Chapter 6 Burned Into The Bond

Ember woke slowly.

For the first time in years, she hadn't been jolted out of sleep by pain, shouted orders, or the sharp crack of a whip. Instead, she was cradled in warmth. A steady heartbeat thudded behind her, a strong arm draped lightly around her waist.

Kael.

She didn't move. Didn't speak. Just let herself feel. The weight of his body beside her, the scent of cedar and wild musk clinging to the sheets. The bond - still faint, still growing - pulsed low and warm beneath her skin.

But her peace was temporary.

The memories crept in. Chains. Potions. Caleb's cruel smile. The way he'd laughed when she cried. Her chest tightened. Kael's hand shifted. Not possessive - just gentle, a slow brushing of his thumb across her hip.

"You're safe," he murmured, voice still thick with sleep. "You don't have to be scared anymore."

"I'm not scared," she whispered. "I'm angry."

She felt him go still.

"Good," he said after a beat. "Hold onto that."

Later that morning...

The safehouse was surrounded by pine and silence. Jarek had cleared the area, and the pack's healer had left herbs and instructions. Kael moved with purpose - inspecting perimeter lines, updating the rest of the pack through secured channels - but his mind never strayed far from Ember.

She hadn't shifted yet. He could feel it. Her wolf was still wounded, curled up deep inside her like a trapped animal. He could wait. As long as she needed. But the mating bond didn't like waiting.

Every time she passed him in the room, every time her scent brushed against his skin, it stirred something raw and possessive inside him. The need to claim. To protect. To mark.

And she wasn't blind to it.

That evening...

lol I'm

Ember stood by the fire, wrapped in a soft wool sweater far too large for her. Kael sat nearby, cleaning a dagger, but his eyes kept drifting.

"Are you going to keep watching me like that?" she asked quietly.

"I'm trying not to," he admitted.

Her lips twitched, almost a smile. "Why?"

"Because I can feel how badly I want to touch you," he said. "And I won't unless you ask."

Silence fell between them, heavy and thick.

She walked over to him, slow, steady, and knelt between his knees.

"Would it hurt?" she asked. "The bond... if we completed it?"

Kael's jaw clenched. "No. Not with me. But it'll be intense. You'll feel everything I do. My hunger. My pain. My need for you."

Her breath hitched.

"What if I'm not strong enough for it?"

He reached out, finally, and cupped her cheek - reverent, aching.

"You survived hell. You're already stronger than most wolves I know."

Her hands found his thighs, resting there lightly. "And if I said I wanted to try? Not all the way. Just... to feel something that's ours?"

His breath left him in a sharp exhale.

"Then I'd follow your pace," he murmured, "and thank the Goddess every step."