Chapter 17 The Pull

Chapter 17 The Pull

Kael's POV

I was halfway home when it hit me, A pull which Sharp and desperate. Like someone had wrapped a rope around my chest and yanked hard and it was consuming me.

I gasped and grabbed the door handle to steady myself.

"Alpha?" Dylan glanced at me from the driver's seat. "Are you alright?"

The pull came again. Stronger this time. It was not just physical. It was deeper than that. Like something was clawing at my soul from the inside.

Serena.

The mate bond. It had to be. She was calling out to me. Through the bond. She was in danger.

"Turn the car around," I said.

Marcus frowned. "What?"

"Turn the damn car around. Now."

He did not argue. He spun the wheel and the car turned so fast the tires screeched against the pavement.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The witch coven."

"Alpha, we just left there two days ago. If we go back—"

"I do not care. Drive faster."

Marcus pressed down on the gas and the car shot forward. But it was not fast enough. Nothing was fast enough.

I could feel her fear through the bond. Her desperation. She was trapped. Alone. And she needed me.

Why the hell did I listen to Cassian? Why did I walk away?

I should have grabbed her. Marked her. Made her mine right there in front of everyone.

But no. I had to be reasonable. Had to give her time.

And now she was in danger.

The drive felt like it took hours but it was probably only twenty minutes. When we finally pulled up to the coven gates, I was already opening the door before the car stopped moving.

That was when I saw him.

Cassian stood in front of the gates, his hands clenched into fists. His face was darker than I had ever seen it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, walking toward him.

He looked at me. "Serena called out to me. Through our connection. She is in danger."

I stopped. Stared at him.

"You felt it too?" he asked.

"Yes."

We stood there for a moment, the realization settling between us.

We both had a connection to her. The same bond. The same pull.

She really was mated to both of us.

"If the witches want something from her badly enough," Cassian said quietly, "they are not going to give her back easily."

"Then I am ready to take her by force."

"Good. Because so am I."

We did not need to discuss a plan. We both knew what had to be done.

I shifted into my Lycan form. My bones cracked and reformed. My skin stretched and fur burst through. Within seconds, I was standing on all fours, easily twice the size of a normal wolf.

Cassian's fangs extended. His eyes went completely black.

Together, we kicked the gates open and stormed inside.

Witches poured out of the building immediately. At least fifteen of them. Their hands were already glowing with magic.

Helena stepped forward. She looked calm. Too calm.

"You were told to leave," she said. "Serena made her choice."

"We want to hear her say it again," Cassian said. "Bring her out."

"No."

"Then we will go in and get her ourselves."

Helena raised her hand. "Leave now. Or you will feel my anger."

Neither of us moved.

She began chanting. Her voice rose and the air around us started to shimmer with magic. The other witches joined in, their voices layering over hers.

I did not wait for them to finish.

I lunged forward, my claws tearing through the ground. Two witches tried to block me but I was faster. I knocked them aside like they were made of paper.

Cassian moved like lightning. One second he was standing at the gate. The next, he was behind Helena.

He grabbed her by the neck and twisted.

The snap echoed across the courtyard.

Helena dropped to the ground, unconscious but not dead. Vampires knew exactly how much force to use.

The other witches screamed. They surrounded us, their magic flaring brighter.

But Cassian was already moving.

He blurred past them and headed straight for the main building. I followed, my paws pounding against the stone.

Behind us, the witches were shouting. Casting spells. But we were already inside.

I shifted back to my human form as we ran up the stairs. My nose was filled with her scent. Lavender and something sweeter. It was faint but I could follow it.

"This way," Cassian said, already ahead of me.

We ran down a long corridor. The scent got stronger. Closer.

Then we stopped in front of a door. A heavy iron door with runes carved into it.

Her scent was everywhere here. But it was mixed with something else. Fear. Pain.

Cassian did not hesitate. He grabbed the door and ripped it off its hinges. The runes flared once and then died.

The room beyond was small. Dark. And there she was.

Serena sat on a bed in the corner. Her dress was covered in blood. Her hair was tangled. Her eyes were red from crying.

But when she saw us, those eyes went wide.

"Cassian," she whispered. "Kael."

Cassian moved first. He crossed the room in two strides and pulled her into his arms.

She clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

Then she pulled back and looked at me.

I walked toward her slowly. Part of me expected her to flinch. To push me away like she had before.

But she did not.

She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest.

I held her. Felt her shaking against me. Felt the bond between us settle into place like it had been waiting for this moment.

"I am sorry," she whispered. "I am so sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have left with you both."

"It does not matter," I said, my voice rougher than I intended. "You are safe now."

"They were going to take my powers," she said, pulling back to look at me. "They locked me in here. Said I was too dangerous. That they were going to drain me."

Rage burned through me. Hot and violent.

I looked at Cassian. He looked just as furious.

"No one is taking anything from you," Cassian said. "Not while we are here."

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Lots of them.

The witches were coming.

"Can you walk?" I asked Serena.

She nodded, even though I could see how weak she was.

"Good. Stay close to us."

We moved back into the hallway. At least twenty witches were blocking our path now. Their hands were glowing. Their faces twisted with anger.

"You cannot take her," one of them said. "She belongs to this coven."

"She does not belong to anyone," Cassian said coldly. "Except herself."

"And us," I added. "She is our mate. And if you try to stop us, I will rip every single one of you apart."

They hesitated. I could see the fear in their eyes. They knew what we were capable of.

But then Helena appeared at the end of the hallway. Her neck was already healed. She looked furious.

"You broke into my coven," she said. "Attacked my people. Stole one of our members. Do you have any idea what you have started?"

"A war," Cassian said. "If that is what it takes."

Helena raised both hands. Magic crackled around her fingers.

"Then war it is."

She unleashed a blast of energy straight at us.

But before it could hit, Serena stepped forward.

Her eyes started to glow. That same red color from before.

And when she raised her hand, the blast stopped in midair.

Everyone froze.

Serena was not shaking anymore. She stood tall, her hand outstretched, holding Helena's magic like it was nothing.

"No more," Serena said. Her voice was different. Stronger. "I am done being your prisoner. I am done being afraid."

She closed her fist.

Helena's magic exploded backward, slamming into her and sending her flying down the hallway.

The other witches scattered.

Serena lowered her hand and turned to look at us. Her eyes were still glowing red.

"Let us go," she said.

I grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

The three of us walked down the hallway together. Past the unconscious Helena. Past the terrified witches who were too smart to try and stop us again.

We walked out of that building. Out of the compound. Through the gates.

And we did not look back.