The heavy doors slammed shut behind him.
He didn't speak.Didn't explain.Didn't turn around.
Just branded her with a glowing mark, looked her in the eyes like he wanted to ruin her soul, and then walked away like none of it meant anything.
Auren stood frozen for a full minute after he left, heart in her throat, skin still flushed from the heat of his touch.
She looked down.
The mark was still there, twisting like fire under her skin, glowing faintly just above her collarbone. She pressed her hand to it.
Still warm.
Still his.
She gritted her teeth and turned away.
The room they gave her was dim, but not cold. It had a bed, a fire, and clean sheets that smelled like herbs and pine.
But comfort meant nothing when her whole body felt like it was buzzing.
Like he'd activated something.
She tried to sleep. Rolled onto her back. Then her side. Then her stomach. The pillow was too hot. The room was too quiet.
Her body was too aware.
Of him.
Of the bond.
Of the way her core clenched every time she remembered the way he'd growled against her throat.
Her thighs pressed together.
No.
No, no, no.
She flipped over again and squeezed her eyes shut.
But her mind wouldn't stop.
Not when she could still feel the heat of his breath on her neck. The way his fingers had hovered near her jaw like he'd wanted to devour her.
The mark pulsed beneath her skin.
She cursed under her breath.
And then, before she could stop herself—
Her hand slipped down.
Just to ease the ache.
Just to release the tension.
Just to… breathe.
She touched herself softly at first, trying to be quick, quiet, casual.
But the second her fingers grazed her center, her mark flared.
A shockwave hit her chest.
Her back arched.
And deep in the distance, so faint she thought she imagined it, she heard it.
A sound.
A howl.
Long. Deep. Raw.
Followed by the unmistakable crash of something breaking.
She froze.
Breath hitched. Eyes wide.
No fucking way.
She yanked her hand back like she'd touched fire. Sat up. Clutched the blanket to her chest and waited—but the hall stayed quiet.
Nothing.
Just her heart pounding like it wanted out of her chest.
She told herself it wasn't him.
That it was a coincidence.
That he hadn't felt it.
But she didn't touch herself again.
And when she finally fell asleep hours later, it wasn't peace that took her.
It was exhaustion.
Morning came cold.
She woke with the mark still hot on her skin.
Still glowing.
Still throbbing.
The Beta met her outside her room, handed her a coat, and told her the Alpha would be in the war hall if she needed to speak with him.
She didn't respond. Just walked.
Angry. Confused. Humiliated.
And aching.
The doors to the hall creaked as she pushed them open.
And there he was.
Ronan.
At the far end of the chamber, one arm braced against the stone wall, the other hanging limp. His knuckles were bloodied. His breathing was uneven. His shirt was gone.
His eyes, those wild golden eyes, looked wrecked.
Dark circles beneath them.
Sweat on his temples.
He looked like he hadn't slept.
Like he'd spent the night fighting a war.
Her war.
Good.
She walked straight toward him, boots echoing like thunder.
He didn't turn.
Didn't move.
Didn't need to.
She stopped a foot away and folded her arms.
"Rough night?"
Still silent.
She let her eyes drift down to his hand. The blood on his knuckles. The tension in his jaw.
Then she leaned in close, just enough to taunt, just enough to test.
"Next time," she whispered, "just come take what you want."
His body snapped tight.
Breath hissed out of him like he'd been punched in the gut.
And for the briefest second, his hand moved toward her waist.
But he stopped himself.
Again.
Her lips curled. "Didn't think so."
She turned and walked away.
And this time…
he watched her go.
The moment she left the war hall, she could feel them.
Eyes.
Watching. Tracking.
The wolves of Moonridge didn't speak. They didn't smile. They didn't approach.
But they knew.
Whatever she was to their Alpha… it had already spread.
And the tension?
Thick enough to choke on.
Auren kept walking. Chin high, jaw set, every step screaming I dare you.
No one dared.
Not yet.
By midday, she found herself in the small courtyard behind the training hall. It was overgrown and cracked with ice, but the sun cut through just enough to feel almost warm.
She needed space. Air.
Her skin still buzzed.
The mark throbbed like it had its own pulse now, faint, but always there. She tried not to touch it. Tried not to think about what happened the night before.
The sound.
The crash.
The howl.
It had been him.
She knew it.
And now?
Now he looked like shit. Like he hadn't slept. Like whatever she'd triggered had nearly broken him.
Good.
"Thought I'd find you here," a voice said from behind.
She turned sharply.
The Beta.
"Relax," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm not here to drag you back."
"Then why are you here?"
He looked at her like she was both a puzzle and a lit fuse. "To explain a few things."
She didn't answer. Just crossed her arms and waited.
He stepped closer, keeping his voice low. "He hasn't touched anyone since her. He hasn't looked at anyone. Not even to threaten. Until you."
Auren's throat tightened, but she said nothing.
"You triggered something," he said. "Something deeper than the bond. The curse… it's not just emotional. It's physical. Magical. Ancient."
Her brows pinched. "What curse?"
He hesitated. Then: "When his first mate died in the fire, he made a deal. No one knows the full terms, but when he came back, he couldn't speak. Not with his voice. Not with his wolf. Not unless it was real."
"Real?"
"True bond. Soul-deep. Meant."
Auren's pulse quickened.
"He's held back since then," the Beta continued. "Because he made a promise. To himself. To her memory. Maybe to the gods. Doesn't matter. What matters is that every time he fights it… the curse fights back."
She blinked. "You're telling me he gets punished for not fucking me?"
The Beta's jaw ticked. "I'm telling you every time he doesn't take what the bond wants, it hurts. It burns him from the inside out. His wolf wants to claim. His body wants to mark. His instincts want to breed."
Her cheeks went hot.
"And last night?" The Beta tilted his head. "What did you do?"
She said nothing.
He smirked. "Yeah. That's what I thought."
Auren's nails dug into her arms.
"This bond won't stay dormant much longer," he said. "Either you both give in, or you both break."
He turned to leave.
But paused in the archway.
"One more thing," he said without looking back. "If you think you're the only one dreaming about it now…"
He looked over his shoulder.
"You're not."
That night, she heard him again.
Not his voice.
Not his growl.
His breathing.
Heavy. Unsteady. Right outside her door.
She stayed still.
Eyes open. Heart pounding.
She didn't call out. Didn't move.
And eventually, it faded.
He left.
But her body didn't settle. It woke.
And this time?
She didn't touch herself.
But she wanted to.
Gods, she wanted to.