Alpha's Bond

Chapter 6

Damian closed the door behind him, his presence filling the small cabin like a second storm. Evelyn pressed herself against the counter, torn between fear, anger, and something far more dangerous the way her body reacted to him, every nerve awake and trembling.

“You’re bleeding,” she managed, voice tight.

He glanced at the gash on his arm, dismissing it with a shake of his head. “Not mine.”

Her stomach twisted. “What was it?”

Damian’s gaze flicked toward Lily’s closed bedroom door before he answered. His voice dropped low, controlled but edged with something darker. “A rogue. Stronger than most I’ve seen in months. And bold enough to come this close to my land.”

Her heart stumbled. Rogues. She’d heard the stories, lived through her share of close calls. Wolves who had lost their packs, their sanity, their souls. Dangerous. Unpredictable.

“You mean they knew,” she whispered. “They knew I was here.”

Damian’s eyes locked on hers, sharp as a blade. “They will know. If word spreads that you’re unprotected…” He stepped closer, and the air between them tightened. “That child is a beacon. They’ll scent her bloodline.”

Evelyn’s throat went dry. She wanted to push him back, to tell him she didn’t need his protection but Lily’s face flashed in her mind. Lily, giggling with jam on her cheeks, safe in her bed while monsters prowled the woods outside.

Damian’s hand flexed at his side, as though he fought the urge to reach for her. “You can hate me all you want, Evelyn. But if you stay here, you’ll do it under my watch.” His voice dropped, rough and final. “Or you won’t survive.”

Her chest ached with the weight of his words. She hated how part of her wanted to believe him. How part of her wanted to lean into his strength, to let someone else carry the fear for just a moment.

But Evelyn had spent too many years building walls.

“I don’t need you,” she said, though her voice cracked on the last word.

Damian’s golden eyes flared, catching the light like fire. For a moment, silence hung heavy between them, filled only by the sound of their breathing. Then he turned away, his broad frame tense.

“Keep the doors locked,” he said, stepping back into the night. “And keep her close.”

When the door shut again, Evelyn’s legs gave out, and she slid to the floor, pressing her palms hard against her eyes.

Because no matter how much she fought it, a truth was sinking in.

She was already tangled in the Alpha’s bond.