Aiden's POV
I found her.
After centuries of searching, after tearing through realms, blood-soaked contracts, broken alliances, and whispered prophecies that led nowhere—I found her.
My baby girl.
She lay limp in my arms as I walked toward the car I'd parked far from the park, her weight feather-light yet grounding, as if the universe itself had decided to anchor me to this moment. My grip tightened instinctively, not out of fear she'd fall—but out of fear she'd disappear again.
I couldn't afford that.
Not now. Not ever.
Her face was turned toward me, moonlight spilling over her features like a blessing I didn't deserve. She'd grown into something devastating. No—dangerous. The little girl who once clutched my fingers with blind trust had transformed into a woman who could bring kings to their knees without even trying.
Dark hair cascaded from a messy ponytail, stubborn strands clinging to her cheeks. Her lashes—long, thick, sinful—brushed against flushed skin. She smelled faintly of alcohol and something sweet beneath it. Something unmistakably her.
An angel.
An angel born to ruin me.
My gaze drifted—against my better judgment—down to her lips.
Pink. Soft. Tempting.
I clenched my jaw and forced myself to look away.
Not yet.
I hadn't survived this long by losing control at the wrong moment.
The irony burned bitterly in my chest. Tonight had been meaningless. A ride. A moment of boredom. Zavian and his family had returned early to the castle, and I'd stayed back—restless, agitated, haunted by a presence I couldn't name.
And then I saw her.
Sitting alone on a swing.
Staring at the sky like it owed her answers.
She hadn't noticed me at first. She was lost in her thoughts, pushing the swing gently, sneakers dragging across the dirt. There was something achingly familiar about the way she tilted her head, the way her fingers curled around the chains.
When she finally looked at me—
Time fractured.
The moment our eyes met, something ancient and violent snapped awake inside my bones.
Her.
There had never been a doubt.
I laid her carefully in the back seat, adjusting her jacket, making sure she was comfortable. Even half-drunk, half-asleep, she searched for me—brows knitting, lips parting slightly, fingers twitching like she was reaching for something she couldn't see.
That filthy rogue.
Letting his mutt scare her.
If I'd arrived a second later, there would have been blood staining the forest floor. I swallowed the urge to turn back and finish what I'd started.
She needed me to be calm.
I slid into the driver's seat and pulled away, dialing a familiar number without hesitation.
"What the fuck do you want, Aiden?" Daniel snapped the moment the call connected.
I smirked despite myself. "That's no way to speak to your King."
YOU ARE READING
Challenging King Aiden |✔|
Fantasy"Why? Why me?" I said. Why is it my fate that has to be upside down? "You should be happy. Every women will die to be in your place." The jerk in front of me said, smirking. "Well, I am not every women." I snapped. I should never looked at him. "I w...
