Pain. That was the first thing Sienna felt as consciousness dragged her back.
A dull, throbbing ache spread through her body, radiating from the deep gash on her shoulder. Her muscles were stiff, her throat dry, and the air around her smelled of damp earth and… something else. Something unfamiliar yet strangely intoxicating.
She inhaled, her nose filling with the scent of pine, musk, and the faintest trace of blood. It was an undeniably masculine scent, strong and commanding. It sent an odd shiver down her spine.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The ceiling above her wasn't one she recognized. Rough wooden beams crisscrossed overhead, bathed in the dim glow of candlelight. The walls were lined with stone, a roaring fireplace casting flickering shadows across the room.
This wasn't her home.
Sienna shot upright. A mistake.
Pain seared through her shoulder, sharp and unforgiving. She gasped, clutching the wound, her vision swimming. The memory of what had happened in the woods came rushing back, her desperate escape, the rogues, their blood-red eyes, and… him.
The man.
The one who had saved her.
A rustling sound near the fire made her turn.
And there he was.
Sitting in a chair beside the fireplace, his golden eyes locked onto her.
The flickering light played across his face, highlighting the sharp cut of his jaw, the deep shadows beneath his cheekbones. His dark hair was slightly tousled, and his arms lean but powerful, rested on the armrests of the chair. He looked relaxed, almost indifferent, but there was an unmistakable intensity in his gaze.
Sienna swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around the edge of the blanket covering her.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if studying her. Then, in a voice deep and smooth as velvet, he said,
"You're in my home."
His home.
Her pulse quickened. "Who are you?"
He didn't blink. "You don't know?"
She frowned. Of course, she didn't. She had never seen him before, never heard of anyone in the pack with eyes like his. But there was something about him, an air of authority, that made her gut twist with unease.
"I've never met you before," she said carefully.
His lips twitched, as if amused. "Haven't you?"
A slow, unsettling chill crept down her spine.
She didn't have time to dwell on it.
The sharp sound of a door swinging open made her jerk.
Another man entered the room, his presence commanding but not as overwhelming as the one sitting before her. This man was taller, broader, with light brown hair and a scar running down the side of his face. His piercing gray eyes swept over her before he turned to the first man.
"She's awake," he said, his voice clipped.
"Clearly," the dark-haired man replied dryly.
Sienna's patience snapped. "Someone explain what the hell is going on."
The two men exchanged a look. It was quick, but Sienna caught it, the silent conversation between them, the unspoken words.
Then, the golden-eyed man stood.
The sheer force of his presence hit her like a tidal wave. It wasn't just his height or the way he carried himself. It was something deeper.
"You were being hunted," he said. "I stopped them."
Sienna stiffened. "You didn't just stop them. You killed them."
He didn't deny it.
She swallowed. "Why?"
A beat of silence. Then..
"Because you belong to me."
The words hung in the air, thick and heavy, stealing the breath from her lungs.
Her mind reeled. "I don't even know you," she hissed. "I don't belong to anyone."
His golden eyes darkened, the flickering fire casting an eerie glow against them.
"You do now."
The finality in his tone sent a bolt of panic through her.
She forced herself to breathe, to think. He wasn't just some rogue. He was something else entirely, something dangerous.
"What are you?" she whispered.
For the first time, his expression shifted. A flicker of something. hesitation? Regret?
Then, with quiet certainty, he answered,
"Your mate."
Sienna's heart slammed against her ribs.
No. No, that wasn't possible.
She would have known. She would have felt it the moment she saw him. Wouldn't she?
"No," she said, shaking her head. "That's not..."
"It is," he interrupted. "You just don't know it yet."
Her stomach churned.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Mates were supposed to find each other naturally, to feel the bond, to be drawn together by fate. But this… this felt like a trap.
She clenched her fists. "You're lying."
He took a step closer. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, the sheer force of his presence.
"Am I?"
Sienna refused to flinch. Refused to let him see the storm raging inside her.
"I don't even know your name."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, as if he had been waiting for her to ask.
"Kael."
His name settled into her bones like a whisper of something long forgotten.
She swallowed hard. "Let me go, Kael."
His jaw tightened, but his expression remained unreadable. "I can't."
Her breath caught. "Why not?"
A muscle in his jaw ticked. "Because they'll come for you again."
A sharp chill settled in her bones.
The rogues.
She had barely survived once. If Kael hadn't intervened…
She gritted her teeth. "Then I'll fight."
Kael let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "You can't even shift yet."
She flinched. It was true. Her wolf was still weak, still finding its place inside her.
He took another step forward, his golden eyes burning into hers. "You'll die."
The room was suffocating, the air thick with unspoken words.
Sienna's throat tightened. "And if I stay?"
Kael's gaze softened, just barely.
"Then I'll keep you alive."
Silence stretched between them.
Sienna didn't know what scared her more—the rogues who wanted her dead…
Or the Alpha who had just claimed her as his own.