Killian POV
The meeting is already tense before I even step foot inside the chamber. Caelan and his two Beatas are seated beside each other at the long table. They are postured like kings in waiting, as if the outcome is a formality and not a negotiation. They look comfortable and confident, too confident, then again, they don't know the reason behind this meeting yet.
Two elders are already seated, Elder Brannick and Elder Ysa. Neither of them speaks when I enter, they know this isn't a conversation for small talk. Not when we're meeting here. It's a reckoning. One that's been building since the moment I caught Aurora's scent in the hallway, and everything I thought I could control shattered in my hands.
Taking my seat at the head of the table, the one that belongs to Nightwind's Alpha, the one I've held for over a decade, I let my gaze cut to Caelan. I don't speak, I let the silence stretch on just long enough for his smile to falter.
“We’re not going through with the bond and the marriage,” I say without any hesitation.
Brannick straightens slightly, and Ysa's eyes narrow at me, but it's Caelan who speaks first.
“You must be joking.” His voice is calm, but his hand curls into a fist on the table, showing he's anything but calm. “The wedding’s tonight. Our packs are prepared, and this alliance has been promised.”
“It’s not happening.” I say, without blinking. “Nightwind is retracting the agreement.”
"On what grounds exactly?" one of Caelan's Betas demands as he leans foward. “The terms were signed. Your daughter was offered. She agreed—”
“She was commanded,” I correct coldly. “That’s not the same thing.”
“She’s your ward,” Caelan snaps. “Her agreement is your voice, she doesn't need to say anything if you agree. You made the choice, and I accepted. You don’t get to change your mind just because—”
“I’m not here to debate rights or customs,” I snap, my voice cutting through the room. “I’m ending the bond for the safety of my pack, for the safety of my family.”
That gets their attention, now they are even more interested in what I'm saying.
Brannick leans in, his fingers steepled before him. He fixes me a hard look. “Explain.”
“Caelan’s recent movements along the western ridge have gone unaddressed." I explain. "Patrols have crossed into contested ground. Tensions have risen among border scouts. There’s talk of expansion. And I will not place our only unmated daughter into a territory where instability is growing, especially when she would be bound to the one stoking it.”
I don't move, I stay perfectly still and let the words settle in the room.
Caelan’s face darkens. “You dare accuse me of violating sacred lines?”
“I’m not accusing,” I reply, my voice even. He knows that I'm not accusing it's a fact and he doesn't like that I'm putting the facts out there for the elders to hear. “I’m stating a fact. Your wolves have been sighted where they don’t belong. You’ve ignored warnings. You’ve denied trespass, yet the evidence is clear. If I send Aurora into your lands now, I may as well be sending her into a war.”
Ysa exchanges a glance with Brannick, but neither speaks. They know I have a right to refuse for this, Aurora is the only daughter in this pack. She may not be from my bloodline, but she's still classed as the packs daughter.
Caelan rises from his seat, his body is trembling just slightly as he fights to stay in control. “Do you realize the insult you’re delivering to my entire pack? To me?”
His innocent act needs to end now not later. “I’m well aware,” I answer, standing as well as he can't tower over me. “And I don’t give a damn about your pride. My pack’s safety comes first. Aurora stays here.”
“You’re claiming instability,” Brannick says slowly. “But you haven’t provided a full report. No scout logs. No neutral accounts.”
“They’ll be sent by midday, Monday,” I tell him. “But I don’t need a war to begin before I act. If Caelan’s wolves are moving like they’re testing our borders, I won’t hand him one of ours as a token of peace.”
“She’s not a token,” Caelan growls. “She’s a promise.”
I scoff, he holds onto the promise like it can't be broken. “She was,” I say quietly, “but that promise is broken.”
The room is heavy with silence and I wait. I can feel my wolf pacing beenath my skin, he's straining against the mask that I've kept in place since the moment I threw that cloth at her and walked away. The bond is still burning in my chest and hers.
“She was raised for this bond,” Caelan says at last, quieter now, as if he's learning that nothing he says can change this. “Trained for it.”
He thinks that will sway me and make me do things different, agree to this bond, but I won't.
Gripping the back of my chair, I stare at him and keep my voice calm. “She’s endured enough training, you're right about that. The fact is though, what she needs now is protection. And if you truly want peace with Nightwind, you won’t fight this.”
He says nothing, but his Betas bristle beside him, they don't utter a word either. The room has shifted again, because he knows he can't make this move without consequences. If he keeps pushing or pushes too hard, the elders will begin to question why he's so desperate for Aurora, they'll dig and they'll find cracks that he can't afford to be shown.
“We’ll expect compensation,” he says finally, his voice low. I expected this, I'm backing out of a deal so he wants something in return. “Your daughter’s hand was promised. You owe me something.”
“I’ll offer trade in the spring,” I reply. “Our next shipment of pelts and iron from the north line. You can take that back to your council and explain the offer, but you make them aware that Aurora is off the table.”
Caelan nods stiffly, but his eyes are cold. He knows there’s more to this. Even I can see it in the way he watches me as he gathers his cloak and turns toward the door.
