Aurelia's lungs burned, but her legs refused to stop. Every step carried her deeper into the forest, away from the mansion, away from Kane… away from the truth she didn't want to face.
Yet the pull of the bond was relentless. Her pulse throbbed, each beat a reminder that Kane was no ordinary predator. He was Alpha, the heir to an empire hidden in shadows, a man whose power spanned beyond the forest into the glittering city towers, the secret deals, the wealth no mortal should possess.
"You can run," Kane's voice cut through the night, calm and commanding, "but you cannot hide from fate."
She spun, teeth bared, claws out, but there was no one. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath. Yet, the shimmer of silver in the shadows betrayed him. He was closer than she thought. Always closer.
"You… you can't control me!" she shouted, every fiber of her being screaming to resist him.
He stepped into the moonlight, the red glow painting his chiseled features with surreal clarity. His tailored coat, black as midnight, hinted at wealth and sophistication, a far cry from the wilderness they were in. Yet, every movement he made radiated danger and dominance.
"Control?" he said softly, almost amused. "I don't control you, little wolf. Fate does. And fate… favors me tonight."
Aurelia's hand twitched toward the mark on her collarbone. The bond pulsed, brightening under the crimson moon. Heat flared in her chest, and an almost magnetic force pulled her a step closer and she resisted, teeth clenched, stomach twisting with anger and something else, something she wasn't ready to name.
"You killed them!" she hissed, fury threatening to overtake reason. "My pack, my family!"
"And yet," Kane said, eyes narrowing, "you survived. That is no accident." He took a slow step toward her, and the world seemed to shrink around them. "You're mine, Aurelia. Whether you like it or not. And your survival… proves it."
Her knees wanted to buckle, but she forced herself upright. She had survived massacres before. She could survive him. She had to.
"You underestimate me," she snapped, claws raised again, but Kane caught her wrists with effortless strength. Not forceful, not cruel precise. Every touch seared her nerves.
"On the contrary," he murmured, eyes like molten silver locking onto hers, "I know exactly what I'm dealing with. And it excites me."
Her breath hitched. Rage and desire collided in a storm she couldn't control. This was the pull of the bond, the irresistible force tying her life to his, tying her fate to someone who had taken everything from her.
A rustle from the edge of the clearing drew her attention Rafael, Kane's cousin, leaning casually against a tree, silent but vigilant. "She's stronger than I thought," he said, eyes flicking between them.
Kane's gaze softened just enough to make Aurelia's pulse betray her. "Indeed," he said, his voice low, almost intimate. "Stronger… and defiant."
Defiant. That word burned inside her like fire. She would not bow to him. Not yet. Not when the forest still held secrets she hadn't uncovered. Not when Kane's empire, his shadows, his wealth and power, threatened to swallow her whole.
"You don't understand!" she yelled, spinning and bolting through the forest again. But Kane's presence was everywhere. Every step she took, he seemed to anticipate, always one shadow ahead.
"You will understand," he called softly, almost gently, "when the bond chooses you, not when you choose it."
The clearing opened up, revealing a frozen lake under the red moon. The surface glimmered, reflecting their silhouettes. Aurelia skidded to a halt at the edge, heart pounding. She dared not look at him but instinct forced her eyes upward. Kane stood at the other side, calm, commanding, untouchable.
"You think this is a game?" she demanded. "That I'll ever submit?"
He tilted his head, a small smile playing at his lips. "I don't play games. I make rules. You… will learn them. Sooner than you expect."
Aurelia's hands shook. She had run, fought, and survived countless threats. But this… this bond, this man, this empire he represented it was unlike anything she had faced. It was more than physical. More than survival. It was a test of mind, body, and heart.
And she felt herself losing.
A sudden snap from the forest drew her attention something darker than shadows moving among the trees. Kane's gaze followed hers, sharp and instant. "They know you survived," he said, voice hardening. "And they're coming."
Aurelia swallowed hard, realization dawning. Her survival was no longer just about Kane or the bond. It was about power, empire, and secrets buried in blood and shadows. And if she didn't act fast… she would lose everything again.
The bond flared bright on her collarbone, a searing heat that threatened to overwhelm her. Kane's silhouette blurred slightly, shifting closer, yet impossibly distant.
"You're mine," he whispered, almost a growl, as a new set of eyes gleamed from the trees a rival, an unknown hunter, and another twist in the deadly game they were playing.
Aurelia's heart raced. Fear, rage, and something dangerously intoxicating pulsed through her veins.
She wasn't safe.
She wasn't ready.
But the chase… had only just begun.
The forest erupted in motion. Figures emerged from shadows, not just hunters but creatures tied to Kane's empire and someone whispered her name from the darkness. Aurelia realized, with a jolt: she was not running from one enemy… she was running from many.