CLAIMED BY THE IRRESISTIBLE ALPHA

CHAPTER 18 : A DANGEROUS ATTRACTION

Liana couldn’t shake the elder’s warning.

Run.

That single word wouldn’t leave her alone, still echoing in her mind long after she left Rowan’s cabin.

Out here, the woods around Silver Crest felt colder than usual. The shadows between the trees looked alive, like something was watching her as she followed the moonlit path back to pack grounds.

The Queen has returned.

The prophecy is awakening.

Every Alpha will either kneel… or try to kill you.

Her chest went tight. Too much. Just a few weeks ago, she was just another wolf in the pack. Now, apparently, she was at the center of some prophecy strong enough to shake the whole werewolf world.

And Kael. He’d known about it the whole time.

That stung more than she wanted to admit. Because honestly, after everything—the rejection, the secrets, the damn walls he put up—a part of her still trusted him. Or maybe needed to. Which made things worse.

She hugged herself tighter as a cold gust slipped between the trees.

Her wolf shifted restlessly beneath her skin—not with fear, but something different this time. Awareness. The mate bond pulsed in her chest. Closer. Her pulse spiked.

She knew what that meant. Kael was out here, somewhere close.

Warmth coursed through her. Annoying. Dangerous. Impossible to ignore.

No matter how much she tried to suppress the mate bond, it just kept growing. Sometimes she could feel him through it—his irritation, his tension, possessiveness. And lately, something darker. Needier.

Leaves rustled. A heavy shadow moved out from between the trees. Kael.

Her breath caught. Even in the darkness, he managed to own the whole forest. Tall, tense, every muscle on alert, silver eyes locked on her like he’d been searching for her.

Their eyes met. The bond flared between them, snapping on so hard she almost gasped. Heat shot through her chest. Kael stiffened, too. Neither of them moved. No one even dared breathe. The air between them turned suffocating.

“What are you doing out here?” Kael broke the silence, his voice so quiet it sent goosebumps across her skin. Way too controlled.

She crossed her arms, chin up. “I could ask you the same thing.”

He studied her, narrowed his eyes. “You can’t walk around alone at night anymore.”

“There it is again.” She couldn’t stop herself. “You bossing me around like I’m yours.”

Regret crashed in immediately, because the moment she spoke, Kael froze. Ice cold. The wolf inside her responded—mine. She felt it deep in her chest, heat building inside her.

Kael glanced away, just barely. “You’re not safe.”

Liana laughed bitterly. “Seems like that’s all anybody says lately.”

Kael shot back, “Because it’s true.”

“No, it’s not,” she said, her voice low and sharp. “Nobody trusts me. That’s the real problem.”

For a second, the only sound was the wind rattling the branches. Kael moved in, slowly, close enough that her wolf responded, but not touching. The pull between them grew sharp, almost painful.

She had to force herself to breathe. Being this close was dangerous. She could smell the forest on him, feel the heat rolling off his body, sense his power simmering just under the surface.

Kael sucked in a sharp breath, too. He was fighting it as much as she was.

“You need distance from me,” he said, voice almost a whisper.

Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

His gaze went dark. “You know why.”

The memory of his wolf, growling Mine, flashed through her mind, making her blood race. “That’s not an answer.”

He just stared at her for a long, tense moment. Then he finally said, “The bond is changing.”

Ice settled in her chest. “What does that mean?”

He clenched his jaw. “Your wolf is responding faster than it should.”

Her heart thudded. “And yours?”

He hesitated. Enough said.

The Alpha’s wolf was reacting, too. Strong. Dangerous.

Suddenly, the bond jolted through her like a live wire. Liana gasped. Heat slammed into her. Kael cursed under his breath.

“What was that?”

He looked furious. “Attraction.”

His honesty left her speechless.

He dragged both hands through his dark hair. “The closer we get, the stronger it gets.”

Her whole world tilted for a second. That explained everything—the way she spun out around him, why his presence turned her into a nerve ending, why she could never seem to breathe right when he was nearby. This wasn’t a typical mate bond. It felt bigger, deeper, sharper. Like something was changing inside her.

Then pain flared across her wrist. She cried out, clutching it. The mark. Silver light burst beneath her skin. Kael’s head snapped to her arm. His eyes went steely.

“No.”

The mark glowed even brighter, pulsing to the beat of her heart—and to every step he took closer, it only shone harder. Liana stared, stunned.

“What’s happening?”

Kael backed off fast. The mark dulled a little. His face went blank and scared.

“Kael?”

He stared, terror written all over his features. Something dawned on him, something he clearly hated.

Liana’s pulse hammered. “What?”

He just looked at her, jaw clenched, silent for several long seconds.

Then his voice went dark. “The prophecy wasn’t fully translated.”

“What are you talking about?” she pressed.

He shut his eyes, swore, then said, “The elders believed the Queen’s powers would just wake up over time.”

Her stomach twisted. “But?”

His eyes locked on hers, silver and intense. “They’re not awakening on their own.”

Ice crept through her. “Then what’s happening?”

Now he looked more furious with himself than ever. After a moment, he croaked out, “Me.”

Silence, heavy and dense, crashed down.

Liana blinked. “What?”

He stepped back, and the mark calmed a little more.

He lowered his voice. “It’s not your wolf getting stronger because of the bond. It’s the prophecy. I’m speeding it up.”

Her breath left her lungs.

It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t.

But Kael just stared back, guilt and dread written all over him.

“The closer you get to me… the faster the Alpha Queen wakes up.”

Suddenly the woods around her felt deadly cold.

She stared at him, horror spreading through her. All at once, every oddity and pain and spark—her strength, the glowing mark, the wild bond, his possessiveness—it all pointed to him.

Because somehow, the most dangerous Alpha in the land wasn’t just part of her fate.

He was setting it in motion.