Chapter Five
1234 Words
It took hours.
Not because it was complicated.
Because neither side wanted to yield.
───
Eventually the agreement formed.
Reluctantly.
Carefully.
Like something fragile being built out of anger and necessity.
───
Kael would remain within neutral territory between packs.
Rowan would be relocated temporarily to ensure “bond evaluation conditions.”
Edrin hated every word of it.
Rowan hated all of it.
Kael said nothing.
───
When it was done, Edrin leaned toward Rowan.
“This is not a request.”
“I noticed.”
“You will be watched.”
“I assumed.”
“And you will not be alone.”
That made her pause.
“Meaning?”
Edrin’s expression tightened.
“Lyra will be assigned to accompany you.”
Rowan blinked.
“…who?”
A faint sigh.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
_____
Across the clearing, Kael was speaking with his escort.
But his attention kept drifting.
Back to her.
Every time.
───
And every time it did—
the bond tightened again.
Like it was learning patience.
───
The journey back to Blackstone territory was painfully quiet.
The kind of silence that settled between strangers forced together by fate.
Hours passed beneath towering pines and fading sunlight. Their escort rode far enough ahead to offer privacy, but not enough to leave them truly alone.
Rowan was beginning to suspect Kael enjoyed making conversation difficult.
Or maybe impossible.
She glanced sideways at him.
His expression hadn't changed once since they'd left.
Broad shoulders.
Dark hair.
Permanent scowl.
Not a single word.
Finally, Rowan sighed dramatically.
"Do you ever talk?"
Kael didn't look at her.
"Occasionally."
"Well, this has been thrilling."
Silence.
Rowan groaned.
"You're doing this on purpose."
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
"Doing what?"
"There he is."
For the first time, his eyes shifted toward her.
The bond immediately stirred.
Warm.
Aware.
Dangerously pleased.
Rowan ignored it.
Mostly.
"I'm trying to get to know you."
"Why?"
The bluntness caught her off guard.
"Because we're going to be living in the same pack."
His gaze returned to the trail.
"That doesn't mean you need to know me."
The words stung more than they should have.
Rowan folded her arms.
"You're charming."
"I've been told."
She snorted.
"By who? Your enemies?"
For the briefest second, something almost resembling amusement crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
The silence returned.
Not quite as hostile this time.
Just awkward.
Eventually Rowan spoke again.
"Have you always been alpha?"
"No."
"Any Friends?"
Kael sighed.
"Is this an interrogation?"
"I'm making conversation."
"It's terrible conversation."
Rowan gasped dramatically.
"Rude."
To her surprise, Kael actually huffed a quiet laugh.
The sound was so unexpected she nearly missed it.
For a moment he looked younger.
Less like an untouchable alpha.
More like a man.
The realization made something uncomfortable twist inside her chest.
She looked away first.
"So," she said after a while.
Kael immediately looked wary.
The reaction alone made her suspicious.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"That sounded like a lie."
"It wasn't."
"It absolutely was."
His shoulders stiffened.
The bond reacted instantly.
Not pain.
Not anger.
Guilt.
Heavy and sharp.
Rowan frowned.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"The thing you're not telling me."
Kael's jaw tightened.
His eyes closed briefly.
As if he were already regretting the conversation.
When he finally spoke, his voice was rough.
"There was someone."
Rowan blinked.
"What?"
His grip tightened on the reins.
For several seconds he said nothing.
Then—
"There is someone."
The correction hit differently.
Harder.
Rowan felt her stomach drop.
"What do you mean?"
Kael stared straight ahead.
"Evelyn."
The name settled heavily between them.
"Who's Evelyn?"
Even as she asked, Rowan already knew.
She could feel it.
The bond practically recoiled.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"The woman I chose."
Everything inside Rowan went still.
"Oh."
His expression remained unreadable.
But she could feel the tension radiating from him.
"Chosen mate?" she asked quietly.
"Yes."
The answer shouldn't have bothered her.
She barely knew him.
They'd been trapped together for less than a day.
And yet—
The thought of another woman waiting for him made her chest ache.
Which was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
"She's at your pack?"
A pause.
"Yes."
That somehow made it worse.
Not a past love.
Not an old heartbreak.
A real woman.
Waiting.
Living the life Rowan was about to walk into.
Rowan swallowed hard.
"How long?"
Kael's grip tightened slightly on the reins.
"A few years."
The answer landed like a stone in her stomach.
A few years.
Not a passing interest. Not a brief romance.
Years.
"And she's to be Luna?"
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
"Yes."
Rowan looked away before he could see the hurt on her face.
"Does she know?"
Silence.
That was answer enough.
Her stomach dropped.
"She doesn't."
"No."
The word was quiet.
Almost ashamed.
Rowan laughed once. It came out brittle.
"That's going to go well."
Kael closed his eyes briefly.
"No," he admitted. "It isn't."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Rowan asked the question she should have left alone.
"Do you love her?"
The silence that followed felt endless.
When Kael finally answered, his voice was steady.
"Yes."
Rowan nodded once.
The ache in her chest deepened.
At least he hadn't lied.
The silence stretched.
Finally Rowan laughed.
The sound came out far less convincing than she'd intended.
"Well."
Kael glanced at her.
"Well?"
She forced a smile.
"This just keeps getting better."
Something flickered across his face.
Regret.
For the first time since she'd met him, Kael looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"I didn't ask for this."
The words were quiet.
Honest.
Rowan stared at the trail ahead.
Neither did she.
Yet somehow the moon had tied them together anyway.
And waiting at the end of the road—
Was Evelyn.
Kael
Kael kept his eyes fixed on the trail ahead.
It was easier than looking at Rowan.
Easier than seeing the way her shoulders had stiffened after his answer.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Necessary.
"You hurt her."
Orion's voice rumbled through his mind.
Kael clenched his jaw.
There was no response to that.
Because it was true.
She deserved the truth.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"The truth hurts."
Orion was unmoved.
"The lie would have hurt more."
Kael looked toward the horizon.
Toward home.
Toward the life he'd spent years building.
A life that suddenly felt far less certain than it had a week ago.
"She is our mate."
The wolf's certainty was infuriating.
Complications. Politics. Evelyn. None of it mattered to Orion.
Only Rowan.
Only the bond.
Only what the Moon Goddess had chosen.
Mate found.
Problem solved.
If only it were that simple.
"So is Evelyn."
Rowan
The sun was beginning to sink when the trees finally started to thin.
Rowan lifted her head.
At first she only saw distant rooftops peeking through the forest.
Then stone walls.
Then towers.
Her breath caught.
Silver Moon.
Kael's home.
Her potential future.
Or perhaps her prison.
The bond stirred quietly at the sight of it.
Warm.
Hopeful.
Rowan ignored it.
Far beyond the walls, life continued as normal.
People moved through the streets.
Smoke curled from chimneys.
Someone laughed in the distance.
None of them knew she was coming.
None of them knew their Alpha's mate had just crossed into their world.
And somewhere beyond those walls—
Waiting without any idea what was about to happen—
Was Evelyn.
- Writer
