MasukKaidora's POVThe knock on the apartment door startles me out of my spiraling thoughts.I've been sitting on the couch for hours, staring at nothing while trying to process everything that's happened. Zane left for training again this morning with careful distance between us, the bond humming with hurt neither of us knows how to address.Another knock comes from the door, more insistent this time.I drag myself to the door and open it to find Amber standing there with a bright smile and a bag of what looks like pastries.“Kai!” She doesn't wait for an invitation, just pushes past me into the apartment. “Finally! I've been trying to reach you for days but you've been completely MIA.”“Amber.” I close the door, caught off guard by her sudden appearance. “I'm sorry, I've been—”“Busy being the future Luna, I know.” She sets the pastry bag on the kitchen counter, then turns to face me with sparkling eyes. “But that's exactly why I'm here! I’m so sorry I couldn't show up at the ceremony. I
Kaidora's POVThe drive back to the apartment is suffocating. Zane keeps his eyes on the road, his jaw tight with tension that radiates through the bond I can't ignore. I feel everything he's feeling— guilt, worry, love, confusion— and it makes my own emotions impossible to untangle.The mark on my neck throbs with every heartbeat, a constant reminder of what we did. What I begged him to do. What the so-called heat made inevitable.I press my hand against it, and the touch sends electricity through the bond. Zane's fingers tighten on the steering wheel, and I realize he felt it too, felt my touch through our connection like I'd reached out and caressed him directly.This is what being bonded means. No privacy. No separation. Forever connected in ways I never wanted.“We need to talk about what happened,” Zane says quietly, breaking the silence that's stretched for miles.“Do we?” I keep my gaze fixed on the window, watching pack territory give way to neutral ground. “I think what happ
Kaidora's POVEverything narrows to sensation. The heat that was consuming me from the inside begins to ease, replaced by something else. Something overwhelming and electric that makes rational thought impossible.Zane's touch is everywhere, gentle but urgent, careful and demanding. Each point of contact sends sparks through my nervous system, temporarily drowning out the pain that's been tearing me apart.Relief. Finally, finally, relief.I didn't know it was possible to need something this desperately. I didn't understand how something like this could override every carefully constructed wall I've built. But the heat stripped away everything— my control, my plans, my reasons for being here— until only need remained.And Zane. Always Zane. His scent surrounds me, pine and musk mixing with something uniquely him. “I've got you.” His voice is rough against my ear, grounding me when I feel like I might float away. “I've got you.”I can't form words. I can't think past the sensations ov
Zane’s POV This is wrong. The thought repeats in my head as Kaidora's hands pull at my shirt, her lips demanding against mine. Every instinct I possess screams that I should stop this, should pull away before I take advantage of her when she's not in control.But her scent— Goddess, her scent— fills my lungs with every breath. Sweet and intoxicating and laced with arousal so potent it makes my head spin. Heat pheromones that shouldn't exist, because she's human, but is thick enough to drown in.I know she's human. I've smelled her real scent beneath all the masking perfumes and oils. Sweet and warm and distinctly not wolf. There's no mistaking it. I've known since the beginning what she is.But this... this is pure werewolf biology. The way her body temperature has spiked, the desperate need in her eyes, the pheromones broadcasting her heat to every wolf within range.Humans don't go into heat.So what the hell is happening to her?“Zane.” Her voice breaks through my spiraling thoug
Kaidora's POVSummer leaves reluctantly, throwing one last suspicious glance over her shoulder before closing the door. The click of the latch feels final, sealing Zane and me in the suite alone.“How are you feeling?” Zane asks, his hands still framing my face.“I don't know.” The truth comes easier than lies right now. “Everything feels different, sharper, like my senses have been turned up to a volume I can't control.”He studies my face, concern etched into every line. “Your eyes are still glowing. It's beautiful but unsettling.”“What does it mean?” I pull back slightly, needing space to think. “Why would the ceremony do this to me?”“I don't know. But we need to call Thalia. She might have answers—”Heat burns through me again, cutting off his words. But this time it's different. It's more intense and focused. It pools low in my belly, spreading outward in waves that make my breath catch.“Kai?” Zane's voice sounds distant despite him standing right in front of me. “What's wrong
Kaidora's POVThe afternoon drags by with painful slowness. Summer remains stationed by the window, scrolling through her phone and occasionally glancing at me like I might try to escape at any moment, which is ridiculous. Where would I even go? The entire pack house is crawling with wolves who would report my movements directly to Alpha Rowan.I'm trapped. Truly, completely trapped.I try to rest, lying on the bed and closing my eyes. But sleep won't come. My mind keeps replaying this morning's meeting, Warren's accusations hanging over me like a blade waiting to drop.And beneath it all, that strange sensation from last night's ceremony. The feeling of something opening inside me when Zane's teeth grazed my neck. The bond that snapped into place even though it shouldn't have.I press my hand to the spot where he almost marked me. There's no physical scar, just that strange shimmer that convinced the pack something happened. But I can feel it. A warmth that wasn't there before. A pre







