Her eyes narrowed, burning with fury. "You wouldn't dare."
"I can." There was no humor in his tone. She had an idea of how werewolves can be possessive for their mate. They'd do anything to keep them by their side. Not that witches weren't possessive, they are. But werewolves, damn they had that primal thing about it.
She couldn't afford that.
"But I won't." His words knocked her completely out of herself. She looked at him for any signs of a lie.
"I won't," he repeated, softer this time. "Because I respect your consent. I won't mark you without it."
Relief flickered through her veins. If he had done that then she was so damn done for.
Kaelith said, his voice softer, almost pleading—"But please… comply with me." His eyes were back to steel-grey, burning into hers with raw intensity.
She hated that his touch unsettled her, his palms hot against the bare skin of her waist where her shirt had ridden up. The mate bond burned through her nerves, a dangerous warmth. She closed her eyes for a heartbeat, forcing herself to focus. She had to stay sharp.
"Leave."
His brows furrowed. "What?"
She opened her eyes, ice in her gaze. "I said leave me alone."
For a moment Kaelith just looked at her, as though searching for even the faintest hints of warmth. But there was none— no flicker of emotion. And that hurt him more than her words.
Still, he stepped back. He held her gaze a moment longer, before turning, slamming the door shut behind him.
The emptiness he left behind felt colder than she expected. She told herself she should feel nothing. But the hollow ache gnawed at her chest anyway.
And damn it all, she hated that it hurt.
—
Kaelith slammed the door behind him only to freeze in his steps. There, at the far end of the hall, Lira leaned against the wall, arms folded, worried.
He heaved a heavy sigh. Of course she'd seen everything.
"Wow, Kael." Her lips curled into a grin. "You found your mate."
"Yeah," he said, still in a daze. His gaze drifted back to the closed door behind him. His mate. His wolf practically howled the word in his mind that made his chest tighten
"I'm so happy for you." His little sister said, literally throwing her arms around him. He patted her hair absentmindedly, his thoughts still tangled with the scent and feel of Isla.
"Thanks, Lira,"
"Although… she didn't exactly take it well, did she?" Lira moved away and now concern flickered in her eyes.
His jaw tightened. "She didn't," He admitted, his tone sharpening, "but not for the reason you'd think. She knew what we are."
"What?" Lira's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Seriously? But—how?"
"That," he said darkly, "is something she'll have to explain." His mind was already burning with questions.
For a moment, shock held Lira still. Then, as if someone swaped a switch, she squealed and actually began bouncing on her toes. "Still! I'm so happy for you! Kael. You have a mate!"
He blinked at her, startled by the burst of joy then couldn't help but laugh. "You're impossible."
"I can't wait to see Mom and Dad's faces." She winked and darted off, tiptoeing.
Kaelith shook his head, watching her disappear down the hall. He didn't know how his parents were gonna react to him finding his mate, not forgetting the part she was human. But on second thought he didn't care. Isla was his mate. Chosen by fate. His second chance. Nothing else mattered. His wolf was thrashing against his chest, demanding he go back, and claim his mate, never letting her out of his sight.
Instead, his steel-grey eyes drifted down the hall toward her room. He hated leaving her there instead of pulling her into his own room. But forcing her would only drive her further. She needed time. With a clenched jaw, he shoved the rising need down and sent a sharp command through the mindlink to Xavier.
—
Back in the room, Isaldora sat on the bed, drowning in her thoughts. A mate? That was never in her damn plans. Honestly, she never even thought she'd have one. She always believed her chance at that died the night Aetherwyn burned. And now… Kaelith? Being her mate? She had no clue what the hell to do with that.
Her revenge wasn't done, not even close, and now the whole mate-bond mess was tangled in the middle of it. Sure, she could vanish from here anytime she wanted—teleport and poof, gone. Kaelith couldn't stop her. But the problem? She couldn't. Because the mate bond was stronger than that. Even if it had only snapped into place now, she knew it had been simmering ever since she first laid eyes on him.
And Kaelith? He had to be going crazy, wondering why he hadn't sensed her earlier. Any werewolf could sniff their mate out the second they shifted after sixteen. But witches… witches were different. They didn't usually find their soulmate until they hit nineteen. That's part of why he hadn't felt it before. The other part? She'd been veiling herself—power, scent, everything. And somehow, that veil must've slipped when she'd snapped at Xavier earlier.
