Kayra
"Bozok... you're Bozok, aren't you?"
With those words, I backed away from Arkan. He had cut off Kongar's head right in front of me. I still couldn't erase the image from my mind, nor could I stop questioning whether any of this was actually real.
When I felt movement beneath the hand holding Kongar, my gaze shifted to him.
"See? Perfectly fine..." Arkan said. "...and yes, I am Bozok."
Then he turned around and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.
When I looked back at Kongar, I watched his severed head slide back toward his body, reattaching itself with a flowing yellow substance. The more I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, the more confused I became.
"Kayra."
Kongar brushed away a tear that had slipped down my cheek with his thumb.
"That furball can't kill me."
"How?" I whispered. My voice trembled, and I couldn't stop the tears.
Before answering, Kongar studied my face for a long moment.
"I am a servant. A tool."
The smile on his lips slowly widened. Yet instead of the familiar warmth it usually brought, an unexplainable unease crept through me.
"Then... how can you die?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Do you want me to die?" he interrupted.
His eyes darkened as he tilted his head slightly to one side, the smile on his face stretching wider.
"Did you enjoy seeing my head separated from my body?"
"What? No, of course not."
I immediately cupped his face in my hands. Since he was lying on the bed, I was looking down at him from above.
"I thought I'd lost you."
As I looked at him, I watched his eyes return to their familiar golden hue. I'd been noticing it for a while now. Sometimes their color would change for no apparent reason, only to return to normal as though nothing had happened.
"You won't lose me," he said, gently removing my hands from his face before sitting upright on the bed.
"Um... Kongar."
"Yes, Kayra? Do you have a command for me?" he asked, offering the same smile that always managed to warm me from the inside out.
I took a deep breath.
"Why do your eyes change color?"
His brows immediately drew together.
In the next instant, he was standing in front of the full-length mirror on the other side of the room. I hadn't even seen him move.
"My eye color changed?" he asked, studying his reflection carefully.
"Yes."
His head snapped toward me.
"When?"
He sounded as if he were hearing this for the first time.
"It happens sometimes—"
Before I could finish, he suddenly appeared right in front of me. My breath caught in my throat, and my body tensed.
"When was the last time?"
His sudden movements were beginning to make me increasingly uneasy.
"Just now."
Kongar took a few steps away and began pacing silently around the room. The expression on his face told me he was thinking, but I had no idea what about.
What was going on?
Without warning, he stopped and appeared in front of me again.
"You must return me."
"Return you?"
"Yes."
"Why?" I asked, frowning. Even the thought of being separated from him left a strange ache in my chest.
"Because I am a defective product."
His face was completely serious. Even the smile that never seemed to leave him was gone.
That was exactly why I couldn't stop myself from laughing the moment the words left his mouth.
"What is it?"
My laughter died instantly.
"Are you happy because you'll finally be rid of me?"
His eyes had darkened again.
That was definitely not normal.
My body tensed with fear as I slowly moved backward across the bed. He simply watched me, then smiled.
"Are you alright, Kayra? My heart is beating very fast."
His eyes had already returned to their usual color.
But I no longer felt as safe around him as I once had. Taking a deep breath, I tried to suppress the unease rising inside me.
"Kongar..." I swallowed. "Could you call Arkan?"
---
Kongar did as I asked and called Arkan.
Granted, being around Arkan came with its own problems. The mate bond alone was enough of a headache. Even so, I didn't want to be alone with Kongar right now.
"I'm sorry about Bozok."
As he spoke, Arkan tried to hide his trembling hand beneath the other.
"He's trying to shift," he said, forcing a smile onto his face.
He looked like he was in pain.
Seeing him like that twisted something inside me.
Maybe everything would have been easier if fate had given him someone from his own kind instead of someone like me—someone who had no idea what she was doing.
When I gently placed my hand over his, he looked up at me.
"Thank you for coming."
"I would do anything for you."
My heart immediately sped up at his words.
Without thinking, I tightened my grip on Kongar's hand.
At my reaction, Arkan let out a low growl in Kongar's direction.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately afterward, looking away. "I know you care about him."
The weight in my chest grew heavier.
I didn't deserve Arkan.
"If you want, you can turn back into your wolf. That way we can finally get some sleep," I said with a yawn. I needed time to think about all of this with a clear head.
"If you're alright with it," Arkan replied.
"As long as he doesn't attack Kongar."
At my words, Arkan looked at Kongar beside me and fell silent for a moment.
"Alright," he said at last. "He promised he'll behave."
A moment later, his body began to shift, and the enormous black wolf took his place.
I tensed instinctively at first, but when he pinned his ears back and let out a pitiful whine, I couldn't resist. Reaching out, I stroked his head. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand.
When I climbed into bed, Kongar settled on my right side and continued holding my hand. The wolf, meanwhile, jumped onto my left with his massive body and stretched out beside me.
For a moment, I thought the bed was about to break.
At that point, my only hope was surviving until morning.
---
For the next few days, I was forced to sleep between Kongar and the wolf.
Kongar tried several times to speak with Arkan, but I interrupted him every single time. Arkan already wanted to get rid of him. I didn't want him hearing anything that might make him even more suspicious of Kongar.
And now I was facing an even worse situation.
They were throwing me a welcome party.
Wonderful.
"I think this dress will look beautiful on you, Kayra."
Alara held out a white dress toward me.
It looked suspiciously close to a wedding gown.
"Do I really have to wear that?"
Alara shook her head.
"This is your party."
I was going to be sick.
"Guests from various packs are coming to meet you," Alara said, holding the dress up against me. "And it will look beautiful on you."
"Various packs?" I asked.
After looking at me for a moment, Alara smiled as if she had just realized I didn't understand what she meant.
"Yes. Alphas from werewolf packs, witches, even the Vampire King himself will be there."
The Vampire King?
I couldn't help laughing.
There were vampires too?
And apparently they even had a king.
Alara simply watched me in silence.
"I need to speak with those witches," I said.
"Why?"
My gaze shifted to Kongar, who was watching us intently.
"I need to find out what he really is."
"I agree," Alara said. "And maybe they'll be able to find a way to separate you from him."
The moment those words left her mouth, I noticed Kongar's eyes beginning to darken again. Quickly, I tried to redirect her attention elsewhere.
"Could you help me put on that ridiculously fancy dress?"
---
By the time we were finished, I was fully dressed and my makeup was done.
For some reason, Alara had been unusually affectionate toward me. She hadn't left my side for even a minute during the preparations.
Arkan, meanwhile, had sent several women from the pack to help. I hadn't seen him since morning. According to Alara, he'd been running around all day dealing with pack matters and organizing my welcome party.
I wasn't sure what to think about any of it.
The only thing occupying my mind was Kongar.
What exactly was he?
The sound of the door opening pulled me from my thoughts.
"If you're ready, let's go, Kayra. Our guests are waiting—"
The moment Arkan looked at me, he stopped where he was.
His hand curled into a fist.
"You look beautiful," he said.
His eyes were shining with admiration.
His words sent the butterflies in my stomach fluttering back to life.
Hopefully, I'd make it through this party without humiliating myself.
Resisting him was becoming harder with each passing day. I could no longer tell how much of it was truly me and how much belonged to the mate bond.
Thankfully, Kongar immediately took my hand.
He wasn't supposed to leave my side throughout the party.
Arkan let out a low growl in his direction, but this time he didn't object.
Instead, he held out his hand to me.
"Come on."
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand in his.
I had no idea what awaited me tonight.
But I was certain of one thing.
If the witches truly knew what Kongar was, I wasn't leaving this party until I found out.