As I stared at the hand Arkan held out in front of me, my mind grew heavier under the weight of tangled thoughts, each one intertwining with the next until I could no longer tell which belonged to me and which came from that strange, unnameable feeling echoing inside me. The more I tried to decide what I should do, the deeper I felt myself being pulled in, as if the answer was slipping further away instead of becoming clear.
When I lifted my gaze from his hand to his face, I realized his expression wasn't steady; the blue of his eyes shifted constantly. One moment, they held a soft, warm glow that seemed to reach for me, deepening as if waiting for the smallest sign from me, and the next, that light sharpened, growing brighter and more intense, carrying a restless anticipation he could no longer conceal. That change only made the conflict inside me heavier.
My gaze drifted, unbidden, to Kongar. The dark mist surrounding him had thickened, spilling beyond its bounds and spreading outward as if his own shadow was swallowing him, turning him into something larger, heavier… inevitable. And yet, the familiar smile on his face remained unchanged. If anything, that made it worse—because I could no longer tell what lay behind it.
This should have frightened me. I should have stepped back, put distance between us on instinct alone. But what rose inside me was something entirely different—something far more complicated, something I couldn't name. Even though it defied reason, I found myself wanting to move closer to him rather than away.
The feeling ran deeper than I expected.
As if he needed me.
My attention shifted back to Arkan's outstretched hand; my fingers moved on their own, lifting toward him, almost close enough to touch… but I stopped. Even in that small distance, the weight of a decision pressed down on me.
"I'll come with you… but I have one condition," I said.
My voice was calmer than I expected, though the movement inside me only kept growing stronger. Slowly, I turned my gaze toward Kongar.
At that, a growl rose from Arkan.
"He's coming with us."
My words thickened the tension around us, and I felt my heartbeat quicken. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this… alive.
Kongar moving toward us drew my attention back to him. The ominous mist that had surrounded him was gone now, replaced by that growing yellowish glow; with each step he took, his presence felt heavier, more defined.
"Master—" he began, approaching me.
But Arkan stepped in front of me in an instant, completely blocking my view.
That movement sent a sharp wave of irritation through me. I was about to push him aside when Soren intervened.
"This is too dangerous, Kayra. You don't want him near you," he said.
As his words settled, I slowly lifted my head and shifted my gaze from Arkan to meet Soren's eyes directly.
"I don't think I know which one of you is more dangerous," I said, gesturing faintly toward the pack of wolves surrounding us.
"Because until this morning, I didn't even know a world like this existed."
After speaking, my gaze drifted back to Arkan. The pull I had felt before was still there, lingering in his eyes—but I ignored it.
"And because of that…" I continued, my voice lower now, but steadier, "I don't trust anyone."
I saw Arkan take a slow breath, his hands curling into fists before loosening again. I could feel the tension in his body. Had my words hurt him? The thought flickered briefly in my mind, but I dismissed it just as quickly—he didn't even know me. How could that be possible?
And yet… what I felt told me otherwise.
He stepped forward.
The distance between us vanished. His presence pressed over me, but instead of stepping back, I realized I hadn't moved at all. His hand rose slowly but decisively to my chin; the moment his fingers touched my skin, my breathing shifted without my control. He lifted my head, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"You…" he said, his voice deepening, the word roughened by a low growl, "are mine."
I tried to pull my head free from his grip, but his hold was stronger than I expected. He restrained my movement easily, keeping me in place without ever breaking eye contact.
As he lowered his head slightly, the distance between us disappeared; his lips hovered just shy of mine, and the warmth of his breath brushed against my face. That closeness stirred something inside me—something unfamiliar, something I couldn't control as it slowly spread through me.
"You can trust me—"
I didn't let him finish.
I pressed my lips against his.
I didn't know why I did it. It didn't feel like a decision I had made. My body had moved before my mind could catch up, acting on something deeper, something I couldn't control.
The moment his lips touched mine, that familiar tingling returned—stronger this time, deeper. For a brief instant, everything around us faded, leaving only that sensation behind.
