Page 2 of Her Fated Alpha Prince (Royal Dragons of Blackwater Islands #1)

_____

KAEL

Kael stood just beyond the grove’s shadow, his boots sinking slightly into the loam, arms folded across his chest. Every muscle in his body was locked tight—not in fear, but in something far more dangerous.

Desire. Confusion. Instinct.

She blinked slowly, rising onto her elbows, her breath shallow and sharp.

Kael watched, silent, the heat of her presence tugging at something raw beneath his skin.

Sunlight broke through the canopy in golden flecks, catching the wet sheen on her shoulders.

Her hair clung to her like seaweed, wild and dripping.

She looked like she’d been carved out of the ocean’s grasp and left here—soft, glowing, untamed.

She’d escaped something. He’d felt it in the water. The sea hadn’t let her go.

He had taken her back.

Even now, Kael’s hands burned faintly from the rescue. Not from heat—no, he was fire-born. But from her . Touching her skin had triggered something he didn’t understand. A pulse in his blood. A growl that wasn't entirely human.

His dragon stirred beneath the surface, restless and possessive.

Her scent didn’t belong here. And yet… something in it scratched at the edges of his mind, like a half-remembered dream just out of reach.

He stepped forward, slow, deliberate. Her head snapped toward him. Big eyes, the color of honey just before it scorched into amber, widened as they locked onto his face.

She seemed afraid. But not enough.

Not nearly enough.

Kael stopped a few feet from her, letting the moment settle. He needed to read her. Learn her scent. Hear her heartbeat. He needed to be sure.

“Where am I?” she whispered, voice hoarse but clear.

His jaw tensed. That voice—it slid under his skin like silk over steel. She spoke his language fluently, but her accent marked her as other . Her scent confirmed it.

She was human.

Shit.

"You’re safe," he said finally, his voice gravel-deep. “For now.”

Her lips parted. “What the hell does that mean?”

Kael’s mouth almost— almost —quirked. Even terrified, she had a bite. His dragon liked that.

“I mean you were drowning. I pulled you from the sea. And now… you’re here.”

“Where’s here ?”

He hesitated.

That was the problem. Here was the edge of the Blackwater Isles—territory guarded by ancient law. A human on their shores was forbidden. Rescuing one? Punishable by fire.

And still, when he’d seen her sink beneath the waves, he’d acted on instinct. Not logic. Not law.

His dragon had demanded it.

“You’re far from home,” Kael said finally, his tone gruff. “That’s all that matters.”

Her eyes narrowed, some of the fear burning off. “And you’re the one who brought me here?”

“Yes.”

“To do what, exactly?” Her spine straightened. “Sell me? Eat me? Sacrifice me to some island volcano god?”

Kael blinked. Then snorted.

“Eat you?” His gaze raked down her form before he could stop it. Curves, long legs, bare skin still wet and gleaming in the sun. “Not in the way you’re thinking.”

She blushed .

His dragon growled low in his chest, pleased.

He hadn’t meant to say that. Not yet. But god, her reaction...

Kael looked away, jaw flexing.

This was already dangerous. And he’d only just begun.

Kael ran a hand through his dark hair, shaking off the sudden sharp pull in his chest. Focus. She was a complication. A forbidden one.

“You think I’d bring you here just to toss you to some volcano god?” His voice dropped an octave, low and rough. “I’m no fool.”

She eyed him skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest, water droplets glinting on her skin. “Then what am I? Prisoner? Trophy? Some pawn in your royal drama?”

Kael stepped closer, his huge body blocking the sunlight, casting a shadow that wrapped around her like a cloak. The heat radiating off him was undeniable, like standing too close to a forge.

“You’re neither,” he said, his voice thick with something unspoken.

She lifted her chin, defiant. “Then why save me? Why risk everything?”

He didn’t answer immediately. The truth twisted inside him, sharp and jagged.

The words burned at the back of his throat. He didn’t understand it—only knew that when she’d sunk beneath the waves, something primal had screamed to get her back .

Instead, he said, “Because no matter the cost, I won’t let you die.”

Her gaze flickered, vulnerability surfacing for a brief second before she masked it with a sardonic smile. “Sounds like you’re making excuses.”

Kael smirked, teeth flashing. “Maybe. Or maybe I just don’t give a damn about the rules.”

Ariana’s eyes narrowed, a spark of fire matching his. “Careful. You’re treading on dangerous ground.”

He chuckled, the sound low and rumbling like distant thunder. “Danger’s my middle name.”

She let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. “You’re arrogant.”

