Chapter 12: No More Warnings
1298 Words
Kai didn’t speak for the entire drive home.
His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. The golden flicker in his eyes kept appearing and fading, like he was constantly forcing his wolf back down. The message from the rival pack sat between us like a live grenade.
They know where you sleep now… and they’re done sending warnings.
I stared out the window, trying to keep my breathing steady. The mate bond felt tighter than before, reacting to Kai’s anger. Every time his control slipped even a little, I felt it in my chest.
When we finally pulled into the driveway, Kai turned off the engine but didn’t move to get out. He sat there in silence for several seconds, jaw clenched.
“From now on, you don’t sleep alone,” he said suddenly.
I turned to look at him. “What?”
“You heard me.” His voice was low and final. “Until this is handled, I’ll be in your room every night. No arguments.”
“Kai, my mom—”
“I’ll deal with it.” He finally looked at me. The gold in his eyes was stronger now. “Those wolves don’t send messages like that unless they’re ready to act. They want me angry. They want me reckless. And they’re using you to do it.”
I swallowed. “What are you going to do?”
Kai’s expression darkened. “I’m going to remind them why no one touches what’s mine.”
The word still made my stomach twist, but this time it also sent a dangerous warmth through the bond.
We got out of the car. The house looked quiet from the outside, but the moment Kai opened the front door, the atmosphere felt heavier. Richard was standing in the living room with his phone in hand, speaking in a low, sharp voice. When he saw us, he ended the call immediately.
“Kai,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Kai stepped slightly in front of me. “About what?”
Richard’s eyes moved to me for a brief second before returning to his son. “Pack business. Alone.”
“She stays,” Kai replied without hesitation.
The two of them stared at each other. The tension in the room thickened. I could feel the power between them—father and son, current Alpha and future Alpha—pressing against the air.
Richard’s jaw tightened. “You crossed a line last night. Three wolves from the Blackridge Pack were found injured near our border. They’re accusing you of attacking without cause.”
“They came onto our property,” Kai said coldly. “They threatened her. That was cause.”
Richard’s gaze snapped back to me. For the first time, I saw something like concern… and calculation in his eyes.
“So it’s true,” he said quietly. “The bond is real.”
Kai didn’t deny it.
Richard exhaled slowly and rubbed a hand over his face. “Do you have any idea what this means? A human mate—especially one living under this roof as your stepsister—will divide the pack. Some will never accept it.”
“I don’t need them to accept it,” Kai said. “I need them to obey.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is to me.”
The two of them faced off in silence. I stood slightly behind Kai, feeling the mate bond pulse harder the more agitated he became. Eventually, Richard looked at me again.
“Does she understand what she’s walking into?”
Kai answered before I could. “She’s learning.”
Richard studied me for another moment, then shook his head. “We’ll discuss this tonight with the senior members. Until then, neither of you leaves this house without protection.”
He walked out of the room without waiting for a reply.
The moment he was gone, Kai turned to me. The controlled mask he had worn in front of his father slipped, revealing the raw tension underneath.
“Come upstairs,” he said.
I followed him. Neither of us spoke until we reached my room. Kai closed the door and locked it, then leaned back against it, staring at me.
“This is escalating faster than I wanted,” he said.
“Because of the kiss?”
“Because of the bond.” He pushed off the door and walked closer. “Last night made it stronger. They felt it. That’s why they sent the message. They know that if they take you now, while the bond is still incomplete, it will break something in me.”
I crossed my arms, trying to steady myself. “Then complete it.”
Kai stopped in front of me. His eyes searched my face carefully.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I’m asking not to be a weakness,” I said. “I’m asking not to keep waiting for the next attack while everyone else decides what I am to you.”
Something fierce and hungry flashed across his expression. He lifted a hand and cupped the side of my neck, his thumb resting just over my pulse.
“Completing the bond isn’t just a kiss, Lila,” he said, voice low. “It’s a claiming. Once it’s done, there’s no undoing it. You’ll be tied to me in ways you can’t walk away from.”
The mate bond surged at his words, warm and insistent.
“And if I say I’m ready?” I asked quietly.
Kai’s fingers tightened slightly on my neck. His eyes dropped to my mouth, then back up to my eyes. For a moment, I thought he might close the distance again.
Instead, he rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.
“Not yet,” he said, almost painfully. “Not when you’re saying it out of fear. When I claim you, it won’t be because you’re scared of dying. It will be because you want it.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me. The gold in his eyes was still there, but softer now.
“I can protect you without rushing this,” he said. “But you need to trust me.”
Before I could answer, his phone buzzed again.
Kai glanced at the screen, and every trace of softness disappeared from his face. He stared at the message for several seconds, his body going completely still.
“What is it?” I asked.
He locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. When he looked at me again, his expression was colder than I had ever seen it.
“They’re not waiting,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
Kai walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside just enough to look outside. His shoulders tensed.
“There are wolves near the property line right now,” he said quietly. “More than last time.”
My blood ran cold. “How many?”
Kai let the curtain fall back into place and turned to face me. The gold in his eyes was burning bright again.
“Enough,” he said. “Stay in this room. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone except me.”
“Kai—”
He was already at the door. He paused only long enough to look back at me one last time.
“If you hear fighting,” he said, voice deadly calm, “don’t come downstairs.”
Then he left, closing the door firmly behind him.
A few seconds later, I heard the front door open… and the low, dangerous sound of Kai’s growl echoing into the night.
- Writer
