chapter three, Duty bound
832 Words
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After that night, Kaden began summoning Skyler far more often.
"Always for duty" kaden whispered to him self, " oh oh that's how you lie to your self " Kane will say
She stood at the edge of the war table while he reviewed patrol routes and border disputes, her role simple and unremarkable, carry maps,deliver sealed reports, pour wine for visiting elders,
stand silent unless spoken to.
Invisible by design.
And yet Kaden felt her every time she entered the room.
"She is here," Kane murmured inside his mind the moment her scent brushed the air.
Kaden did not look up from the table. "Focus." he replied with smile
But the bond tightened anyway slow, deliberate, like a blade drawn across skin.
He never touched her. Never allowed himself that weakness.
But his gaze betrayed him, following her movements against his will the careful way she folded parchment, the controlled grace of her steps,
the faint lift of her chin when warriors spoke too loudly around her.
he was always aware of her.
Sai felt it too.
"He watches you as if he is guarding something precious, " Sai whispered.
Skyler kept her eyes lowered." Or as if he is afraid of what he might lose." Skyler added
“Stand closer,” Kaden ordered once, without lifting his head.
Skyler obeyed, stepping to his side.
Close enough that her warmth brushed his arm.
Close enough that her scent clean, sharp, undeniably hers curled into his lungs.
Kane growled inwardly.
"Take a step back or I will....".
Kaden’s jaw clenched."control yourself beast"
Skyler stiffened. Her breath hitched, just slightly.
Neither spoke of it.
Another night, during a dispute between two border clans, Skyler corrected an elder quietly, respectfully pointing out a supply route only someone who had lived in the outer lands would know.
The hall went silent.
Kaden’s eyes snapped to her.
“You speak out of turn,” he said coolly.
Skyler bowed her head. “Forgive me, Alpha. I spoke only for the pack’s good.”
Not defiance.
Confidence.
Kane was pleased.
"She is strong, the wolf said.
You should be proud."
"She embarrassed me", Kaden snapped internally.
"You are lying to yourself." Kane replies
After the council dismissed, Kaden stopped her at the doorway.
“You will not embarrass me in front of my elders,” he said, towering over her.
Skyler met his gaze for one heartbeat too long. “Then do not underestimate me.”
The bond flared hot, sharp, dangerous.
Kane surged forward "She does not fear you...thats like my girl ".
Kaden leaned in, voice low. “You forget your place.”
Skyler’s breath caught but she didn’t step back. “I know exactly where I stand.”
For a moment, they were too close.
Sai felt Kaden’s restraint like a physical wall.
"He is fighting us," Sai whispered "And losing."
"stop daydreaming" Skyler replies inwardly
Kaden stepped away first.
“Leave.”
She did.
But the echo of her presence lingered long after she left.
Lyra noticed everything.
She watched how Kaden’s attention snapped to Skyler the instant she entered a room.
How his voice sharpened when Skyler was near, as though he were constantly bracing for something unseen.
The next day during a training inspection, Lyra deliberately positioned herself at Kaden’s side, fingers brushing his arm as she spoke.
Skyler stood opposite them.
Lyra smiled. “Fetch water.”
Skyler moved without protest.
Kaden’s jaw tightened.
"She is not a servant", Kane growled.
Later that evening, kaden found Skyler alone in the armory, tending to a shallow cut on her palm.
“You are not Lyra’s servant,” he said.
Skyler didn’t look up. “I am whatever you allow me to be.”
The words struck deeper than accusation.
“You are pack property,” he replied coldly. “Nothing more.”
Sai went very quiet.
At last, Skyler looked at him.
“And yet,” she said softly, “you stand here.”
Silence stretched between them.
Kaden reached out then stopped himself, hand hovering inches from hers.
Kane roared inside him.
"Touch her. Claim her. End this".
Kaden whispered, “Do not test me, Skyler.”
Her lips curved not in a smile, but something close. “I don’t need to.”
The bond pulsed.
Unresolved. Unclaimed. Burning.
That night, Kaden stood on the battlements, staring at the moon.
"You are lying to yourself kaden", Kane said.
"This is not duty."
Kaden exhaled slowly and whispered "Control is strength, denial is fear."
And somewhere below, Skyler lay awake as well feeling the same pull,
the same frustration,
the same slow, dangerous heat.
"He is bound to us, "Sai whispered.
"Even if he pretends otherwise." Skyler added
They were not lovers.
Not allies.
Not enemies.
Not yet.
They were two wolves chained by the moon
meeting again and again under the guise of duty,
while something inevitable waited patiently between them. 🌙🐺
- Writer
