I should have pushed him away.
I should have run.
But I didn't.
My body refused to listen, frozen under the weight of his gaze. Those crimson eyes held mine like chains, unbreakable and suffocating.
"You're wrong…" I whispered weakly. "I already had a mate."
His expression didn't change.
If anything, his grip on my chin tightened slightly—not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me that I wasn't in control here.
"And he rejected you," he said calmly.
The words struck like a knife.
My chest tightened, pain flashing through me all over again.
"Don't—" My voice cracked. "Don't say it like that."
"Like what?" he asked, his tone almost… curious. "Like the truth?"
I clenched my fist weakly against his chest, trying to push him away, but it was useless. He didn't even budge.
"I don't belong to anyone," I forced out.
For a second—
Silence.
Then his lips curved slightly.
Dangerously.
"That," he murmured, leaning closer, his voice dropping into something darker, "is where you're wrong."
My breath caught.
Before I could react, his hand slid from my chin to the back of my neck, pulling me just a fraction closer. The sudden proximity sent a strange heat rushing through my body—unfamiliar, overwhelming.
My wolf stirred again.
Stronger this time.
Not afraid.
Awake.
A sharp pulse of energy surged between us, like something invisible snapping into place.
My eyes widened.
No…
No, that couldn't be happening.
Not again.
"I won't accept it," I said quickly, panic rising in my chest. "I don't want another mate. I don't want—"
"You don't get to choose."
The words were quiet.
Final.
Something about the way he said it made my heart skip—not from fear this time, but from something dangerously close to anticipation.
His thumb brushed slightly against my neck.
And then—
Pain.
A sudden, burning sensation spread across my skin, right where his fingers touched. I gasped, my body tensing as heat flared through me like fire.
"What—what are you doing?!" I cried out.
But he didn't let go.
Instead, his voice dropped to a low whisper against my ear.
"Claiming what's mine."
The burning intensified.
It wasn't just pain—it was something deeper. Something that sank into my bones, into my blood, into my very soul.
A mark.
A bond.
My vision blurred as the world tilted, my body too weak to fight back, too overwhelmed to resist.
"No…" I whispered, though the protest felt fragile… uncertain.
Because beneath the fear—
There was something else.
Something terrifying.
My wolf wasn't rejecting him.
It was… accepting him.
The realization sent a shock through me.
How could it?
After everything?
After Kael?
My breath hitched as the burning slowly faded, leaving behind a strange warmth that pulsed beneath my skin.
His grip finally loosened.
But he didn't step away.
Not completely.
Instead, his fingers traced lightly over the spot on my neck, where the heat still lingered.
"Now," he said softly, almost satisfied, "you won't run."
My heart pounded wildly.
I lifted a trembling hand to my neck, my fingers brushing against the sensitive skin.
Something was here.
I couldn't see it—but I could feel it.
A mark.
Real.
Permanent.
"You…" My voice shook. "You forced a bond?"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"It was already there," he corrected. "I simply… awakened it."
"That's not possible," I said, backing away this time—and he let me.
Finally.
"I already had a mate bond. It was broken."
"And yet," he said calmly, folding his arms as he watched me, "you're still standing."
I froze.
"…what?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, studying me like I was something rare. Something he was trying to understand.
"A rejected bond should have left you far weaker than this," he continued. "Most wolves don't recover so quickly."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What are you saying…?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped back, creating distance between us—but somehow, the space didn't make me feel safer.
If anything…
It made me feel more aware of him.
Of the connection that now pulsed faintly between us.
"You're not ordinary," he finally said.
My stomach twisted.
"I am," I insisted quickly. "I've always been—"
"Liar."
The word was soft.
But it hit harder than anything else.
My breath caught.
Before I could respond, a distant howl suddenly pierced through the night.
My blood ran cold.
I knew that sound.
My pack.
They were close.
"They found you faster than I expected," he muttered, glancing toward the direction of the sound.
Panic surged through me.
"No—no, I can't go back—"
"You're not going back."
The certainty in his voice stopped me.
I looked up at him, my heart racing.
"What do you mean?"
Another howl echoed—closer this time.
Hungry.
Angry.
Hunting.
His expression darkened, something dangerous flickering in those crimson eyes.
"They're not here to take you back," he said quietly.
My stomach dropped.
"Then… why are they here?"
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
A cold, almost amused smile appeared on his lips.
"They're here to kill you."