Claimed by my stepbrother

Chapter 19: The Safe House

We walked for a long time.

The river water clung to my clothes, making every step heavier. My shoes were soaked, my hair stuck to my face, and the cold had settled deep into my bones. The only thing that kept me moving was Kai’s hand wrapped firmly around mine and the steady pull of the mate bond guiding me forward.

He didn’t let go once.

Even when the trees grew denser and the ground became uneven, his grip remained sure. Every now and then he glanced back at me, checking my condition with sharp, focused eyes. The gold in them had faded slightly, but it never fully disappeared.

“You’re shaking,” he said after a while.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.” His voice left no room for argument. “We need to get you warm soon.”

The partial claim mark on my neck throbbed in response to his concern. It felt warmer than the rest of my skin, like it had its own heartbeat. Every time Kai’s emotions spiked—protectiveness, tension, residual anger—I felt it more clearly than before.

“Is it supposed to feel like this?” I asked quietly.

Kai didn’t need me to explain what I meant.

“Yes,” he answered. “The bond is more open now. You’ll feel me stronger. I’ll feel you stronger. That’s the point… and the risk.”

“Because they can sense it too.”

He gave a short nod. “They already could. Now it’s worse.”

We continued in silence for several more minutes. My legs were starting to burn from exhaustion when Kai finally slowed. Through the trees ahead, I saw a small structure almost hidden by overgrown branches and tall grass.

The safe house.

It didn’t look like much from the outside—old wood, boarded windows, and a low roof—but Kai approached it with certainty. He released my hand only long enough to unlock a heavy padlock and push the door open.

“Inside,” he said.

The interior was simple but cleaner than I expected. There was a narrow bed in the corner, a small table, a couple of chairs, and a fireplace that still had dry wood stacked beside it. Kai locked the door behind us and immediately moved to the fireplace. Within minutes, he had a low fire going.

The warmth made my shoulders sag with relief.

Kai turned to me. “Take off the wet jacket.”

I hesitated only for a second before obeying. He took it from me and hung it near the fire, then pulled his own torn, soaked shirt over his head. Dark bruises and scratches marked his torso and arms from the earlier fights. In the firelight, the evidence of how hard he had been protecting me looked even worse.

He noticed me staring.

“They look worse than they are,” he said.

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Kai stepped closer. The bond reacted instantly, warming under my skin as he reached up and gently tilted my chin so he could examine the claim mark on my neck. His fingers brushed the sensitive skin around it, careful but possessive.

“It’s taking well,” he murmured. “No signs of rejection.”

The soft touch sent a shiver through me that had nothing to do with the cold.

“Kai…”

His eyes lifted to mine. For a moment, the intensity in them made the small room feel even smaller. He was still close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his bare skin.

“You did well today,” he said. “You listened. You ran when I told you to. You stayed with me.”

“I was terrified.”

“I know.” His thumb brushed once more over the edge of the mark. “But you still trusted me.”

The quiet that followed felt heavy. Outside, the forest remained still, but neither of us believed the danger was gone. It was only delayed.

Kai finally stepped back and grabbed a folded blanket from a shelf. He wrapped it around my shoulders, his hands lingering longer than necessary as he adjusted it.

“You’ll sleep on the bed,” he said. “I’ll keep watch.”

“You need rest too.”

“I’ll rest when I know we’re clear.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, the blanket pulled tightly around me. Kai remained near the fire for a while, checking his phone with a frown before setting it aside. From the look on his face, there was still no signal.

“What happens after this?” I asked.

Kai stared into the flames. “We stay here until nightfall. Then we move again. The main pack house is still too far to risk with them this close.”

“And after we reach it?”

He was quiet for a few seconds.

“Then I deal with Blackridge properly,” he said. “No more warnings. No more scouts. I end the threat.”

The certainty in his voice should have been comforting. Instead, it made my chest tighten. The bond carried a hint of the darkness behind his words—the part of him that was fully Alpha, fully willing to destroy anything that came after me.

I lay down on the bed, still watching him. Exhaustion pulled at my body, but my mind refused to settle. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the river, the wolves, and the moment Kai’s teeth had sunk into my neck.

After a while, Kai moved to the chair near the bed and sat down. His presence alone made the bond ease slightly.

“Sleep,” he said softly. “I’ll be right here.”

My eyes grew heavier.

I don’t know how long I drifted in and out of light sleep before a sudden, sharp pulse went through the claim mark. It was strong enough to make me sit up with a gasp.

Kai was already on his feet.

“What is it?” I asked, heart racing.

He stood completely still, head turned toward the door, eyes glowing again in the dim firelight.

“They’re closer than they should be,” he said quietly.

I pushed the blanket off and stood. “How close?”

Kai didn’t look away from the door.

“Close enough that I can smell them.”

A slow, deliberate scrape sounded against the outer wall of the safe house.

Kai moved in front of me at once, one arm stretched back to keep me behind him as his voice dropped into a deadly calm.

“They found us faster than I expected.”

Another scrape. Then the soft creak of weight shifting on the wooden porch.

Kai’s eyes burned gold as he reached for the door handle with one hand.

“Stay behind me, Lila,” he said. “This time, they don’t leave breathing.”