Chapter 2 Bond Pull
CHAPTER TWO
Sara’s POV
The healer wing smelled of herbs and warm linen, nothing like the cold weight that clung to the Alpha’s office. The contrast hit me the moment I walked in. The room hummed with soft chatter, rustling sheets, and the light footsteps of wolves moving between beds. No one looked at me with interest. No one stared too long.
Good.
The fewer questions, the better.
The woman who escorted me left without a word. I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and adjusted my bag on my shoulder.
A tall man with dark hair and an amused expression approached me. His brown eyes held a hint of mischief, the kind that belonged to someone who enjoyed life far too much for this pack’s rigid atmosphere. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy, as if rules were optional for him.
“You’re the new healer?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m Asher. Warrior. Occasional troublemaker. Please don’t tell the Alpha.”
The corner of my mouth lifted despite everything. “Noted.”
He grinned. “I like you already. Come on, let me show you around.”
The wing wasn’t large, but it was efficient. Shelves lined with labeled jars, cabinets filled with bandages, small private rooms for severe injuries, and a long counter for mixing herbs. I took everything in quietly. These were things I understood. Things I was good at. Things that didn’t hurt.
Unlike bonds.
Unlike rejection.
Asher leaned against the counter, watching me. “So where are you from?”
“Eastwood.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That far? Why transfer here?”
I paused. “I needed a change.”
He studied me for a moment, sensing the finality in my tone. He didn’t push. Instead he nodded toward the last room in the hallway. “You’ll be sharing with Mira. She snores. Good luck.”
I let out a soft breath that might have been a laugh and walked to the room. It was small but clean, with two beds, a desk, and a narrow wardrobe. I placed my bag on the bed closest to the window and sat down.
Finally, silence.
But the moment quiet surrounded me, pain rushed back in. Not sharp anymore, but steady. Heavy. Like a bruise under the ribs that refused to fade.
I pressed my hands together.
He rejected me.
He didn’t even hesitate.
Luna curled deeper inside me, exhausted. Hurt.
Why did fate tie us to someone who didn’t want us?
I had no answers. All I knew was that I couldn’t let myself dwell on it. I came here for a new start. I wouldn’t throw that away because of a bond I never asked for.
I changed into the healer uniform and tied my hair back. Work would keep my mind quiet. Or at least numb.
When I stepped out of the room, Asher waved me over. “Good timing. Beta Adrian wants to meet you.”
My chest tightened again. Another superior.
I followed Asher down the hallway, through a side door, and toward a small office nearby. Adrian stood inside, reviewing a stack of reports. His presence wasn’t as suffocating as Xenon’s, but it held authority. He looked up as we entered.
“Sara,” he said. “Welcome.”
His voice was calm, level. Nothing like the Alpha’s thunderous tone.
“Thank you,” I managed.
“You will be assisting the head healer until you get familiar with how we operate,” he continued. “Your experience from Eastwood is noted. You should adjust quickly.”
“Yes.”
Adrian studied me for a moment longer than comfortable. Not curious, not suspicious. Observing.
“You arrived earlier than expected,” he said. “The Alpha wasn’t informed.”
My pulse skipped. So he hadn’t known I was coming when I walked into that office. Fate really did have a twisted sense of humor.
“I apologize,” I said. “The travel arrangements changed.”
Adrian nodded. “It isn’t a problem. But just so you are aware,” he added, folding his hands on the desk, “our Alpha does not handle surprises well.”
I blinked once.
Asher coughed lightly and muttered, “Understatement.”
Adrian shot him a sharp look. Asher straightened immediately.
I kept my face neutral. “I understand.”
“Good,” Adrian said. “You can begin your duties tomorrow. For today, settle in.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I stepped out of the office before he could sense anything deeper inside me. Before he could smell the bond still lingering. Before he could ask questions I didn’t want to answer.
Asher walked me halfway back to the healer wing. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Adrian is harmless. Mostly. Xenon is the one you should watch. He’s… different.”
I stared ahead. “I noticed.”
“You met him already?”
I nodded. “Briefly.”
Asher tilted his head, studying me again. “You look pale. Are you sure you’re okay?”
No.
Not even close.
But I said, “Yes. Just tired.”
He didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push. “If you need anything, let me know. I’m usually around.”
I gave him a small nod and slipped back into the healer wing. Several healers were tending to wolves with minor injuries, cleaning wounds, applying salves. I joined quietly, offering help where needed. Work steadied my thoughts. Routine numbed the pain.
Hours passed.
Eventually the wing grew quieter. The sun dipped into dusk. Wolves finished their patrols and returned to their quarters. I washed my hands and prepared to leave for the night.
As I stepped into the hallway, a low growl echoed behind me.
Every hair on my arms stood upright.
Not a threat.
A warning.
A presence filled the corridor, heavy and unmistakable. My breath hitched as Alpha Xenon came into view, walking with purpose, his steps silent on the stone floor. His shoulders were tense, his jaw locked. He wasn’t alone. Two guards followed him, but even they kept a distance.
He was heading straight toward me.
My heartbeat quickened despite my best efforts. The bond pulsed faintly, like an ember refusing to die.
His eyes found mine instantly.
That same shock flashed through me. Not desire. Not longing. Something darker. Something restrained.
He stopped in front of me, ignoring everyone else.
“Sara.”
My name sounded different in his voice. Rougher. Heavier.
I kept my posture steady. “Alpha.”
He scanned my face like he was checking for something. Injury. Weakness. Pain. I didn’t look away.
“You started work today,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Silence filled the air, thick enough to suffocate. His guards exchanged a glance like this interaction wasn’t normal for him.
Xenon cleared his throat. “If anyone gives you trouble in this pack, you report it to me.”
The words came out low, almost forced.
I frowned. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“It is,” he said. “Whether you think so or not.”
A strange pressure wrapped around my chest. A pull I didn’t want. A connection I didn’t choose.
I lifted my chin. “You rejected me, Alpha Xenon. You don’t get to give me instructions outside my work.”
His expression darkened. “This is not about the bond.”
“Then what is it about?”
He didn’t answer immediately. His gaze dropped to my hands, then back to my face. Something flickered in his eyes. Regret. Frustration. A silent war he was fighting alone.
Finally he said, “You are under my pack now. That makes you my responsibility.”
“That responsibility ended when you rejected me.”
His jaw tightened again, like my words struck deeper than they should have.
The guards shifted awkwardly.
Xenon took a breath, steady but tense. “Rest. You start early tomorrow.”
The conversation was over. Not because I wanted it to end. Because he forced it to.
He turned to leave, every step sharp with tension. Halfway down the corridor, he paused for a fraction of a second.
He didn’t look back.
But he didn’t need to.
I felt him.
His presence.
His conflict.
His mistake.
And as he walked away, Luna whispered faintly inside me.
He isn’t done with us.
I closed my eyes for a moment. The rejection still throbbed under my ribs, but something in me shifted.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Not with the way he said my name.
Not with the way his eyes refused to ignore me.
Not with the way the bond still pulsed between us, weak but alive.
I walked back into my room and locked the door.
Tomorrow, I would start again.
But tonight, the echo of his voice followed me like a shadow I couldn’t escape.