Chapter 2 - Bound By Blood And Bond

🐺 Chapter II: Whispers of the Past

The forced proximity was a form of exquisite, perverse torture. As Alpha Kael's claimed mate, Lia—now Elara—was given the Luna suite, but the title was meaningless when she woke up every morning wanting to plunge a silver dagger into the throat of the man sleeping beside her. Kael respected her space, sleeping on the far edge of the vast, silk-draped bed, but the Mate Bond was indifferent to distance. It was a constant, low thrum beneath her skin, a terrifying counterpoint to her cold, burning vengeance.

When she was near him, the bond screamed for acknowledgment, filling her with unwanted comfort and an infuriating sense of safety. When he was away, she felt the phantom pull, a worry for his safety that she fought back with savage ferocity. He is the enemy, she repeated like a mantra, staring at her reflection. He killed them. He deserves nothing from me but death.

Her opportunity came three nights into her reluctant residency. The pack was holding a late-night council meeting. Kael, meticulous and commanding, was engaged, leaving the Alpha's study unguarded save for a pair of inexperienced younger guards. Lia, claiming she needed herbs for a persistent headache—a perfect, innocuous Luna chore—slipped into the kitchen wing.

She found the study easily. Her heart hammered not with the thrill of the hunt, but with the pressure of time. She neutralized the scent of the guards with a quick spritz of cheap, overpowering perfume—a trick learned from her rogue days—and used a thin, ancient tool to pick the lock. It clicked open almost silently.

The study was cavernous, smelling of old leather, ink, and Kael's familiar, dominant scent. She ignored the massive desk and went straight for the hidden archives behind a rotating bookcase. She was searching for one thing: the deployment records from the night of the slaughter ten years ago. She needed proof, a physical document tying Kael's orders directly to the bodies of her family, reinforcing her resolve against the maddening pull of the Mate Bond.

Lia ran her fingers over the dusty ledger spines, her breath held tight. She located the old Crisis Logs, pulling out the heavy, leather-bound book marked with the 'Midnight Pack' crest. She flipped to the date she knew by heart—the day her childhood ended.

The entry was short and sterile:

> 10/14/XX: Minor Rogue Incursion (West Border). Perimeter Patrol Units 4 & 5 deployed. Order given: neutralize immediate threat. Casualties sustained by rogue elements. Midnight Pack status: Secure.

>

Neutralize immediate threat. That was Kael's voice, cold and final, written down in ink. Lia felt a fresh wave of blinding hatred. They weren't a threat; they were a small, peaceful family living just outside the border lines. She pressed the ledger against her chest, drawing strength from the cold, hard proof.

As she moved to replace the book, a sound caught her attention—not a guard, but a slight creak from the hallway.

She froze, stuffing the ledger into her dress. Before she could react, the door swung inward.

It wasn't a guard. It was Kael.

Lia's mind raced, adrenaline spiking. She prepared to draw the silver dagger, but the sight of him stopped her. He didn't look like the ruthless Alpha—he looked tired, his granite eyes weary, a smudge of ash dusting his cheek. He stopped dead when he saw her, standing amidst the open files.

"What are you doing, Elara?" His voice held no anger, only a deep, weary confusion.

The Mate Bond twisted painfully in her gut, demanding she speak a kind truth, but Lia forced the lie out. "I couldn't sleep. I… I was looking for a distraction. Some old maps, perhaps. I wanted to see the Pack's borders, understand the land."

Kael studied her face, his wolf testing the sincerity of her scent. Lia held her breath, willing her body to betray no hint of the poisonous betrayal coursing through her.

He didn't challenge the lie. Instead, his entire demeanor softened, a shift so profound it almost buckled her knees. He crossed the room in three strides, taking the heavy ledger gently from her shaking hand.

"The borders are safe," he murmured, his thumb brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. "But you are clearly troubled. Come."

He led her to a large, faded map tacked to the wall, ignoring the archive violation completely. He pointed to a small, isolated section far to the west.

"This is where you are from, isn't it?" he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle. "The territory that fell to the raids?"

Lia swallowed hard. This was the area where her family had lived. The area Kael's wolves claimed to have cleared.

"Yes," she managed, her voice tight.

Kael's eyes went distant, dark with a shadow that looked suspiciously like pain. "It was brutal, what happened there. That loss… it was unnecessary." He turned, pulling her into a protective embrace, a gesture purely instinctual, born from the bond. "I promise you, Elara, this Pack will protect its own. We will not let history repeat itself."

The unexpected tenderness was worse than anger. It shattered the simple image of the monster she had built up. The Mate Bond sang triumphantly at his gesture, filling her with a sickening warmth, fighting the cold resolve the ledger had just provided.

He's a good liar, Lia concluded, clinging to the only truth she knew. A good monster hides his horns. He might play the protective Alpha now, but the deployment log was proof. He ordered the murder. He was guilty.

She pushed back slightly from his chest, meeting his gaze with a calculated flicker of submission and gratitude. "Thank you, Alpha. Knowing I am safe here… it helps."

Kael smiled, and for the first time since their eyes met, Lia saw genuine affection, a terrifying, potent emotion in the face of her enemy. He kissed her forehead—a deep, possessive kiss meant to calm the spirit.

"Rest, Luna," he said, leading her back toward the Luna suite. "We have a long future ahead of us."

A future that will last only as long as it takes me to find the perfect moment to kill you, Lia thought fiercely, clutching the memory of the blood-stained soil to shield herself from the dangerous, confusing warmth of her mate.

This sets the table perfectly. Lia has reaffirmed her hatred using the ledger, but Kael has complicated her image of him through genuine gentleness and protection.