Chapter 3: Unwanted Connections
1199 Words
Elena's Point of View
I could feel the air change the moment Zane stepped back. The shadows in the woods got thicker, the trees whispered, and the ground shook under my feet like the earth itself was feeling the tension between us.
I wanted to run away, to get away from this stupid pull, this bond that didn't belong in my life. But my body wouldn't do what I wanted. My heart wouldn't beat to any other rhythm but his.
Zane's voice was harsh and cut through the stillness of the forest: "I told you to leave." He never took his eyes off of mine. His jaw was tight, and his hands were in fists at his sides. I could see how his muscles tensed and how he fought against the same impossible force that I was.
But he didn't really get it. The curse wasn't just bringing us together. It was tearing me apart from the inside out. I could feel the magic moving through my veins, getting stronger by the second. It was too strong to ignore.
I took a shaky breath and stepped back, feeling like my feet got heavier with each step. "Sorry, I can't," I said in a low voice. The words sounded like an apology, but they weren't meant to be. "I'm not running anymore." I can't. I don't know what to do.
For a split second, his eyes softened, but before I could see it, it was gone, and he put on the cold mask he always wore. "You don't have to stay." His words were harsh, but I could see a flash of something else in his eyes, something weak that he didn't want me to see.
I shook my head and tried to keep my voice steady. "It's not about that." I can't go. The curse—" I stopped, my hand instinctively going to my chest. "The tie. It is pulling me toward you. I can't get away from it. I've been trying for so long, and now... I swallowed hard, and as the pressure inside me grew, my chest felt tight. "Now it's too late."
Zane's face darkened, and he looked down at the ground. "I don't believe in it. I don't think that people are meant to be together. His voice was firm, but his hands gave him away. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach out to me. "This... bond…
it's just a curse. Nothing else.
But I could feel it. What he said didn't match what he did. His body was close to mine, and the smell of him filled the air around us. As the pull between us grew stronger, my heart raced and my pulse became erratic. I couldn't just wish the bond away. It was alive in me. It was taking over my life.
I put my fingers on my temples and felt the magic start to swirl around me. It was a real thing that wouldn't let me go. "It's not just you. "It's me too," I whispered, and the words barely came out. "I feel it too."
Zane's breath got stuck in his throat. For a split second, I thought I saw a glimmer of understanding in his eyes, but it was quickly covered up by the storm of feelings he was holding back. "This is crazy," he said under his breath, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."
I wanted to yell at him and tell him how badly I wanted to run away and get away from this. But I couldn't. The pull was too strong. The curse was too real. "You don't know what it's like," I said, my voice getting louder as my anger grew. "You don't know what it's like to have this feeling inside you all the time." It feels like I'm going to die.
Zane didn't answer. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I could see that his jaw muscles were getting tighter. He was fighting with himself; his body moved a little, came toward me, and then pulled away. I could tell that his instincts were telling him to run. To stay away. But his heart... I could tell by the way his eyes followed me and how he couldn't bring himself to step back.
He was just as torn as I was.
"I can't do this," Zane finally said, his voice hoarse and barely a whisper. He made fists with his hands and took a step back. "I won't give in to this... bond."
I moved forward without thinking, and my body moved before my mind could catch up. "You can't fight it, Zane." We can't do it.
He stopped moving, his chest rising and falling with each breath, and his body was stiff. "No," he said again, this time louder and more forcefully. "I can fight it." I will. His voice shook with the weight of it, as if his pride was the only thing keeping him together.
I shook my head because I was feeling the stress of it all—the anger, the magic, and the annoyance. I said, "You're lying," and the words came out like poison. "You're lying to yourself. You know it. I know you do.
The air between us was tense and full of feelings we couldn't name.
Zane's face twisted in a mix of anger and something else…something softer and more dangerous. "Elena, don't make me do this."
I didn't know what he meant, but I could feel the difference in the air. His wolf was too close to the surface, pushing against him. The same way my own magic was pushing me away.
"What are you going to do?" I whispered, my chest was so tight that I could barely speak. "What will you do to stop this?"
His eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on…regret, anger, and something raw that made the tension between us too much to bear. Zane then walked toward me without saying a word.
I held my breath because I didn't know if I should run or stay. The tension was so thick it felt like it was going to kill me. But before I could move or even think, he had his hand on my arm. His touch was rough, but there was a clear softness underneath it, as if he were holding back.
"This is a mistake," he said in a voice that was barely audible.
I couldn't move. My body was frozen because of the heat of the moment. His hand on my arm felt like it was on fire. I couldn't get away. And for a while, I didn't want to.
"It's not a mistake," I said, my voice shaking and my body trembling as I finally let myself feel the truth of it…of us. "This is the curse." And you can't run away from it.
A loud, bone-shaking howl came from far away before Zane could answer. The ground shook under our feet. "The pack..." Zane's eyes got big when he realized what was going on. "They know where we are."
In an instant, the world around us went crazy.
- Writer
