Chapter 4 – The Unclaimed Bond

                “Mate?!”

                The word shot out of me like something toxic I needed to spit out before it poisoned my blood. I recoiled, scrambling back to my feet with all the grace of a startled cat, my mind spinning at a thousand miles per hour.

                 This couldn’t be real!

                 It was a statistical impossibility. I had just spent the last three weeks dodging one destiny, and now I’d tripped right over another one in the middle of a damp, miserable cave.

                “Are you sure?” I snapped, my voice echoing off the limestone walls and cutting through the heavy, suffocating silence. “Because I don’t feel anything. My wolf isn’t exactly throwing confetti and singing Hallelujah over here!”

                Romani’s earlier smug grin, the one that made him look like he owned the entire forest, slipped. It didn't disappear, but it morphed into something closer to genuine confusion. He looked like a man who’d just been told his winning lottery ticket was actually a very detailed drawing of a potato.

                But I wasn’t in the mood for his theatrics. I had just risked everything, my safety, my family, my very identity, to escape a forced mating in my pack, only to run headfirst into another supposed ‘mate’ in the wilderness.

                Moon Goddess, you really have a twisted sense of humor!

I looked upward as if I could see her through the cave ceiling. Could you maybe pick a hobby that doesn't involve ruining my life? Like knitting? Or celestial gardening?

                ‘At least he’s an upgrade,’ Era, my wolf, muttered dryly in my head. Her tone was dripping with so much sarcasm I half-expected my own mouth to taste like copper. ‘Axel was garbage. Not even high-quality recycled garbage, he was straight-to-the-landfill, toxic waste. He was never our fated mate. He only wanted you because you weren’t one of those she-wolves who drooled every time he flexed a bicep. You were a challenge to be conquered. And when you kept refusing him, he dragged in his father, the Alpha, and they leaned on your parents until they caved. Classic scumbag move.’

                I shook my head, refusing to buy her pragmatic, ‘look on the bright side’ spin.

                ‘That doesn’t mean we throw ourselves at the first handsome stranger who thinks he can trick us with a tall tale about fate, Era. Don’t forget who we are. We’re valuable, we’re rare, and we’re currently on the run. This smells like a trap. He wants something.’

                Era’s glowing eyes swept over Romani, lingering far too long on his broad, powerful shoulders and that annoyingly perfect jawline that looked like it had been carved by a master sculptor. She was clearly impressed, even if her logic wasn't fully on board.

                ‘No mate triggers here either,’ she admitted with a heavy, disappointed sigh. ‘No sparks, no soul-deep recognition. Just... nothing. And yes, you’re right, he might have shady plans. So, what’s the game plan, Boss?’

                Of course, she expected me to figure it out. Typical.

 The Lycan in front of us was dominant, terrifyingly strong, and clearly interested in me for reasons I couldn't yet fathom. Escaping a Lycan wasn't like outrunning an ordinary wolf, it was like trying to outrun a thunderstorm.

                But I wasn’t helpless. I was a hybrid, and my witch blood wasn’t just decorative glitter on my DNA. My grandmother’s coven had taught me plenty of tricks. There were always spells, always loopholes, and always a way to make someone regret crossing me.

                “Done chatting with your wolf?” Romani’s voice sliced through my internal monologue, dragging me back to the reality of the cave.

                I jolted, my eyes snapping back to his. He wore a slow, lazy grin, the kind of smirk that said he was thoroughly enjoying my mental meltdown. I blinked hard, forcing myself to shake off the haze of panic and irritation.

                “My wolf confirms absolutely nothing,” I shot back, steel creeping into my tone. I wasn't the trembling girl he’d found in the rain anymore. “You’re making this up. What’s your angle, mister? Because I’m not signing up for whatever elaborate scheme you’ve got planned. If you’re looking for a damsel in distress, you’ve got the wrong cave.”

                I planted my hands on my hips, squaring my shoulders and daring him to try me. I might have been half his size, but I had double the attitude.

                “Then your wolf’s broken,” he stated flatly, his conviction unshaken. He didn't look offended, he looked like a scientist observing a particularly stubborn lab rat.

