Adeline's POV
The Alpha King moved faster than my eyes could follow.
One second, he was standing in front of me. Next, he was a blur of motion, crashing into Marcus's wolf form.
They collided with a sound like thunder.
I stumbled backward, my heart racing. The guards' circle around me tightened.
"Stay behind us," one of them ordered. A woman with red hair and fierce eyes. "Don't move unless we tell you to."
Like I was planning to run toward the giant fighting wolves. Sure.
Marcus and the Alpha King rolled across the courtyard, snarling and snapping. The other wolves tried to help Marcus, but more guards blocked them.
Metal clashed against claws. Growls filled the air.
This was insane. This was all my fault.
"Stop!" I shouted. "Please, just stop fighting!"
Nobody listened to me.
The Alpha King had Marcus pinned now. His silver eyes blazed with fury as he held the brown wolf down by the throat.
"You came to my fortress," the Alpha King snarled. "On sacred ground. And threatened to take what's under my protection. Do you know what the penalty is for that?"
Marcus shifted back to human form. Blood ran from his nose. "She's not yours to protect! She belongs to"
The Alpha King's hand tightened on Marcus's throat. "Say 'belongs' one more time. See what happens."
Marcus went silent, his eyes wide with fear.
Good. He should be scared.
The Alpha King looked over his shoulder at me. Those silver eyes found mine across the courtyard.
And the pulling sensation in my chest flared so strongly I gasped.
It felt like someone had tied a rope around my heart and yanked. Hard.
"What is this?" I pressed my hand over my chest. "Why does it hurt?"
The Alpha King's expression softened just slightly. "The bond. It's trying to pull us together."
"What bond?" My voice came out shaky. "I don't understand what's happening!"
He released Marcus, who collapsed on the ground, coughing. The Alpha King stood and walked toward me.
The guards parted to let him through.
He stopped a few feet away, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to see his face.
Up close, he was even more intimidating. Strong jaw covered in stubble. A scar cutting through one eyebrow. Eyes that looked ancient despite his youngish face.
This was someone who'd seen battles. Won wars. Ruled kingdoms.
And I'd accidentally bonded with him somehow.
"My name is Russell Croft," he said. His voice was calmer now but still powerful. "Alpha King of the Northern Territories. Ruler of the Thornwood Pack."
I swallowed hard. "Adeline Thorne. Horse trainer. From Pine Valley."
"I know." His eyes never left mine. "The forest told me."
"The forest can talk?"
"In a way." He held out his hand, palm up. "May I see your wrist again?"
I looked at his hand nervously. "What happens if you touch me?"
"The bond will flare. It will hurt. But I need to verify something."
"Verify what?"
"Whether what I think happened actually happened."
That wasn't reassuring at all.
But I slowly extended my arm anyway.
His fingers closed gently around my wrist.
The pain hit immediately. That same overwhelming sensation, lightning and heat, and something huge flooding through me.
But this time I was ready for it. This time I didn't scream or fall.
I watched as silver light spread from where his skin touched mine. It traveled up my arm like glowing veins, all the way to my chest, where it pooled over my heart.
The Alpha King Russell had the same thing happening. Silver light running up his arm, pooling over his heart.
The two pools of light seemed to reach for each other. Straining across the space between our bodies.
"By the ancient wolves," Russell breathed. "It's real."
"What's real?" I asked through gritted teeth. "What is this thing?"
He released my wrist, and the pain faded. But the pulling sensation stayed.
"The Sacred Claiming Bond," he said quietly. "When someone rides the Alpha King's personal mount through the Thornwood Forest during the winter solstice, the ancient magic recognizes them as a potential mate. The bond forms automatically."
Mate. That word made my stomach drop.
"No." I shook my head hard. "No, no, no. I didn't know! I wasn't trying to bond with anyone! I just wanted to escape Marcus!"
"I know." Russell's voice was surprisingly gentle. "The bond doesn't care about intentions. Only actions."
"So break it!" Panic was rising in my chest. "There has to be a way to break it, right?"
"There is." He paused. "But it requires a ritual that takes seven days to prepare. And during those seven days, you have to stay here."
"Stay here?" I looked around at the fortress, the guards, and the unconscious Marcus on the ground. "In a werewolf fortress? With a bunch of wolves who probably hate humans?"
"Not all of them hate humans." Russell glanced at his guards. "Some are married to humans."
That was slightly reassuring. Slightly.
"But I can't stay here for a week!" I said desperately. "I have a job. A life. An apartment with rent due!"
"I'll pay your rent," Russell said simply. "And I'll contact your employer to explain you're unavailable."
"Explain what exactly? That I accidentally bonded with a werewolf king?"
His lips twitched. Was that almost a smile? "Something like that."
"This is insane." I pressed my hands over my face. "This whole night is insane."
"I agree." Russell turned to his guards. "Take the intruders to the holding cells. We'll deal with them tomorrow."
"Wait!" Marcus struggled to his feet. Blood covered his face and chest. "You can't keep her! She's"
"Under my protection," Russell finished coldly. "Which means she stays until the bond is resolved. If you or your wolves set foot on my territory again, I'll consider it an act of war. Are we clear?"
Marcus's face went pale. Even he wasn't stupid enough to declare war on an Alpha King.
"This isn't over," Marcus spat. Then the guards dragged him and his wolves away.
I watched them go, my whole body shaking.
Two years of running. Two years of hiding. And Marcus had found me anyway.
And now I was trapped in a fortress with a werewolf king because of some ancient magic I didn't even know existed.
"Hey." Russell's voice was soft. "Look at me."
