The highway was empty by the time Amina and Kade reached the outskirts of North Thorne, the moon clinging to the sky like a watchful eye. The air turned colder, sharper—charged with the kind of power only werewolf lands carried.
Kade felt it first.
A pulse.
Faint… but familiar.
"Amina," he said, slowing his steps. "Do you feel that?"
She paused, her breath fogging out in little bursts. A warmth spread along her forearm again, the same place the mark had appeared after the fight in the woods. Only now, it didn't fade. It throbbed.
"I feel… something." Her voice dropped. "Like heat. Pulling."
His eyes widened. Not with fear.
With recognition.
"That's the bond," he said quietly. "It's waking."
Amina froze. "The mate bond?"
"No." Kade moved closer, lowering his voice. "Something rarer. Deeper. The Alpha-Link."
He stood inches from her now, the night's cold fading between them. Amina swallowed. His scent—wild, earthy, edged with smoke—wrapped around her like unwanted gravity.
She forced her eyes away. "I don't want a link with you."
"You think I asked for this?" His gaze hardened. "You think I wanted someone outside the pack? Someone who would complicate everything?"
"Then break it," she whispered.
Kade's jaw clenched. "It doesn't work like that."
A silence settled. Heavy. Thick. Charged.
Amina took a shaky breath. "What does this… bond do?"
Kade hesitated, then answered honestly.
"It connects our instincts. Emotions. Strength. If you're hurt, I feel it. If I'm in danger, you'll sense it." He exhaled. "And if one of us dies… the other breaks."
Amina's heart hammered. "Breaks?"
"Mind, soul… everything. The bond was created to link Alphas to their most powerful counterparts. Whether wolf-born… or not."
Her chest tightened. "So I'm trapped to you?"
Kade stepped forward, brows furrowed. "No. You're not trapped. But whether we like it or not—we're connected."
Another pulse hit them both at the same time.
Amina stumbled and he caught her, his hands gripping her waist. Her breath hitched from the spark that shot through her. His eyes flicked to her lips, then away almost violently.
"This… can't happen," he said, voice low.
"I know," she whispered.
But neither of them moved.
The heat between them wasn't gentle. It was fierce. Dangerous. Inevitable.
A branch snapped nearby.
Kade turned instantly, pushing her behind him, his wolf rising beneath his skin.
"Someone's here," he growled.
A figure stepped from the shadows—tall, lean, eyes gleaming silver.
Not human.
Not friendly.
A rogue.
And not alone.
More shapes emerged, crawling out from the tree line, encircling them. Hungry. Savage.
"Looks like the Alpha finally left his territory." The lead rogue sneered. "And brought a little… pet."
Kade's voice dropped into a deadly growl. "Touch her, and I'll tear your throat out."
Amina's pulse raced—the bond flared again, reacting to his rage.
The rogue lunged.
Kade shifted halfway—eyes blazing gold, claws erupting—but before he could strike, two more rogues rushed him from behind.
Amina didn't think. She moved.
The heat inside her—dormant, forgotten—ignited.
A burst of energy shot from her palms, slamming into a rogue and sending him flying through a tree.
Kade turned, stunned. "Amina—what was that?"
"I… I don't know!"
The leader roared and charged at her. Kade intercepted him mid-air, slamming him into the dirt, claws flashing.
"Amina, stay behind me!"
Another rogue grabbed her arm.
The bond snapped tight.
Kade screamed—literally screamed—as if the pain was his own.
Amina felt something ancient crack open inside her.
Her vision went white.
And then—
A shockwave blasted outward from her body, burning through the rogue's grip, knocking three wolves flat on their backs. Trees trembled. Leaves flew like a storm.
Kade shielded his face, staring at her with awe… and something darker.
"Amina…"
She collapsed to her knees, trembling, the last of the energy fading.
Kade was at her side instantly, lifting her into his arms.
"You're not human," he said, voice raw. "Not fully."
She breathed hard. "I don't know what I am."
Kade pulled her closer, his chest rising and falling against her cheek.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't afraid.
He was determined.
"Then we're going to find out," he whispered, holding her tighter as the moon glowed fiercely above them. "Whatever it takes."
The night was silent again—except for their breathing.
And the bond, pulsing like a living thing.