I didn't stop running until my lungs burned and my legs threatened to give out.
The forest swallowed me whole, shadows stretching long beneath the fading light of the setting sun. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, drowning out every other sound except the maddening hum still echoing inside my chest.
The bond.
It was there—quiet but insistent. A constant pull, like invisible hands tugging at my soul.
I pressed my back against the trunk of a tree and slid down slowly, wrapping my arms around myself. My wolf paced restlessly inside me, confused and alert, her presence strong and overwhelming.
This isn't right, I told her.
She didn't argue.
Images flashed through my mind—three pairs of glowing eyes, three distinct scents burned into my senses. Power. Dominance. Heat. Every time I thought I'd shaken it off, the bond flared again, reminding me it existed.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Why them?
Of all people, why the Alpha's sons?
Footsteps crunched nearby.
I froze.
My wolf growled low in warning, rising protectively to the surface. I pushed myself to my feet just as a familiar figure emerged from between the trees.
"You're fast," he said.
My chest tightened. "Go away."
He stopped a few feet away, hands raised as if approaching a wounded animal. His expression was unreadable—no mockery, no cruelty. That almost unsettled me more.
"I didn't follow you," he said quietly. "The bond did."
The word sent a sharp pulse through my chest.
"I don't care," I snapped. "It doesn't mean anything."
His jaw clenched. "It does."
I laughed bitterly. "Funny. You never seemed to care about what I meant before."
Silence stretched between us.
"I didn't know," he finally said.
"Didn't know what?" I demanded. "That words hurt? That humiliation leaves scars?"
His eyes flickered with something that looked dangerously close to regret.
"I didn't know you were… this."
I stiffened. "This?"
"Strong," he said softly.
My wolf snarled.
"I don't need your realization now," I said, stepping back. "I've survived without you."
Another presence brushed against my senses—then another. The air shifted, thick with tension.
They were here.
The second Alpha heir stepped into view, his gaze locking onto me immediately. His eyes darkened as the bond reacted, a flash of hunger crossing his features before he masked it.
"So it's true," he said. "You feel it too."
I said nothing.
The third joined them moments later, his expression cold, guarded. Unlike the others, he didn't step closer. He just watched me—studied me—as if trying to solve a puzzle he didn't like the answer to.
"This changes nothing," he said finally.
The words cut deeper than I expected.
"Good," I replied. "Then we agree."
My wolf growled again, furious at the lie. Because it wasn't true.
Everything had changed.
"You think we wanted this?" one of them snapped. "You think this is easy for us?"
I let out a shaky breath. "You don't get to be angry. Not now."
The bond flared, hot and sharp, threading through all of us at once. I gasped, clutching my chest as emotions that weren't mine slammed into me—conflict, desire, confusion, restraint.
Too much.
"Stop it," I whispered. "Please."
They all froze.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then footsteps echoed from deeper in the forest. Voices followed—pack members searching, calling names. Reality crashed back in.
"We can't be seen like this," one of them muttered.
"Good," I said. "Then leave."
Reluctantly, they stepped back. But the bond stretched, protesting, pulling tight until my chest ached.
"This isn't over," one of them said quietly. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."
"Maybe she does," I replied. "Or maybe this is punishment."
Their gazes lingered on me—heated, conflicted, restrained—before they finally turned away.
I didn't relax until they were gone.
The forest fell silent once more, but the bond remained, humming softly, patiently.
I hugged myself, staring up at the darkening sky.
I had awakened my wolf.
But instead of freedom, I had been bound.
Bound to three men who didn't know whether to want me, fear me, or deny me.
And the worst part?
Deep down, my wolf already knew…
They were going to come back.