“Not arrogant,” Kael corrected, stepping even closer. “Confident.”

The air thickened between them, charged with electricity. His dragon stirred, claws flexing beneath his skin. The heat rolled off him in waves.

Ariana swallowed hard, the pounding of her heart echoing the rhythm of the wild around them. She could feel it—the pull. Not just from him, but from something deep inside herself, awakening.

She wanted to ask more. Wanted to know who he was, why he looked at her like she was fire itself, ready to consume or protect. But the questions caught in her throat.

Kael reached out, brushing a damp strand of hair from her cheek. His fingers were warm, rough, but gentle.

“I don’t know what you are,” he admitted quietly. “But whatever it is… you belong here now.”

Her breath caught. Her lips parted, like she wanted to speak but had forgotten how.

“Don’t misunderstand,” he added quickly, eyes blazing. “This isn’t a favor. It’s a warning.”

He took a step back, a huge frame rigid with control. “Stay close. Trust no one outside this grove. The world beyond is darker than you can imagine.”

Ariana nodded slowly, the weight of his words sinking in. For all his fire and fury, there was care in his command—a fierce protectiveness that made her chest tighten.

Before she could say anything more, a distant howl shattered the fragile calm.

Kael’s head snapped toward the sound, eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

“Trouble,” he muttered.

He grabbed her arm, hauling her to her feet with a grip that was firm but not cruel.

“Hold on tight, my girl ,” he said, voice dropping to a growl that sent shivers down her spine.

“ My girl ?” Ariana echoed, heart skipping a beat.

Kael smirked, a dark promise in his eyes. “I’m not done claiming you yet.”

Before she could respond, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, pulling her with him.

The jungle swallowed them whole.

The jungle closed around them like a living beast, leaves snapping underfoot and the humid air thick with tension.

Kael’s huge body moved with practiced grace—silent, powerful, predatory.

Ariana struggled to keep up, her lungs burning from the sprint, heart hammering not just from exertion but the sharp thrill of being so close to him.

His hand never left her arm. The heat of his skin burned through the thin fabric of her shirt, anchoring her to reality and to him.

A distant growl echoed again, this one closer, sharper. Kael’s jaw clenched. His eyes flicked to hers, blazing bright with that feral fire.

“You’re not just passing through,” he said, his voice rougher now. “You stirred something I thought I buried centuries ago.”

She swallowed, feeling the pull of his huge presence—how his huge frame pressed power and danger into every step. The dragon inside him wasn’t just a myth. It was real. Alive. Hungry.

And now it claimed her.

They stopped at a clearing bathed in moonlight, the leaves glowing silver around them. Kael lowered his voice even further.

“The island doesn’t want you gone,” he said, eyes narrowing. “Nor do I.”

Ariana’s breath hitched. She felt it too—the invisible thread winding tight between them, unbreakable and fierce. The way his gaze devoured her, licking over every curve, every trembling shiver.

The flush that rose to her cheeks stirred something low and primal in him.

Kael’s smirk deepened. “Fight it all you want,” he murmured, voice rough. “But it won’t change what’s already burning between us.”

His huge hand slid from her arm to cradle her jaw, thumb brushing over her fuller lips. The touch was gentle but made her skin ignite like wildfire.

“You’re under my skin,” he said, almost to himself. “It’s not just hunger. It’s something deeper. Older.”

Ariana’s knees weakened. The air between them thickened with promise and danger.

But then his expression hardened. The moment shattered.

“We’re not safe yet,” Kael growled, eyes flashing with fury. “Lady Seryna’s watching. She’ll move against you if she suspects anything.”

Ariana’s stomach twisted. She didn’t understand all the politics of this world, but she knew enough: danger was real, and she was caught in it.

Kael stepped back, massive wings unfurling in a burst of fiery light that warmed the night. The flames flickered, not burning her but dancing like silver-white fire—the same color she’d seen in the ritual flames that had confused her.

Arianna’s eyes widened but she didn’t seem afraid.

His dragon growled low and possessive.

“I don’t know what you are, my girl ,” he said, voice thick with longing and certainty, “but I know you’re mine.”

Her heart thundered so loud she thought he’d hear it.

For a moment, everything else fell away—the fear, the uncertainty, the distant war looming like a shadow over the island.

All that remained was the promise of fire, fury, and something ancient and wild.

Kael stepped forward and claimed her lips with a kiss that burned hotter than any flame, slow and consuming. Her moans echoed softly against the trees, swallowed by the night.

They were bound now—by fate, by fire, by something neither could deny.

The jungle held its breath as two lives collide—fire to kindling, fate to flesh.