Ayla's POV

"I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't be here."

I swivel on my heels, intending to flee, but a large hand clamps around my wrist, bringing me to a halt mid-step.

Alpha Kael pulls me closer, my body slamming into his solid, rock-hard frame.

Heat surges through me and my wolf purrs and stirs within me, releasing a sharp wave of desire rushing all through my body.

No, not now. I plead silently to the wolf within me. That's when it hits me. The pull I've been feeling, that irresistible tug in my chest and gut-it's coming from him. Alpha Kael.

"I know you feel it too," he murmurs, his deep voice vibrating through my core. One hand presses against my waist, keeping me tethered to him, while the other grazes my temple in a gesture that feels tender and possessive.

Tender? Why would I think this man is tender? There's nothing tender about him.

If he thinks I'm going to surrender to this bond, he's absolutely mistaken. I would never-ever-be with a man like him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

I deny the existence of the magnetic force between us even when my pulse is hammering and my heart is beating so fast-betraying my lies.

Kael doesn't argue. He only smiles, a slow, knowing smile before releasing me from his grasp.

"The goddess must be testing me right now,"

he says under his breath, his tone laced with amusement.

Before I can respond, he turns, strides to the edge of the pool, and dives in. The splash wets me instantly leaving my clothes glued to my body and revealing my underwear. 

Kael turns and this time, his eyes doesn't meet mine but they roam my body hungrily-but all I could focus on is how his toned muscles glistened under the bright moon.

He takes one more glance at me, and I swear I see a coy smile form on his lips.

goddess, please... this is a mistake. He possibly can't be my mate.

Since I've stepped foot into this territory, it's been hell for me, and now this-

"Undressing me with your eyes is rude," Kael calls out lazily, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Likewise." I drawled, rolling my eyes at him before stepping out hurriedly. goddess knows what will happen if I stay here one minute longer. 

Kael's POV

"I never knew you to be the shy type-Riian. If you want her, talk to her." My voice is flat and void of any emotion as I speak.

Riian's jaw tenses.

"But Alpha, she's a Sayer... it's forbidden," he says.

There it is again. The ancient law that has kept wolves and Sayers apart for centuries.

I should agree with him and remind him of the consequences of what is going to happen if he ever crosses that line.

"Forbidden doesn't mean you stop wanting something."

I don't know where the words came from. But I say it.

The look Riian gives me is sharp and confusing, like he's wondering why the leader of a wolf pack would utter such a statement.

If only he knew the dilemma the goddess put around me.

My mind drifts to Ayla for a moment. The way she trained alone this morning, her eyes burned with something unlike what I've seen.

I held myself back last night at the pool-barely. I know it's just the mate bond that's making me feel this way. But-she's so different.

Other mates I've had accepted the bond in less than a day-but her, she hasn't accepted it, and it's eating me alive. I keep trying so hard, every second and minute I spend with her around, to hold in the urge to feel her skin against mine-but she's not for me.

"Kael."

"Kael."

Elder Moren's voice snaps me back. 

He approaches me slowly, leaning heavily on his worn walking stick. 

Elder Moren never leaves his abode unless something was very wrong. Riian understands this and excuses us both. 

He settles on the bench beside me and pats the empty space, urging me to sit.

"The new girl-She's dangerous, and I see calamity tied around her but..."

I already know Ayla is dangerous, but calamity... that's a new one.

"I'm listening, Elder," I say, straightening.

"There's a solution. You must sever the bond between you."

I should have done it already. But every time I imagine cutting that bond, something clenches painfully in my chest. There's something else about her I can't explain yet... something I need to understand.

"She's my mate, Elder. I can't sever a bond without hurting her."

I'm surprised by my own hypocrisy. A week ago, I considered sacrificing her to break my curse. Now I'm hesitating to even harm her.

"She's a Sayer, Kael!" Elder Moren snaps.

"It is forbidden! A wolf and a Sayer can never be together!"

I've never seen him this angry.

I need answers.

Ayla summoned the Messenger.

She's not just any Sayer. 

"If it's so forbidden, then why did the goddess bind us?" I counter.

Elder Moren sighs before his tone softens.

"She tests all leaders. Strength alone doesn't make a king, Kael. Wisdom. Restraint. Obedience to ancient law-those matter too." He fixes me with a grave look.

"You cannot bond with that girl. She will bring calamity upon you and the pack."

My jaw tightens.

"I'll do what I must. But I'm still the Alpha. My word is final."

"I'm not bonding with her," I continue. "I only need her blood to break the curse. After that... I'll send her away."

But as soon as the words leave my mouth-

I smell her.

Ayla.

Her scent spikes... then disappears instantly.

She heard us.

Shit.

She wasn't supposed to hear that, but I force myself to act like nothing happened.

"Kael, sending her away won't solve anything," Elder Moren says coldly. "You must end her. Sayers were never meant for this world."

The words hit harder than I expect.

End her?

My mate?

For the first time in years, I feel a real connection to someone even though it's not a connection I want but can't help it. The ancient laws say she has to die.

Kael's POV

"Thank you for the words of wisdom, Elder. I'll see you soon," I murmured before rising to my feet.

No one disobeyed the Elders. Their words had shaped the pack for generations. Even previous Alphas of this pack never defied them.

