Chapter 1: The Pull
POV: Kate & Ryker
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🌘 Kate
She couldn't move.
The courtyard was a blur of faces, gasps, and murmurs, but all Kate could feel was him—his eyes locked on hers, burning with something wild. Something that didn't make sense.
This couldn't be happening.
She was wolfless. She wasn't supposed to feel the Mate Bond.
Her stomach twisted.
She dropped to her knees, fumbling to collect the shattered glass. Her hands shook violently.
> "You stupid girl!" her Alpha hissed under his breath, gripping her arm as he yanked her upright. "Get to the back—now."
But before she could move, a ripple passed through the crowd.
Silence. Stillness.
Even the wind seemed to hush.
Then… footsteps.
Heavy. Deliberate.
Kate didn't have to look up to know it was him.
She felt his presence long before she saw the tall, broad figure approaching.
She dared a glance.
Alpha Ryker.
Closer now. Taller than any man she'd ever seen. Midnight-black hair. A hard, chiseled jaw. Eyes like stormclouds. And radiating power so intense it made her legs weak.
Her Alpha stepped in front of her protectively. "She's nothing, my king. Wolfless. A kitchen hand. We apologize for the—"
"Move," Ryker growled.
It wasn't loud.
But the sheer force of the word made Kate's Alpha flinch—and obey.
Ryker's eyes returned to her, sharp and unreadable.
"You," he said softly. "What's your name?"
She swallowed. "K-Kate."
He blinked once. Then said, "Kate. You're mine."
The second their eyes met, Ryker knew.
No scent. No shift.
But the pull — the bond — hit him like a lightning strike to the soul.
He didn't question it. Didn't hesitate.
As she crouched in fear, he saw her. Truly saw her.
Not the rags she wore, not the tremble in her fingers.
He saw the fire flickering just beneath her skin — raw, untamed, buried deep.
His wolf howled with triumph.
> Mate.
Ours.
He barely registered the idiot Alpha trying to block his path. If not for Kate, Ryker would've broken the man's jaw on instinct.
But Kate…
She stood like prey, shoulders curled inward, eyes wide with confusion. She didn't know what she was.
Didn't know what she was to him.
"Kate," he repeated. "Come with me."
She didn't move.
Fear flickered in her expression. Of him. Of the bond. Of the weight that had suddenly landed on her fragile shoulders.
Ryker stepped forward, voice low. "I'll never hurt you. But I can't let you go. Do you understand?"
Her lips parted, as if to argue. But no sound came out.
The silence grew uncomfortable. Onlookers stared. Pack members whispered.
> Claim her, his wolf urged.
Let them see. Let them know.
But Ryker ignored it. She was frightened. Overwhelmed. He wouldn't scare her further.
Instead, he offered her his hand.
Palm open. No pressure.
Slowly… trembling… she placed her fingers in his.
The bond pulsed.
Electric. Eternal. Undeniable.
And for the first time in his life, Ryker felt whole.