The Pain Of A Mate

The Connection

Chapter Four

Alden’s POV

She jerked her arm free, pulling away like she could escape the pull between us.

For a heartbeat, the memory of our touch burned in my veins. The spark—the jolt from skin to skin—was still there, crawling beneath my skin like wildfire.

Selene’s eyes were sharp, guarded, flicking to mine as if measuring every word before it left her lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said quietly, her voice steady, controlled.

Liar.

I studied her, careful, every inch of her tense posture, every subtle flicker of emotion her face betrayed. Inside me, Mole my wolf, prowled restlessly.

“She’s our mate,” Mole hissed, pacing like a predator trapped in a cage. “We can’t waste time. Act now!”

“Not yet,” I growled, clenching my jaw. “Patience, Mole. We don’t move until I choose.”

He growled, frustrated. “You think she’ll wait for you to decide? She’s ours. Claim her before someone else does.”

I ignored him, forcing my gaze back to Selene. Her scent—wild, tangy, fresh like rain on dry leaves—hit me like a punch to the chest. Her pulse quickened when I took even a half-step closer, subtle yet impossible to ignore. She tried to hide it, pressing her lips tight, jaw tense, but the truth seeped through every line of her body.

I exhaled slowly and spoke, my voice low, firm. “Do you feel it too, don’t you? The bond between us?”

Selene didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny it.

“I know what I am,” she said softly, words sharp with resignation. “And I know what you are. You’d never take someone like me… an outcast… as your mate. I’m ready for rejection.”

Mole let out a growl deep in my chest, frustrated, almost furious.

Her words twisted inside me. I hadn’t expected this. I thought she’d fight, maybe yell, maybe cry out her defiance—but not this quiet, calm acceptance, like she had already given up on a choice I hadn’t even made.

“You’d better mark her soon,” Mole snapped from inside, claws scraping at my ribs. “We can’t wait any longer.”

I ignored him. Not yet. I would not let instinct and wolf overpower me. Not here. Not like this.

I studied her instead, letting the silence stretch, thick and heavy between us. Every heartbeat, every shallow breath, I memorized. I let her feel my attention, the weight of me, of the pack, of the inevitable bond between us.

“You don’t give this pack enough credit,” I said finally, voice smooth, controlled. “We’re not as cold or cruel as you think.”

She narrowed her eyes, skeptical.

“Go watch the training grounds,” I added, letting a faint challenge slip into my tone. “See what we really are.”

Selene blinked slowly, as if I had just spoken nonsense. Then, a soft scent drifted into the room—roses, mixed with something sweet and faintly sharp.

My sister, Mira.

Her presence was quiet, subtle, but I felt it immediately. Her gaze flicked between Selene and me, unreadable but full of silent judgment.

Selene exhaled softly, shoulders straightening. “I have work to do,” she said, voice steady. Without another word, she turned and walked out, leaving a trail of tension in her wake.

Mole growled low in displeasure, echoing my own frustration as I watched her leave.

Mira noticed. She stepped closer, eyebrows furrowed, lips pressing together.

I didn’t look at her. My eyes stayed fixed on the doorway, on the empty space Selene had just vacated.

Following my gaze, Mira said coolly, “We need to talk. Come to my office.”

In the study, she leaned against the edge of my desk, spinning a strand of her hair idly, eyes wandering over the rows of books behind me.

“This one,” she said, lifting a leather-bound book. “It’s rare. I’ve wanted it for ages. The author is holding a signing soon. I want to bring this to get it signed.” She smiled, hopeful, almost innocent.

I shut the folder I had been holding and leaned back. "No."

She frowned. "Why not? I'm your sister."

If you'd like the autograph," I said slowly, "I can arrange that for you. But this book is not going off this shelf.

Her eyes glinted with interest. "Do you know the author? Cela?

I just looked at her, silent. She let out a frustrated groan. "Fine, fine." She returned the book and muttered something under her breath and stalked out of the room.

Alone, I turned to the shelf and pulled down The Forgotten War. Flipping through the pages, one photograph lcaught my eye—burnt around the edges, yet still intact.

Selene… or Solone Bill, as she had been in her covert existence of disguise.

I ran my finger around the burnt edge, recalling the fire two years ago when I had rescued it from total devastation. A crack marred it, blackened and scorched—but it had lived.

It did not matter that the photograph was ruined.

I had found her.

And this time, nothing—no fire, no pack, no fate—would let her slip from my grasp.

I tightened my hand around the photo, my chest constricting with determination and something more sinister.

This was no longer just a hunt, no longer just a bond awakening. This was the beginning of claiming her.

"I—I didn't…" he stuttered, voice trembling.

I turned him around, causing him to let out a scream that made the hairs on the arms stand up. One of his friends came forward, as if he was going to try and intervene. I glared at him, and the boy stopped dead in his tracks, his face white with terror.

"Who else touched her?" I growled, voice low, but full of menace.

Kaelen whined. "We… we didn't do anything."

I twisted his wrist immediately. Pain burst across his face as he crashed to the floor. The others did not stir—did not have the guts.

I knelt beside him, holding his chin so I had no choice but to meet my gaze. "You fell down the stairs. That's all that happened. Got it?"

He nodded wildly, his eyes welling up with tears.

Good, I said, rising to my feet. I glanced around at the rest of the men. None of them even breathed.

Selene didn't ask me. She could always take care of herself, defying circumstances that would destroy anybody else. But something was different—she already possessed me. Whether she wanted to admit it or know it, whether she accepted it or not, she belonged to me now.

And I would ensure nobody ever had the courage to doubt that again.