Chapter 7 Unspoken Tethers

Elara's POV

The fire crackled low in my hearth, yet its warmth did little to soothe the tremor in my chest. Every time I closed my eyes, the memory of his hand brushing mine returned-the stranger who was not truly a stranger. The Alpha. Kalen. His presence had burned itself into me, like an ember refusing to fade.

Sleep should have claimed me hours ago, but rest was a stranger tonight. Instead, my dreams dragged me into shadows heavy with whispers. I stood barefoot in the cursed woods, the mist curling around my legs like grasping hands. Above me, the moon bled crimson light, casting the world in hues that felt too alive, too watchful.

Then he appeared.

Tall, broad, more shadow than man. His eyes glowed molten gold, wild with hunger. He did not speak. He only reached for me, and when his hand closed around mine, the ground beneath us cracked open. A tether, invisible yet undeniable, pulled us together until my breath caught.

I woke with his name lodged on my tongue.

The cabin was silent, the night pressing thick against the windows. I pressed my palm to my chest, as if I could quiet the frantic rhythm beneath my skin. What was happening to me? To us?

The mark of his touch lingered, though it had been fleeting. As though fate itself had written his presence into my blood.

I rose, restless, and stepped outside. The night air carried the sharp bite of pine and something darker beneath-the copper tang of wolves. My skin prickled.

And then I felt it.

Not sound. Not sight. Something deeper. A pull in the marrow of my bones, invisible threads tugging me forward. As though his heartbeat called to mine across the distance.

My bare feet touched the damp soil, the forest swallowing me in silence. I should have turned back. I should have locked the door and prayed to the old gods to sever whatever had bound me. But the deeper I went, the stronger it grew-this tether that should not exist.

"Why do you follow the call?"

The voice was not his. It came from behind me, soft as mist yet heavy as stone. I spun, breath catching.

An old woman stood at the edge of the path, cloaked in shadow. Her hair hung silver as spider silk, her eyes pale as frost. I had never seen her before, and yet... she looked at me as though she had always known me.

"What call?" I whispered, though the tremor in my voice betrayed the truth.

Her thin lips curved, not in kindness, but in sorrow. "The Alpha's curse is not his alone. The tether runs both ways."

I staggered back, shaking my head. "No. That is impossible."

"You felt it tonight." Her gaze burned straight through me. "You will feel it every night until the end."

I wanted to demand answers, to shake her until her riddles became clear, but when I blinked, she was gone. Only the forest remained, silent and watching.

A cold shiver clawed down my spine.

The pull grew sharper, almost painful now, drawing me deeper into the trees. Against every shred of reason, I obeyed.

Branches snapped underfoot, shadows shifted at the edge of my vision. The world seemed to hold its breath until at last I saw him.

Kalen.

He stood at the heart of the clearing, chest rising and falling as though he, too, had been running from something he could not escape. His eyes found mine instantly, gold flaring like fire catching dry wood.

"You should not be here." His voice was raw, strained, as if holding back a storm.

"I could not stop," I admitted, my own honesty frightening me more than his presence. "Something pulled me to you."

His jaw tightened, muscles flexing as though my words carved into him. He stepped closer, each movement heavy with restraint. "I felt it too."

The space between us throbbed, alive with something unseen yet undeniable. My skin tingled, my blood roared. I wanted to step back, to run, but my feet betrayed me, anchoring me in place.

"What are we?" The question slipped free, more plea than demand.

His gaze darkened. "Bound. Whether by curse or fate, I do not know. But it will destroy you if you stay near me."

The words should have been enough to send me running. Instead, they rooted me deeper. For in his eyes I saw not only danger, but the same torment that plagued me.

The tether pulled tighter, until it felt like my heart might tear itself open.

He reached for me. Stopped. Curled his hands into fists as though he feared his own touch. "Go, Elara. Before I lose what little control I have left."

The forest stirred, wind rushing through the branches like a warning.

And then, from beyond the clearing, came the sound of growls-low, guttural, too many to belong to one beast.

I froze.

Kalen's head snapped toward the shadows, his eyes blazing as his body shifted, muscles rippling as though the wolf beneath his skin clawed to be free.

"They are coming," he said, voice laced with both fury and fear.

Before I could move, before I could even breathe, the clearing erupted with glowing eyes circling us in the dark.

Elara is trapped beside Kalen as a pack of unseen wolves closes in, their tether stronger than ever-and escape suddenly impossible.

Elara lingered in the quiet, her fingers brushing the edge of the wooden frame as if it could steady her.

The strange tether still hummed faintly beneath her skin, a current she could not shake. Shadows stretched across the room, and she swore she felt his presence even though Kalen had already left. Her breath caught-part longing, part dread.

The bond was invisible, yet it pressed closer with every heartbeat, pulling her toward a destiny she was not ready to name. And in that silence, she knew: this was only the beginning of something far more dangerous.