Bound by Bloodline

Chapter 5

They didn’t wait long.

I saw the moment one of them decided to move. Subtle to anyone else. A slight shift in direction, a pause that didn’t belong, eyes that stopped scanning and settled.

On us.

I didn’t look away.

If I did, it would confirm too much.

“Stay where you are,” I murmured.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, but her voice was tighter now, the edge of panic slipping in whether she wanted it to or not.

Good.

Fear kept people alert.

The man stepped closer, slow, deliberate, like he wasn’t in a rush because he didn’t need to be. Tall. Controlled. The kind of presence that blended into authority without announcing itself.

Not random.

Never random.

He stopped a few feet away, his gaze moving between us, measuring, calculating. I felt her shift slightly under my hands, tension tightening through her body.

“Evening,” he said.

Casual.

Too casual.

I didn’t respond right away. Let the silence sit just long enough to make it uncomfortable.

“What do you want?” I asked finally.

His lips curved slightly, not quite a smile. “Just passing through.”

“Then keep passing.”

His attention shifted to her.

That was all it took.

I felt the bond react instantly, sharp and aggressive, something in my chest tightening hard enough to make my jaw clench. My hand slid from her arm to her waist without thinking, pulling her just a fraction closer.

Mine.

The thought hit harder this time.

Clearer.

The man noticed.

Of course he did.

“Didn’t realize you were spoken for,” he said, his tone still light, but his eyes sharper now, more focused.

“She is,” I said.

I didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t soften it.

Didn’t give him room to question it.

She went still beside me.

I felt it.

The way her body reacted to the words, the way the bond flared again, stronger, tighter, like it approved of the claim even if she didn’t.

Her hand brushed against my side, not pushing away this time, not fighting.

Just there.

That alone was enough to push my control thinner.

The man studied her for a second longer.

Then he stepped closer.

Too close.

My body reacted before my mind did. I shifted, placing myself more directly between them, my grip tightening at her waist.

“She doesn’t look claimed,” he said, his voice quieter now, more pointed.

My gaze darkened.

“She is.”

“She doesn’t smell like it.”

That did it.

I felt something snap just slightly inside me.

Control didn’t disappear.

But it shifted.

Became sharper.

More dangerous.

“She’s mine,” I said, my voice lower now, no room left for anything else.

Behind me, I felt her breath catch.

The bond surged again, stronger than before, reacting to the words like they meant something more than they should.

The man’s eyes narrowed.

“Funny,” he said slowly. “Because we’ve been tracking an Omega all night who doesn’t belong to anyone.”

Silence pressed in.

Heavy.

Charged.

I didn’t look back at her.

Didn’t need to.

I could feel it.

The tension. The fear. The way her body went rigid as the words landed.

He knew.

Or at least he was close enough to be dangerous.

“You’re wasting your time,” I said.

“Am I?”

His gaze flicked past me again, landing on her shoulder, her posture, the way she held herself like she was always ready to run.

“She looks nervous,” he added.

My hand tightened at her waist again, pulling her closer without asking, without thinking.

“She doesn’t like strangers,” I said.

“I’m not a stranger to her kind.”

That was it.

I felt it the second she moved.

The shift in her body, the tension snapping into action as she tried to step away, to break free, to run.

“No,” I muttered, tightening my grip.

Too late.

The man moved at the same time.

Fast.

Faster than he had any right to be.

His hand shot forward, reaching for her wrist.

I didn’t think.

I reacted.

My hand caught his before he could touch her, the impact sharp enough to echo through the narrow street. For a second, everything went still.

Then everything went wrong.

“Don’t touch her,” I said.

My voice didn’t sound like mine anymore.

It was lower.

Rougher.

Something underneath it that I didn’t bother to hide.

The man’s expression changed immediately.

Not fear.

Recognition.

“There you are,” he said quietly.

Behind him, the others moved in.

I heard them before I saw them.

Steps closing in.

Too many.

Too close.

Kaia’s breathing hitched behind me, her hand gripping the back of my shirt without thinking, like her body had already decided where safety was even if her mind hadn’t caught up.

The bond flared hard at the contact.

Something in me snapped completely this time.

“Stay behind me,” I said.

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” she shot back, but there was no bite in it now, just tension, just readiness.

Good.

Because we were out of time.

The man tried to pull his hand free.

I didn’t let him.

Instead, I pushed him back hard enough to create space, stepping forward without hesitation.

“Last chance,” I said.

“Let her go.”

He smiled.

“Not happening.”

Bad answer.

I moved first.