Bounded To the Broken Alpha

ive, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on the dead leaves and twigs beneath them. They had been moving for hours, trying to outrun the threat that seemed to be stalking t

unspoken tension that simmered beneath every interaction. He could feel her presence even when she wasn't speaking. The quiet power she held, the calm stren

through the silence, startling Kian. He hadn'

he path ahead. He wasn't about to share his

irritated him so much. Maybe it was the way she seemed to always know when something was off with him. Or maybe it was just that, des

" she said, her tone sharp but not unkind. "We bo

it offering some comfort in this dark, uncertain world. "I don't need y

le. "You're not handling this alone, Kian. Not anymore. The rival pack knows

to let his fear show. He wasn't afraid of them.

g his teeth. "We don't stop until we're far a

rkness. "And when we reach it? What then? What happens when y

how many enemies he took down. It wouldn't bring back his pack. It wouldn't bring back the people

it felt like he was trying to convince himself more than Elara.

ter that?" she asked, her voice softer now, almost hesitant. "What wil

ll he knew was that he couldn't face the thought of letting go of his anger, of accepting the painful reality that nothing

said shortly, pushing the emotion down, refusi

at if the time is already here?" she presse

suggesting? That I just give up? That I let everyth

'm saying that you can't keep running from the truth. You can't keep hidin

ustration. "What's left, Elara, is a broken man with nothing to live f

him, her presence overwhelming despite the space between them. "I've lost everything too, Kian. My f

't want to acknowledge that she had her own scars, her own pain. But her word

eight of his grief pressed against his chest. "You don't know what it's like to have your world torn apart. To

, she stepped closer, her hand resting gently

the ghosts keep you trapped in the past. You have to move forw

, were breaking through the walls he had built so carefully. And he hated it. He hated that he couldn't

as still standing there, her hand on his arm, her gaze steady. He didn't know what to say. He didn't

with a resolve that came from the depths of his pain. "I'll never st

nderstanding in her eyes. "Then you're not ready,"

growled, his frustration bubbling to the

there too. "You're not ready. Not until you let go of the ghosts that

as dark, but it was the only one that led to the future he was determined to claim. He didn't kn

er presence still like a shadow-unavoid

poken truths settling between them. And though Kian wasn't sure of anything else, he was

d have to fac