THE ALPHA'S RELUCTANT MATE

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the constant ache of the bond that tethered her to Kian. Every morning, she woke in a room that wasn't hers, with walls that felt too close, suffocating, eve

ether. She could feel his emotions now, faint but present - frustration, impatience, and the occasional f

oke of it.

e neve

k, but there was no escaping their gaze. Every glance felt like a chain pulling her tighter into their world, a world where she didn't belong. Her wolf g

e through her thoughts, smooth like silk

f his presence filled the air, swirling around her like an invi

aid, turning slo

like he owned everything around him - which, as far as she was concerned, he did. His dark eyes

ing, but there was a thread of tension beneath it. He ste

e proximity. "I'm not avoiding you," she lied. "I'm just tr

s eyes. "New life? You've been living in my pack for days,

d, her voice sharper than she intended. "I do

ween them, his presence swallowing her. The bond pulsed in her chest, a steady, ach

e darkening. "But it's done now. And whether you wa

e of anger rising up. "I'm not a thing to be kept," she bit out, shaking her head

her lips, then back to her eyes, as if measuring someth

dropping to something almost gentle, almost regretful. "I didn't want this either, Lena. But

tter in her mouth. "So this is what you've reduced

hers as he reached up to touch her face, his fingers grazing her cheek. The tou

I want to hurt you? Do you really think I enjoy seein

hate you," she said, barely above a whisper. "I hate what you r

like regret flicker in his eyes. "I don't want to cage you, Len

ing her to pull away. But she couldn't. Because she was stuck,

silence, his hand lingering for just a moment longer before he s

turning away, her heart racin

ears. But as she passed through the doorway, she felt the pull of his gaze on