Yet today,  an elder's words felt like chains tightened around my throat.

A few days ago, my only focus was breaking the curse that had poisoned me for a decade and was threatening to destroy me. I had a plan-clean, simple, and unquestionable.

But now?

I'm bonded to someone from that very lineage that haunts me, and it's eating my bones like acid.

Kiara's warning echoed in my mind. "Ayla will acquire her full powers soon."

And last night, I sensed it-the subtle but unmistakable scent of a fully awakened wolf radiating off her skin.

She turned twenty-one today.

A sudden pain tore through my chest, sharp and suffocating. My vision wavered as a wave of raw emotion slammed into me-sadness.

Not mine, it was hers. Did Ayla accept the bond?

Why am I feeling her emotions... or is there something else wrong with me?

Since the moment I first saw her, she had cracked something open inside me-something I thought was long dead. My emotions, which I used to control with a single breath.

Maybe Elder Moren was right.

If I wanted to survive, I needed to sever the bond.

I exhaled and made my way down the corridor toward Ayla's room. The closer I got, the stronger the heaviness inside me grew-like walking straight into a storm of her pain.

I knocked once, twice, then halfway through the third time... The door creaked open just enough for her to peer out. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks damp as if she'd been crying for hours. She tried to hide behind her hair, but I caught on quickly.

"What do you want from me now?" she muttered, voice hoarse.

"It's your birthday," I replied evenly. "And I thought I should monitor your condition now that you're twenty-one."

Her jaw clenched, but I continued, unbothered.

"I don't want a wolf who can't control herself wandering around my territory."

She scoffed, the sound brittle and short. Her eyes flashed with hurt before she slammed the door in my face. The impact rattled down the hallway-and through my chest.

"She's giving you a hard time, isn't she?" Kiara's voice drifted from behind me.

She wasn't close, but she knew I would hear her.

I didn't turn or say a word.

The problem was that her pain was now mine... and I had no idea what that meant for either of us.

Kiara remained behind me, silent, which made me annoyed. She's probably whipping up more prophetic messages for me and my mysterious mate.

The bond tugged at me again, but this time it wasn't sadness. It was hard, unrelenting, and filled with strong wolf energy.

A pulsing ache throbbed tight in my chest again, dragging me a step closer to her door. I forced my body to stay still, locking my muscles in place.

This wasn't me-it was the damn bond, manipulating me and pushing my instincts toward her direction.

"Kael," Kiara said softly, "you're pulling toward her. You know what that means."

"It means nothing," I snapped before I could stop myself.

Kiara's eyebrow lifted. "You're denying it."

"I'm stating a fact," I growled. "I'm an Alpha and the leader of this pack! I don't get pulled anywhere."

But even as I said it, the ache intensified-Ayla's emotions rippled through me, wanting me to tear down the door and make her accept the mate bond between us fully.

Kiara stepped closer. "Something's wrong with her."

"I didn't feel anything," I cut in sharply.

Kiara's lips curved into a knowing, irritating smile. "You feel her. You're just too stubborn to admit it." 

I didn't respond, because any word from my mouth would prove her right.

Then-

A flare of energy burst from behind Ayla's door, causing both Kiara and me to stagger backwards.

Ayla.

Kiara's eyes widened the second another wave of energy pulsed from behind the door. She rushed in front of me, panic written all over her face.

"I have to see what's happening with her," she said breathlessly. "This isn't a normal awakening."

She turned toward the door and pounded her fist against it.

"Ayla, it's Kiara. I need you to open the door so I can help you!"

Nothing.

Kiara struck the door harder. "Ayla, Ay-"

"Stand aside," I ordered.

Kiara stepped back instantly.

I moved several steps away from the door, braced myself, then slammed into it. The wood splintered, and the door burst open.

The sight of Ayla in my presence knocked the air out of me. She lay on the floor, her body convulsing violently, her fingers clawing at the ground as if she were fighting something inside her. Her breath was ragged and her eyes unfocused.

"She's turning," Kiara whispered, horrified. "Kael... she's turning too early. She needs you. She needs you now."

"Do something!" Kiara yelled.

My jaws tightened, pain shooting up to my temples. I didn't want to care or touch her-and I didn't want the bond pulling my every instinct toward her like a puppet.

But my feet moved before my mind caught up. I dropped to my knees beside her and gathered her shaking arms into my own. The moment my hands touched her, her trembling grew harsher-like her wolf felt mine and didn't know whether to fight or surrender.

Ayla gasped, arched, and fell onto all fours. Her head snapped upward, and she released a sharp cry.

Her back cracked first, then her fingers. Her bones began twisting and shifting... she was turning too fast. If she continued like this, she could get hurt.

"Ayla," I growled softly before letting my wolf instincts take over, just enough to push my presence and dominance out to calm her.

Her bones began reversing. Her breath slowed, and she was finally turning back to her normal human form.

By the time she was normal again, her clothes had torn around her like shredded paper. I sighed and turned to take my leave, because if I stared for a second longer-especially now that she was half-naked-I fear control might not be on the list of things I'd do to her.

"You should be fine now. Get dressed and-"

I didn't finish because Ayla's hands suddenly fisted the front of my shirt, and her lips crashed into mine.