Chapter 4 Lena the omega

Chapter 4

Lena woke to the quiet hum of the pack settling into their routines. The sounds outside her cabin were muffled, distant - the pack moving, the earth stirring, the wind whispering through the trees. It should have been calming. But it wasn't. Nothing was ever calming anymore.

She sat up slowly, her eyes falling on the bed Kian had placed her in. It wasn't much - just a cot with simple furs, but it was hers for now, at least. She should have felt grateful, but all she could focus on was the pull of the bond that tethered her to him, like an anchor dragging her deeper into a sea she didn't want to drown in.

Forcing herself out of bed, she pulled on the loose tunic she'd been given and stepped out of the cabin. The morning air bit at her skin, but it felt refreshing, like a small rebellion against the suffocating atmosphere of the pack compound.

The sun was still low in the sky, casting long shadows over the clearing where the pack gathered. There were a few wolves milling about, their eyes darting to her as she passed, but they didn't speak. Omegas didn't need to be spoken to. They were meant to serve, to be seen but never heard.

Except she wasn't just any Omega. She was Kian's.

The thought made her stomach turn. The bond was stronger than ever, a constant pulse beneath her skin, tugging her toward him. She didn't understand it. It was like a quiet hunger, a need that clawed at her chest whenever she wasn't near him. And yet, every time they came close, her wolf shrieked in defiance.

What was this?

Was it really fate, or just another cruel trick of the pack, forcing her to bend, to break?

She didn't know anymore. But she wasn't ready to submit. Not yet.

As she walked deeper into the clearing, trying to escape the weight of the pack's gaze, she heard footsteps behind her. Her body stiffened, instinctively reaching for the dagger at her side, though she knew it wouldn't help.

"You can't hide forever," Kian's voice called out to her, calm and deep, yet tinged with a note of warning.

Lena didn't turn around. "I'm not hiding."

"You are," he said, his footsteps growing louder as he closed the distance between them. "You think avoiding me will change anything. But it won't."

She spun around then, her breath coming in quick bursts. "I don't want this, Kian. You don't get it. I didn't ask for this life."

His eyes softened, just for a moment, before they hardened again, as if he'd braced himself against the truth in her words. "I didn't ask for it either. But you and I are tied together now. And I won't let you go. No matter how much you fight it."

Lena's heart pounded in her chest. Her hands balled into fists. "You think I'm going to just accept this? That I'm going to be happy with being your mate, your property? You're wrong."

The words tasted like poison on her tongue, but she needed to say them. Needed to make him understand that she wasn't going to bend, that she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

Kian didn't flinch. He didn't move. He just stood there, watching her with a look in his eyes that made her feel like he could see right through her.

"I'm not asking you to accept it," he said quietly. "I'm asking you to survive it. We both have our roles to play in this. And whether you like it or not, we need each other."

His words didn't make sense. How could they need each other? She could barely stand the thought of him, let alone share anything with him.

"I don't need you," she spat.

"You do," Kian countered, stepping forward. "And you know it. You feel it, don't you? The bond, the pull. You can't run from it. Not now. Not ever."

She wanted to scream, wanted to break free from the invisible chains that tightened with every word he spoke. But her body was betraying her. She could feel the pulse of the bond beneath her skin, the magnetic force that dragged her closer to him. It was so strong now, so real. Her wolf howled in frustration, torn between fighting it and giving in.

"Stop it," she whispered, her voice trembling with the force of her emotions. "I hate this. I hate you."

Kian's gaze flickered, something close to sorrow crossing his face. "I know you do," he said, his voice rough. "But you can't hate me forever."

She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. She wanted to argue, wanted to fight, but something in his eyes stopped her. A flicker of understanding, of pain, of a past she didn't want to touch.

"I'm not like the others," Kian continued, his voice quieter now, more vulnerable than she'd ever heard it. "I didn't choose this life, Lena. I didn't choose to be Alpha, or to have this bond thrust upon me. But it's my reality. And it's yours too. Whether you want it or not."

She stepped back, shaking her head. "I didn't choose this either," she muttered, almost to herself. "But I'll be damned if I let you break me."

Kian's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "I'm not trying to break you. I'm trying to protect you."

Lena scoffed. "Protect me? By trapping me here? By making me your mate?"

"By keeping you alive," he shot back. "Because if we don't do this, if we don't embrace what's between us, there's a bigger danger out there than you realize. And it's not just me that'll suffer. It's you too."

Lena's heart stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

But before Kian could answer, a low growl rumbled from the distance. A pack member, one of Kian's inner circle, stood a few yards away, watching them with cold eyes.

"Alpha," the man said, his voice flat. "There's trouble. Someone's been spotted near the border."

Kian's expression shifted immediately. The brief moment of vulnerability vanished, replaced by the Alpha's usual cold demeanor.

"I'll deal with it," he said, not looking back at Lena. "Stay here."

She didn't move as Kian strode past her, his presence heavy and commanding. But something in his words, the look in his eyes, made her hesitate. There was more going on here, more at stake than she realized. And as much as she hated to admit it, Kian wasn't the only one who needed to survive.