Ch. 24: Amarok

                                    

                                          
Kaia
I was struck silent. 
The Alpha King was standing in front of me. 
I couldn't think. 
How was I supposed to greet him?
His sudden arrival muddled my thoughts and scrambled my brain. 
What was he doing here?
And if he was here, where was Nero? 
His dominance was thick and overwhelming. My knees threatened to crumble at the weight of his scrutiny as he straightened up, dusting some non-existent lint from his shoulder. 
He was much younger than I had envisioned the man to be. His hair was jet black with silver threads at his temples. His hair fell a little under his ears, barely concealing the scarred, puckered ring of flesh around his neck. 
It looked like the remnants of a fatal wound.
I couldn't imagine the amount of pain that would've inflicted. 
Someone had tried to kill him, and had attempted to execute it in a brutal, horrific way. 
His gaze was impactful, one eye a deep, roast coffee brown and the left a bright, icy blue with a scar cutting through, slashing his left brow and the skin below his lower lashes. He stood tall, staring at the limp bodies sprawled at his feet with something akin to muted abhorrence. 
They were still breathing, judging by the slight movements of their chests. However, the Alpha King clucked his tongue, poking one of their heads with the tip of his boot. 
"How foolish." The Alpha King abruptly lifted his gaze, catching my attention. "Are you one of Nero's Enforcers that patrols the borders?"
The question caught me off guard, but I quelled my shock and shook my head. Although his presence was overpowering, there was also something else about him that made my wolf and I stare at him with an aching sadness. 
There was a melancholic air about him that was barely visible to the untrained eye. 
Why did he drag such leaden sadness around?
The Alpha King blinked and took a deep inhale of the air. His chest expanded and stuttered. Surprise briefly flashed in his gaze as he studied me anew. 
"I smell a small hint of Nero's scent on you."
The easiness of Nero's name rolling off his tongue was a sign that he did indeed have a close relationship with Nero. I could only gather that he was genuinely astonished by the news.
"My name is Kaia. I am his mate," I greeted. 
The man stiffened. "Kaia?" he repeated quietly under his breath. I barely heard it in the wind. 
"Yes," I replied. "Like—"
"—the sea," he finished. 
"Yeah, like the sea." I nodded, stunned that he knew. 
I had no idea where the name came from, but Maverick had apparently insisted on it when he took me in.  
The Alpha King pursed his lips as a certain quietness settled over him. His gaze drifted to my wrists. I'd forgotten that the cuffs were still on me. 
Without a word, he approached and slid his palms over the metal. He squeezed and the metal broke off cleanly, falling at my feet with a thud. 
"Thank you." I rubbed my wrists, soothing the stinging sensation there.