I could feel Soren holding his breath beside us.
Arkan, however, froze for a split second; his eyes widened in surprise, but it didn't last long. A low rumble rose from his throat as he responded, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.
But the chaos behind him shattered the moment.
The noise broke through the strange haze clouding my mind. From my right, a large brown wolf was thrown across the clearing, its body slamming into a tree with a heavy crack.
That sound tore my attention away from Arkan.
When my gaze shifted toward the commotion, I saw the other wolves attacking something all at once.
Kongar.
The thought tightened my entire body. My heartbeat quickened, the strange warmth inside me replaced by a sharp, urgent alarm. I pulled myself away from Arkan's lips.
He didn't like that.
A low, displeased rumble left him as his hand suddenly closed around the back of my neck, pulling me toward him again. His grip tightened this time, more forceful, as if he had no intention of letting go.
I placed my hands firmly against his chest. The moment my palms touched his bare skin, that familiar sensation stirred again—but this time, I forced it down.
Keeping the distance between us, I stopped our lips from meeting again.
"Stop," I managed to say. My voice sounded unfamiliar, almost like a strained breath rather than a word. This wasn't me. This man… was far too dangerous for me. Being near him made it harder and harder to stay in control of my own body.
Arkan answered with a low murmur.
My brows drew together. His reaction wasn't to my words—it was to my tone. As if what I had said mattered less than the way I had said it, as if I was the only thing holding his attention.
I used that brief distraction to my advantage, slipping out of his grasp. I stepped back and quickly moved behind him.
The sight before me stole the breath from my lungs.
Kongar was on the ground, lying on his back. He was trying to fend off the large pack of wolves attacking him, but there were too many of them. He would grab one and hurl it away with force, sending it flying—yet in that brief opening, the others would lunge at him again. The wolves he threw aside recovered quickly, baring their teeth as they charged back in.
Not knowing what else to do, I rushed forward. I grabbed the nearest wolf by its fur and tried to pull it back, but I wasn't strong enough; no matter how hard I strained, I couldn't move it.
"Stop!"
Arkan's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and laced with a growl that shifted the air around us. He was beside me in an instant, gripping my hands where they clutched the wolf's fur and pulling me out of the frenzy.
"Stay away from that being," he ordered.
The wolves froze immediately. Their growls died down, replaced by low, uneasy whines, and then—almost as if an invisible line had been drawn—they began to retreat from Kongar.
As they pulled back, Kongar rose to his feet with sudden speed.
And in the next moment… he was beside me.
Before I could even understand what was happening, he lifted me into his arms. I barely had time to react before my body was already in his grasp.
Then he started running—straight into the depths of the forest without slowing down.
Behind us, Arkan's roar echoed through the trees, stretching after us like a shadow that refused to fade.
But it didn't bring me any comfort.
Being alone with Kongar… was just as dangerous.
I tried to steady myself, clearing my throat.
"Kongar," I called.
But he kept running, as if he hadn't heard me.
This time, I reached out and grabbed the collar of his clothes, pulling him toward me. The sudden tug slowed his steps, and at last, our eyes met.
His eyes… were completely dark.
So was his face.
The sight sent a chill through me, but then I noticed the yellowish substance smeared across his clothes and his skin. My chest tightened.
They had hurt him.
As I examined him, the arms holding me tightened, pulling me closer, as if even the smallest distance between us unsettled him.
"It's alright, Master… I'm saving you," he said, that unsettling smile forming on his face.
I wasn't sure who he was supposed to be saving me from.
Because at this point… I truly didn't know which of them was more dangerous.
"Kongar," I said calmly, "take me back."
That seemed to catch him off guard; he stopped abruptly, the tension in his arms loosening for a brief moment.
"Are you certain, Master?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "That man who turns into that mass of fur was about to eat you."
I took a few seconds to process his words.
Then… I couldn't help it—I started to laugh.
But my laughter didn't last long.
Because in the very next moment, a deep growl rose from between the trees, filling the forest—and the black wolf leapt into our path.