Chapter 9
The morning sunlight seeped through her curtains, but Aria barely noticed. Sleep had been elusive, her dreams haunted by Kael's amber eyes and the weight of the bond that had claimed her. She rolled onto her side, heart hammering, wolf stirring restlessly beneath her skin. She hated him. She wanted to hate him. Yet, she couldn't escape the pull that drew her toward him like iron to a magnet.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She froze, knowing before looking. A message from Kael:
"I can feel you running, even in your dreams. You cannot escape me, Aria. Not now. Not ever."
Her fingers trembled as she locked the screen, a mix of frustration and something darker swirling within her. He was right. She couldn't escape. And she didn't want to admit that maybe—just maybe—she didn't want to.
At breakfast, her family chatted casually, unaware of the storm brewing in her mind. Her wolf was restless, pacing in her chest, while her heart beat a frantic rhythm she couldn't control. Every laugh from her siblings, every smile from her mother felt distant, hollow, as if she were tethered to another world entirely—a world dominated by Kael.
She had vowed to resist. To remain independent. To reclaim the life she had fought to survive. Yet each step, each thought, each heartbeat reminded her that the bond was not a suggestion—it was a command. And Kael… Kael was the embodiment of that command.
The first class of the day was almost unbearable. Aria's eyes kept drifting to the doorway, expecting him to appear, expecting the heat of his gaze to find her no matter where she sat. When finally he did—smooth, commanding, and impossibly infuriating—her breath hitched. The room seemed to shrink around them, their bond whispering and pulsing, demanding recognition.
Kael's presence was magnetic, impossible to ignore. He passed her desk slowly, his hand brushing her chair, sending sparks of heat up her spine. He didn't look at her with malice today—no, it was worse. Today, he looked at her with certainty, with knowledge that he had claimed her entirely, and that nothing she could do would change it.
After class, the campus felt too quiet, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Kael caught up to her near the edge of the wooded trail behind the dorms. His voice was low, almost intimate:
"You're trying to run, Aria. I can feel it. But running only delays the inevitable."
"I'm not running," she snapped, though her voice trembled. "I'm just… thinking. Breathing. Staying away from you, from this…" Her fingers tightened on her backpack strap, her wolf growling beneath the surface.
Kael's grin was slow, predatory. "From me? Or from what we are? Because you can fight it all you want, but your wolf… your heart… already knows the truth."
Her stomach twisted, a mix of frustration and desire churning dangerously. "I don't want the truth! I don't want you! I hate this—hate you! And I hate that I can't hate you properly!"
He closed the distance, his presence overwhelming. "Good," he murmured, voice low and rich with that commanding power that always made her shiver. "Hate makes desire sharper. Confusion makes the bond stronger. And resistance… oh, Aria… resistance makes me want you all the more."
Her wolf whimpered, restless and impatient, as if mocking her attempts at defiance. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to take a step back. "You think this gives you power? You're wrong. I'm not yours!"
Kael's eyes softened slightly, though the intensity never faded. "You are. And the sooner you accept it, the sooner your life will have clarity instead of chaos. I won't let you suffer through this alone, Aria. I will be there, always."
The weight of his words pressed against her chest, suffocating, intoxicating. She hated him, yes. Hated the pull, the fire, the undeniable claim he had over her. And yet… part of her longed to let go, to give in, to surrender to the bond that had been waiting for this moment her entire life.
"I…" she started, voice trembling. "I can't… I won't…"
Kael's hand brushed hers again, gentle but commanding, as if guiding her into a truth she had always known. "You can't fight it, Aria. You can deny it, you can run, you can scream… but one day, you'll see. I am yours, as you are mine. The bond does not lie, and neither do I."
Her body shivered, a mixture of rage, confusion, and longing. Her wolf growled, low and fierce, answering him in kind. And in that moment, the air around them seemed charged, alive with the undeniable pull of destiny.
"I hate you," she whispered again, voice breaking, tears threatening. "I hate what you do to me… what this bond does… what you've done to my life."
Kael's lips curved into the faintest smile, eyes locking onto hers with something tender beneath the storm. "And yet, you're here. And yet, you feel it. That hate… it's passion. And passion, Aria… is our beginning."
She wanted to scream, to push him away, to fight the pull. But the truth settled like a fire in her chest—dangerous, consuming, irresistible. She hated him, yes. But the bond, her wolf, and the undeniable magnetic pull of Kael were too strong to deny any longer.
Her breath hitched as she realized it, whispered to herself, trembling:
"I… can't stay away…"
Kael's grin deepened, victorious, as he stepped closer. "Good. Because you never will."
And in that moment, under the moonlit sky, with her wolf howling beneath the surface, Aria understood: resistance was only temporary. The bond, their fate, and the fiery pull between them were inevitable.
The fire had been ignited. And there would be no extinguishing it.
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