Kael shadowed Lena through Crestwood's empty streets, his boots silent against the pavement. She stormed ahead, her arms crossed, her chestnut hair swinging with every furious step. The mate bond thrummed between them, a live wire sparked by her rejection, I'm not yours—but it didn't stop his wolf from clawing at his control, demanding he follow. She'd walked away from his truth, from werewolves, from him, but the rogue's attack and Vren's lurking scent told Kael she wasn't safe. Not alone. Not tonight.
He kept his distance, blending with the shadows of shuttered shops, but her scent—honey, cedar, sharp with anger, pulled him like a leash. His wolf was a mess, torn between her defiance and the council's threat ringing in his head: Reject her or lose your title.
Rejecting Lena was impossible now; her voice, her fire, had burrowed too deep. But protecting her meant dragging her into his world and she'd made it clear she wanted no part of it.
She turned down a side street, heading toward the park, the same damn park where he'd saved her from that mugger. Kael's jaw tightened. Did she have a death wish? The rogue's yellow eyes flashed in his memory, its claws on her shoulder. His wolf growled, protective, possessive, and he quickened his pace, closing the gap. He'd stay hidden, just watch her home, then figure out how to keep Torin and the elders off his back.
"Lena," he called, low enough to blend with the wind, but she didn't slow. Either she didn't hear or didn't care. Both pissed him off.
The park was dark, streetlights barely cutting through the trees. She stopped near a bench, her breath fogging in the cold, and Kael saw her shoulders tense, like she felt him. Good.
She wasn't as oblivious as she acted. He stepped closer, silent, but his wolf surged, flooding him with her scent, her heartbeat, the faint tremble in her hands. She was scared, angry, his—and denying it was shredding him.
"Stop following me," she snapped, spinning to face the shadows. Her hazel eyes glinted, searching, and landed on him as he stepped into the light. "I told you, Kael, I'm done with your crazy."
"You're not done," he said, voice rough, taking another step. "You're in danger, Lena. That thing in your apartment wasn't random. It wanted you."
She laughed, sharp and bitter. "Right, because I'm so special. I'm a barista, not your... mate." She spat the word, but her cheeks flushed, betraying her. The bond sparked, a heat that made his wolf howl.
"You felt it," he said, closing the distance until they were a breath apart. His height dwarfed her, but she didn't back down, her glare fierce.
"In the café, in your apartment. It's real, Lena.
You can't run from it."
"I'm not running," she shot back, shoving at his chest. Her hands hit muscle, and she froze, her fingers lingering a second too long. His wolf roared, sensing her pull, the crack in her walls.
"I'm living. My life, not yours."
Her touch burned through him, unraveling what little control he had. His eyes flashed gold, his wolf clawing free, and before he could stop it, he grabbed her wrists, gentle but firm.
"You're killing me," he growled, voice thick with need. "Denying this, it's tearing us both apart."
She yanked free, but didn't step back, her breath hitching. "There's no us, Kael. You're... you're not even human!"
That stung, but her eyes—wide, searching,
alive, lit something primal in him. The bond pulsed, hot and heavy, drowning out the world.
He moved without thinking, one hand cupping her face, the other sliding to her waist. She stiffened, but didn't pull away, her lips parting as his thumb brushed her cheek. Her scent overwhelmed him, honey and cedar mixing with something new—desire, faint but real.
"Kael," she whispered, half-warning, half-plea.
He didn't stop. Couldn't. His lips crashed into hers, hungry, desperate, like she was air and he was drowning. She gasped, then kissed him back, fierce and angry, her hands fisting his jacket. The bond exploded, a wildfire binding them, and his wolf took over, instinct overriding sense. His teeth grazed her neck, a low growl rumbling, and before he knew it, he bit, hard enough to mark, not break, his wolf claiming what his human side fought.
Lena cried out, shoving him back. Kael stumbled, the haze clearing as his wolf retreated, leaving him cold. She clutched her neck, blood trickling between her fingers, her eyes blazing with fury and betrayal. "What the hell was that?" she shouted, voice shaking.
"You bit me!"
"Lena…" He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away, tears glinting in her eyes.
"Don't touch me!" She backed up, her hand still on the bite, her chest heaving. "You're insane. This, whatever you think we are, it's over. Stay away from me, Kael."
His wolf whined, pain lancing through him, but her anger was a wall he couldn't breach. The mark was a mistake— instinct, not intent, but it was done. A claim his pack would smell, his enemies would hunt. He'd just made her a target, and she didn't even know it.
"Lena, I didn't mean…" he started, but she turned, storming toward the park's exit, her
steps uneven but fast. His wolf screamed to chase, but he stayed rooted, fists clenched, blood roaring in his ears. He'd screwed up, bad. The council, Torin, the rogues, they'd all come for her now, and he'd handed them the ammo.
He watched her disappear into the street, her scent lingering like a ghost. His wolf was quiet now, sated by the mark but heavy with guilt.
Kael touched his lips, still tasting her, and cursed himself. She was his mate, but he'd pushed too far, too fast. And the danger was only starting.
Lena reached her friend's building, she couldn't go back to her trashed apartment, her neck throbbing where he'd bitten her. She leaned against the buzzer, fighting tears. Kael's kiss had been fire, pulling her under, but that bite... it was violation, possession, everything she'd rejected. She wasn't his. She was hers.
She glanced at her reflection in the glass door, pulling her collar aside. The bite was shallow, two crescent marks, already scabbing. But as she stared, a faint glow pulsed from it, soft, silver, like moonlight trapped under her skin.
Her breath caught, her fingers trembling as she touched it.
"What the hell?" she whispered, her heart racing as the glow flickered, then faded.