Aurora POVHis gaze is fixed on mine, and the intensity in it is almost painful like he's restraining himself. Every muscle in his body is drawn tight with tension. I feel his fingers flex against my hips, and his nails dig into the softness of my skin. It's a hold that screams possession, and it sends shivers down my spine. My body shakes from the sensation.Shifting my hips, my breath catches as the movement pulls him deeper inside of me, and the aching stretch becomes almost overwhelming. I tremble above him, my palms bracing against his broad chest as I try to breathe through the overwhelming fullness.Killian's hand slides from my hips to my thigh and grips it tightly with enough pressure that borders on painful."Relax," he commands softly. His voice is edge with barely suppressed dominance, and his eyes are dark. "You're mine now, and your body will learn to accept me."My heart slams against my ribs, and the raw possessiveness that's in his voice. Exhaling slowly, I force myse
Aurora POVI don’t know how we got here. One second he was shutting me out like he’d rather rip his own skin off than share a room with me, and the next he was storming in, eyes blazing, snarling about another man daring to touch my hand. Then he put his mouth on me like it was a war he had to win.I’m still kneeling where he left me, clothes half-forgotten on the cold floor, knees pressed into the wood like I’ve been branded into the moment. My wolf is elated. She’s curled around the mark he didn’t leave but should’ve, drunk on his scent, purring with satisfaction that he touched us, he claimed us, even if the words haven’t caught up with the bond yet.But me? I’m not sure I’m breathing. Not really.Because that was my mother’s husband. The Alpha of the pack. The male I’m not supposed to want. The one I’m definitely not supposed to need.And yet, he looked at me like he was starving. Touched me like the bond had already tied us so tight there was no escaping. Told me I was his like n
Killian POVShe looks amazing right now, bent over the desk, skirt bunched up around her waist, her ass and pussy on show to me. It’s fucking magnificent, but still, jealousy burns through me. Lucas wanted to date her, actually date her.Not have a one-night thing with her, and the fact that he touched her, even if it was on her hand, is too much for my wolf to handle right now.“You let him touch your hand,” I snarl. “You smiled at him. Do you want him to see you like this? Bent over my desk, soaking my tongue while you cry into your palm trying not to scream?”I squeeze her ass, and now all I can imagine is fucking her, but that’s too far. Mating with her in that way will strengthen the bond, and I know I won’t be able to hold back from knotting her. So, I won’t.Stepping back, I groan. “Stand up and turn,” I order, watching as she follows my order perfectly. She turns to face me, not even trying to pull down the skirt.“Take off your shirt, and bra.” I want to see her body again.S
Aurora POVBefore I can react, his hand slips between my legs and pulls my underwear down in one quick, fluid motion. Just the thought of what he’s going to do to me has my pussy clenching and my stomach turning.“Alpha,” I whisper, my voice broken. He doesn’t reply, at least not with words. His fingers push deep into me, and I slam my hand over my mouth again. People are going to hear, right? It will be far too easy for someone to hear us. Does he not realise that?“Only I deserve to hear these sounds from your dirty mouth,” he growls, and thrusts his fingers again. I whimper, my nails digging into my cheek.“Pl—” my words are cut off when he pushes his fingers deeper, hitting a spot inside of me that has me crying out and gasping.“Forgive me, Veilmother,” he whispers, and my body shakes. The next second, I feel his tongue join his fingers between my legs. My eyes roll, and his deep groan vibrates through my pussy, making me whimper louder.Oh my... this is really happening. I shoul
Aurora POVI’ve spent hours in this room, and I’ve got nothing to do. Sandra gave me work, sure, but it’s done. If it was meant to last me the entire day, it didn’t.There’s no way, though, that I’m going to go into that meeting and ask Killian what to do next. He has made it clear he doesn’t want me anywhere near him.Normally, I would get the drinks throughout the meeting, but I’ve noticed the new worker has been. So it tells me everything that I need to know—he doesn’t want me near him.He’s not even looked in my direction. For hours that meeting has been going on. He’s moved around the room, looked out, but not once did he glance at me.Maybe it’s for the best? My wolf is pacing and getting closer to the edge. With him so close, and me unable to avoid seeing him, everything is getting worse.Plus, I have nothing to concentrate on. I know I’ll be in trouble when I get home. I started to call him Alpha, which I’ve never done here, but panicked.The moment our bodies touched, the bon
Killian POVI’m not happy about this, at all. She should be at home cleaning, not here with me in this small car. My gaze is fixed outside, not that it helps. I can still feel the bond, and worse, the heat of her body spreads through the car and wraps around me.Gritting my teeth, I think of how to get through this. “You will work in your own space, you don’t come to my office, you stay in your space, do you understand?”She doesn’t answer, so I turn to face her. “Aurora?”“Yes, I understand.” Her words are clipped, and I nod, turning back to look outside.She’s been to my work before, and always worked close by me. Taking guests’ coats, offering coffee, clearing away after meetings and such. This time, she can’t be close to me. That changes everything.I won’t be there to see how she is around others, so she needs to stick to the rules. “Today, remember a lot of people who work for me are human, they don’t know about werewolves. That means keep your temper under control, if your eyes