The bond didn't let me forget him.
Not for a single moment.
Even hours after dawn had fully broken, after the forest had shaken off its night chill and birdsong filled the air, his presence lingered like a second heartbeat beneath my skin. It wasn't loud or overwhelming—just constant. Steady. A quiet reminder that something fundamental had changed.
I felt him in everything.
In the way my senses sharpened, colors brighter, sounds clearer.
In the way my wolf paced restlessly, not anxious, not threatened—aware.
In the heat that curled low in my stomach whenever my thoughts drifted, uninvited, back to golden eyes and restrained strength.
This is not normal, my wolf muttered.
"No," I agreed softly. "But it feels… right."
She didn't argue.
That scared me more than anything else.
By midday, the forest shifted.
I felt it before I heard it—a pressure in the air, like the world drawing a slow, measured breath. The birds went silent one by one. Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
He was near.
I didn't know how I knew. I just did.
The bond warmed, not flaring wildly, but glowing—an intimate heat that settled into my bones. My pulse quickened, anticipation tightening my chest in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
"You're doing this on purpose," I muttered under my breath.
Am I? his voice echoed in my mind, smooth and unmistakably amused.
I stopped walking.
"Stop sneaking around," I said aloud. "If you're here, show yourself."
A soft chuckle brushed against my thoughts. Impatient already.
The shadows ahead shifted, folding back like a curtain, and he stepped into view.
Daylight revealed him differently.
Less mythic. More dangerous.
The sun caught in the sharp lines of his face, tracing strength and control into every feature. Without moonlight to soften him, he looked solid, real—power anchored in flesh and blood rather than legend.
My throat went dry.
He noticed.
His gaze lingered on me with unmistakable awareness, slow and deliberate. You are looking at me as if you have never seen me before.
"Daylight suits you," I said coolly, refusing to admit how affected I was.
His lips curved. You are lying.
Heat crept up my neck.
He moved closer, stopping just within arm's reach. Close enough that I could feel him—not just his warmth, but the way the bond reacted, tightening slightly, as if encouraging the distance to close further.
"You shouldn't be here," I said, though I didn't move away.
Neither should you, he replied. Yet here we are.
I crossed my arms. "If this is about checking whether I'd changed my mind—"
It isn't.
That stopped me.
His expression shifted, amusement fading into something more serious. The bond awakened last night. That makes you… visible.
"Visible to who?"
Everyone.
A flicker of unease twisted through me. "You said there would be consequences."
I did.
"And?"
His gaze softened slightly. I wanted you to experience one day of peace before they begin.
The concern in his voice startled me.
"You didn't have to do that," I said quietly.
I wanted to.
The words settled between us, heavy and intimate.
Silence stretched, charged and dangerous.
My wolf pressed forward again, curious and bold. Ask him, she urged.
"Ask what?"
Why he hasn't touched you again.
My breath hitched.
I lifted my eyes to his. "Why are you keeping your distance?"
A slow inhale.
Because if I don't, he said, I will cross a line that cannot be uncrossed.
My heart pounded. "You already crossed plenty."
Not that one.
Something about his restraint sent a shiver through me more powerful than any claim could have.
"Is it really restraint," I asked softly, "or are you afraid?"
His eyes darkened.
Of you? he murmured. No.
"Of what this means," I pressed.
For a moment, the Beast King said nothing.
Then, quietly: Yes.
The admission hit harder than any display of power.
Before I could respond, the bond flared sharply.
Not heat—warning.
I stiffened. "You feel that too, don't you?"
He turned instantly, posture shifting into something lethal. An Alpha.
The word barely left his mind before a presence slammed into the clearing—aggressive, sharp, invasive.
A man stepped forward from the trees, tall and broad-shouldered, his aura flaring openly in challenge. His gaze locked onto me first, then flicked to the Beast King with thinly veiled hostility.
"So it's true," the Alpha sneered. "The lost girl bonds herself to a monster."
I bristled. "I didn't bond myself to anyone."
His eyes dragged over me possessively. "You belong to the packs."
A low growl vibrated through the clearing—not from me.
From him.
The Beast King stepped forward, placing himself subtly between us. Not hiding me.
Shielding me.
Choose your next words carefully, his voice thundered in the Alpha's mind.
The Alpha laughed nervously. "You think I'm afraid of you?"
"Yes," I said calmly. "You are."
His attention snapped back to me, surprise flickering across his face.
"You feel it, don't you?" I continued. "That I'm not prey."
The bond pulsed, power answering my confidence.
The Alpha hesitated.
That was all it took.
He retreated.
Not gracefully. Not proudly.
The forest swallowed him whole, leaving behind silence and the echo of my own heartbeat.
I let out a shaky breath. "That went better than expected."
The Beast King turned to me slowly, gaze intense. You stood your ground.
"I learned from the best."
Something in his expression shifted—dark, pleased, and unmistakably proud.
You will drive them mad, he said softly.
Standing beside me without fear.
"I am afraid," I admitted. "I just don't want that fear to own me."
He reached out then—hesitating only a second—before brushing his fingers against my wrist.
The contact sent a shock through both of us.
The bond flared hot, no longer patient.
His breath hitched.
If I don't pull away now—
"Then don't," I whispered.
That was all the permission he needed.
His hand slid to my waist, firm but controlled, anchoring me against him. The world narrowed to heat, breath, and the steady thrum of power humming between us.
His forehead rested against mine again.
Tell me to stop, he murmured.
I tilted my head up, lips brushing his cheek—so close it made my knees weak.
"Not today."
A growl—low and dangerous—rumbled from his chest.
His lips hovered a breath away from mine.
So close.
Too close.
Then he pulled back abruptly, chest heaving, eyes blazing.
Soon, he said again, voice rough. When the world knows what you are. When they understand that you chose this freely.
I exhaled shakily. "You enjoy torturing me."
Only a little.
Despite myself, I smiled.
As he stepped away, the bond settled—not quiet, but steady. Alive.
Rest tonight, he said. Tomorrow, everything changes.
I watched him disappear into the forest, heart pounding, skin still burning where he'd touched me.
My wolf curled contentedly inside me.
He's falling, she said smugly.
"So am I," I whispered.
And this time, I didn't fight it.