Chapter 7
I stared at Kane, my mind flooding with questions that I couldn’t quite voice. There was something about his presence that felt both foreign and strangely comforting.
Kane was also looking at me. His features were clear and bright, his phoenix eyes holding laughter as he quietly watched me. The silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Once the convoy started moving again, I finally found the courage to speak.
“Did you… know me before?”
The question hung in the air like a delicate thread.
Kane froze for a moment, his eyes curving as they filled with rippling light. A soft smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Yes. Don’t you have any impression of me?”
His question left me unsure how to respond. I searched my blank memories, trying to find any trace of his face, his voice, anything that might spark recognition.
But there was nothing.
Kane seemed to sense my struggle and was straightforward.
“I met you many years ago.”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze becoming distant as if recalling a precious memory.
“It was at the Alpha Council. That’s why you were notified years ago about holding a mating ceremony with me. I was the one who applied then, though I didn’t expect you to refuse.”
I was slightly surprised for a moment, but quickly calmed down. The pieces were starting to fit together.
“I see.”
But one question burned in my mind. Why, after all these years, did he still choose me?
Kane smiled, his amber pupils holding several traces of tender, lingering emotion. The warmth in his eyes was so genuine it made my chest tighten.
He seemed to see through my thoughts and said:
“I investigated you afterward and learned the reason for your refusal.”
His voice was soft, understanding.
“So I rejected all other pursuits. I was waiting for you.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “You waited? All this time?”
“If my mate couldn’t be you, then being alone wasn’t so bad.”
My mind went completely blank. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.
Kane’s smile was so captivating I couldn’t look away. There was something magnetic about him, something that drew me in despite my confusion.
His sudden confession left me even more at a loss. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t understand why.
Moreover, he was so handsome – if we had never met before, how could I have no impression of him?
