Chapter 29 The Strength of a Bond

Chapter 29 The Strength of a Bond
Sierra

When morning comes, along with the consistent bustle of foot traffic through the corridors marking the start of a new day, I begin to feel that this is my new normal–my life is an everyday commitment to the Draven Pack, with no end in sight. I move through it all automatically–breakfast, the day’s duties list, supplies, procedure. The only thing that really changes is who I might spend my day next to. Thankfully, much of my time is spent alongside Lena. We have begun to form what I think might be a true friendship.

Regardless, my hands are always busy–even when I’m left alone. When I’m working alone, the silence allows my thoughts to easily drift elsewhere.

They’ve been drifting to the same place a lot lately. It has been nearly a week since Kaelen left the estate with his father, without explanation or warning. Just a sudden absence, stretching long enough that the ache of it has begun to dull into something quieter, something easier to hide beneath routine. Yet, the yearning persists alongside the sting of abandonment.

I tell myself it shouldn’t matter. I repeat it often enough that sometimes I almost believe it. Still, when my morning tasks bring me toward the eastern gardens, I feel the familiar pull tighten once again.

The place has become a habit now. I’m often scheduled to work in the gardens. I don’t mind the assignment–the garden is my favorite spot on the grounds. A quiet corner of the estate where the world feels lighter, more beautiful, free.

It just also happens to be where he found me last… and where he kissed me.

I kneel beside the low beds of soil, pressing my hands into the earth to loosen the roots of a stubborn weed. The scent of damp soil permeates my senses and clings to my skin, grounding my soul in a way the rest of the estate never could.

I find myself still in the moment, my breath shallow, the hum of the bond a light flutter beneath my skin. Everything is still. Until it’s not–the light flutter rages into a buzz in the deepest parts of me. The temperature seems to rise as the sun beats down on my skin. I lift my head, checking my surroundings for a clue to the sudden and drastic change I’m experiencing.

My heart starts racing before my mind even has time to catch up–Kaelen is here. For a second, neither of us moves. His presence is unmistakable. The moment his eyes find mine, something in his expression breaks open—relief, urgency, something deeper that makes my chest tighten. To my surprise, he rushes to me, nearly knocking me over when he reaches me. He wraps his arms around my waist as he pulls my face to his, softly placing his lips on mine.

“Sierra.” My name leaves his mouth like he’s been holding it there for days, like a sigh of relief from the pressure built up.

He pulls me closer with startling force, tugging me against his chest as if he’s making sure I’m real. The suddenness of it steals the breath from me, my hands hovering uncertainly for a heartbeat before instinct takes over, and I return the embrace.

The realization of the moment flickers briefly through my mind—someone could see us out here in the open, anyone walking along the garden path—but the thought dissolves beneath the warmth of him, the solid certainty of his arms around me.

He’s here.

“You’re back,” I manage, my voice quieter than I intend.

“I should have told you I was leaving,” he says immediately, his voice low near my ear. “My father decided I would attend the council meetings with the neighboring packs. I was hoping it wouldn’t be as long as it turned out to be. Some meetings went well. Others didn’t. Being the heir, my involvement becomes more and more necessary.”

“That’s… a lot of responsibility.”

“It’s a lot of time away from you.” The words send a soft shock through me. He pulls back slightly, though his hands remain on my arms as if he’s reluctant to let the space widen too much between us. His gaze searches my face, intense in a way that makes my pulse quicken.

“These past few days,” he continues quietly, “have given me time to think.”

“And?” I ask carefully.

His expression shifts—certainty settling into the lines of his face. “And I know what I want.” The words land heavily between us. “Sierra,” he continues, softer now, “whatever this bond is becoming, I’m not going to ignore it–not for my father, not for the pack’s expectations. I understand exactly what kind of future they want to shape for me. Having it play out in front of me these past few days has opened my eyes–and heart–to what future I want for me.”

My breath catches.

“And you don’t want that future–the Draven inheritance?” I ask.

“I want the future that you’re in. No matter the cost.”

The simplicity of the statement leaves me momentarily speechless. My mind scrambles to catch up with my heart, which has already leaped dangerously ahead. “Kaelen, I—this isn’t just about what we want. Your father—your pack—”

“I know,” he interrupts gently. “That’s exactly why I needed the time to think.”

The warmth of his conviction is both comforting and terrifying. Because nothing about the Draven Pack feels simple. Before I can respond, hurried footsteps echo across the courtyard path. A young messenger approaches, bowing quickly when he sees Kaelen.

“My lord, the Alpha has requested your presence immediately.”

Of course he has. Kaelen exhales quietly, frustration flickering across his face. He squeezes my hand once before he reluctantly steps back.

“This conversation isn’t finished,” he says softly.

“No,” I agree, though uncertainty curls through my chest.

He studies me for another moment, as if memorizing the sight of me standing there in the garden. Then he turns and follows the messenger back toward the estate.

After Kaelen is whisked away, I move on with my day’s assignments around the estate. Coincidentally, I find myself in the same wing as Darian Draven’s office.

I polish the stone banister in the hall nearest the Alpha’s wing while my thoughts circle endlessly around the same impossible question, hoping the familiar rhythm will quiet the storm of emotions Kaelen’s words left behind.

He wants me. But wanting something and claiming it in a pack like this are two very different things.

Darian’s office sits at the end of the corridor, its heavy wooden door closed more often than not. People come and go from it all day, their voices low and serious.

One of the younger servants approaches the office door with a tray of various servings of liquor sitting precariously on one hand. He manages to pull open the door successfully. As it is propped open, and he slips inside, I see Kaelen.

The door shuts as quickly as it opened.

Something about the tension and proneness of Kaelen’s posture in his father’s office makes my stomach twist.

I move slowly down the hall, carrying my polishing cloth with me so my presence appears purposeful. The closer I get to the office, the more clearly the muffled sound of voices becomes. The Alpha’s voice carries easily through the thick wood.

“You understand that this is not a matter open for negotiation.”

I freeze beside the wall near the door, my heart suddenly pounding.

“It is an expectation that you will fulfill,” Darian continues. “Your duty to the pack comes before personal preference.”

The words echo in the quiet corridor. I press closer to the wall, straining to hear Kaelen’s response—but his voice is too low, too controlled.

The Alpha answers almost immediately. “The arrangement with the Volaris Pack strengthens our position across the southern border. Their Alpha’s daughter is the obvious choice. After the encounter with the new Archua Alpha, I am confident in this decision.”

My breath stops completely.

“You will form that alliance,” Darian continues, firmly. “You will take her as your Luna when the time comes. This is not optional, Kaelen.”

Silence follows—a heavy, suffocating silence that stretches just long enough for dread to sink deep into my chest.

Then footsteps approach the door. I barely have time to step back before the handle turns. The door swings open.

Kaelen steps into the hallway—and stops when he sees me standing there.

For a long moment, neither of us moves. The air between us feels suddenly fragile, like something important has just cracked open, and neither of us knows how much damage it’s done.

His eyes search my face. And I realize he knows exactly what I heard–enough to set my heart on fire.