I turned to face him. Tears were building in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
"I know you're scared," he said. "I know this isn't what you wanted. But I promise you're safe here. Marcus can't reach you. No one can hurt you inside these walls."
"How do I know that?" My voice cracked. "How do I know you won't hurt me?"
Something flickered in his eyes. Pain maybe. "You don't. But I'm asking you to trust me anyway."
"I don't trust anyone." The words came out harshly. "Especially not Alpha wolves who think they can control people."
"I don't want to control you." He held up both hands. "I want to help you. You triggered the bond by accident. That's not your fault. And I won't punish you for it."
"Then let me leave."
"I can't." He dropped his hands. "The magic won't allow it. If you try to leave the fortress grounds before the bond is broken, the forest will bring you back. Possibly hurt you in the process."
"So I'm a prisoner."
"You're a guest under magical protection." He paused. "There's a difference."
"Doesn't feel different."
Russell studied me for a long moment. "You've been hurt before. By wolves."
It wasn't a question. He said it as he knew.
I looked away. "Marcus. He... it doesn't matter."
"It matters." Russell's voice went hard. "What did he do to you?"
"Why do you care?" I challenged. "You don't even know me."
"The bond makes me care." He touched his chest, right over his heart. "I can feel your fear. Your pain. It's like it's my own."
That was horrifying. "You can feel what I feel?"
"Some of it. The strongest emotions." His silver eyes found mine again. "Right now, I feel your terror. Your exhaustion. And your desperate wish to be anywhere but here."
Tears finally escaped down my cheeks. I wiped them away angrily.
"I hate this," I whispered. "I hate magic and bonds and everything supernatural."
"I know." Russell pulled something from his pocket. A handkerchief. He held it out to me. "But you're stuck with it for seven days. So we might as well make the best of it."
I took the handkerchief and wiped my face. "And after seven days?"
"After seven days, we'll break the bond. You'll be free to go wherever you want. I'll make sure Marcus never bothers you again. You'll have money, protection, everything you need to start over."
It sounded too good to be true. "Why would you do all that?"
"Because the bond isn't your fault. And I don't punish people for accidents." He gestured toward the fortress. "Come. I'll show you to your room."
"My room?" I followed him hesitantly. "I get my own room?"
"Of course." He glanced back at me. "Did you think I'd lock you in a dungeon?"
"Maybe?"
This time, he definitely smiled. Small and brief, but real. "I'm not a monster, Adeline. Despite what the stories probably say."
We walked through the courtyard and into the fortress itself. The inside was warmer, lit by torches and strange glowing crystals embedded in the walls.
Guards nodded to Russell as we passed. Some stared at me with curiosity. Others with suspicion.
I kept my head down and stayed close to Russell.
The pulling sensation in my chest hadn't gone away. If anything, it got stronger the closer I walked beside him.
Like my body wanted to be near him. Wanted to trust him.
But my brain knew better. Alphas were dangerous. Controlling. They hurt people and call it protection.
Russell stopped in front of a large wooden door. "This is the guest wing. Your room is the second door on the left."
"Where's your room?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"North tower. Opposite side of the fortress." He met my eyes. "I figured you'd want space."
I did want space. So why did part of me feel disappointed?
Stupid bond. Messing with my head.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
Russell nodded. "There are clothes in the closet. Food in the common room down the hall. If you need anything, pull the cord by the door, and someone will come."
"Okay."
We stood there awkwardly for a moment. The bond hummed between us, pulling and pulling.
"I should go," Russell said finally. "You need rest. We'll talk more tomorrow."
He turned to leave.
"Wait." I don't know why I stopped him. "The bond. Does it... does it make you want to keep me here? Even after seven days?"
Russell looked back at me. His silver eyes were sad.
"Yes," he admitted. "Every instinct I have is screaming to keep you close. To protect you. To never let you leave."
My heart sank. "So you will keep me."
"No." His voice was firm. "Because I'm not ruled by instincts. I make my own choices. And I choose to honor my promise. Seven days. Then you're free."
He walked away before I could respond.
I watched him disappear down the hallway, the bond stretching painfully with every step he took.
Then I went into my room and locked the door.
The room was beautiful. Comfortable bed, warm fireplace, big windows looking out over the forest.
But I couldn't enjoy any of it.
Because I was trapped. Again.
Different fortress. Different wolf. But still trapped.
I sat on the bed and finally let myself cry.
Seven days. I just had to survive seven days.
Then I could run again.
Except... what if Russell was lying? What if he never let me go?
What if the bond changed his mind?
A knock on the door made me jump.
"Miss Thorne?" A woman's voice. "I'm Clara. The Alpha King sent me to check if you need anything."
I wiped my eyes and opened the door a crack.
A young woman with kind eyes smiled at me. "I brought tea. And cookies. Thought you might want some."
"Thank you." I took the tray from her.
Clara hesitated. "For what it's worth... the Alpha King is a good man. Scary, but good. He really will let you go if that's what you want."
"How do you know?"
"Because eight years ago, he lost someone he loved. And it broke him." Clara's smile turned sad. "He won't trap you the way death trapped her. He understands what it's like to be powerless."
She left before I could ask what she meant.
I closed the door and looked at the tea.
Maybe Russell really would keep his promise. Maybe.
But I'd learned the hard way not to trust maybes.
I'd wait out the seven days. Play along. Be cooperative.
And then I'd run.
As far and as fast as I could.
I just had to survive seven days with an Alpha King who could feel my emotions and whose touch made lightning race through my veins.
Seven days with a bond that was trying its hardest to make me trust him. Care about him. Maybe even
No. I wouldn't even think it.
Seven days. That's all.
Then I'd be free.
I hoped.