Page 57 of Fated
“I understand that better than you might think,” Lena said quietly. “As the daughter of an alpha, my future was never really mine to decide. Everything hinged on who my mate would be—where he’d be from, what his pack needed.”
Something shifted in the air between them as she spoke, her normally confident voice gone soft and vulnerable. She turned to face him then, tears making her golden-brown eyes shine in the afternoon light. The sight made his chest ache.
“Before I met you, I was seriously considering a chosen bond with someone in Moonshadow. Just so I wouldn’t have to leave. So I could keep some small piece of control over my own life.”
The confession knocked the breath from his lungs. The alpha’s perfect daughter—fighting the same battle as him? Orion stirred beneath his skin, drawn to her honesty.
“Yeah,” he breathed. “You do get it.”
LENA
Their eyes met, something electric and fragile passing between them that made the air in the car feel charged, more vulnerable than if they’d been skin to skin. Longing coursed through Lena for everything they could have been, everything they still might be—if only he were ready to choose her.
Kai pulled back onto the road. The remaining miles stretching ahead like possibility. Lena turned back to the window, watching the forest thicken as they neared Moonshadow. After a long moment, his voice broke through again, softer now.
“I never considered you might have the same fears,” Kai admitted. “It’s easy to think of you as...untouchable. Like you’ve got everything figured out.”
A small, bitter laugh escaped her. “Trust me, I’m far from untouchable. You’ve seen me cry, scream, and—” Heat flooded her cheeks at the memories of how she’d behaved last night. “Let’s just say I’m a mess like anyone else.”
“You don’t seem like a mess to me.”
“Don’t let the lipstick fool you,” she murmured. “It’s just armor.”
Something in his expression softened. “I guess we’ve both been wearing armor.”
The silence that followed felt different—not comfortable, but less suffocating. Then his voice came again, barely above a whisper.
“You know,” he said, tone carrying a hint of something lighter, almost nostalgic, “it wasn’t my dad threatening banishment that made me show up this morning. I think I was done for the second you hit me with your pinky.”
Lena blinked, turning to him fully now. “What?”
He chuckled under his breath, the sound self-deprecating but tinged with warmth. “That night outside the restaurant, when you wrapped your pinky around mine. That was it. The way you call me ‘my mate’... Ava always calls me ‘my future alpha,’ but it’s never felt like this.” He paused, rubbing at his chest. “Hearing you say ‘mate’—it changed so much.”
His sincerity sent an unwelcome flutter through Lena’s chest. She gripped her knees tighter, fighting back the surge of emotion. After a long moment, she spoke.
“What I will agree to is time,” she said. “Time to get to know each other. Not as fated mates or as the future Alpha and Luna of Bloodstone, just as us. As Kai and Lena.” She offered him a small, tentative smile. “I’ll talk to my dad and maybe sweet-talk yours into letting us move slowly. Hopefully, in time, you’ll figure out what you want—from her, from me—and we’ll go from there.”
His shoulders dropped, the lines around his eyes easing as tension drained from his face. “Thank you. You have no idea the peace that gives me.”
Lena’s gaze fixed on him, her emotions a tempest she couldn’t tame. His gratitude felt genuine, but it didn’t quiet the unease in her chest. This wasn’t a resolution, but it was a start. And maybe, it would be enough.
“You’re welcome, Kai,” she said quietly.
Silence settled between them for the rest of the drive. When his pinky brushed against hers—tentative, questioning—she didn’t pull away. The simple contact sent electricity racing up her arm, the bond flaring bright and warm between them. Elara pressed close to the surface, reaching for his wolf, and his scent transformed, notes of possibility rising through the layers of doubt.
Something unfurled in the center of Lena’s chest, radiating outward. Her ribcage constricted with each heartbeat—half-pleasure, half-pain. Her pulse drummed a familiar rhythm: want-fear-want-fear. Turning back to the window, she sent a silent prayer, trying to ignore the way her skin still tingled where they touched.
Please, Selene. Guide us. Give me strength to fight for our bond if it’s meant to be, or to walk away if it’s not. Help me protect what remains of my heart.
Because I fear that Kai Bloodstone might be my undoing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CALEB
The cool mountain air wrapped around Caleb like a welcome embrace. The Crescent Fang packhouse came into view, its familiar stone facade rising against towering pines. Late afternoon sunlight caught the weathered granite, transforming it to molten silver. The scent of home—pine needles, wood smoke, and mingled pack markers—filled his lungs, grounding him after days away. Beneath his skin, Fenrir’s presence swelled, equally eager to return to their territory.
The courtyard had been alive with activity—warriors sparring on the packed earth, younger wolves hauling supplies, others lounging on wooden benches sharing stories—but the moment the Silverado pulled into view, everything paused. A wave ofexcitement rippled through the gathered wolves, their scents shifting from routine contentment to sharp curiosity tinged with respect as they spotted Caleb.
