Chapter Five: Tension Unspoken
930 Words
Ayla didn’t remember turning.
She didn’t remember walking.
All she knew was that she had to get away.
The moment Nyla’s words settled—this is my mate—something inside her cracked, and her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her chest felt too tight, her breathing uneven, her thoughts loud and tangled.
She couldn’t stay there.
Not with him looking at her like that.
Not with the bond pulling at her like it was alive.
She moved quickly, stepping past her brothers, past the doorway, down the side path that led away from the house. Gravel crunched under her boots, each step faster than the last.
No. No, no, no…
This couldn’t be happening again.
Not like this.
Not with him.
Her sister’s mate.
Her sister’s life.
Her sister’s happiness.
Ayla pressed a hand to her chest as she reached the edge of the trees, her breathing finally breaking into something uneven and sharp.
“Get it together,” she muttered to herself, closing her eyes. “It’s nothing. It doesn’t mean anything.”
But the bond pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Like it was disagreeing.
Her eyes snapped open.
“Stop,” she whispered, like she could command her own body into silence.
“You feel it too.”
The voice came from behind her.
Low. Calm.
Too close.
Ayla froze.
For a second, she didn’t turn. Didn’t breathe. Didn’t move at all.
Then slowly—too slowly—she looked over her shoulder.
He stood a few feet away.
Watching her.
His expression was controlled, but not calm. There was tension in the way he held himself, in the slight tightness of his jaw, in the way his eyes stayed locked onto hers like looking away would make it worse.
Ayla turned fully now, putting space between them.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said quickly, her voice sharper than she intended.
He let out a quiet breath. “I could say the same to you.”
Her brows furrowed. “This is my home.”
“And yet you ran,” he replied, not unkindly—but not softly either.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I needed air.”
“No,” he said, his voice steady. “You needed distance.”
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy. Thick.
Ayla swallowed, her heart still racing. “You should go back,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes now. “Nyla’s waiting for you.”
His name hadn’t even been said yet, and already it felt like too much.
“I know,” he replied.
But he didn’t move.
That alone made her chest tighten again.
Ayla shook her head slightly. “Then why are you still here?”
Another pause.
Then—
“Because this didn’t just happen to you.”
Her breath caught.
She looked up at him again, really looked this time.
And saw it.
The conflict.
The frustration.
The disbelief.
He dragged a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. “I didn’t expect this,” he admitted. “I already have a mate. A family.”
Each word landed heavier than the last.
Ayla flinched, even if she tried not to show it.
“Then act like it,” she snapped quietly. “Go back to them.”
His gaze sharpened. “You think it’s that simple?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. “It has to be.”
Because if it wasn’t—
She didn’t want to think about what that meant.
The bond pulsed again, stronger now that they stood this close, like it was demanding to be acknowledged.
Ayla took a step back.
Then another.
“Stay away from me,” she said, her voice lower now, but firmer. “Whatever this is—it doesn’t matter. You have a mate. My sister. That’s the only thing that matters.”
His jaw tightened.
“You don’t get to decide what this is,” he said.
“I do,” she shot back. “Because I’m the one who has to live with it.”
Silence fell again.
The air between them thick with everything neither of them wanted to say out loud.
Finally, he spoke.
“My name is Lucan.”
Ayla blinked slightly, thrown off by the sudden shift.
“…Ayla,” she replied, quieter now.
“I know,” he said.
Of course he did.
That only made it worse.
Lucan took a small step back, creating just enough distance to breathe again. “This doesn’t change anything,” he said, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as her. “I’m not leaving my family.”
Ayla nodded quickly. “Good. Then we understand each other.”
But the bond didn’t loosen.
If anything—
It held tighter.
Lucan’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he finally turned away.
“Stay away from the house for a few minutes,” he said quietly. “Give me time to… fix my expression.”
Ayla almost laughed—but it came out hollow.
“Yeah,” she murmured. “Wouldn’t want anyone to notice.”
He didn’t respond.
He just walked away.
And this time—
He didn’t look back.
⸻
Ayla stood there long after he was gone, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
Everything felt wrong.
Too familiar.
Too painful.
Too complicated.
She pressed her hand against her chest again, closing her eyes as the bond pulsed softly beneath her skin.
Second mate.
And somehow…
Even worse than the first.
- Writer
