Chapter 33 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN SECOND PART
ALORA
I bare my teeth, trying to look threatening even though we both know I'm no match for him. His wolf is easily twice my size, pure predator, and I'm cornered with nowhere to run.
He shifts in a fluid motion that speaks of centuries of Alpha bloodline. One moment wolf, the next moment standing before me in human form, naked and powerful in the moonlight.
His eyes lock onto my red fur, and I see something flash across his face. Recognition? Confirmation?
"Shift," he commands, his voice carrying Alpha authority that makes my wolf whine.
I shake my head, staying in wolf form. If I shift, I'll be even more vulnerable. At least like this, I have claws and teeth.
"I said shift." His eyes flash silver, and the command hits me like a physical blow.
My body responds against my will, the shift tearing through me. In seconds, I'm human again, naked and shivering at the cliff's edge.
"Please," I whisper, wrapping my arms around myself. "Please just let me go."
He stalks toward me, his expression unreadable. "Let you go? After you just broke through reinforced chambers, evaded my guards, and ran into the night?" His voice is dangerously soft. "Why would I do that?"
"Because I'm not worth the trouble—"
"Not worth the trouble?" He laughs, the sound dark. "You've been nothing but trouble since you arrived. Lies. Secrets. Constant defiance hidden behind perfect submission." He's close now, so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "And yet here I am, hunting you down in the middle of the night like you're the most valuable thing in my territory."
"I'm just a slave—"
"Stop." His hand shoots out, gripping my chin. Not painful, but firm. "Stop lying to me. I'm so tired of your lies."
My heart pounds. Does he know? How much does he know?
"You wanted to run before your birthday," he continues, his thumb brushing my lower lip. "Before something happened that you couldn't hide. What is it, Alora? What are you so afraid will be revealed?"
"Nothing," I whisper. "I just—I don't want to be here anymore."
"More lies." He releases my chin only to grab my wrist, pressing my palm against his chest where his heart pounds. "Feel that? That's what you do to me. Every lie, every secret, every moment you hide from me—it drives me insane."
The possession in his voice makes my wolf purr even as terror floods through me. "I don't understand—"
"Don't you?" His other hand slides into my hair, gripping tight. "You know exactly what this is between us. You've been fighting it since the moment you arrived."
The mate bond. He's talking about the mate bond.
"No," I try to pull away. "You can't—I'm wolfless, I can't be your mate—"
"Can't you?" His grip tightens. "Then explain why every unmated male in my territory loses control around you. Explain why your scent gets sweeter every day. Explain why I can barely sleep knowing you're just on the other side of that door."
"That's not—it doesn't mean—"
"It means everything." He leans closer, his breath hot against my ear. "You're mine, Alora. Whether you accept it or not, whether you're wolfless or not, you belong to me."
Tears stream down my face. "You don't know what you're saying. If you knew what I really am—"
"Then tell me." He pulls back, forcing me to meet his burning gaze. "Tell me what you are. Tell me why you're so terrified of your birthday. Tell me the truth for once in your life."
I open my mouth, the confession right there on my tongue. But fear chokes the words back.
If I tell him, he'll either use me or kill me. And if he tries to complete the mate bond knowing what I am...
The madness will destroy him.
"I can't," I whisper.
Something dangerous flashes in his eyes. "Can't? Or won't?"
"Both."
He stares at me for a long moment, and I see his control fraying. The Alpha, the Beast, barely contained beneath his skin.
"Fine." He releases me suddenly. "Keep your secrets. For now." He moves to retrieve something from his discarded clothes—a shirt. "Put this on."
I take it with shaking hands, pulling it over my head. It falls to my thighs, and his scent wraps around me like a brand.
"You're coming back with me," he says, his voice flat. "And this time, there won't be any windows to crawl through. No ventilation shafts. No escape routes."
"You're going to lock me up?" My voice breaks.
"I'm going to keep you safe." His eyes meet mine. "From the Northern Pack. From whatever you're running from. And from yourself."
He takes my hand, his grip unbreakable, and starts leading me back through the forest.
"What happens tomorrow?" I ask quietly. "On my birthday?"
"That depends on you." He doesn't look back. "On whether you're finally ready to stop lying to me."
The walk back feels endless. The sun rises slowly, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. My birthday morning.
We enter through a side entrance, the halls blessedly empty. He leads me back to the east wing, but instead of leaving me at my door, he follows me inside.
"Sleep," he orders. "We have a long discussion ahead of us when you wake."
"And if I try to run again?"
He turns, and the look in his eyes makes my breath catch. "Then I'll catch you again. And again. And again." He steps closer. "I'll always catch you, Alora. You might as well stop running."
"Why?" The question escapes before I can stop it. "Why do you care so much about one slave?"
"Because you're not just one slave." His hand cups my face, surprisingly gentle. "You're something far more precious. Even if you won't admit what that is yet."
He leaves through the connecting door, and I hear the lock click from his side.
I sink onto the bed, my body shaking with exhaustion and adrenaline and fear.
He caught me. Hunted me down and dragged me back.
And somehow, impossibly, kept my secret.
But for how long?
How long before he demands answers I can't give?
How long before my birthday reveals what I've been hiding?
How long before the mate bond he feels destroys us both?
I curl up on the bed, still wearing his shirt, his scent surrounding me.
And despite everything, despite the fear and the uncertainty and the danger, my wolf purrs with satisfaction.
Because he claimed us. Caught us. Kept us.
Even if neither of us knows how this will end