Chapter 2 THE ALPHA'S MARK

The instant Kade released her wrist, Lyra stepped back, the sudden absence of his touch leaving her unsteady. Cool air rushed between them, sharp against her heated skin. She wrapped her fingers around her arm, grounding herself, though the place where he'd held her still pulsed with lingering awareness.

Kade remained where he was.

He didn't advance.

He didn't retreat.

He simply watched her-quiet, assessing, as though recalibrating something he hadn't expected to shift.

Firelight filtered through the trees, tracing the hard lines of his face. He looked carved from shadow and discipline, every inch the Alpha she'd heard stories about. Someone untouchable. Someone dangerous.

She didn't understand why he was looking at her like that.

"Alphas don't just pull people aside without explanation," Lyra said, forcing steadiness into her voice.

"I didn't pull you aside," he replied evenly. "I stopped you from running."

"I wasn't running."

"You were disappearing."

The words struck closer than she wanted to admit.

She lifted her chin. "You don't know me."

"I know you felt the bond."

Her breath faltered. "That doesn't give you authority over me."

"No," he said. "It doesn't."

The answer caught her off guard.

She hesitated, uncertainty flickering through her fear. "Then why are you still standing here?"

"Because the bond doesn't vanish when we pretend it isn't real," he said. "And because you look like someone who's learned to survive by staying unnoticed."

Her jaw tightened. "That's not your concern."

"Tonight," he said quietly, "it is."

She took a step sideways, angling toward the clearing. Instantly, he adjusted his stance-not blocking her path, not cornering her. Just close enough to make his presence known without trapping her.

"I'm not trying to cage you," he said, reading her tension. "If you want to leave, you can."

She studied him carefully. "And if I do?"

"Then I walk away."

Her heartbeat stuttered. "Just like that?"

"For now."

"For now," she repeated. "You say that like this is temporary."

"Everything is temporary," he replied. "Until it isn't."

The bond stirred again-low, steady, insistent. Not overwhelming. Not consuming. Just there.

Lyra looked away, her voice dropping. "This thing between us... it scares me."

Kade's expression shifted-subtle, restrained. "It should. Bonds change lives."

"I didn't ask for mine to change tonight."

"Neither did I."

That surprised her more than anything else.

"You could have ignored it," she said. "Pretended you didn't feel it."

"Yes," he agreed. "I could have."

"But you didn't."

"No."

"Why?"

His gaze held hers, unwavering. "Because ignoring the bond doesn't make it disappear. It only makes it dangerous."

She swallowed. "Dangerous to who?"

"To you."

The words weren't possessive. They were protective.

Her fingers curled at her sides. "I don't want to belong to anyone."

"You don't," he said. "Not without choosing it."

Her chest tightened. "Then stop looking at me like I'm already claimed."

Something unreadable passed through his eyes. "I'm looking at you like someone I won't allow to be harmed."

"Harmed by what?"

"By others sensing the bond before you're ready," he said. "Some wolves see opportunity where they should see restraint."

Fear slid cold down her spine.

"You'd mark me," she said quietly. "Just like that?"

"No," he said immediately. "Not without your consent. Not ever."

The firmness of it left no room for doubt.

Relief washed through her, shaky and unexpected.

"I don't trust fate," she admitted.

"I don't either," he said. "I trust choices."

Silence settled between them, heavy but no longer suffocating.

Finally, she asked, "What happens now?"

Kade glanced toward the clearing, then back to her. "I walk you back. Not as my mate. Not as my possession."

"Then as what?"

"As someone under my protection tonight," he said. "Nothing more."

She hesitated. The bond hummed softly, urging, but not demanding.

"And tomorrow?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," he said, "you decide what this becomes."

Lyra exhaled slowly.

Against her fear.

Against her instincts.

Against the quiet pull that told her this man would change everything-

She nodded.

Kade stepped beside her, careful to keep space between them. Close enough to signal warning. Far enough to respect her boundaries.

Together, they walked back toward the lanterns.

And though the night looked the same as before, Lyra knew-deep in her bones-that the world had already begun to shift.