My eyes fluttered open to darkness. The pack house smelled of wood, metal, and… him. Kael. The Alpha. The one who hated me—or at least pretended to.
My body ached, every muscle screaming. The burning mark on my collarbone throbbed with a dull, constant pain. I touched it gingerly, my fingers trembling.
"What… what's happening to me?" I whispered.
The voice that answered wasn't Mira's. It was low, dangerous… controlled.
"You're bonded," Kael said, stepping from the shadows. His eyes reflected the faint torchlight — silver, sharp, unyielding.
I froze. "Bonded? I don't— I don't understand."
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "The Goddess doesn't make mistakes, Aria. You… are my mate."
I felt my stomach twist. "Mate? No. That can't be right. You… you hate me."
His lips twitched into something that might have been a smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I do hate weakness. But the bond doesn't care what I feel."
I swallowed hard. My wolf stirred beneath my skin. There was a hunger, a pull, a whispering voice I couldn't understand, urging me toward him, against my will.
Panic surged. "I can't… I can't do this!"
Kael's eyes softened—just slightly—and for a fraction of a second, I saw something dangerous and vulnerable flicker there. "You'll do it whether you want to or not, Aria. And I'll protect you. That's all I can promise."
Kael
I carried her to my private quarters, ignoring the council elders who tried to intervene. The bond was stronger than I imagined. Every heartbeat, every breath of hers, pulled at me like chains of fire.
She was mine. I didn't want her. But the truth was undeniable: the bond was alive, screaming, and it would kill her if I rejected it entirely.
I set her gently on the bed. Her eyes, wide and scared, looked up at me. I wanted to turn away. I wanted to close my heart and pretend this wasn't happening.
But the bond… it wasn't just a tie. It was a force. It was alive. And it wanted her as much as it wanted me.
"You're stronger than you think," I told her, keeping my tone neutral. "And if we survive tonight, you'll understand what that means."
Her lips quivered. "Kael… I don't want this. I don't even know who I am anymore."
The corner of my mouth twitched. "You'll find out soon enough. And you'll learn to survive… because if you die, I won't forgive myself. And neither will the Goddess."
Her wolf growled softly—fear, confusion, and something else I couldn't name. Desire? Maybe.
I clenched my fists. I had to control it. I had to. The Alpha doesn't falter. The Alpha doesn't yield to a mate he didn't choose.
Yet every nerve in my body screamed differently.
Aria
Hours passed in silence, the kind that pressed against your chest and made it hard to breathe.
The mark on my collarbone pulsed with every heartbeat. It burned, yes—but it also… hummed. A voice, a whisper, deep and low, vibrating inside me.
"You belong to him," it said. Not Kael. Something older, stronger, wiser.
I shivered. "I… belong to him?"
Kael's shadow fell across me. He was sitting in the chair by the bed, arms crossed, eyes never leaving mine. "Yes. And no. The bond is alive. It binds us, but it doesn't erase choice. Yet right now, your survival depends on me."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But my wolf, my body, my very soul, all ached to obey him.
I hated it.
And yet… I couldn't stop it.
Kael
I watched her struggle. Beautiful, defiant, stubborn—exactly what I wanted to break and protect at the same time.
I didn't know how to do this. How to lead a mate who didn't want me. How to control a bond that pulsed like wildfire. How to stop myself from wanting her when every instinct screamed I shouldn't.
The mark glowed brighter. The air hummed.
And I realized with a chill that this was only the beginning.
The bond wasn't just alive. It was hungry. And it wanted more than survival.
Cliffhanger:
A sudden howl erupted outside the pack house. Not a friendly wolf's call—something darker, sharper, bloodier.
Aria flinched. I tensed. My wolf rose instinctively.
The bond flared violently. It wasn't just warning us. It was demanding we fight.
Something had come for us. And it would not leave empty-handed.