Page 17 of Blood Marked

He could feel her even across the room.

The bond hummed like a low, steady pulse. And the longer she stayed in someone else’s space, the tighter it wound.

He wasn’t supposed to care.

He’d told himself that a hundred times since the bond snapped into place.

But his wolf didn’t give a damn about logic.

It stirred under his skin, restless, teeth bared. The part of him that was primal—raw instinct and ancient blood—felt her presence like a drumbeat. And when Calder’s hand brushed her arm in passing, something snapped.

A low growl curled up Kael’s throat before he could stop it.

“Easy,” came a dry voice beside him.

He didn’t need to turn to know it was Nyra.

His sister leaned against the other side of the pillar, arms crossed, her short silver hair spiked and tousled like she’d just come in from the wind. Amber eyes glinted with far too much awareness.

“Pretty sure you just growled at the heir of House Grimhart,” she said. “Might want to dial that back before you start a blood feud in a room full of bored predators.”

Kael didn’t respond.

Nyra followed his gaze, then whistled under her breath.

“She’s adapting fast,” she said. “Not what I expected.”

“Yeah,” Kael muttered. “Me either.”

“She’s not scared of them.”

“No.”

“She’s not scared of you.”

He finally glanced at her. “What’s your point?”

Nyra smirked. “My point, big brother, is that you’ve got the eyes of a wolf on the edge. And you don’tusuallylook like you’re about to bite someone’s throat open over a woman laughing at a joke.”

“She’s bonded to me,” Kael said stiffly. “That makes her a target. That makes everything she does political.”

“Mmhm,” Nyra said, unconvinced. “Keep telling yourself that.”

He didn’t answer.

Selene moved again, this time toward the outer tables, where Lord Varyn lounged like sin draped in velvet. The bastard rose as she approached, offering a slight bow, a hand extended just a little too close, his smile a little too practiced.

Kael’s eyes darkened.

“You really hate him,” Nyra noted, following his line of sight.

“I don’t trust him.”

“No one does. That’s half the appeal.”

Kael pushed off the pillar. “I’m going to walk her out when this ends.”

“Oh, sure,” Nyra said with a smirk. “Walk her out. Guard her virtue. Maybe growl some more for good measure.”

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