Marked by Desire

Chapter ten

ALINA’S POV

Sneaking out was easier than it should have been.

That alone made me uneasy.

Amala moved ahead of me silently, checking the hallway before motioning for me to follow. The house was quiet, most of the pack already settled for the night, and every step I took felt louder than it actually was. My heartbeat seemed to echo in my ears, too fast, too loud, like it might give me away.

“Go,” she whispered once we reached the back exit.

I hesitated, my hand resting against the door. For a brief second, doubt crept in, cold and sharp.

“You can still change your mind,” she added softly.

I swallowed. I could. I could stay. I could pretend none of this was happening.

But the bond pulsed—steady, waiting.

I shook my head. “I can’t.”

Amala studied me for a moment, something unreadable passing through her expression. Then she stepped back. “Then be careful.”

I nodded once and slipped out into the night.

The air outside was cooler, quieter. It wrapped around me as I moved, but it didn’t calm me. If anything, it sharpened everything—the sounds, the shadows, the awareness that I wasn’t supposed to be here.

My feet carried me forward without hesitation. I didn’t need to think about where I was going. The bond guided me, subtle but firm, like an invisible thread pulling me through the forest.

To him.

The deeper I went, the stronger it became. A steady pull in my chest, warm and familiar, impossible to ignore. My breathing slowed slightly, matching the rhythm of it, like my body already knew what waited ahead.

By the time I reached the river, I didn’t need to look for him.

I felt him.

Still, I paused at the edge of the clearing, my eyes scanning the shadows, my senses alert. The sound of water filled the silence, soft and constant, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade.

Then I saw him.

Rhett stood near the river, motionless, like he had been there the entire time. Waiting.

My chest tightened.

For a second, neither of us moved. The distance between us wasn’t far, but it felt heavy, charged with everything that had been left unsaid.

Then I stepped forward.

“You came,” he said.

His voice was calm, but there was something beneath it—something controlled, something that hadn’t fully settled since last night.

“I said I would,” I replied.

He turned slightly, facing me fully now. His eyes locked onto mine immediately, and just like that, the bond flared—stronger, warmer, almost overwhelming.

“You didn’t come last night.”

My jaw tightened. “I had my reasons.”

“Your reasons,” he repeated, taking a slow step closer.

The space between us shrank, and with it, my ability to think clearly.

“I couldn’t just leave,” I said. “I have responsibilities—”

“And I don’t?” he cut in, his voice sharper now.

I stopped. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then explain it to me,” he said, closing the distance further. “Because you felt everything I did last night… and still chose to stay away.”

The truth of that settled heavily in my chest.

“I didn’t choose it like that,” I said, quieter now.

His gaze didn’t waver. “Then how did you choose it?”

I looked away, my thoughts tangling. “My father wants me to find a mate.”

The words landed between us like something solid.

The bond reacted instantly.

Rhett went completely still.

“What?”

I forced myself to meet his eyes again. “He’s serious about it. He wants me to choose someone from the pack.”

For a moment, there was nothing. No movement. No sound.

Then he let out a low, humorless laugh.

“And you’re considering it?”

“No,” I said quickly. “But it doesn’t matter. It’s expected of me.”

“And what about what’s already done?”

The bond pulsed sharply, like it was answering for me.

I didn’t speak. I didn’t need to.

He stepped closer again, close enough now that I could feel the heat of him, close enough that the air between us felt too tight, too charged.

“You felt it,” he said, his voice lower now. “You feel it now.”

I did. It was everywhere—under my skin, in my chest, in the way my breath wouldn’t steady no matter how hard I tried.

“Rhett…”

“You’re mine.”

The words weren’t loud, but they didn’t need to be.

They settled into me, deep and certain, sending a sharp wave through the bond that made my breath catch.

“And you’re trying to pretend that doesn’t matter.”

“I’m not pretending,” I said, though it came out softer than I wanted. “I’m trying to survive this.”

“By pushing me away?”

“Yes.” My voice broke through stronger this time. “Because if I don’t, this gets worse. You coming closer to our territory—it’s dangerous. They’re already tracking you.”

“I’m not worried about them.”

“I am.”

That stopped him.

Something shifted in his expression, subtle but real.

“I don’t want them to find you,” I said, quieter now. “If they do…”

I couldn’t finish it. I didn’t need to.

The silence that followed was different. Not sharp. Not angry. Just… heavy with everything we weren’t saying.

He studied me for a moment, his gaze searching, like he was trying to understand something beyond the words.

Then he stepped closer—slower this time, more deliberate.

“Then don’t make me come looking for you again,” he said.

My chest tightened.

“That’s why I’m here,” I replied.

His eyes held mine. “Then stop fighting it.”

I shook my head slightly. “I can’t stop. Not completely.”

The bond pulsed again, softer now, steadier.

“Then don’t,” he said. “But don’t shut me out either.”

I hesitated. The weight of that settled over me—dangerous, tempting, impossible.

Then I nodded.

It wasn’t everything. It wasn’t surrender.

But it was something.

And for now… it was enough.