"I didn't agree to this." Ivy's voice cracked like ice under pressure, barely audible over the thudding of her heartbeat in her ears.
Killian didn't move, but the air around him vibrated with tension. He was every inch the Alpha now—tall, grounded, power radiating from every breath—but in his eyes, Ivy saw something she hadn't expected.
Guilt. Regret. And something dangerously close to… yearning.
"You don't have to agree," he said finally, voice gravelly but low. "The bond is already formed."
She shook her head, backing away from him until her spine met the wall. Her throat tightened. "No. No, that's not how this works. That can't be how this works. I'm not some… prize to be claimed, Killian!"
"I know," he said gently. "You're not."
"Then why the hell did you—" Her voice broke. She slammed her fist against the wall in frustration, tears pricking her eyes. "You said you saved me. That it was instinct. But now you're saying I'm yours?"
He nodded, the movement slow and painful. "I'm saying that I marked you out of instinct to protect you from Liam's bond. You were still carrying his scent. The bond was already starting to twist inside you, pulling you back to him, even if you didn't realize it. I had to break it before it took root."
Ivy blinked. "Wait. Liam… bonded with me? But I never—he never…"
"It can happen without mating. Even his possessiveness, his obsession, can initiate the bond if your wolf was weak—or confused. And you were vulnerable, Ivy. You were hurt and scared, and he took advantage of that." Killian's voice was rough now, angry. "I couldn't let it stand. So I… overrode it."
Her knees nearly buckled. She caught the edge of the table for balance, trying to breathe. "So now what? You're saying I belong to you instead?"
"No." Killian stepped closer, his voice steady. "I'm saying you're safe from him. And what happens next… is up to you."
Ivy stared at him. Her chest ached, caught between fear and something she didn't want to name. She should be running. Screaming. Breaking windows if that's what it took to escape.
But she didn't.
She couldn't.
Because deep inside her—beneath the fear, beneath the anger—there was a quiet hum. A warmth. A thread tugging toward him. The mark on her shoulder burned faintly, but it no longer felt like pain.
It felt like… longing.
She clenched her fists. "You expect me to just accept this? That some cosmic magic or ancient wolf tradition has decided my fate?"
"No. But I'm asking you to trust me, even if it's just enough to stay until the next full moon." He stepped even closer, close enough that she could feel the heat of his skin. "If you still want to leave after that… I won't stop you."
Ivy swallowed hard. "And what happens if Liam finds me before then?"
Killian's expression turned dark. "He won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do." His eyes glowed gold. "Because I'll kill him before he ever touches you again."
The silence that followed was thunderous.
Ivy's heart pounded as she stared at him. Not because of fear—but because she believed him. Every word.
She didn't know who Killian really was—not yet. But she knew one thing:
He wasn't lying.
And he wasn't Liam.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why would you go that far for me?"
Killian's jaw tightened. "Because I feel it too. The bond. And because… I made a vow to myself long ago that I would never let someone like Liam hurt another woman again."
She didn't ask what had happened to make him say that. She wasn't sure she was ready to know.
Instead, she sank slowly into the nearby chair, her limbs trembling as the weight of everything collapsed over her. "This is insane."
"Yeah," Killian murmured, crouching in front of her. "It is."
For a long moment, they just stared at each other—her breath shallow, his gaze unreadable.
Then he stood. "You need rest. We'll talk more in the morning."
He turned away, heading for the door, but her voice stopped him.
"Killian?"
He looked over his shoulder.
"Does the bond… feel the same for you as it does for me?"
He hesitated, then stepped back to her side. Slowly, he reached out and took her hand—just a brush of his fingers against hers.
Ivy gasped softly.
Warmth bloomed in her chest. The same strange comfort, the same electric pulse, like her blood recognized his.
"It does," he said quietly.
And then he left, the door closing softly behind him.
Leaving Ivy alone—with her thoughts, her confusion, and the slow, terrifying realization that her heart was already tangled in something far bigger than she'd ever known.