Resistance

"Do you want to take on a challenge with me?" Derek asked, his voice calm but laced with an edge.

Diva’s eyes narrowed. "I’m good at winning challenges."

"Then let’s see if you can survive here without following my rules," he said smoothly.

She smirked. "I’m sure you’re going to fail."

Derek chuckled, low and dark. Without another word, he turned and walked out, shutting the door with enough force to make the walls tremble.

"Do you want to break down the door?" Diva yelled after him, but he was already gone.

The next morning, a sharp knock startled her awake.

"Who is it?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"It’s me—the maid," a voice answered.

Diva sighed. "What do you want?"

"Alpha Derek has asked for you to join him for breakfast."

Her stomach tightened. She barely had time to process her new reality, and now Derek was already summoning her?

Still, refusing meant starving, and she wasn’t about to let hunger win.

When she entered the grand dining hall, Derek was seated at the head of the long table, sipping coffee like a king on his throne. He didn’t even look up when she walked in.

Diva hesitated, then moved to sit at the farthest chair possible.

"I didn’t say you could sit," Derek’s voice cut through the silence.

Her jaw clenched. "I’m not your prisoner."

Derek finally looked at her, his gray eyes cool and unreadable.

"You’re in my home, bound to me by fate. Until I decide what to do with you, you’ll follow my rules. Sit here." He gestured to the seat beside him.

"I already told you—I don’t follow rules. And what are your rules?" she shot back.

Derek smirked. "You’ll find out soon enough."

She scoffed but reluctantly moved closer, hating the way the mate bond made her hyper-aware of him. The air between them crackled with an energy she refused to acknowledge.

When breakfast ended, Derek assigned a warrior named Caleb to show her around.

"This mansion is more than a home," Caleb explained as they walked. "It’s a fortress. A sanctuary for our pack."

Diva barely listened. She had only one thought: escape.

Later that evening, she wandered into the gardens, needing air, needing space. The crisp night breeze did little to cool the fire of frustration burning inside her.

Footsteps approached behind her. She didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

"I didn’t expect you to adapt so quickly," Derek’s voice was unreadable.

She crossed her arms. "I’m not adapting. I’m surviving."

Derek smirked. "You’ll need more than survival instincts to last here. The bond isn’t something you can ignore forever."

Diva took a step closer, her frustration bubbling over. "And what if I don’t want it? What if I don’t want you?"

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes—something almost vulnerable.

"It doesn’t matter what you want," he said finally. "The bond exists. And it will pull at you whether you like it or not."

She swallowed hard.

"I’ll fight it at all costs," she declared.

Derek tilted his head, amused. "Seems like you love challenges."

"I was born for them," she shot back.

He studied her for a long moment, then muttered, almost to himself, "There’s more to this bond than meets the eye."

Diva narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

Derek hesitated before saying, "I don’t know yet. But when the time is right, everything will make sense."

She frowned. "You’re hiding something."

He held her gaze. "So are you."

The tension between them was suffocating, a force neither of them could name but both felt pulling them closer.

The next morning, Diva woke up feeling… different. Her emotions were tangled, her thoughts clouded. The mate bond wasn’t just a nuisance—it was changing her.

She packed her room, restless. She needed answers.

Determined, she marched through the mansion’s halls, searching for Derek’s study. Caleb had mentioned it in passing, and now she was using that information to her advantage.

As she neared the heavy oak door, she heard voices inside. She pressed her ear against the wood, curiosity overriding caution.

“The rogues have been spotted near the eastern border. Their numbers are growing,” a warrior reported.

Derek’s voice followed, calm yet firm. “Double the patrols. I’ll deal with them when the time comes.”

Diva’s brows furrowed. Rogues?

Before she could process the information, the door swung open.

A warrior exited, giving her a brief glance before disappearing down the hall.

Derek stood in the doorway, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," she said, lifting her chin defiantly.

Without a word, he stepped aside, letting her in.

His study was exactly what she expected—dark wood, shelves filled with books, and a heavy air of authority.

He shut the door behind her, leaning against it, arms crossed. "Talk."

Diva turned to face him, frustration boiling over.

"This bond—it’s wrong," she blurted out. "I can feel it. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know you, and yet—" She stopped herself, unwilling to admit the truth.

Derek watched her carefully, his silence maddening.

"Why are you so calm about this?" she demanded. "You act like none of this matters, like I don’t matter."

Derek’s eyes darkened. "You think I wanted this?" He took a slow step forward. "You think I chose you?"

His words stung, but she refused to let them shake her.

"Then reject me!" She challenged me. "Let me go!"

Derek’s jaw clenched. For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes—something undone.

"It’s not that simple," he said, voice low. "The bond isn’t something you can just walk away from. It binds us."

"Why can’t it be broken?" she pressed. "Why does it have to be this way?"

Derek hesitated. And in that hesitation, Diva saw the truth.

He doesn’t know either.

"The bond isn’t natural," he finally admitted. "I’ve felt it too—something is wrong. But until I figure out what, you’re staying here."

Diva’s resolve wavered. Could he be right?

"I don’t want to be here," she whispered.

Derek’s expression softened, just slightly. But his voice remained firm.

"You may not have a choice."

Diva swallowed, feeling the weight of his words settle over her.

"You think so?" she muttered.

"No," he said softly. "I know so."

Silence laced between them. The air grew heavier.

Derek took another step closer, his towering presence overwhelming. His gray eyes burned into hers, and for a second, she forgot how to breathe.

"You can hate me all you want," he murmured. "But the bond doesn’t care about feelings. It’s going to consume you. Whether you fight it or not."

Diva opened her mouth, ready to argue,

But then he reached out, his fingers brushing her chin, tilting her face toward him. His touch was firm, warm.

"You’ll feel it," he whispered. "That fire. And when you do, you’ll realize something terrifying."

Her pulse pounded. "What?"

A slow, knowing smirk curled his lips.

"That no matter how much you fight it, no matter how much you resist—" His voice dropped lower. "You’ll crave me."

Diva yanked away, her heart racing.

She stormed toward the door, but before she left, his voice followed her.

"This bond will change you, Diva. Whether you want it to or not."

She slammed the door behind her.

But deep inside, she feared he was right.