Alpha's Bond

Chapter 4

Evelyn didn’t sleep that night. Every creak of the cabin, every sigh of the wind outside set her nerves on edge. She kept seeing his eyes, those dark, unyielding eyes that seemed to look straight through her defenses.

By morning, she was running on caffeine and worry. Lily, bright as ever, bounced around the small living room, clutching her favorite stuffed wolf. “Can we go see the trees, Mommy?” she asked, pointing out the window.

Evelyn forced a smile. “After breakfast, sweetheart.”

The woods were the last place she wanted to go, but she couldn’t keep Lily cooped up forever. She’d chosen this town for its isolation, for the open air and quiet—she wouldn’t let Damian Hale’s presence turn it into another prison.

After packing snacks and tugging on boots, they set out along a narrow trail that wound into the forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground in soft gold. For a while, it was peaceful. Evelyn even started to breathe again.

Until the wind shifted.

She froze, instincts sparking. The scent hit her first pine, smoke, and something darker.

Damian.

He stepped out from between the trees as if he’d been waiting, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark jacket. “You shouldn’t be this deep in the woods,” he said, voice calm but edged.

Evelyn pulled Lily closer. “You followed us.”

His brow furrowed. “You’re in pack territory. I patrol it.”

“That’s not what this feels like.”

He exhaled slowly, frustration threading through his tone. “You think I enjoy chasing you through the woods?” His gaze flicked to Lily again, then back to her. “There are things here you don’t understand. You’re not safe on your own.”

Evelyn bit back a bitter laugh. “I’ve heard that before from men who claimed to know what was best for me.”

“This isn’t about control,” he said, stepping closer. “It’s about survival.”

The way he said it made her heartbeat stumble. His scent surrounded her now, thick and warm, pulling at instincts she’d spent years suppressing. It wasn’t fair, the way her body reacted—her pulse quickened, breath shallow, skin prickling with awareness.

Damian’s gaze softened. “You’re not the only one who’s lost something, Evelyn.”

Her defenses wavered. For a moment, she saw not the Alpha, the leader, the authority but a man carrying his own scars. Then he turned, his voice rougher again.

“Go home,” he said quietly. “Lock your doors tonight.”

And before she could ask why, he was gone, disappearing into the trees as silently as he’d appeared.

Evelyn stood there, heart pounding, clutching her daughter’s hand. She told herself she didn’t care what he meant. That she didn’t care about him at all.

But she did. And that terrified her most of all.