Kael Blackridge

The station was loud with arrivals, voices echoing off steel and glass. Kael moved through the crowd, another shadow in a black coat, though people instinctively stepped aside as if sensing the predator beneath his skin. Then the scent hit him—sharp, sweet, unmistakable. His wolf surged, claws raking at the surface. He turned, eyes locking on her across the platform. Human. Oblivious. She brushed hair from her face as the train roared in, but Kael heard nothing. The bond snapped taut between them, flooding him with a single word: Mate. His chest ached, every instinct demanding he cross the distance. She glanced up, meeting his gaze. For the first time, the Alpha who feared nothing felt the terror of being seen—and the impossibility of letting her go. The crowd surged as the train screeched into the platform, shoulders bumping, voices rising. Kael cut through them with ease, drawn to her like gravity itself. She staggered as someone rushed past, nearly losing her balance. His hand shot out, steadying her before she fell. Golden eyes met startled human ones. The bond burned hot in his chest. “Careful,” Kael said, voice low, steady, carrying an edge couldn’t name. “The crowd gets rough this time of day.”