Chapter 14: Tomorrow Everything Changes
1039 Words
I woke up to the sound of voices downstairs.
For a moment I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, the events of the night replaying in my head. The fight. Kai’s glowing eyes. The way he had touched my face like he needed to make sure I was still real. And his last words before leaving my room.
Tomorrow everything changes.
The mate bond was quiet but present, a steady warmth in my chest that told me Kai was nearby. Somewhere in the house. Still close.
I got dressed and opened my door carefully. The hallway was empty. When I reached the top of the stairs, I stopped.
Richard’s voice carried from the living room, low and controlled.
“You cannot keep reacting like this, Kai. Every time they push, you give them the reaction they want.”
Kai’s reply was colder. “They came onto our land. They tried to reach her window. What did you expect me to do? Invite them in?”
“I expected you to think like a future Alpha, not a wolf ruled by a fresh bond.”
Silence followed. Heavy. Dangerous.
I walked down the rest of the stairs. Both men turned to look at me at the same time. Richard’s expression was unreadable. Kai’s eyes, however, locked onto mine instantly, and the bond flared in response.
He looked like he hadn’t slept much. There was still a faint cut near his collarbone, and the intensity in his gaze had not faded from last night.
“Lila,” Richard said after a moment. “Come in. You should hear this.”
Kai’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t stop me. I stepped into the living room, staying closer to Kai than to his father without even thinking about it.
Richard studied me carefully. “You understand what you are to my son now?”
“I’m starting to,” I answered.
“Good. Then understand this as well.” He glanced at Kai before continuing. “A mate bond with a human is already difficult for the pack to accept. A mate bond with the girl living under this roof as his stepsister is… complicated. Some will see it as weakness. Others will see it as an opportunity.”
Kai spoke before I could. “Let them try.”
Richard ignored the interruption. “The Blackridge Pack is not going to stop. Last night was a message. Next time they will aim to take you, not just test Kai’s reaction. That means you are no longer safe here in the way you were before.”
My stomach tightened. “What are you saying?”
Kai answered instead of his father. “I’m moving you.”
I turned to him. “Moving me where?”
“Somewhere more protected. A pack house further inland, with stronger borders and more wolves I trust.” His eyes didn’t leave mine. “You’ll stay there until the threat is handled.”
“And school?”
“You won’t be going for a while.”
The finality in his voice left little room for argument. Still, I felt a spark of resistance.
“You can’t just decide that for me.”
Kai stepped closer. The bond reacted immediately, pulling tight between us. “Yes, I can. Especially when the alternative is you getting taken… or killed.”
Richard cleared his throat. “I’ll make the arrangements. You leave this afternoon.”
He walked out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.
The moment his father was gone, Kai’s posture changed. The controlled Alpha mask slipped slightly, revealing the tension underneath. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a slow breath.
“I didn’t want it to happen this fast,” he said.
“But it is.”
“Yes.”
I crossed my arms, trying to steady myself. “And what about us? About the bond? You said last night I needed to decide how far I was willing to let it go.”
Kai looked at me for a long moment. Then he closed the distance between us until only a small space remained. His voice dropped.
“I meant it.”
“And?”
His eyes searched mine. “If I take you to the pack house as an unmarked mate, every wolf there will feel it. Some will challenge it. Some will test you. The bond will keep pushing us closer whether we’re ready or not.”
“So what are you asking me?”
Kai lifted a hand and gently brushed his fingers along the side of my neck, right where a mark would go. The touch made my pulse jump.
“I’m asking if you’re willing to let me claim you properly before we leave,” he said quietly. “Not because you’re afraid. Not because you feel cornered. Because you choose it.”
The air between us grew heavier.
I could still feel the memory of his kiss from the other night. The way the bond had settled… and then demanded more. Completing it would change everything. There would be no more half-distance. No more pretending this was something we could still slow down.
“And if I say I need more time?” I asked.
Kai’s thumb rested lightly over my pulse. “Then I’ll wait. I’ll still protect you. I’ll still take you somewhere safe. But the longer we stay incomplete, the more dangerous it becomes for both of us.”
His honesty left no comfortable place to hide.
Before I could answer, Kai’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it, and his expression hardened.
“What now?” I asked.
He showed me the screen just long enough for me to see the message.
They’re already watching the roads.
My blood ran cold.
Kai locked the phone and looked back at me, eyes flickering gold.
“We don’t have the afternoon,” he said. “We leave now.”
He reached for my hand, fingers wrapping firmly around mine as the bond surged between us.
“Pack a bag,” he ordered quietly. “Only what you need. We have less than an hour before this house stops being safe.”
- Writer
