ALPHA’S MATE

The wolf bond

CHAPTER 5

Kaelen froze at the sound of Rafayel’s voice.

The girl beneath him shifted awkwardly, wondering why he was looking quietly towards the door

With a sharp breath, he pushed off her and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

His hands ran down his face once, as if to scrape away the heat burning under his skin,

before he reached for the pile of clothes on the floor.

“Get dressed,” he said flatly, his voice low, almost cold.

She blinked at him, confused by the sudden change.

Kaelen grabbed his wallet from the nightstand, pulled out some cash, and dropped it onto the table with a dull thud.

“Are you going to leave or not?”

he muttered.

The girl hesitated, glancing between him and the door, but his expression gave no room for argument.

She quickly slipped back into her skirt and jacket while Kaelen rose, pulling on a dark shirt as he strode out of the bedroom.

By the time he opened the door, Rafayel stood waiting, arms crossed, his golden eyes sharp with restrained impatience.

Kaelen didn’t say a word. He only stepped aside to let him in.

Across the city, the storm inside Ervin finally broke.

The fire in his chest cooled suddenly, like ice water had been poured through his veins. His wolf snarled in reluctant relief as the burn of betrayal faded

Ervin collapsed back into his chair, his breath heavy, sweat dripping down his temples. His chest rose and fell as if he’d just fought a war. In truth, he had.

His wolf grumbled in his head, restless but subdued.

He stopped… the beast murmured, though its voice was raw with anger.

He hated the weakness in his own body, hated that one man could bring him to his knees without even touching him.

But the bond was cruel—it connected them in ways no wolf could resist.

Back in Kaelen’s apartment, Rafayel stepped inside just as the girl scurried from the bedroom, her cheeks flushed, her hair disheveled,

Rafayel’s brows shot up. His golden gaze flicked from the girl to Kaelen, who stood in the middle of the living room with his hands shoved into his pockets, his gray eyes unreadable.

The silence stretched.

Finally, Rafayel let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “What the hell was that?”

Kaelen’s lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t answer.

But Rafayel didn’t need him to.

He knew because he could almost feel the way Ervin must have been sweating, growling, tearing his office apart as his mate writhed under another’s.

And Rafayel’s chest tightened with fury.

Kaelen!” What nonsense!

“You have a mate!” His golden eyes burned. “

Kaelen finally looked up, gray eyes steady but hollow. “One that doesn’t want to mark or reject me.”

Rafayel stared at Kaelen, waiting for even the slightest flicker of regret. But Kaelen only leaned back against the wall, arms folded, his face carved in stone.

“Why are you here?.”

The words echoed like a blade against bone. Rafayel’s jaw tightened. A thousand replies burned on his tongue—curses, threats—but none of them would matter.

Without another word, Rafayel turned on his heel. The door slammed behind him hard enough to rattle the frame.

By the time he reached the car, his chest was a knot of fury and dread. He drove like the road itself might split under his wheels, the city blurring around him. His thoughts screamed louder than the engine.

Ervin… gods, what state will he be in?

He had seen the way the mate bond treats wolves,and Ervin was stronger, prouder, crueler in his self-discipline. Which would only made it worse.