Chapter 2: The Bond That Shouldn’t Exist
769 Words
The forest had changed since the last time he stepped foot in it.
The trees were taller now. Wilder. The roots curled like veins across the soil, as if the land itself remembered what had once happened here.
Floyd walked quietly beneath the shadows, his hood pulled low, the air thick with memory. Every step he took brought him closer to the place he swore he’d never return to.
Bloodfang Territory.
Her territory.
He wasn’t here by choice.
But the Council had summoned all omegas for re-bonding evaluation. And while most believed that was just another excuse to register and control their kind, Floyd knew better. The Alphas were hunting something. Or someone.
And he couldn’t risk them finding her through him.
He reached the gates by dusk. Guards flanked the entrance, eyes narrowing as he approached.
"Name?"
Floyd hesitated. Then answered softly, "Floyd Grey."
One of the guards raised a brow. "We thought you were dead."
"I was."
The gates opened.
Inside, the Bloodfang Packlands were colder than he remembered. The once vibrant training grounds were silent. The sky above bled into twilight, and everything felt like it was holding its breath.
He was shown to the guest quarters—simple stone chambers with thin blankets and no firewood.
It was fine. He wasn’t here to be comfortable.
He was here because the bond wouldn’t let him stay away any longer.
---
Alpha Lyra stood on the balcony above the courtyard, cloaked in dark crimson, her eyes like twin blades beneath the moon.
She felt it.
The moment he crossed into the borders, something inside her shifted. The tether she buried years ago — the one he rejected — quivered like a silken thread being plucked.
It was him.
Floyd.
The boy who broke her. The boy she had tried to forget. The boy who was now a man, and yet, the feeling he stirred in her was just as dangerous as before.
She watched him walk through the snow like a ghost. Silent. Burdened. Unwelcome.
"He’s here," she said to her Beta.
"Should we arrest him?"
Lyra didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze stayed locked on Floyd's figure until he vanished inside the guest wing.
"No. Let him stay."
"Alpha—"
"I said let him stay."
The Beta bowed. "As you wish."
She was stronger now. Colder. Trained not to feel, not to flinch.
But the moment she felt his scent drift in on the wind, something cracked beneath her ribs.
She hated him for it.
And maybe she still loved him, too.
---
That night, sleep didn’t come.
Floyd sat by the narrow window, watching frost climb the glass. He could feel her. Somewhere in the keep, her presence hummed like an old song that never quite faded.
He remembered the way she looked at him the last time they spoke. The quiet devastation in her eyes. The strength it took for her to walk away.
And how his heart shattered after she left.
He should've gone after her. Should’ve told her the truth.
But he had been a coward. And now, he wasn't sure there was anything left of her heart to reach.
A soft knock broke the silence.
He turned. "Yes?"
The door creaked open.
Lyra stood in the threshold.
Older now. Stronger. Her presence filled the room like fire.
"You're awake," she said, voice flat.
"I couldn't sleep," he replied.
Silence stretched between them again. The years hung in the air like ghosts.
She stepped in. Closed the door behind her.
"Why did you come back?"
Floyd didn’t move. "I didn’t have a choice."
"You always have a choice. You chose to lie. You chose to leave."
Her voice didn’t shake. But her hands did.
He noticed.
"I thought I was protecting you," he said.
She laughed bitterly. "From what? Me? The bond?"
"From what I am."
She stepped closer.
"And what are you, Floyd? A monster? Because I loved you anyway. I would’ve burned the whole world for you."
He stood slowly. His heart pounded.
"You still don’t understand. If I had claimed you then, you would’ve died. They would’ve killed you just to get to me."
Lyra’s breath caught. "Then let them."
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Neither moved. Neither blinked.
Then, without warning, she turned away.
"You're still the same coward, Floyd."
She opened the door.
"You have two days to leave."
And just like before, she disappeared into the night.
But this time, Floyd didn’t let himself break.
He stood taller.
Because he could feel it.
The bond wasn’t dead.
And fate wasn’t done with them yet.
- Writer
