Chapter Six: Shadows and Bonds
797 Words
I woke to a low growl. My eyes shot open.
Malek was already up, standing by the window, muscles tense.
“They’re back,” he said, voice calm but sharp.
“Who?” I whispered, trying not to move.
“The ones I told you about.” He didn’t look at me, just scanned the shadows outside. “Curious, impatient, reckless.”
I rubbed my face. “Do they ever sleep?”
“No,” he said simply. “We don’t let them.”
I noticed how still he was, how his body moved with purpose, like every step was a weapon. My chest tightened. “You’re really… something else.”
He finally turned, eyes locking on mine. “You’re going to get used to that.”
I swallowed. “I don’t think I want to.”
He smirked. “You’ll have no choice.”
I leaned against the bedframe, nervous energy vibrating through me. “Malek… what if they—attack me?”
“They won’t,” he said, stepping closer. “Not while I’m here.”
“Why me?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
He froze, then sighed. “Because you didn’t run. You didn’t scream. You stayed.”
I flinched. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“It is.” His hand brushed my arm—just a touch—and I felt heat bloom everywhere. “It means you’re stronger than you think.”
I wanted to pull away, but something in me didn’t. “Stronger… huh?”
He leaned closer. “Stronger than me, maybe. Don’t make me test that.”
I swallowed hard, heart hammering. “Malek…”
Outside, a noise made us both freeze. Footsteps. Low, cautious. The pack was moving. Watching. Waiting.
“They’re close,” he murmured, eyes narrowing. “Stay behind me.”
I did. My body pressed against his, and even though I tried to pretend it was fear, a shiver ran down my spine. His presence was… grounding. Dominating. Terrifying and safe all at once.
One of the shadows shifted closer. “Alpha,” a voice called, careful, almost mocking.
“Go back,” Malek snapped. The sound of his command rolled over the yard like thunder.
The figure hesitated, then vanished.
I peeked around him. “You just… told them off with your voice?”
He shrugged, but there was fire in his eyes. “It works.”
I shook my head. “I don’t get it. None of this makes sense.”
He finally looked at me fully, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just us. “It will, Oelle. Eventually, it will.”
My stomach tightened. “Eventually? You’re not exactly patient.”
He smirked. “I am when it matters.”
“And now?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Now,” he said, stepping closer again, “it matters that you know… I won’t let anyone touch you. Ever.”
I froze. His words were a promise, but they were also… heavy. Binding.
“Ever?” I echoed.
“Ever,” he confirmed. His hand hovered near my cheek, almost grazing it, and I felt my breath catch.
I wanted to move closer, but my mind screamed danger. My body, however, betrayed me, leaning in anyway.
“You feel that?” he asked, voice low. “That pull?”
I nodded, words failing. The bond was real. Tangible. Stretching between us like an invisible thread, pulling tighter the closer we got.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because it’s not just mine. It’s yours too.”
I blinked. “Mine?”
“Yes. You didn’t feel it before, but now… it’s awake.”
I swallowed. “And what if I don’t like it?”
He smiled—small, dangerous, and tender all at once. “Then I’ll still keep you. Because the bond doesn’t ask.”
I shivered. “The bond doesn’t ask?”
“No. It claims. It chooses.” He leaned closer, letting the words brush my lips. “And it chose you.”
My pulse thundered. “You—”
“Shh.” His finger pressed to my lips. “I’m not done yet.”
I wanted to argue. I wanted to pull away. Instead, I let the silence speak. Let his presence fill the room. Let the tension stretch until it burned.
Outside, the pack stirred again, but this time I didn’t hear them. Couldn’t focus on them. Couldn’t focus on anything but him.
He cupped my face gently. “You’re mine, Oelle. And I’ll prove it to them… and to you.”
I could only nod, heart racing, body trembling, knowing that from this moment on… nothing would ever be simple again.
- Writer