Speaking of Xavier, her thoughts shifted to Renna. Last time she saw her, the poor girl was shaking like a leaf. Who knew what the hell Xavier had pulled to make her look that terrified? But still, Xavier was her mate… he wouldn't hurt her. Right?
Isaldora was still tangled in her head when the door creaked open. She tensed, ready to snap, until she saw a she-wolf step in, head bowed. Behind her was Renna—looking like absolute hell.
"Luna, the Alpha and Beta asked me to escort her to you," the she-wolf mumbled.
Isaldora almost bit her head off for using Luna, but settled for rolling her eyes. With a flick of her hand, she dismissed the wolf.
The second the door shut, Renna bolted forward and slammed into Isaldora, hugging her like her life depended on it, tears streaming. Isaldora froze, hands hanging awkwardly at her sides. Slowly, she lifted them and gave Renna the weakest little pat, trying to calm her down. Okay, she was not good at this, duely noted.
Then she gently pushed her back, eyes narrowing. Her tears were irritating her a tad bit.
"Alright," she said firmly. "Tell me what the hell happened out there."
Renna sniffled hard, still shaking. "He… he said he wanted to tell me something and then—then he just—shifted into this big-ass wolf."
Isaldora's jaw ticked. Asshole. That moron actually shifted in front of a human? Was he out of his mind? Idiot. She cursed Xavier every way she knew how.
Her gaze softened just a notch as she looked back at Renna. "Renna, you already know about me being a witch. Didn't it ever cross your mind that there could be… other things out there too?" She winced as the words left her mouth. Bad phrasing. Real bad.
Renna's gaze snapped up. "How could I not freak out? The guy I've been dating for two months just turned into a monster right in front of me!"
Isaldora blinked. "Wait—two months? Seriously?" That was news. Her stone-faced secretary? Dating? That she did not see coming.
Renna blushed, fumbling. "Y-yeah… you know, dating. And… other stuff."
Isaldora's brow shot up for half a second before her eyes widened, the pieces clicking together. "Oh my god. Workouts?" Her mouth dropped open. The infamous "workouts" Renna always used as an excuse… oh, crap.
Renna chuckled through her tears, shaking her head. "I didn't know how else to explain it, okay? But the second I met him, I just… melted. Things got heated fast, and then after a while, he asked me to be his girlfriend. And I was so damn happy I said yes. But now…" Her voice cracked, her smile collapsing.
Isaldora sighed, steeling herself. Alright. Here goes nothing.
"Renna," she said finally, voice steady, "you're Xavier's mate."
Renna just stared at her like she'd grown a second head.
"You can think of it like… I don't know, a locked-in lover. Permanent. No break-ups, no switch-outs," she explained, but the words only made Renna's frown deepen.
Isaldora sighed, this is frustrating man. "Every supernatural has someone they're tied to, a destined partner," she continued, her tone smoother now. "Call it soulmates, beloveds, whatever you want. For werewolves, it's a mate. And like it or not, that's what you are to Xavier. You were literally made for him."
——
"Seriously, Xavier? Couldn't you have used that thing in your skull called a brain?" Kaelith growled, rubbing his temples like he was one second away from losing it. "Of all the dumb-ass shit you could've done—you shifted? In front of a human?"
Yup. The genius had shifted right in front of Renna, thinking it was a good idea.
"I—I wasn't thinking, alright?" Xavier blurted, pacing like a lunatic. "One second we're making out, and I'm like… hell, it's been two months, we grew closer, she deserves to know she's my mate—so I just—" He dragged both hands down his face. "I fucked it up big time, man. I thought it would be some big… I don't know… romantic reveal. Instead, she freaked out—looked at me like I was a damn monster. And now—" His voice cracked with panic. "Now I don't even know if she'll ever look at me again without fear."
Kaelith let out a sharp laugh. "And what exactly did you expect, huh? That she'd clap her hands and go, oh wow, my boyfriend's a giant freaking wolf, how cute!? That she'd swoon and call you her fairytale beast?"
"Man, I didn't think it'd blow up like that," Xavier muttered, face red as hell.
rough. "At least your mate took it better than mine."
Kaelith's expression darkened, his eyes hardening at the mention. He still couldn't wrap his head around it—how Isla had known about their world.