OBSESSED ALPHA

Chapter4

The horse shifted under me as we rode hard toward the outer border. Kane rode beside me, his presence like a storm I couldn't outrun. Wind whipped my braid back, carrying the sharp scent of blood and smoke ahead. My heart pounded with old memories. In my first life, attacks like this had pulled us together. I had fought for him, bled for him. Not this time.

"Stay close," Kane growled, his gray eyes flicking to me every few seconds. His hand brushed my arm as we slowed near the trees. The touch sent fire across my skin. I jerked away.

"I can handle myself."

His jaw clenched. That dark hunger flared again, stronger since I'd started pushing back. The mate bond tugged at my chest, raw and insistent, but I shoved it down. I remembered the platform too clearly, the rope, his cold order, Lila's smirk. Love had killed me once. Never again.

Warriors gathered ahead, bodies scattered on the ground. Three of ours down, throats torn. Shadow Pack scent hung heavy, bitter ash and aggression. I slid off my horse, boots hitting mud. Blood soaked the earth. My stomach turned, but I kept my face hard. This was the beginning of the end for him. I wouldn't warn him about the bigger war coming.

Kane barked orders, voice sharp. He knelt by one fallen warrior, checking for signs of life. His broad shoulders tensed under his shirt. Even now, my body noticed the way muscles moved, the pine-smoke scent mixed with sweat. My wolf whined, wanting to press close. I turned away.

One scout approached, breathing hard. "They came at dawn. Small group, testing us. I took supplies and ran."

Kane stood, fists tight. "We tracked them. Now," His eyes found me. "Elara, you're with me."

"No." The word slipped out fast. I grabbed a fallen warrior's blade, testing its weight. "I'll check the trail here."

He stepped close, towering over me. His hand gripped my elbow, firm but not bruising. Heat poured through the contact. "You don't get to say no. Not to this. Not to me."

I met his stare, letting the old pain show. "Watch me."

For a second, confusion crossed his face. Then obsession took over. He pulled me closer, right there in front of his men. His breath brushed my ear. "Every time you fight me, it makes me want to pin you down until you submit. You're mine, Elara. Stop running."

My core clenched at his words. Wet heat built between my legs despite the anger. I hated it. Hated how my n*****s tightened under my tunic. The bond was a traitor, flooding me with memories of his body on mine, hard thrusts in the dark, his growls in my ear.

I yanked free. "Touch me again and I'll scream."

His lips curved in a dangerous smile. "Do it. Let them hear how wet you get for your Alpha."

Shame burned my cheeks. I turned and moved into the trees, following faint tracks. Kane followed close, his boots matching my steps. The forest thickened. Leaves crunched underfoot. Birds went silent, sensing the tension.

We found signs of the raiders, broken branches, a dropped knife with Shadow Pack markings. Kane crouched low, fingers tracing the dirt. His shirt rode up, showing a strip of hard abs. I looked away fast.

"Why are you like this now?" he asked suddenly, voice low. "Last month you couldn't keep your hands off me. Now you look at me like you want me dead."

Because I died for you.

The words almost came out. I bit them back. "People change, Kane. The bond doesn't control everything."

He stood, closing the distance in two strides. My back hit a tree trunk. Rough bark scraped through my clothes. Kane caged me with his arms, one on each side of my head. His body pressed in, hard and hot. I felt his c**k, thick and ready against my hip.

"It controls this," he muttered, grinding slowly. Pleasure sparked through me. I gasped, gripping his shoulders. My wolf surged forward, urging me to bite him, claim him.

"Stop," I whispered, but my hips tilted against him.

His mouth crashed down. The kiss was furious, teeth clashing, tongue invading. He tasted like blood and fury. His hand shoved under my tunic, palming my breast roughly. Fingers pinched my n****e, sending sharp needles straight to my core. I moaned into his mouth before I could stop.

"That's it," he growled against my lips. "Feel how much you need me."

I did. Slickness soaked my pants. My body ached to let him take me right here against the tree. But the memory hit hard, the execution platform, his voice flat as he ordered my death. Betrayal cut through the lust like ice water.

I bit his tongue hard. He jerked back with a curse, lip bleeding again.

"f**k you, Kane." I shoved him, chest heaving. "I won't be your w***e anymore."

His eyes went feral. The obsession burned hotter, making his breathing ragged. "You think pushing me away will work? It only makes me want to chain you to my bed until you remember who you belong to."

I laughed, bitter and raw. "Try it. See what happens."

We stared at each other, the air thick with anger and want. A distant howl broke the moment. More Shadow Pack.

Kane grabbed my hand, pulling me deeper into the hunt. His grip was iron. I didn't fight it this time. Part of me needed to see this, his world cracking without my help.

We tracked them for hours. My legs burned. Sweat stung my eyes. Kane stayed glued to my side, his touches constant, a hand on my back, fingers brushing my waist. Each one fed the bond, making it stronger. Made him more obsessed.

Near a small clearing, we found them. Five raiders loading stolen goods. Kane shifted fast, bones cracking, fur ripping through his clothes. His wolf was massive, black as night, gray eyes glowing. Powerful. Beautiful. Mine, the bond whispered.

I shifted too, my smaller brown wolf hitting the ground running. We attacked together. Claws slashed. Teeth sank into flesh. Blood sprayed hot across my muzzle. I fought dirty, aiming for throats. Not to save Kane, but for myself. For the strength I needed to survive this second life.

One raider got past me, lunging at Kane's flank. In my old life, I would have thrown myself in front. This time I hesitated for half a second. Kane took a deep gash across his side. He roared in pain but finished the last enemy.

We shifted back naked, breathing hard. Blood ran down Kane's ribs. His eyes found me immediately, wild with pain and that growing madness.

"You hesitated," he said, voice rough. He pressed a hand to the wound, but stepped toward me anyway.

I stood there, bare skin cooling in the air, n*****s hard from the fight and his stare. "Maybe I did."

He grabbed me, pulling my body against his bloody one. The wound pressed between us, slick and warm. His c**k hardened against my stomach. "Liar. You still care. The bond won't let you stop."

His kiss was desperate this time. Tongues tangled, hands roaming. I tasted his blood. My fingers dug into his back, avoiding the gash. Need pulsed between my legs. I wanted him inside me, f*****g the pain away. But I broke the kiss, stepping back.

"Get your wound treated, Alpha. I won't save you next time."

His laugh was dark, pained. "There won't be a next time where you get to choose. You're mine, Elara. And I'm becoming very good at keeping what's mine."

We rode back as the sun set. His wound was bound but still bleeding. He rode with one hand on my horse's reins, forcing me close. The obsession had roots now. Every rejection watered it.

Back at the pack house, healers waited. Lila hovered nearby, her eyes narrowing at the way Kane watched only me.

As they patched him, his gaze never left me. Dark promise in those gray eyes.

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. "My room. Tonight. Don't make me come get you."

A shiver ran down my spine. Part fear, part twisted excitement. I was changing things. The enemies were moving faster. And Kane's obsession was turning dangerous.

If I went to his room, I might break. If I didn't, he might drag me there.

Either way, the noose from my past felt closer than ever.

I walked away, his stare burning into my back. The game

was getting bloodier. And I wasn't sure I could keep refusing when my body and wolf both screamed yes.