The air in Lila's apartment was thick with tension, as if it had absorbed every tremor of desire, every heartbeat of fear from the night before. She sat on the edge of the sofa, knees pulled to her chest, staring at the window as the first hints of dawn colored the sky. Her thoughts were a mess of heat, guilt, and dread, the pull of Dorian's bond still whispering insistently in her veins, demanding her attention, clawing at her with invisible fingers.
And then there was Kaden. Steady, grounding, the voice that felt like home. The thought of him brought relief, but it also tore at her. Because while he anchored her soul, her body still trembled at Dorian's shadow, a dangerous phantom she could not escape.
Kaden had insisted she meet him today. Insisted that she come with him to a place that he promised would show the truth of their bond. Part of her wanted to refuse, to hide, to flee into the safety of the city's anonymity. But another, deeper part—her soul, screaming in recognition—knew she had to go. She had to face it.
The forest outside the city was quiet, the kind of quiet that pressed against the skin and made every sound feel amplified. Birds chirped lazily in the trees, and the wind whispered through the leaves like a distant lullaby. Kaden led the way, tall and sure, each step deliberate and controlled. Lila followed, tentative, trembling, unsure whether she was walking into clarity or danger.
"You're tense," Kaden said, glancing back at her with concern in his eyes. His hand brushed against hers briefly—light, grounding—and the spark of calm it sent through her made her chest ache. "I know it's difficult. I know... him. But you'll see. You'll know."
She swallowed hard, nodding, but her mind wandered. Dorian. That intoxicating pull. That smoldering heat she couldn't deny. Even here, in the forest, she felt his presence as if he were a shadow at the edge of her vision, whispering promises she didn't want to follow, luring her closer with every step.
Her pulse quickened. The war inside her was brutal, a relentless tug-of-war between her body's desires and her soul's truth. She didn't even realize she had stopped walking until Kaden's hand rested lightly on her shoulder.
"Lila," he said softly. "Trust me. Just trust me."
The clearing he led her to was ancient. Trees encircled it like silent sentinels, their trunks thick and gnarled, leaves filtering sunlight into scattered gold and green patterns on the ground. In the center was a small stone altar, covered in moss and carved with runes she didn't understand. The air vibrated with energy, subtle but undeniable, like the pulse of the earth itself.
"This is where our bond will show itself," Kaden explained, kneeling before the altar. "Where the truth becomes undeniable. Where your soul will remember what it already knows."
Lila's heart hammered, a mix of fear and anticipation. She had never believed in things like fated mates or psychic confirmation of bonds. And yet, something about this place, this energy, felt alive. Real. Terrifyingly real.
Kaden extended his hand to her. "Come. Stand with me."
She hesitated. Every instinct screamed to step back, to flee, to resist the pull of what she had yet to understand. But she stepped forward, finally, her fingers brushing his. The moment their skin met, a jolt of energy shot through her, sharp and immediate, and she stumbled, catching herself on the altar.
Her breath left her in a gasp. It was him. She could feel it, her soul recognizing him with a clarity so profound it hurt. The bond wasn't like Dorian's intoxicating, dangerous pull—it was deep, anchoring, warm, and absolute. Every fiber of her being resonated with it. Her hands trembled, tears stinging her eyes.
"Kaden..." she whispered, voice breaking. "I... I feel it. I feel you. Everything... everything in me..."
He cupped her face, thumbs brushing her cheekbones, and his eyes softened, but the intensity in them never faltered. "That's because it's real," he said, voice low, resonant, unyielding. "This bond, Lila... it's truth. It's you. It's us. And nothing—no one—can take it from you. Not him. Not anyone."
The energy between them surged, palpable, a magnetic pull that lifted her off her feet in a way that was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. She could feel the truth of it in her bones, in her heartbeat, in the very air around them.
But then the cruel, insistent whisper of Dorian's bond cut through the clarity like a knife.
You're mine. You can't escape me. No one else can claim what I've touched.
Her stomach twisted. Even here, in the midst of undeniable truth, she felt trapped. The wrong bond's shadow lingered, intoxicating, dangerous, and addictive. She wanted to recoil, to break free, but a part of her body betrayed her, remembering his touch, the way he had made her shiver with desire.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, hot and furious. She wanted clarity. She wanted freedom. She wanted to follow her heart. But the duality of the bonds tore her apart.
Kaden pulled her into his arms, steady and unyielding. "I know it hurts," he murmured, voice gentle, grounding. "I know he's dangerous. I know the bond feels strong. But listen to me, Lila. Listen to your soul. That pull he has... it's fire. It's addictive. It's dangerous. It's not love. It's not us. And it can't hold you. Not when the truth is here, inside you."
Her sobs came in ragged bursts, shaking against him. "But it feels... it feels so real. I... I don't know if I can fight it. Dorian... he's everywhere in me..."
"And that's why I'm here," Kaden said, voice low, fierce, protective. "Because I'll fight for you. Because the bond we share is real. It's eternal. And because no matter how strong his pull is, no matter how intoxicating it feels... it can't touch your soul. That's mine. That belongs to me. Always."
Her chest ached as she pressed against him, the truth of his words sinking into her, grounding her, anchoring her in a reality she had longed for without fully realizing it. Her tears mingled with relief, fear, and overwhelming gratitude.
But even as she embraced the certainty of Kaden's claim, the shadow of Dorian loomed. The wrong bond had not released its grip. Its seductive, dangerous whispers still hummed in her veins, promising fire, chaos, and forbidden pleasure. She felt the cruel pull of desire twisting inside her, and a fresh ache of heartbreak gripped her chest.
She wanted to surrender to Kaden completely, to embrace the love she had always been destined for. But she couldn't ignore the shadow of the other man, the wrong bond that refused to release her, that reminded her that passion and danger were intoxicating in a way she couldn't deny.
Kaden rested his forehead against hers, holding her with quiet strength. "I know you're afraid," he said softly. "I know it hurts. I know it's complicated. But you are mine, Lila. Your heart, your soul... they know it. And together, we can face whatever comes. Whatever he tries. Whatever the bond throws at you."
Her lips trembled as she whispered, "I... I don't want to hurt anyone. I... I don't want him to have this power over me..."
"He doesn't," Kaden said, voice firm, unwavering. "Not truly. The bond may pull, but it can't claim what belongs to me. And what belongs to you... belongs to me too. Always."
The forest around them pulsed with energy, a quiet, ancient power, and Lila felt it align with the bond inside her. The wrong one still lingered, dangerous and seductive, but the truth was undeniable. Kaden's claim was real. Absolute. Soul-deep. And for the first time in days, she felt a flicker of hope amidst the chaos of desire, fear, and heartbreak.
She clung to him, trembling, exhausted, and terrified. The fight had only begun, but at least now she knew the truth.
She belonged to Kaden.
Even if part of her still burned for Dorian.