Chapter 18 Blood tie
Auren's oov
It was a lot to take in, every single word.
My mind is still trying to separate one shock from another. First my uncle collecting money for me as if I was a property that can just be handed off at any time, Then learning my pack never did proper runs, finding out the whole pack is suddenly empty.
Then this cursed thing called a blood tie.
My stomach feels tight, and it’s not from the stitches alone.
Had Eron done this on purpose?
The thought cuts through me like a cold knife.
It can’t be. He made it clear he didn’t want me, he made it clear what he was looking for.
Then why didn’t he tell me about saying the rejection back to break it fully? He is a trained warrior and of course he should know how the whole rejection thing works.
Or maybe he didn’t
It is his first rejection afterall…….right?
I lift my eyes toward Alpha Dravik again and drop them just as quickly when I see him still staring. Heat crawls up my neck.
“I swear… I have no idea about any of this,” I whisper.
“That’s the most frustrating thing, Auren.” He leans forward in his chair. “I know you have no clue of what I’m talking about.”
I want to ask if he’s angry at me but I don’t want the answer.
“I don’t want to go back to him.” The words slip out before I can stop it.
Like a confession. I regret saying it until I see the corner of his mouth curve.
“Good. Cause I have no plans of giving you to him.” He rises from the chair, standing tall and firm as a wall. “Hope says you’re fine to leave the hospital. You’ll rest better in our house.”
He pauses, his eyes softening just a little.
“Are you up for walking or should I carry you?”
My breath catches as I shake my head fast.
“I can walk.”
Even if it hurts like hell, I can walk. Having him carry me again feels too close and too personal. The thought alone makes my face burn.
“You sure?” he asks.
I nod.I’m in pain but I had learned to endure pain for years and I don’t want him to think I'm too weak, though he looks a bit disappointed that I put a barrier between us.
He watches me take my time not saying anything even when I stop, breathing hard. He moves beside me without crowding me and waits. I push myself up and my body trembles at the weight of its own bones, I had to stop to catch my breath again.
He still stays quiet which somehow makes it easier. I take the first step, pain jumps through me and I swallow it.
Outside the hospital, I make it only a few meters before my breath locks. The stretch of the path in front of me looks ten times longer now. There is no way I am making that walk.
“Let me.”
“I—”
Before I can object, I'm already in his arms. His muscular arms lock me in securely, and my face ends up close to his neck. His skin smells like pine and heat. It’s a clean, grounding scent that steals the air right out of me.
My heart thumps like it wants to escape.
He glances down at me. Our faces are closer than they should be and his eyes track every twitch in my expression. Something warm flickers in his eerie silver eyes, something dangerous too.
For a moment the world slows. The wind hushes and the air between us feels electric.
Is he going to kiss me again?
My eyes went to his lips as I remember the feeling of them on mine before and my heart pounded harder before I could shove the thought away.
“Relax,” he started walking towards the house. “I’m not going to bite.”
The way he says it… my chest loosens. It isn’t softness yet it holds me steady. It feels like being told the truth, nothing more, nothing less. Trust sits heavy in his tone, like he’s offering it to me plain without asking for anything in return.
I let myself rest against him. His arms tighten just slightly as if he had been waiting for that moment.
He struts through the house carrying me like he is proud to. His shoulders stay easy, his stride steady. If anyone sees us, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t slow until we reach his room and he lowers me onto the bed instead of letting me stand on my own.
“You need sleep to heal. It’s going to take time like I said before.” He sits on the edge of the bed, studying the faint wince I try to hide. “I don’t know how blood ties work exactly but the pain may increase.”
“Increase?” My stomach dips.
“Yes.” His tone is blunt. “It’s like when once mate tries bonds with someone else without going through the rejection. The body reacts and the bond strains against it. It pulls and hurts like hell and may kill you.”
What?
“Why would he do this knowing it might kill me?”
He shrugs and leans back slightly, considering.
“There is another angle I have been considering. Apart from the incomplete rejection through which your mate can do a blood tie on you, the other is… family. Some families used to blood tie each other in rituals. Old laws. They did it so that they can be able to find each other wherever they are and get to them. And it also allows them to be able to walk in the pack of the other like they belong.”
“Family…” I whisper.
“Tell me,” he moves to the window. “Apart from your uncle, any other blood relation?”
“No. My uncle is all I know.”
“No siblings?”
“None.”
His jaw clenches. “Did Eron ever lay hands on you?”
I shake my head. “He kept his distance after he realized I wasn’t getting my wolf.”
“When you found out Eron was your mate…” he turns towards me“Did you hope things would change for you?”
The question hits deeper than it should. I nod slowly remembering the intense relief I had felt when I got his scent and found out he is the one. It’s not everyday your childhood friend turns out to be your mate and he didn’t make a fuss right away about me not having a wolf.
I had hoped he is the one person that will understand and won’t abandon me.
Guess I was wrong…….so wrong.
He studies me for a long moment.
“Did your uncle know about you two?”
“No. We kept it a secret.”
Eron had insisted. I used to think it was because he didn’t want my uncle breaking us apart. Now I know the truth.
He was waiting. Waiting to see if I was worth keeping. Waiting to confirm I wasn’t getting my wolf. Waiting to secure someone better before cutting me loose.
He moves towards me.
“Get some rest. I’ll check on you in a little bit.” His eyes slide to the TV across the room and he grabs the remote and hands it to me. “Watch whatever you want.”
I don’t have the heart to tell him I don’t remember how a remote works. I simply nod and watch him leave.
Silence settles once he’s gone. I look at the remote. No clue what button means what so I drop it and push myself up with slow breaths. The window calls to me. A soft chair sits beside it and I walk toward it step by step, holding my stitches even though the pain pricks deep.
I settle into the chair and look outside.
His pack is beautiful. Not painted beautiful…….Real beautiful. The kind that comes from living, breathing things. The homes stretch in neat rows, strong brick buildings, warm light spilling from windows. The air feels clearer here. The Trees rise tall like guardians, their leaves trembling in the breeze.
Warriors walk the paths with easy confidence and Children laugh somewhere below. The whole pack hums with life, power and safety.
Most of all, belonging.
I don’t know what that feels like yet.
I hope I will.
Movement catches my eye.
Alpha Dravik steps out of the main house with the stride of someone who already knows where he’s going. I see his brother Jace fall in step beside him and the one called Garrick joins too. Then another man I don't recognize.
They speak fast and quietly standing rigid like carved stone. There are tense nods among them, Something decided in a heartbeat, Then they turn and disappear into the trees.
I don’t know what they are planning.
I sit there by the window, watching the path they vanished into, waiting for them to return.