KAIA’S POV
I wake to sunlight cutting through wide unfamiliar windows, casting golden lines across a room that smells like forest, cedar, and something unmistakably male.
For three blissful seconds, I forget everything.
Then I move.
The mark on my neck pulses—hot, electric, alive—and everything slams back into place. The tavern. The fight. The men. Ronan.
The bite.
"No," I whisper to the empty room. "Tell me this is a nightmare."
But my fingers find the tender flesh where his teeth broke skin. It's real. The bond is real.
I'm trapped.
I sit up slowly, my muscles tight and sore. This room is no sanctuary—this is a den. Bigger, older, carved from stone and history. Symbols of the Duskmore pack decorate the walls—family banners, claw marks etched in wood, dominance woven into every detail.
And it all smells like him.
"You're awake."
I jerk my head toward the voice. Ronan stands in the doorway, solid and unreadable, holding a mug of coffee. He looks like he hasn’t slept, but there’s nothing weak in his posture. He’s all Alpha—steady, imposing, in complete control.
"Where am I?" I rasp.
"My den," he answers. "You passed out after the mark took hold. I moved you here."
"I didn’t give you permission to touch me," I snap, clutching the blanket tighter around me.
"You were unconscious. Shaking. I wasn’t going to leave you on a stone floor."
He enters the room without hesitation, and my mark throbs the instant he nears. My body responds before my mind catches up, a heat coiling low in my stomach that I hate with every breath.
"I want to go home."
His eyes lock on mine, hard and steady. "That’s not possible."
"What do you mean it’s not possible?"
"Pack law," he says simply. "A marked female stays under the Alpha’s protection until the bond settles."
"So I’m a prisoner."
"You’re protected," he corrects. "There’s a difference."
"Feels the same to me."
He sets the coffee on the nightstand and steps closer. "You’re not locked in here, Kaia. But I’m not letting you walk out where half the territory can scent a fresh mark. It would invite challenges. And I don’t intend to spill blood on your behalf when you’re not ready for that."
I glare. "So now I’m a liability?"
"You’re a Luna in transition," he says, voice low and dangerous. "And until your body adjusts, you’re vulnerable. I won’t let anyone touch you."
The possessiveness in his tone sends a shiver down my spine.
"Kaia, I know you're angry—"
"Don’t you dare act like you understand what I’m feeling."
His eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t flinch. "You're furious. You feel cornered. But you're not weak, and I never once treated you like you were. You’re here because instinct claimed you before I could."
"I don’t care about your instincts!" I shout. "You took something from me! My choice, my vow, my freedom—"
"I claimed you," he growls, voice full Alpha now. "Because I had to. You don’t know what it’s like—to feel your mate slipping away while your blood screams to lock the bond. I fought it. But the moment another man touched you, every cell in my body demanded I act. And I did."
I stare at him, furious and trembling, as the mark throbs again—this time deeper. Hotter.
He sees it. "Are you in pain?"
"No," I lie.
"It shouldn't hurt," he says, stepping forward.
"It doesn’t," I snap. "It just... reacts. To you."
His jaw tightens. "It’s the bond. It’s alive. And I can feel it too."
"Great. Shared suffering."
He studies me for a moment, the dominant force in him reined in—but barely. "You’re not a prisoner, Kaia. But while that mark’s still fresh, your body will react. Mine will too. We’re bound. Like it or not."
"And my father?"
"I sent a message. Told him you’re safe, under my care, and not to interfere."
"What did you tell him exactly?"
"That we’re spending time together. That the bond was... activated unexpectedly. I didn’t lie. But I didn’t tell him you want to claw my eyes out either."
I snort bitterly. "How diplomatic of you."
The silence stretches like a wire between us.
"I need air," I mutter, pushing the blanket off.
He gestures toward the balcony. "There’s fresh air through there."
"I mean outside. Away from you."
"Away from me," he echoes. For a second, something flashes in his eyes—hurt? No. Frustration. Hunger, maybe. But then he nods. "Then I’ll escort you."
"I don’t need an escort."
"You do," he says, flat and absolute. "Wolves will scent the bond. Some might challenge me for you. And I don’t lose fights."
I freeze. "Challenge you?"
"You’re marked, Kaia. That makes you Luna. Not every wolf respects that unless it’s enforced. And I will enforce it."
I recoil like he struck me. "I’m not yours."
He leans in slightly, not touching, but close enough for the bond to spark again. "The mark says otherwise. And so does every instinct I’ve got."
"This is a nightmare."
"It doesn’t have to be," he says, low and serious.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"We make it work. Or we destroy each other. Those are the choices the bond gives us."
"Based on what?" I sneer. "Mutual loathing?"
"Based on connection. Based on the fact that I’ve never felt anything like this. And I don’t want to pretend otherwise."
His words land heavy. Too honest. Too raw.
"That’s not enough," I say.
He steps back, nodding. "Then tell me what is."
I open my mouth to answer, but I can’t. Because I don’t know.
"I need to think."
"Take your time," he says. No hesitation. No weakness. Just command.
I move toward the balcony—but before I open the doors, his voice stops me.
"Kaia."
I turn.
He meets my eyes with unwavering certainty. "Will you become my mate and Luna?"
The world stops.
His voice isn’t pleading. It’s not soft. It’s not even apologetic.
It’s a vow. A challenge. An Alpha’s promise.
And it leaves me breathless.