My heart hammered as I stepped closer to Lucian. The weight of what I had just felt—the pull, the bond—tugged at me like an invisible chain. I couldn’t understand it. It didn’t make sense. But I couldn’t deny it either. The way my heart raced, the way the air seemed to hum when he was near. It was undeniable. I felt it, deep in my bones.
“D-Duke Alpha,” I finally said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "I’m Duke Orin’s sister..."
His blade slipped into its sheath with a smooth motion, and his gaze shifted toward me, cool and detached. There was a certain distance in his eyes that unnerved me, like I was just another face in the crowd.
And yet, I felt the pull.
“We’re mates,” I blurted out, my voice trembling.
His eyes narrowed, and for a long moment, he said nothing. He just stared at me as if I were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Mates?” he repeated, his voice flat. “I don’t feel anything. It’s impossible.”
The words sliced through me like a blade. Rejection. Already?
Pain shot through my chest, sharper than anything I had ever felt before. I couldn’t breathe. The air around me felt thick, suffocating. The way his words echoed in my mind... it was like the world had just shifted on its axis.
I swallowed, forcing my throat to work again. "Please. I really feel it. The pull. Can’t you sense it? Could you at least—" I paused, the words catching in my throat.
His eyes hardened, narrowing as he regarded me with something akin to irritation. "Do you even have proof?" he asked, his tone cold, dismissive.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What proof could I show him? I had nothing except this bond, this connection that felt too real to ignore. But it didn’t make sense. How could he be my mate? I didn’t even know if I wanted him to be my mate. After everything… this was the last thing I had expected.
They had accused me of killing this man in my previous life, and now he was my mate? This messed-up change of fate!
"Can you walk with me? Please." The words tumbled out before I could stop them. My heart ached, desperate for his attention, even as my mind screamed at me to stop.
His gaze softened, just slightly, but he didn’t answer me immediately. After a long pause, he simply nodded and began walking, his long strides effortless. I followed at a distance, my mind spiraling with questions, confusion, and hurt.
The 99 on my wrist... the glowing number that wouldn’t go away. I tried to rub it again, but nothing happened. It was still there, pulsing faintly under my skin, mocking me.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to feel this bond. Not in this lifetime. Not with him.
What’s going on?
As we walked along the fortress grounds, the weight of silence pressed down on me. His scent filled the air around me, rich and intoxicating. I couldn’t help but inhale deeply. It was comforting, in a way, even though I was terrified of what it all meant.
“Can you see this?” I finally asked, lifting my wrist so he could see the glowing number.
He glanced at it quickly, his expression unreadable, and then looked away. “What do you mean? If you’re going to waste my time with this nonsense, do it next time. I’m busy.”
I flinched. “Wait! No, I mean... never mind.” I bit my lower lip, forcing myself to look away, to swallow down the hurt that bubbled up inside me.
The rejection stung, sharper than I expected, but I kept walking.
Why the heck was I the only one feeling this mate bond? Why couldn't he feel it too?
We continued walking, my thoughts a chaotic mess. Everything I thought I understood was crumbling around me.
Suddenly, the air shifted. My instincts screamed at me, a primal warning I couldn’t ignore. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“Duke, look out!” I shouted, my voice rising in panic.
Without a word, Lucian shifted into his wolf form, his body moving with lethal speed, just as claws streaked through the air. He deflected them effortlessly, his body a blur of motion. The sound of claws and teeth clashing against each other filled the air, and I watched in awe as his wolf guards, who had been hiding, sprang into action, engaging wolves who appeared from the shadows.
The battle was swift, brutal. The wolves didn’t stand a chance against Lucian’s elite knights. I could see the power in every movement, the way Lucian commanded the battlefield like a force of nature.
My heart raced in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I watched him fight. But even as the dust began to settle, something felt off.
The wind shifted, and I caught a familiar scent in the air—one that made my blood run cold.
