Chapter 3 The silent love

Chapter 3

Lena couldn't remember how long she had been in the pack's compound. The days blurred into each other - a haze of forced obedience, a smattering of anger, and the constant ache of the bond that tethered her to Kian. Every morning, she woke in a room that wasn't hers, with walls that felt too close, suffocating, even as the world outside spun with life. Every night, she lay beneath the weight of his claim, feeling his presence in the room like a shadow she couldn't escape.

But Kian hadn't touched her since the ceremony. He hadn't needed to. The bond did enough to pull them together. She could feel his emotions now, faint but present - frustration, impatience, and the occasional flicker of something softer, something that made her chest tighten in ways she didn't want to acknowledge.

He never spoke of it. Not directly.

And she never asked.

It was midday when he found her again. She'd been pacing the edges of the compound, trying to avoid the prying eyes of the pack. The walls here were thick, but there was no escaping their gaze. Every glance felt like a chain pulling her tighter into their world, a world where she didn't belong. Her wolf growled inside her, restless, clawing at the bars of their cage. The bond didn't just claim her to Kian. It tied her to the pack. To a life she didn't want.

"Where are you going?" Kian's voice broke through her thoughts, smooth like silk, but sharp with an edge she didn't miss.

She stopped mid-step, shoulders stiffening. The familiar ache of his presence filled the air, swirling around her like an invisible storm. She couldn't escape him, no matter how far she went.

"Nowhere," she said, turning slowly to face him.

He stood in the doorway of the small stone cabin she had been assigned, leaning against the frame like he owned everything around him - which, as far as she was concerned, he did. His dark eyes studied her with an unreadable expression, his posture relaxed but guarded. He was always guarded.

"You're avoiding me," he said, his voice low, almost teasing, but there was a thread of tension beneath it. He stepped closer, his presence filling the space between them.

Lena crossed her arms, refusing to let her body react to the proximity. "I'm not avoiding you," she lied. "I'm just trying to get used to this... new life you've dragged me into."

His lips quirked into a half-smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "New life? You've been living in my pack for days, and you haven't even tried to make yourself comfortable."

"I don't need to get comfortable," she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. "I don't belong here, Kian. I didn't ask for this."

He didn't flinch at her tone, didn't back away. Instead, he closed the distance between them, his presence swallowing her. The bond pulsed in her chest, a steady, aching rhythm. She could feel his heartbeat, slow but steady, like it was tied to hers.

"I didn't ask for it either," he murmured, his voice darkening. "But it's done now. And whether you want it or not, you're mine. I'm not letting you go."

She felt that truth, like a stone lodged in her throat. Her heart pounded, a surge of anger rising up. "I'm not a thing to be kept," she bit out, shaking her head as if trying to rid herself of the heavy emotions that threatened to spill over.

For a moment, Kian said nothing. His gaze flickered to her lips, then back to her eyes, as if measuring something - some decision, some weight in the air between them.

"You'll learn that the bond doesn't work the way you want it to," he said softly, his voice dropping to something almost gentle, almost regretful. "I didn't want this either, Lena. But there's no escaping it. It's not just about me or you. It's about survival. For both of us."

Her chest tightened. "Survival?" The word tasted bitter in her mouth. "So this is what you've reduced me to? Survival? You think that's all I am to you?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stepped even closer, his chest brushing hers as he reached up to touch her face, his fingers grazing her cheek. The touch was gentle, almost affectionate, and it made her breath hitch despite herself.

His voice was a whisper when he spoke next. "You think I want to hurt you? Do you really think I enjoy seeing you like this? Pushing you away, making you hate me?"

Her eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. "I don't hate you," she said, barely above a whisper. "I hate what you represent. I hate the bond. I hate this cage you've locked me in."

Kian's jaw tightened, and for the first time, Lena saw something like regret flicker in his eyes. "I don't want to cage you, Lena. But the world doesn't work the way we want it to. Not for us."

Her breath hitched, her wolf growling softly in her chest, urging her to pull away. But she couldn't. Because she was stuck, caught in the web of a bond she never asked for, never wanted.

"You should stay in the cabin tonight," Kian said, breaking the silence, his hand lingering for just a moment longer before he stepped back. "Get some rest. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

"Don't bother," she snapped, turning away, her heart racing. "I can take care of myself."

Kian didn't say anything as she walked past him, her pulse still roaring in her ears. But as she passed through the doorway, she felt the pull of his gaze on her back - an invisible thread tying her to him, even as she tried to break free.