chapter 25

The tension in the mansion was palpable. Even with Emma gone, I felt like I was walking on eggshells. It wasn’t just the eerie silence that settled over the halls—it was Alaric. He was watching me more closely now, his gaze intense, unreadable. And worst of all, I could feel it. The bond. The invisible thread that tethered us together, growing stronger every day.

I hated it.

I hated the way my body reacted when he was near, the way I craved his presence even when I despised everything he stood for. I had witnessed firsthand what he was capable of, the raw power he possessed. And now, with Emma gone, I had lost the only buffer between us. There was nothing stopping him from claiming me.

That morning, Aliah entered my room, carrying a neatly folded dress.

“The Alpha has requested your presence,” she said, avoiding my gaze.

I frowned, sitting up in bed. “Requested?” I repeated. “Or ordered?”

Aliah hesitated before setting the dress on the bed. “Tonight is important, Vanessa. It’s a pack gathering... and you’re expected to attend.”

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “Pack gathering?”

Aliah nodded. “They know about you now. About what you are to him. They expect a marking ceremony soon.”

My breath hitched. “Marking ceremony?”

“It’s a ritual,” she explained softly. “When a mate bond is accepted, the Alpha marks his mate to solidify their connection. It’s permanent.”

My stomach twisted into knots. “And if I don’t want to be marked?”

Aliah bit her lip. “You’re human. It’s rare for an Alpha to have a human mate, but rejecting the bond… it’s dangerous.”

I swallowed hard. “For me?”

“For both of you.”

I exhaled shakily, my mind spinning. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t let this happen.

I had been trying to push the reality of our bond to the back of my mind, convincing myself that it didn’t matter. That Alaric could go back to Emma, that I could somehow be free of this world. But this… this made it real.

That night, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the reflection that no longer felt like my own. The dress Aliah had brought was long, black, and elegant, hugging my figure in a way that felt far too intimate.

I was dressed like a queen being led to a throne I never wanted.

A knock at the door made my heart jump.

I turned as the door opened, revealing Alaric. My breath caught in my throat.

He was dressed in all black, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud. His gaze raked over me, dark and possessive, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then, he took a step forward.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened. “Why am I being forced to do this?”

His expression hardened. “You’re not being forced.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Oh, really? So if I refuse, that’ll be fine? You’ll just let me go?”

His jaw clenched. “You know that’s not an option.”

I took a step back. “Why? Because of this stupid bond?”

Alaric’s gaze darkened, his voice a low growl. “Because you’re mine.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I hated how my body reacted to them.

“Come,” he said, holding out his hand. “The pack is waiting.”

I didn’t take his hand. I followed him in silence, my heart pounding with every step.

The gathering was held in a large clearing just outside the mansion. A bonfire blazed in the center, illuminating the faces of the pack members surrounding it. They all turned as we arrived, their eyes filled with curiosity, some with reverence, others with skepticism.

I felt exposed.

Alaric led me forward, and the whispers started.

“She’s human?”

“A weak mate for an Alpha…”

“The bond must be powerful for him to accept her.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t some fragile thing to be pitied.

Alaric stopped in front of the fire, turning to face the pack. His voice rang out with authority.

“You all know why we are here tonight,” he said. “The mate bond is sacred, undeniable. Fate has chosen her, and I will not deny it.”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

I stiffened as I felt Alaric’s gaze on me. Slowly, he reached out, fingers grazing my arm. A shudder ran through me at the contact, heat pooling in my stomach against my will.

His eyes darkened. He felt it too.

Then, a voice cut through the moment.

“Alpha.”

A man stepped forward, tall and broad, with piercing blue eyes. He looked at me, then at Alaric.

“Have you truly accepted her?” he asked. “Or are you still clinging to what you lost?”

My breath hitched. He was talking about Emma.

Alaric’s expression remained unreadable. “This is not a discussion.”

The man smirked. “Isn’t it? If the bond is so strong, then prove it.”

I stiffened as realization hit me. He wanted Alaric to mark me. Here. Now.

My entire body tensed as Alaric turned to me, his gaze locking onto mine. For a split second, something flickered in his eyes—hesitation, uncertainty.

Then, he stepped closer.

I stepped back.

“Vanessa,” he murmured, voice low. “Don’t fight it.”

Panic clawed at my chest.

“I—” I shook my head. “I can’t.”

His hand cupped my cheek, and the moment his skin touched mine, warmth flooded through me, drowning out everything else. I felt dizzy, my body betraying me as it leaned into his touch.

I hated how good it felt.

“Breathe,” he whispered.

I did.

His face was close, his lips hovering just above my skin. The pack was watching, waiting, but in that moment, it was just us.

My heart pounded, and then—

A howl echoed through the air, breaking the moment.

Alaric’s head snapped up, his body instantly tensing.

Then, chaos.

Wolves emerged from the shadows, snarling, attacking without warning. Pack members shifted, growls and screams filling the night.

I stumbled back, panic surging through me.

“Vanessa!” Alaric’s voice was sharp, commanding. “Get inside. Now.”

But before I could move, a figure lunged at me.

I barely had time to react before I was tackled to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through my side. I gasped, struggling, but the rogue was too strong.

Then, in a blur of motion, Alaric was there.

He moved like a force of nature, ripping the wolf off me and slamming him to the ground with an earth-shattering growl. His eyes burned with fury, his canines elongated as he tore into the rogue like an animal.

Blood splattered, and my stomach turned.

This wasn’t a man.

This was a monster.

Alaric turned to me, his chest heaving, his eyes still dark with rage.

The sight of him—feral, deadly—made my breath catch.

I wasn’t just bonded to a werewolf.

I was bonded to a killer.

And there was no escaping him. I wouldn't let him mark me ...never.