KAIA'S POV
Ronan's hand stays wrapped around my shoulders as we leave the tavern. His touch is gentle but protective, like he's shielding me from the world.
We walk in complete silence. My legs feel shaky, and every few steps I stumble slightly. Each time, his grip tightens, steadying me.
"Where are we going?" I finally ask when we stop in front of a small stone building I don't recognize.
"Somewhere safe," he says simply, pulling out a key.
I want to ask whose building this is, but the words stick in my throat. I'm too exhausted to question anything right now.
The inside is simple but clean. A small sitting area with a fireplace, a kitchenette, and what looks like stairs leading to a loft. It smells like him - that intoxicating masculine scent that makes my head spin.
"Sit," he says gently, guiding me to the couch. "I'll make tea."
I sink into the soft cushions and wrap my arms around myself. I can't stop shivering, even though it's not cold.
"Here," Ronan says, returning with a steaming mug. "This will help."
Our fingers brush when I take the cup, and the simple contact sends warmth shooting up my arm. I take a sip, grateful for something to focus on besides the way he's looking at me.
"Are you hurt?" he asks, settling into the chair across from me. "Really hurt, I mean. Not just shaken up."
I shake my head. "No. You got there in time."
"Good," he says, but his jaw is still tight with anger. "Those bastards had no right to touch you."
The protectiveness in his voice makes something flutter in my chest. When was the last time someone cared enough to be angry on my behalf?
"Why do you have this place?" I ask, looking around.
"Sometimes I need to get away from the pack house," he says. "Away from all the expectations and politics. This is my sanctuary."
And he brought me here. To his private space, his refuge.
"Thank you," I whisper. "For saving me. For bringing me somewhere safe."
"You don't need to thank me, Kaia," he says softly. "I couldn't let them hurt you."
The way he says my name makes my skin tingle. I set down the mug with shaking hands.
"I should go home," I say suddenly, standing up. "My father will worry if I'm not there in the morning."
"It's the middle of the night," Ronan says. "You shouldn't be walking alone."
"I'll be fine," I insist, even though my voice wavers.
"Kaia, sit down," he says, rising from his chair. "You're still shaking."
"I'm fine," I repeat, but I take a step backward.
He follows, closing the distance between us. "No, you're not fine. You almost... those men almost..."
"But they didn't," I say quickly. "Because you stopped them."
"What if I hadn't been there?" His voice is rough with emotion. "What if something had happened to you?"
The intensity in his eyes makes my breath catch. There's something wild there, something barely controlled.
"But you were there," I whisper.
"I can't always be there," he says, stepping closer. "I can't always protect you."
"You don't need to protect me," I say, but even I don't believe it anymore.
"Yes, I do," he says fiercely. "I have to. I can't explain it, but I have to."
The air between us feels electric, charged with something I don't understand. My heart is racing, and not from fear this time.
"Ronan," I breathe.
"I know this is crazy," he says, reaching out to cup my face. "I know you probably think I'm insane, but I can't get you out of my head. From the moment I saw you at the river, something changed. Something inside me recognized you."
His thumb strokes across my cheek, and I lean into the touch despite myself.
"This is dangerous," I whisper.
"I know," he says. "But I can't stay away from you."
The confession hangs between us like a live wire. I should step back. Should remember who he is, what his family did to mine.
But I can't move. Can't breathe. Can't think about anything except the way he's looking at me like I'm precious beyond measure.
"Kaia," he says my name like a prayer.
That's when I smell it. The change in his scent. Something wilder, more primal. His pupils dilate, and his breathing becomes ragged.
"Ronan?" I whisper, suddenly afraid.
"I'm sorry," he says, but his voice is different now. Rougher. "I can't... the Frenzy is..."
Before I can ask what he means, he moves.
His arms wrap around me, pulling me against his chest. I feel his face bury in my neck, his breathing hot against my skin.
"I'm sorry," he whispers again. "I can't control it."
"Control what?" I ask, but then I feel it.
The sharp pressure of his teeth against my throat. Not quite breaking the skin, but close. So close.
"Ronan, what are you—"
His teeth sink in.
The pain is sharp and sudden, followed immediately by the most intense pleasure I've ever felt. It shoots through my entire body like lightning, making me gasp and arch against him.
But it's not just physical. Something deeper happens. Something that feels like a door opening in my mind, in my soul.
I don't scream. I don't cry. I don't even try to pull away.
I go completely still.
The room stops spinning. Time stops moving. Everything in the universe narrows down to this moment, this connection, this irreversible change.
When he finally pulls back, I stare at him with wide eyes. His lips are stained with my blood, his expression shocked at his own actions.
"Kaia," he breathes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I couldn't control..."
But I'm not listening to his apologies. I'm staring at him like he just set the world on fire, and now I'm standing in the ashes of everything I thought I knew.
This wasn't part of my plan.
He didn't seduce me slowly, carefully, the way I'd imagined. He didn't court me or romance me or give me time to decide.
He marked me.
Claimed me.
Made me his whether I wanted it or not.
My hand goes to my neck, feeling the tender bite mark that will scar, that will mark me forever as his.
"What did you do?" I whisper.
"I marked you," he says quietly. "I claimed you as my mate."