Chapter twelve
936 Words
ALINA’S POV
A soft knock pulled me out of sleep.
I didn’t move at first. My body felt heavy, like I hadn’t rested at all. My eyes burned, my limbs slow, and for a moment, I couldn’t even remember why I was so exhausted.
Then it hit me.
The river.
Rhett.
The bond.
My eyes snapped open just as the door creaked slightly.
“Alina?” my mother’s voice came gently.
“I’m awake,” I murmured, though it wasn’t entirely true.
She stepped into the room, her presence calm as always, but her eyes lingered on me a second longer than usual. “You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well,” I said, pushing myself up slowly.
That part, at least, wasn’t a lie.
She nodded, though I wasn’t sure she fully believed me. “Your father wants to see you.”
My stomach tightened instantly.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Of course.
I exhaled quietly, forcing myself to stand. My body protested, still weighed down by the night before, but I ignored it. There wasn’t time to feel tired. Not when my father was calling.
“I’ll be there soon,” I said.
My mother gave a small nod, then turned to leave. She paused briefly at the door, glancing back at me like she wanted to say something more—but didn’t.
Then she left.
The moment the door shut, I let out a slow breath.
Something about this didn’t feel right.
⸻
My father was already waiting when I entered his study.
“Sit,” he said.
I obeyed.
He didn’t waste time.
A sheet of paper was placed in front of me, smooth and deliberate.
I looked down at it—and my chest tightened instantly.
Names.
A list of them.
“I’ve selected the most suitable matches for you,” he said.
The words felt heavier than they should have.
I scanned the list slowly, recognizing every name. Warriors. Sons of high-ranking members. Men who had grown up in this pack just like I had.
None of them meant anything to me.
“You’ve come of age,” my father continued. “It’s time you begin considering your future.”
My fingers curled slightly against my lap. “You’ve already decided it.”
“I’ve narrowed your options,” he corrected. “The choice is still yours.”
It didn’t feel like a choice.
“I’m not ready,” I said quietly.
“You are,” he replied without hesitation. “This is not about readiness. It is about responsibility.”
The word settled heavily in the room.
Responsibility.
It always came back to that.
“You will meet one of them today,” he added.
I looked up sharply. “Today?”
“Yes.”
Of course. No time to think. No time to breathe.
“Who?” I asked, my voice more controlled now.
“Darius.”
I nodded once, though something inside me resisted immediately.
“Be respectful,” my father said. “And keep an open mind.”
I didn’t respond.
“Good,” he added. “You may go.”
I stood, the list still sitting between us like something final. Something unavoidable.
And as I walked out, the weight of it pressed down on me harder than before.
⸻
Darius was exactly what I expected.
Confident. Composed. Easy to talk to.
We walked side by side along the edge of the training grounds, the conversation light, controlled—safe in a way that made it feel almost unreal.
“You’ve improved,” he said, glancing at me. “Your training shows.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
He smiled slightly. “You’ve always been focused.”
I nodded, but my attention wasn’t fully on him.
Because beneath it all—
The bond stirred.
At first, it was faint. A low, steady pull in my chest.
Then it shifted.
Sharpened.
Heat spread through it, restless and uneasy, like something waking up.
My steps slowed slightly.
Rhett.
He could feel me.
The realization settled in instantly—and with it came something else.
Anger.
Not mine.
His.
It surged through the bond suddenly, sharp and intense, wrapping around my chest like pressure. My breath caught, my fingers tightening at my sides.
He knew.
He didn’t need to see this. He could feel it.
The conversation. The proximity. The fact that I was here—with someone else.
And he didn’t like it.
At all.
“You alright?” Darius asked, noticing the shift.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly.
Lie.
The bond pulsed again—stronger this time, almost demanding.
I tried to push it down, to block it out, but it only burned hotter.
Rhett, stop, I thought, forcing the thought through the connection.
It didn’t work.
If anything, it made him more aware.
The anger didn’t fade. It deepened, simmering beneath the surface, controlled but dangerous.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself.
“I should go,” I said suddenly.
Darius looked surprised. “Already?”
“Yes. I just… remembered something I need to do.”
Another lie.
He studied me briefly, like he could tell something wasn’t quite right—but he didn’t push.
“Alright,” he said. “We’ll talk again.”
I nodded, stepping back. “Yes. Another time.”
But as I turned away, the bond pulsed again—strong, heated, and filled with something that made my chest tighten.
Rhett wasn’t calm.
He wasn’t patient.
And whatever this was building between them…
It wasn’t going to stay contained for much longer.
- Writer
