The days that followed blurred like half-remembered dreams. Selene moved through Crimson Hollow as if under a spell. Everything felt sharper, louder, deeper—colors more vivid, smells more intense. She heard birdsong from miles away. She smelled the river before she saw it. The rustle of leaves made her skin prickle like a caress.
But most of all, she felt him.
Even when Kael wasn't near, he was inside her. A quiet hum under her skin. His heartbeat echoed somewhere behind her own. His voice lingered in her head when she closed her eyes.
The bond was awakening.
And it was changing her.
---
Kael watched her from the treetops that morning. His wolf form perched silently on a thick branch, massive paws gripping bark as his glowing eyes followed her every move. She walked to the river, skirts brushing flowers, head tilted toward the light.
His mate.
His bond.
His craving.
The mating link grew stronger every day, tugging at his soul like a thread woven from instinct and obsession. He knew what came next.
Selene's body would begin to change. Her senses would heighten. Her heat would rise.
Her need would burn.
And when that time came, the bond would demand consummation.
A full claiming.
And not even he could resist it.
---
Selene bathed in the river, water lapping over her skin like silk. Her fingers dragged through the current, her thoughts drifting to Kael. To the way his breath hitched when he touched her. The hunger in his eyes. The way his voice dropped when he said her name.
"Selene…"
She blinked. The whisper wasn't in her mind.
It was real.
She turned.
Kael stood at the edge of the water, half-hidden by mist. Bare-chested. Barefoot. Hair damp from a recent shift, black pants riding low on his hips. His chest rose and fell like he'd been running. Or holding back something monstrous.
He stepped closer.
"You feel it too, don't you?" he rasped.
Selene's lips parted. "The pull."
"The bond."
She nodded.
He crouched at the bank. His voice dropped. "It's getting stronger."
"What happens when it's… fully awakened?"
Kael's eyes darkened. "You'll crave me. In every way. You won't be able to think without feeling me. And if we don't seal it—"
"What happens?"
His jaw clenched. "We'll both suffer. The heat will build. Until it burns us alive."
Selene's throat dried. Her body already ached. Deep. Throbbing. Her thighs squeezed together. "So what do we do?"
Kael growled low. The sound vibrated in her belly.
"I give you a choice."
She tilted her head. "A choice?"
He reached out, brushing his fingers down her arm, slow as fire.
"You can walk away now. Break the bond. It will hurt… but it will end."
Selene swallowed. "And the other choice?"
He stepped into the water. Took her hand.
"Let me claim you. Fully. Forever. In every way."
Selene stared at him, breathless, her heart hammering.
"I don't want to run anymore."
His eyes burned.
"Then come here."
---
Their lips crashed like thunder.
Kael lifted her from the water, her body wet and clinging to his. He laid her on the mossy riverbank, mouth never leaving hers. His hands were fire. Worship. Command.
Her dress slipped away.
Her skin burned for his touch.
He growled when he saw her, stretched beneath him, bare and shivering with anticipation.
"Tell me you want this," he said.
"I want you," she whispered. "All of you."
He kissed her throat, her chest, her belly, slower this time—reverent, aching.
And when he entered her, it wasn't just pleasure. It was fusion. The bond snapped into place like stars aligning. Their breaths tangled. Her nails raked down his back. His teeth brushed her neck—threatening, promising, claiming.
They moved together in wild rhythm, water rippling beside them, the moon high above even in daylight.
She cried out his name.
He howled hers.
And when they climaxed, it was as one—shaking, gasping, bonded in body and soul.
---
Hours passed.
They lay tangled in the moss, hearts still pounding, sweat cooling on their skin. Selene curled into Kael's chest, the mark above her heart now pulsing softly like a heartbeat of its own.
"You're mine now," Kael whispered.
Selene closed her eyes. "And you're mine."
---
But in the trees beyond, hidden by shadow, another pair of eyes watched.
Burning. Jealous. Dangerous.
And waiting for the right moment to strike.
---