Luca's POV
Day six. One day before I'm supposed to give Rian my answer.
I can't do it. Can't agree to permanent bondage, no matter how good he makes it sound.
So I'm running.
It's just past dawn. Rian is in a pack meeting—I heard Damon summon him an hour ago. The guards rotate shifts at sunrise. There's a fifteen-minute window where the eastern perimeter is less watched.
I researched. Planned. This is my only chance.
I dress in dark clothes, grab a backpack with supplies I've been secretly hoarding—water, food, a map I found in the library. My hands shake as I slip out of the room.
The hallway is empty. I move quickly, quietly, avoiding the main areas. Take the servants' stairs to the ground floor. The back door is unlocked—thank god.
Forest air hits my face. Freedom.
I run.
The trees blur past. My lungs burn. I don't care. I'm running toward the eastern border, toward the neighboring territory, toward escape.
Ten minutes. Fifteen. I'm going to make it.
Then pain hits.
It starts in my chest—sharp, crushing. Like my ribs are caving in. I stumble, gasping, but keep running.
The pain intensifies. Spreads. My legs give out, and I crash to the forest floor.
Can't breathe. Can't think. Everything hurts.
The bond.
I'm too far from Rian. The mate bond is punishing me for distance.
"No," I gasp, clawing at the earth. "No, no, no—"
I try to stand. Collapse immediately. My vision blurs. Is this how I die? Killed by magical bondage because I wanted freedom?
"LUCA!"
Rian's roar echoes through the forest. Then he's there, crashing through the trees in wolf form. He shifts mid-run, stumbling to his knees beside me.
"What did you do?" His hands are on me, checking for injuries. "What the fuck did you DO?"
"Ran," I wheeze. "Tried to—"
"You could have died!" His eyes are wild, terrified. "The bond—at this distance—you could have fucking DIED!"
He pulls me into his arms, and relief floods through me instantly. The pain vanishes. I can breathe again.
"I had to try," I sob against his chest. "I can't—I can't be trapped forever—"
"You're not trapped, you're PROTECTED!" His voice breaks. "Do you have any idea what it felt like? The bond screaming that you were in pain? That I was losing you?"
"You don't own me!"
"I LOVE YOU!" The words explode from him. "I love you, and the thought of losing you makes me insane. Is that what you wanted to hear? That I'm completely fucking gone for you?"
I freeze. He's shaking. Actually shaking.
"You love me?" I whisper.
"From the moment I saw you." His forehead presses to mine. "Why do you think I'm so desperate? So controlling? Because I already lost one mate. I watched Marcus die, felt our bond break, and it nearly destroyed me. I can't—" His voice cracks. "I can't survive losing you too."
Tears stream down my face. "You never told me."
"Would it have mattered?" He pulls back, cupping my face. "You hate me for claiming you. Would knowing I love you change anything?"
I don't know how to answer. Because yes, it changes something. Everything.
"Take me back," I finally say.
"Luca—"
"Take me back. Please."
He lifts me carefully, cradling me against his chest. I should protest. Should maintain some dignity. Instead, I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in.
The walk back is silent. When we reach the mansion, pack members scatter at the fury radiating from their Alpha.
Rian carries me straight to our—his—bedroom. Sets me on the bed with careful precision.
Then he paces. Actual pacing, running hands through his hair, barely controlled rage and fear warring on his face.
"Do you have any idea—" He breaks off. Starts again. "You could have died, Luca. The bond pain at that distance could have stopped your heart."
"I didn't know."
"I TOLD you! I explained that separation hurts!" He's shouting now. "But you didn't believe me. Had to test it. Nearly killed yourself to prove a point!"
"I wanted freedom!"
"YOU HAVE FREEDOM!" His eyes flash amber. "Everything I've given you—the studio, the access, the choices—all freedom! But you're so focused on what you don't have that you can't see what you DO!"
"I can't LEAVE! That's not freedom!"
"You can't leave because it would KILL you!" He closes the distance, gripping my shoulders. "The mate bond is permanent, Luca. That's not my rule. That's nature. Magic. Fate. Whatever you want to call it. We're bound. Truly bound. Separation causes physical pain because our souls are connected."
"I didn't ask for that."
"Neither did I!" His voice drops. "You think I wanted to love someone who hates me? To ache every second you're not near? To be so fucking terrified of losing you that I can't think straight?"
"Then let the bond break. Let me go."
"It doesn't work like that. And even if it did—" He cups my face, thumbs brushing away tears. "Even if I could let you go, I wouldn't. I'm too selfish. Too desperate. Too in love with you to survive without you."
"That's not love. That's obsession."
"Maybe." He laughs bitterly. "Maybe I am obsessed. Maybe claiming you broke something in me. But it's too late now. For both of us."
We stare at each other. Him desperate and furious. Me exhausted and confused.
"What happens now?" I whisper.
"Now?" He releases me, stepping back. "Now you're confined to this room again. With guards. Until the bonding ceremony."
"What? No—you said—"
"I said you'd have freedom if you accepted the bond. You just tried to run." His expression hardens. "You lost that privilege."
"Rian, please—"
"Two days, Luca. The ceremony is in two days. Whether you agree or not, it's happening. Because I won't risk you running again. Won't risk losing you." His eyes are amber. Final. "You're mine. And in two days, the whole world will know it."
He leaves. The lock clicks.
I'm trapped again. But this time, it feels different.
Because I heard what he said.
I love you.
And god help me, some part of me wants to say it back.