Fated Flames

CHAPTER TWELVE — Public Danger

I thought I could make it through school today. Thought I could sit quietly, hide the marks, and pretend the bond wasn’t screaming at me.

I was wrong.

From the moment I stepped into the hallway, I could feel her.

Lyra.

Her presence was like a knife, sharp and cold. My wolf growled softly, sensing her intent before my brain could process it. Every instinct screamed danger.

I tried to keep calm, pressing my bag to my chest. But my heart was hammering, my pulse racing like a drumbeat. My wolf surged violently inside me, muscles coiling, claws itching.

And then I saw her.

Lyra had gathered a small crowd, whispers and laughter buzzing around her. She leaned against the lockers, smirking, eyes glinting silver under the fluorescent lights.

“Elara Vale,” she called out, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Care to show us just how special you are?”

My chest tightened. My wolf surged uncontrollably. I felt heat, tension, hunger, and an ache that had nothing to do with hunger. My body reacted before I could think, stepping back instinctively.

Kael appeared beside me like a shadow, all predator and alpha, aura radiating raw power. His presence calmed my wolf slightly, but only slightly.

“You okay?” he murmured, his hand brushing my shoulder.

I nodded, trying to hide my shaking. “I… I think so.”

Lyra laughed, loud and venomous. “Or maybe she’s just scared. Maybe your little wolf can’t handle me, huh?”

Before I could respond, something inside me snapped. My wolf surged forward, muscles coiling, senses exploding. The bond flared red-hot across my collarbone, leaving streaks burning against my skin. My fangs ached, my claws itched, my chest heaved.

I gasped, trying to control it. But Kael grabbed me, pulling me close, shielding me from the crowd. His scent rolled over me, grounding me, tethering me.

“Focus,” he growled softly, lips brushing my ear. “Control it. Don’t let her provoke you.”

My wolf whined, desperate, but his touch calmed me enough to resist a full shift. My body pressed against his, heat coiling, pulse racing, wolf desperate.

Lyra stepped forward, fangs flashing. “I’m not done with you, Elara. You’ll regret crossing me.”

Kael’s eyes flared silver. “Back off,” he growled, low and dangerous. The sound vibrated in my chest, resonating with my wolf.

She paused, realizing she couldn’t challenge him—not here, not now. But her smirk didn’t fade. “This isn’t over,” she hissed.

Kael turned his gaze to me, hands still firmly holding my waist, possessive and protective. “You’re mine, Elara. Always. Remember that.”

I shiver, heat coiling, wolf pressing, body trembling. The bond burned across my skin, leaving a permanent reminder of him. My wolf howled silently, ecstatic, desperate, alive.

Even in public, even with everyone watching, I feel it:

I belong to him.

And no one, not even Lyra, can take that.