Chapter 12: The Bond

Seraphine's POV

The words tore from my throat, raw and desperate. I couldn't breathe right. Couldn't think straight. Everything felt wrong—my body, my mind, that fucking presence in my head that wouldn't go away.

Kaelen's expression shifted. Regret flickered across his face, but it was too late for that shit now.

"I didn't do anything." His voice was low, careful. "We did this together."

"Bullshit!" I scrambled further back, my hands hitting cold earth. "You—you marked me! You—"

"And you marked me back."

The quiet certainty in his words made me want to scream again. Because he was right. I knew he was right. I could still taste his blood on my tongue, could still feel the moment my teeth had sunk into his throat.

Oh god. What have I done?

I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to block out that foreign presence. It was like having someone else's thoughts rattling around in my skull. Not words, exactly. More like emotions. Feelings that weren't mine but somehow were.

Shock. Regret. Unease.

All of it coming from him.

"Stop it," I snapped. "Get out of my head!"

"I can't." Kaelen's jaw tightened. "Neither can you."

I tried harder, mentally shoving against that connection, trying to push him out. Nothing happened. The bond—because that's what this was, wasn't it?—stayed exactly where it was.

Solid. Permanent. Unbreakable.

"The mark is complete," Kaelen said quietly. "We're bonded now. Both of us."

"No." My voice broke. "No, that's not—we can't be—"

But even as I said it, I felt his emotions shift. A wave of anger crashed into me, so intense it made me dizzy. Not my anger. His.

"Don't do that!" I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to separate his feelings from mine. "Don't—keep your shit to yourself!"

"I'm not doing anything." His eyes flashed gold for a second. "You think I want this? You think I chose this?"

The accusation stung. Made my own anger flare hot and bright.

"Fuck you," I spat. "You're the one who—"

"You bit me too, Sera." His voice went hard. "Don't pretend this is all on me."

My hand flew to my neck, fingers brushing over the raised skin there. It still hurt—a dull, throbbing ache that pulsed in time with my heartbeat.

Across from me, Kaelen touched his own neck, wincing slightly.

Can he feel what I feel? Does it work both ways?

The answer came immediately, not in words but in certainty. Yes. Of course it did. That's how bonds worked.

I wanted to throw up.

Instead, I started grabbing for my clothes. My shirt was shredded, barely holding together, but I yanked it on anyway. My hands shook so badly I could barely work the buttons.

"Sera—"

"Don't." I couldn't look at him. Couldn't face what we'd done. "Just don't."

I pulled on my jeans, every movement jerky and uncoordinated. My brain felt like static. White noise. Panic screaming beneath everything else.

This is a mistake. A huge fucking mistake. I need to leave. Need to get away from him before—

Before what? Before the bond got stronger? Before I couldn't leave at all?

Too late for that.

I stood up, swaying slightly. The forest spun for a second before settling. I oriented myself, trying to remember which direction I'd been heading before everything went to hell.

East. Toward human village. Toward Lyralei.

"Where are you going?"

Kaelen's voice came from behind me. I didn't turn around.

"None of your business."

I heard him move, heard the rustle of fabric as he dressed. Then footsteps, quick and deliberate.

He appeared in front of me, blocking my path. His eyes had that dangerous golden edge again.

"Move," I said coldly.

"Answer the question."

"I don't owe you anything." I tried to step around him. He shifted, staying in my way. "Get out of my way, Kaelen."

Through the bond, I felt his anger spike. It hit me like a physical force, making my knees buckle slightly.

"What the fuck do you mean you don't owe me anything?"

"Exactly what I said." I met his eyes, forcing myself not to flinch. "We're nothing to each other."

That wasn't true. The bond made it a lie the second it left my mouth. But I kept going anyway.

"What happened—it didn't mean anything. It was a mistake."

"A mistake." His voice went dangerously soft.

"Yes." I lifted my chin. "So let's just pretend it never happened and go our separate ways."

The emotions that slammed through the bond were so intense I actually staggered. Rage. Disbelief. Something that felt almost like hurt.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious." I tried to sidestep him again. "Now move."

His hand shot out, gripping my arm. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to stop me.

"Let go," I warned.

"Not until you explain what the hell you're talking about." His eyes were fully gold now, wolf rising to the surface. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I told you—none of your business!"

I tried to yank my arm free. His grip tightened.

"Everything about you is my business now."

"Bullshit!" I shoved at his chest with my free hand. He didn't budge. "You don't own me just because we—because of what happened!"

"That's not what I said." His voice dropped lower, more controlled. Way more dangerous. "But you can't just walk away from this. From us."

"There is no us!" The words came out sharp and desperate. "There's nothing between us except a mistake that shouldn't have happened!"

The bond pulsed with his fury. I felt it building, felt the moment his control started to slip.

"Where. Are. You. Going."

Not a question anymore. A demand.

"Fuck off!" I tried to pull away harder. "It's not your problem!"

"Answer me, Sera."

"No!"

I twisted, trying to break his hold. He was too strong. Too fast. His other hand came up, catching my wrist.

"Tell me where you're going!"

"Let me go!" I brought my knee up, aiming for his stomach. He blocked it easily, using his leg to knock mine aside.

"Stop fighting me and just talk to me!"

"I don't have to tell you anything!" My wolf surged forward, ready to shift. "You're not my Alpha!"

Something shifted in his expression. Went cold and hard.

Then I felt it.

An invisible weight crashed down on me, pressing against my wolf, forcing her back. Alpha dominance, pure and absolute.

My attempted shift died before it even started. I gasped, feeling my wolf cower under that pressure.

"Don't," Kaelen said softly. "Don't make me do this."

I tried again, calling my wolf forward. The same invisible force slammed her back down.

No. No no no. He can't do this. He can't control me like this.

But he could. And he was.

Before I could process what was happening, he had me turned around, back pressed against a tree trunk. Both my wrists pinned above my head in one of his hands.

"Let me go!" I thrashed against his hold, trying to twist free. "You have no right—"

"In my territory? I have every right." His face was inches from mine, eyes blazing. "Now stop being stubborn and tell me what's going on."

I tried to bite him. He jerked his head back just in time.

"Once was enough," he said dryly.

"Fuck you!"

I brought my knee up again, harder this time. He shifted his weight, blocking it with his thigh.

We struggled for another few seconds before I realized it was pointless. He was stronger. Faster. And that Alpha dominance kept my wolf completely suppressed.

I was trapped.

My breathing came harsh and ragged. Through the bond, I felt his determination, his frustration, and underneath it all—concern.

That made it worse somehow.

"I can stay like this all day," Kaelen said quietly. "Or you can talk to me."

I glared at him, jaw clenched.

"Your choice, Sera."

I wanted to keep fighting. Wanted to tell him to go to hell and mean it.

But what was the point? He wasn't going to let me go. And I couldn't shift to get away.

Lyralei. I need to get to Lyralei.

"Fine," I bit out. "Fine. You want to know? I'm going to find my sister."