Chapter 5 The Unspoken Bond

"The Unspoken Bond"

Kieran stood at the balcony of his estate, his golden eyes fixed on the darkened woods beyond the border. The air still carried the faint scent of burning mist-remnants of the Nyxfiend's unnatural presence. The attack had been too deliberate, too precise.

And Astrid had known.

She hadn't hesitated. Hadn't faltered.

That wasn't the reaction of someone encountering such a creature for the first time.

A muscle in Kieran's jaw ticked as he recalled the way she had reacted. The way her eyes had darkened, not in fear, but in recognition. As if she had seen such monsters before.

As if she knew exactly what they were.

"Who are you, Astrid?"

"You're brooding again," a voice cut through his thoughts, dragging him back to the present.

Elias, his Beta, leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over his broad chest. His dark hair was tousled, his sharp features set in a look of barely restrained frustration.

Kieran didn't turn. "I don't brood."

Elias snorted. "Right. Staring into the abyss with that 'I'm-one-bad-day-away-from-murdering-everyone' face isn't brooding at all."

Kieran exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "What do you want, Elias?"

His Beta pushed off the doorframe and stepped closer, his voice dropping to something more serious. "I want to know why she's still here."

Kieran stiffened.

"You don't trust rogues. You don't let anyone near the estate without a thorough background check. And yet, you've not only let Astrid in-you saved her."

Kieran finally turned to meet his Beta's piercing gaze. "She was lying unconscious outside our border. That alone was suspicious enough to investigate."

Elias's expression didn't change. "Investigate? Kieran, we both know you don't take in strays. If she had been any other rogue, her body would be rotting in the woods right now."

Kieran's jaw clenched. "Maybe she should be."

Silence stretched between them.

Elias folded his arms. "Then why isn't she?"

Kieran didn't answer immediately. The truth wasn't something he wanted to admit, even to himself.

Because despite everything-despite her secrets, her defiance, and the unmistakable danger that followed her-something about Astrid made him hesitate.

Something about her felt... wrong.

And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was also right.

He had spent years honing his instincts, sharpening them to perfection. They had never failed him. And his instincts told him that Astrid was more than just a rogue with a troubled past.

His instincts told him she might be his.

The very thought made his wolf stir beneath his skin, restless and eager.

No. He wouldn't allow it.

"There's something about her," Kieran admitted at last. "Something I can't put my finger on." His voice hardened. "But don't mistake my curiosity for trust. I don't trust her, Elias. I don't even know why I spared her life."

Elias eyed him carefully. "But you did."

Kieran exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. "She's hiding something. Until I figure out what, she stays under my watch."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "And by 'under your watch,' you mean what? Keeping her locked in a room?"

Kieran's eyes flashed. "I mean she won't be alone for a single godsdamned second. I want someone shadowing her at all times. She so much as breathes wrong, I want to know about it."

Elias smirked. "Sounds a lot like an obsession, Alpha."

Kieran shot him a glare. "It's called being thorough. I won't make the mistake of underestimating her."

His Beta let out a low chuckle. "Right. Thorough. Whatever you say."

Kieran ignored him, turning back toward the estate. His steps were measured, his mind already planning his next move.

Astrid was a puzzle. One he intended to solve.

And if she turned out to be a threat?

He would destroy her without hesitation.

---

The sound of heavy boots against the wooden floor made Astrid tense.

She had been staring at the ceiling, her mind racing with everything that had happened. The Nyxfiend's words still echoed in her head, gnawing at her like a festering wound.

"You smell like her."

Who was her?

Before she could follow that thought any further, the door swung open.

Kieran.

He filled the space with his presence alone, his golden eyes unreadable as they landed on her. She forced herself to sit up, meeting his gaze without wavering.

He studied her for a long moment before speaking. "You should be dead."

Astrid arched an eyebrow. "Charming."

His expression didn't change. "Any rogue found near my territory is killed immediately. No exceptions. No mercy." He stepped closer, his voice dangerously soft. "So tell me, Astrid-why did I let you live?"

Her throat tightened, but she refused to show weakness. "That sounds like a question you should be asking yourself, not me."

His lips pressed into a thin line. "Don't mistake this for kindness. I spared you because you looked suspicious lying outside my border. And now, after tonight, I have even more reason to believe you're involved in something I don't like."

Astrid clenched her fists. "I had nothing to do with that attack."

"You expect me to believe that?" Kieran scoffed. "You knew what that thing was. You weren't surprised. You weren't afraid." He tilted his head slightly. "Unless, of course, you've encountered them before."

Astrid's pulse quickened.

He was too perceptive.

"You don't trust me," she said, keeping her voice even.

Kieran's eyes darkened. "Not even slightly."

He leaned in, his presence suffocating. "And if I find out you had any part in this-if you so much as breathe in the wrong direction-I will make sure you die in the worst way imaginable."

The air between them grew thick with tension.

Astrid refused to look away. She had stared death in the face before. She wouldn't cower now.

Finally, Kieran straightened. "From now on, you'll be watched at all times. Every move you make, every word you speak-I'll know."

Astrid smirked, though her heart pounded. "That sounds exhausting."

Kieran didn't smile. "It will be for you."

He turned on his heel, walking toward the door.

Then, just as he reached it, he paused.

"You should be afraid of me, Astrid," he murmured without looking back.

Her smirk faded.

Because, for the first time, she wondered if she already was.

And that was more dangerous than anything else.