Chapter 3
The morning sun spilled across the pack lands, painting gold over the dense forest and the sprawling estate. But Aria felt none of its warmth. Every step she took toward the main hall was weighed down by dread, every breath heavy with the knowledge that her life had just shifted into uncharted territory.
She had thought that turning eighteen would mean freedom. Freedom from the whispers of the pack, from the loneliness of being unwanted, from the constant sting of her family's neglect. But instead, her birthday had brought chains she could neither see nor break. Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, restless and impatient, demanding acknowledgment. And her mate—Kael—was the source of every conflict raging inside her.
The hall was alive with murmurs when she entered. Members of the pack gave her curious glances, some tinged with pity, others with open judgment. Her family—never kind, never supportive—watched with thinly veiled amusement at her discomfort. Yet above all, Kael's presence loomed. He was already there, leaning against the railing, casual and confident as if the entire world revolved around him.
Aria froze. Their eyes met. In that instant, the air seemed to crackle with tension, a tangible current linking them. Her wolf surged at the recognition, and she pressed her hands to her chest, fighting the pull she had spent years denying.
"You came," Kael said softly, his voice carrying through the hall and wrapping around her like fire. "I wondered if you'd run."
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped, stepping back. Her voice was sharper than she intended, but anger was easier than admitting fear—or worse, desire. "I'm not going anywhere."
Kael smirked, though there was nothing playful in his eyes. "Good. Because you can't."
The words hit her harder than any slap. Her wolf growled in protest, the connection tugging at her very soul. "I hate you," she whispered, though she knew it was half truth, half denial.
"I know," he said calmly. "And I don't care. Hate is temporary. Wolves… our kind… we don't have that luxury. You're mine, Aria. Always have been, always will be. You can fight it, scream, cry… but in the end, it won't matter."
Her stomach twisted. He wasn't just her mate. He was her childhood tormentor—the one who had humiliated her, pushed her, laughed at her weaknesses. And now, fate had forced her to love him, whether she wanted to or not.
"Then I guess we're doomed," she muttered, voice low, trembling. "You make my life unbearable… and now you expect me to—"
"To love me?" he finished for her, stepping closer, his presence overwhelming. The air seemed to bend around him. "No, Aria. Not yet. For now, I expect only honesty. And maybe… obedience."
Her jaw tightened. "Obedience?"
Kael's lips curved, but not into a smile. "Not blind obedience. Obedience to the bond. To the truth that we are connected. You can hate me all you want, but your wolf… she knows. She craves me. Just like I crave you."
Aria's hands clenched at her sides. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to push, to reject him completely. And yet… the pull of the bond, the undeniable resonance between their wolves, rooted her in place. Every breath she took seemed to echo his presence, every heartbeat matched his in ways she could neither control nor ignore.
"You don't get to tell me what I feel," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes darted to the floor, trying to escape the intensity of his gaze. "I… I don't want this. I don't want you. I've hated you for years."
"And yet," he said softly, tilting his head, "here you are. Standing. Listening. Not running."
She felt her cheeks burn. There was no escaping the truth—no denying it. Her wolf howled inside her, a wild, desperate sound of need, and she covered her ears, wishing the noise would stop. But it didn't. Because no matter how much she hated him, no matter how much she wanted to fight, the bond demanded acknowledgment.
Kael extended a hand, not threatening, not claiming, but simply offering. "Come with me," he said. "I want you to see… understand… accept the bond."
Aria shook her head violently. "No! Don't you dare—"
But before she could finish, the threads of their connection pulled her forward, tugging at her very core. Her wolf surged, protesting, resisting, yet also guiding her toward him. Step by step, almost against her will, she followed.
They reached the edge of the forest where the pack's training grounds lay empty in the morning light. Kael stopped and turned to face her. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of wild earth and freedom—freedom she felt slipping further from her grasp.
"Aria," he said, voice low and commanding, "look at me. Really look at me. The bond isn't just between our wolves. It's between us. You can hate me, you can resist… but it's here. It's real. And it's not going anywhere."
Her throat burned, and tears threatened to fall. She wanted to fight him, to push him away, to scream that this was unfair. And yet, her wolf nudged her, urging her to acknowledge the undeniable pull. She took a trembling breath and met his gaze.
"I… I don't know what to do," she whispered.
Kael's expression softened, just slightly, enough to make her stomach twist. "Then start with honesty. Tell me what you feel, not what you think you should feel. Let the wolf guide you. Let yourself be real with me."
Aria's chest tightened. Honesty? She had spent eighteen years hiding, surviving in a family that never wanted her, in a pack that barely tolerated her. And now, honesty demanded everything—her fear, her desire, her pain, and her resistance.
"I… I don't want you," she admitted, voice shaky. "I hate that I need you, that I feel… this way. I hate that my wolf—"
"You don't have to hate it," Kael interrupted gently. "You just have to accept it exists. That's all. For now. Acceptance doesn't mean surrender. It doesn't mean love. It means truth. Face it, feel it, and let it guide your choices."
Her heart raced, pounding in her chest like a drum of war. The conflict inside her was unbearable: hatred and desire, fear and curiosity, defiance and surrender—all tangled in a mess she had no control over. And yet… for the first time, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could face it.
Kael stepped closer again, stopping only a breath away. The scent of him, the warmth of him, the raw power of his wolf radiating toward her—it was overwhelming.
"You're mine, Aria," he whispered, almost reverently. "And I will wait. I don't care how long it takes, how much you fight me, how much you resist… I will never let you go. You're my mate. My wolf knows it. And now… I want you to know it too."
Aria's knees felt weak. She could barely breathe. Her mind screamed in denial, her wolf demanded acknowledgment, and her heart… her heart betrayed her, fluttering against her ribs with a rhythm she could not ignore.
"I…" she began, voice breaking. And then stopped, unable to finish. Words failed her. Thoughts failed her. All that remained was the undeniable pull of the bond, the raw, intoxicating presence of Kael, and the inescapable truth of their connection.
He reached out and lightly brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Take your time," he said softly. "Feel it, face it, accept it… whatever it takes. But know this, Aria: you cannot run from what you are. You are my mate. You always have been. And nothing… nothing… will ever change that."
The words echoed inside her, reverberating through every fiber of her being. Her wolf howled in response, her heart ached, and a strange, terrifying part of her thrilled to the truth. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she could not deny him. She could not deny herself.
The forest fell silent around them. The pack's whispers, her family's disdain, the world outside—it all faded. It was just the two of them, bound together by fate, by blood, and by a bond neither could escape.
And deep inside, Aria realized the terrifying, exhilarating truth: her life would never be hers again.
She was claimed.
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