Twisted Bonds

Chapter 2

The opening in front of me was large, for the most part. The only light was from the flames of a nearby torch, which cast long moving shadows across the snow-covered ground. A pack of wolves prowled along the edges of the clearing, their eyes were shining like hot metal and fixed on me. But I pressed on, my feet heavy as I walked, almost as if the earth itself were trying to slow me down. My palms were slick with sweat, and I could almost taste the bitterness of memory in my mouth, the taste of the home I had left behind. My father's last heartbeat rang in my ears.

But I shook it off, reassuring myself. This is where I belonged, I told myself.

Whispers slid through the circle, “Is that… really her?” “She’s grown… but is it Riel?” “After all this time?”

Every eye, every adjustment of their shoulder, carried judgment.

And then Alpha Vorn stepped forward. His presence alone made the torches bow to his shadow. His voice cut through the mumbling and ridiculing

Riel Vance, you came to the Gathering. We thought you’d hide, just like you did the day your father fell.”

A disturbing laughter followed,"We do not need scared cats here.”

Shame slammed into me like a wave. My chest ached . I wanted to speak, to demand he take back his words, to tell them that my father’s blood ran in my veins, still strong and untamed. But the words stuck in my throat. I just stood there, letting the humiliation flow.

I noticed the boys before I saw them clearly. Three sets of eyes,hung at the edge. They uttered quietly to each other, voices low enough that only the closest wolves could hear.

“Is it… Riel?”

“She’s grown… I can’t believe it.”

“It feels like… years ago, but…”

I didn’t know them yet, couldn’t place the pull of Bound binding through my chest, but the connection whispered a tone.

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder, eyes between me and the Elder. I felt my body tense, though I corrected my posture despite the burning shame, every nerve alert. I refused to let them see me crumble.

And then, at the edge, a figure stepping closer,

Luca.

The clearing stilled around him, yet the torchlight still danced across his hair.

The side talks didn't stop; if anything, they swelled, wrapping around me like smoke, thick and choking. Every step I took toward the center of the clearing was assessed, though my legs itched to move, to vanish into the trees and never return. But I couldn’t.

Alpha Vorn’s looks pinned me in place, and I could feel the heat of his laughter before it even left his lips. “Riel Vance,” he said, dragging over each syllable. “You have disgraced us with your presence. Bold. Or foolish. Perhaps both.”

I swallowed hard, all these things he said, gradually pierced me. My hands itched to press shut into fists, to punch through the circle of judgment.

“Tell me,” he continued, stepping closer. “do you truly think your father’s name shields you? That mere blood can demand respect?” He jerked in a chuckle, the sound of cruelty ringing through the clearing. “We expected more…you know.

Echoes of laughter rolled through the Pack. I could hear snickers, the rustle of robes and fur as they shifted to get a better view of my discomfort. Oh, look, the fallen alpha’s daughter struggles to stand upright. How… tragic, some girls said laughing directly to my face.

My fingers dug into my palms as though grounding myself could pull the world back together. I tried to remind myself: this is my blood, my legacy. I belong here. I continued the repetition within me

My eyes scanned, through the crowd

searching for a familiar face, some sign of support. That’s when I caught the three boys again, murmuring just beneath the noise.

“She’s… changed.”

“There’s something about her. I remember…”

“It’s Riel, but… different.”

I was taken aback, a curious mixture of recognition and confusion, though I could not place their names, not yet. Their attention drew me more, and the whispers between them carried tension. I could feel it in my bones.

Then Vorn’s laughter erupted, sharper this time. “You came expecting a welcome, did you? A celebration? “This is not for children of the lost or weak. This is the Pack, and you, Riel Vance, are… unclaimed.”

The words struck me. Heat ran through my chest, I could taste blood at the back of my throat. Every eye was on me, I could not escape.

And then, at the edge of the clearing, a shadow shifted forward. A step. Another.

A familiar pull tugged at me before I saw him.

Luca again.

His gaze locked with mine, steady. He extended a hand.

Luca’s hand hovered in the air, patiently.

“Riel,” he said softly, but steady enough to reach me over the noise.

I didn’t answer immediately. The name on his lips felt like a key.I hadn’t realized. It all stirred something raw and tender inside me, and I could feel the knot of fear and shame begin to loosen, just a fraction.

The talks continued, but I only registered fragments. “…she’s not alone…” “…he’s with her?” “…that’s… unusual.”

I finally allowed myself to step closer, fingers brushing his before our hands fully met. The warmth of his palm, grounding me in a world that had suddenly turned cold and hostile. I could feel his strength, not as a command, but as a reminder that even in the face of scorn, I wasn’t entirely unclaimed.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tasting bitter pride and reluctant relief. My mind raced, questions, fears, memories, fragments of laughter and arguments long past. The weight of the Pack’s gaze still pressed against me.

I felt something switched inside me,defiance. I would not break here, not while I had even this fragile tether to the past, this connection that reminded me I was not entirely alone.

He gave my hand a subtle squeeze, without words, and I allowed a single shiver of relief to pass through me. Maybe… maybe I can survive this. Maybe I can reclaim what’s mine without crumbling under their laughter.

Yet even as the ember of hope sparked, the clearing seemed to close in again, the murmurs threading back into sharp, deliberate mockery. Alpha Vorn’s eyes bore into me.

But for a fleeting heartbeat, I allowed myself to breathe, to feel, to exist outside the condemnation of the Pack.

I stared at Luca, my fingers still brushing his, feeling the warmth that surrounded me, yet a gnawing unease twisted in my stomach. “You… shouldn’t have,” I whispered, barely audible over the pack’s murmurs, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. My voice cracked, betraying the storm inside me.

He shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips, eyes steady and unwavering. “I couldn’t not,” he said softly. “You… you don’t belong out there, not like this. They don’t see what you are… not yet.”

I laughed bitterly, a sound swallowed immediately by the torches and whispers. “I don’t belong? My father’s blood runs in my veins! I am a part of this Pack, whether they see it or not!” My hands pressed against my chest, feeling the rapid drum of my heartbeat. “Do they even care what’s right, what’s true? Or are they just… hunting for someone to laugh at?”

Luca’s gaze didn’t waver. He leaned slightly closer. “They’re cruel, yes. And they will try to make you small. You know that Right…?? But don't worry you'll be strong.

I shook my head, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “Strong? You think this makes me strong? They… they called me unclaimed, Luca. They stripped me bare before them all. How am I supposed to stand tall when everyone I looked up to, everyone I thought I could count on, sees me as nothing?”

He squeezed my hand, a gentle but firm pressure, grounding me. “Because you are something, Aria. Something more than a name, more than the shadow of your father. You’re alive. You’re here.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, gaze shifting to the side where the pack’s whispers and snickers still rolled, relentless. “Enough? Sometimes, Luca… sometimes, it doesn’t feel like enough. I’ve always been overlooked……. I thought moving here would change it, that maybe I could start over.”

“And maybe you will,” he said, almost certain. “It won’t be easy. They will push, they will mock. But you’re not alone.

I let out a shaky breath, with my heart not settled , the world narrowed to just his hand, just his presence. The storm of mockery, and the sting of embarrassment, all of it was still there, but now it seemed possible to survive it.

A shift in the shadows caught my attention. I could see movements then I realized… I wasn’t the only one drawn here. Two more presences were sliding into the arena