench.
She looked up, those striking eyes rimmed with red. For a moment, she seemed to compose herself, straightening her shoulders and forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Then, as if the effort was too great, her face crumpled and she returned to staring at the still water of the pool.
"May I sit?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
She nodded, shifting slightly to make room beside her. I lowered myself onto the bench, careful to leave appropriate space between us—a habit formed from days of carefully rebuilding her trust in others, in touch, in kindness freely given without price.
To my surprise, she immediately closed that distance, slipping her small hand into mine. Her fingers were cold despite the mild evening air, and they trembled slightly against my palm. I curled my fingers around hers, offering warmth and stability as Skoll rumbled with protective concern.
"Nora found something," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
I waited, giving her time to continue. These twelve days had taught me patience, had shown me that sometimes silence was the greatest gift I could offer her.
"She thinks I might be under a bloodline curse," Amelia continued, still staring at the water rather than meeting my eyes. "A curse that prevents female wolves from shifting until they find their mates."
'Yes,' Skoll growled with sudden intensity, the word reverberating through my mind. 'Makes sense. Kaela trapped until mated.'
I kept my face carefully neutral despite my wolf's excitement. "What does Nora suggest?"
Amelia's shoulders slumped further, defeat radiating from her in waves. "That's just it. If it's true, if I can't shift until I find my mate..." Her voice broke, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "But because I can't shift, I might not even be able to recognize him. Kaela's just... trapped. We both are."
The sob that escaped her then cut through me like a silver blade. Without thinking, I released her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, drawing her against my side. She turned into me immediately, burying her face against my chest as her body shook with silent tears.
'No, no, no,' Skoll growled, agitation building as Kaela's distress bled through our strange four-way connection. 'Tell her. Tell Kaela. Skoll is mate. Kaela is mate. No more looking.'
'We don't know that for certain,' I cautioned him silently, even as my arm tightened around Amelia's shoulders.
'Skoll KNOWS,' he insisted, a fierceness in his mental voice I'd rarely heard before. 'Kaela is OURS.'
The conviction in his assertion gave me pause. Skoll had rejected seventeen potential mates without hesitation, some from the most powerful bloodlines in the kingdom. Yet from the moment Amelia had arrived, broken and fearful, he had recognized something in her—in Kaela—that called to him.
But was it enough? My hundredth birthday loomed less than three months away, the curse's grip tightening with each passing day. If Skoll was wrong, if Amelia wasn't my true mate...
I pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the woman in my arms. Her sobs had quieted, but she remained pressed against me, as if drawing strength from my warmth, my solidity.
"We'll figure it out," I promised, my voice rough with emotions I couldn't fully name. "If this curse is real, we'll find a way to break it."
She pulled back slightly, looking up at me with those extraordinary eyes. "How? If I need a mate to shift, but can't recognize my mate without shifting—"
"There are other ways to recognize mates," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Strong reactions even in human form. Dreams. Instinctive trust. The wolves recognizing each other despite the barriers."
A faint hope flickered across her face. "Do you really believe that's possible?"
I nodded, acutely aware of Skoll's presence pressing forward, of his certainty radiating through me. "I do."
'Tell her,' Skoll urged again. 'Tell Kaela.'
'Not yet,' I replied firmly. 'She's fragile right now. This isn't the moment.'
Skoll subsided with reluctant agreement, though his certainty remained unwavering. In the shared mental space, I felt him reach for Kaela, offering comfort in a way words couldn't express.
We sat in silence for several minutes, watching the reflection of the emerging stars on the pool's surface. Amelia remained tucked against my side, her breathing gradually evening out, her scent losing some of its distress.
"Tomorrow's my birthday," she said finally, her voice steadier. "Twenty-one years old, and I still don't know who I really am."
I squeezed her shoulder gently. "Who you are isn't defined by your ability to shift, Amelia. Nor by your unknown past."
She looked up at me again, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "When did you get so wise, Your Highness?"
The teasing note in her voice eased something tight in my chest. "I've had nearly a century to practice," I replied, matching her lighter tone. "One of the few benefits of age."
Her smile widened briefly before fading. "Kaela's calmer now. Skoll helps her."
'Of course,' my wolf preened, his satisfaction rumbling through me. 'Mate helps mate.'
The sky had darkened completely while we sat together, the garden now illuminated by moonlight and the subtle glow of lanterns along the stone paths. I reluctantly removed my arm from around her shoulders, though I kept her hand in mine.
"Dinner?" I suggested, knowing routine would help ground her after the emotional turmoil of the day.
She nodded, rising with me from the bench. As we walked toward the castle, her hand still clasped in mine, I allowed myself to consider the possibility that Skoll was right. That this small, fierce woman with her trapped wolf might indeed be what both of us had been searching for.
Tomorrow she would turn twenty-one. And whatever happened then, I knew that I would do everything in my considerable power to help her break free of the chains that bound her—whether they were forged by curses, by circumstance, or by her own doubts.
Because somewhere in these twelve days, Amelia Lovelace had become essential to me. And I protected what was mine.