Chapter Four: Bloodlines and Warnings
The Alpha Wing is eerily quiet as Ryker pulls a fresh black shirt over his still-healing wound. His scent clings to every surface raw cedar, smoke, sweat, and blood and it lingers on my skin too, as if he's already claimed me just by proximity.
I sit stiffly on the edge of the couch, watching him from across the room.
I should leave. I should run before this goes too far. But after last night's fight, the whispers in the corridor, the heat surging through my blood,vI know leaving is no longer an option.
I'm already bound to him in ways I don't fully understand.
"I have to go to the Headmistress," Ryker says at last, his voice flat, controlled. "You stay here. Lock the door. Don't let anyone in."
I rise. "I'm not your prisoner."
His gaze swings to me, sharp, silver, commanding. "You're not. But if I leave you unprotected right now, someone will try to take you. Maybe worse."
He strides toward me, each step measured, precise, like a predator stalking prey. He stops just in front of me, towering over my smaller frame.
Then he leans down, and his lips brush my ear.
"I'm trusting you to stay alive, little wolf."
My breath catches. "I don't need your protection."
"Maybe not. But my wolf needs you breathing."
He turns and walks out, the heavy door locking behind him with a sharp, magical click.
And just like that I'm alone.
I pace the Alpha Wing for what feels like an hour, heart thudding. His words haunt me. Someone will try to take you.
Take me for what?
Power?
Breeding?
Dominance?
The last word makes my stomach twist.
I've read about what happens when a fated mate is left unclaimed during heat. The hunger turns into sickness. The body deteriorates from the inside. The wolf goes mad.
I press a hand to my chest. I'm not in heat.
Am I?
Then why does my skin feel like it's burning?
The door bursts open.
Ryker storms in, fury radiating from his body in waves.
"What happened?" I ask.
He slams the door shut behind him. "The Headmistress knows."
"Knows what?"
"That you're not human. That you're not even Omega."
I pale. "She suspects what I am?"
"She more than suspects," he growls, pacing like a caged wolf. "She's summoned a meeting with the Council. The Elders. She wants to present you as an 'undocumented Luna.'"
My blood runs cold.
"If the Elders find out who I really am…"
"They'll kill you," he finishes. "Or worse."
My knees weaken, and I sink onto the couch.
Ryker's hands ball into fists.
"I need to mark you," he says suddenly, voice strained. "If I claim you now, they can't touch you. Mates are sacred under pack law. Once I mark you, you're under full Alpha protection."
I stare at him.
His eyes burn with intensity, but also… desperation.
He's losing control.
"Marking me… would bind us. For life."
His jaw clenches. "Yes."
I rise, slowly, heart hammering. "And what if I don't want that?"
He's in front of me in a heartbeat, grabbing my wrists, pulling me flush against him. His chest rises and falls against mine. His voice is a rasp, barely restrained.
"Then tell me no. Right now. Look me in the eyes and say you don't feel this too."
I can't.
Because I do.
The bond is humming like electricity between us, tightening with every second.
He tilts my chin up, nose brushing mine.
"Say it," he breathes.
But my mouth won't move.
I can't lie.
He groans, low and guttural, and releases me. He paces again, muttering curses in languages I don't understand.
Then he turns back, eyes wild.
"I'm going to the Council tonight. Alone. But when I come back"
"You'll mark me?" I whisper.
His expression softens just a fraction.
"No," he says. "When I come back, I'll ask you one last time."
He steps forward and kisses my forehead, gently. Almost reverently.
Then he vanishes into the night.
Later That Night
I'm alone again. Curled in his bed, wrapped in the thick furs that still smell like him. My body aches in strange places. A deep heat coils in my belly.
Is this the bond?
Or is it something darker?
A knock comes at the door.
Soft. Then louder.
I sit up.
"Lyla."
The voice is unfamiliar.
"Lyla Ainsley," it repeats.
My blood freezes.
Only Ryker knows my real name.
I stay silent.
"I know who you are," the voice says. "I know what blood runs through your veins. The Elders have known since the day you were born."
I inch toward the door.
"You think Ryker can protect you? He's just a boy playing Alpha. If he marks you… if the prophecy activates… the realm will burn."
I grip the doorframe, heart thudding.
"What prophecy?"
The voice is quiet for a moment.
Then:
"The one that says a hidden Luna will mate with the cursed Alpha and awaken the Beast King."
My breath catches.
"Leave me alone," I whisper.
The voice softens. "Run, little Luna. Before he claims you. Before the monster wakes."
The silence after is deafening.
I fall back onto the bed, shaking.
And when Ryker returns an hour later, his eyes hollow, hands bloody, I didn't ask what happened.
Because I already know.
He chose to protect me.
And now, the entire realm may be out for our blood.