                “I feel it, the sparks, the pull, the way my blood roars whenever you look at me with that ridiculous 'I hate you' expression. Why else do you think I grabbed your hand earlier? All the signs are there. You are my mate. And since you're clearly lost, we’re going to your Alpha to make it official.”

                His last words hit me like a physical punch to the gut.

                 Terror, cold and sharp, surged through me, and I stumbled back, putting more space between us until my back hit the jagged stone wall. The thought of returning to that place, to relive the nightmare of three weeks ago, made my stomach twist into knots.

                 I absolutely had no desire to ever see the Moonlight Walkers again!

                 I didn't want to see that possessive look on Axel's face or the disappointing, hollow eyes of my parents. Their betrayal was carved into me like a scar that would never fade. I would never forgive them for trying to sell me like a piece of livestock.

                “I told you already, I’m a lone wolf!” I shouted, my voice rising until it cracked with the force of my desperation. “No pack, no Alpha. And I’m not going anywhere with you. I’ve got my own plans, and they involve being very far away from here. And even further away from any supposed mate.”

                To my mounting irritation, he stepped closer.

He didn't rush, he moved with a slow, deliberate grace, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made the hair on my arms stand up. He was like a predator that had already cornered its prey and was just waiting for the right moment to strike.

                “Every wolf has a pack, little mate,” he countered, his voice dropping into a low, smooth register that sounded more like a threat than a conversation. “You’re going to tell me who your Alpha is. Don’t make me use my authority to get it out of you. You won’t like how that feels.”

                I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat refusing to budge.

                His Lycan authority was already beginning to seep into the room, pressing down on the air. It was a heavy, suffocating presence, strong enough to force a lesser wolf to their knees in seconds.

                My options were shrinking fast.

                If he really was my mate and he chose to compel me, the humiliation would be unbearable. I’d never be able to look him in the eye again, knowing he’d broken my will.

                “Decide quickly, Ana,” he urged firmly. “I don’t want to force you, but don’t test my patience. Sit down, tell me the truth. All of it. Don’t try to be clever or play games. You won’t enjoy the consequences of lying to me.”

                His eyes suddenly pulsed, a flash of dangerous, unyielding red glowing in the depths of his pupils.

                My throat tightened again, my mind racing through every spell and every escape route I knew. But he was too close, and the Lycan energy was too dense. Cooperation, at least for now, was the only move I had left on the board.

                I’d have to play along, feed him enough truth to keep him satisfied, and wait until a real chance to escape appeared. My witch blood stirred beneath the surface, alive with a quiet, stubborn resolve.

                This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

I took a shaky breath, glaring at him with every ounce of spite I could muster.

                                “Moonlight Walker,” I spat.

                The name hung in the air, bitter and heavy. Romani’s expression shifted, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information.

                He knew the name. Everyone in this territory knew the Moonlight Walkers, they were the pack that prided themselves on ‘traditional values,’ which was just a fancy way of saying they treated women like property and hybrids like dirt.

                “The Moonlight Walkers,” Romani repeated, his voice thoughtful. “Led by Alpha Silas. A man known for his... lack of imagination and his excessive greed. And you’re the one who ran. The hybrid daughter who was supposed to seal an alliance.”

                “I’m the girl who didn't want to be a breeding prize,” I corrected him, my voice trembling with rage. “And I’m not going back. Not for you, not for the Moon Goddess, and certainly not for some 'mate' bond that only one of us can feel.”

                Romani watched me for a long moment, the red glow fading from his eyes, leaving only that piercing, analytical blue. He looked at me not as a prize, but as a puzzle he was determined to solve.

                “We’ll see about that,” he murmured. “But for tonight, you stay here. Tomorrow, we move. And Ana? If you try to slip away in the night, I’ll find you before you reach the tree line. I’m a very good hunter.”

                I sat back down on the cold floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

                “I hate you,” I whispered.

He just smirked, a dark, handsome flash of teeth in the shadows.

                “I know. It’s a start.”