The Alpha Who Rejected the Bondmaker

Chapter 4: He Shouldn’t Be Able to Find Me

The forest shifted before he appeared.

It wasn’t something most would notice. There was no sound, no movement obvious enough to draw attention. But I felt it—the same unnatural pull tightening sharply in my chest.

Closer.

Too close.

Cassian went still beside me, the last trace of amusement disappearing from his expression. “That’s… inconvenient.”

I didn’t respond.

Because this wasn’t just inconvenient.

It was wrong.

I had calculated distance. Time. Energy. The connection should not have been able to track me like this—not after I had severed it, not after I had reshaped it.

Which meant one of two things.

Either my control wasn’t as absolute as I thought—

Or something else was happening entirely.

Branches snapped in the distance.

Heavy footsteps followed, deliberate and unhidden. He wasn’t even trying to conceal his approach.

Of course he wasn’t.

Alpha Kael Draven had never needed to.

Cassian exhaled slowly. “You want me to stay?”

“No.”

He glanced at me, mildly surprised. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

A brief pause.

“That’s either confidence or arrogance,” he said, stepping back.

I didn’t look at him. “Leave.”

A moment later, he was gone—silent as if he’d never been there at all.

Good.

Because this—

This was mine to handle.

When Kael stepped into the clearing, the air shifted again. Not just because of his presence, but because of what existed between us now.

His gaze found me instantly.

No hesitation.

No uncertainty.

Like he knew exactly where I would be.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said calmly.

He didn’t answer at first. He simply watched me, as though trying to understand something that didn’t fit within his world.

“You’re not running,” he said finally.

“I’m not prey.”

A flicker of something darker crossed his expression. “No,” he agreed. “You’re not.”

Silence stretched between us, charged and unstable.

“You broke the bond,” he said.

“Yes.”

“But I can still feel you.”

I tilted my head slightly. “That sounds like your problem.”

His jaw tightened. “It’s not just a feeling.”

“I know.”

His gaze sharpened. “So you admit it.”

“I never denied it.”

A pulse hit between us—sharp, undeniable. This time, it affected both of us. The connection snapped tight, stronger than before.

Kael inhaled sharply.

For a fraction of a second, his control slipped.

“…What did you do?” he demanded.

I met his gaze evenly. “Something you don’t understand.”