Forced Proximity

They didn’t give me time to rest.

That became obvious the moment we stepped out of the ring and into the corridor and I saw three elders waiting there like they’d already planned the next move.

The silver-haired elder didn’t waste words. “The trial confirmed instability.”

Lucian let out a sharp laugh. “That’s your takeaway?”

“She lost control,” another elder said.

I straightened. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“You cracked the stone,” the elder replied calmly. “That’s not nothing.”

Lucian stepped in front of me. Again. Always. “You pushed her. On purpose.”

The elder met his gaze. “And now we know what happens when she’s threatened.”

My chest tightened. “So what’s the punishment?”

The word hung in the air.

The elder’s eyes flicked over me, then back to Lucian. “Supervision.”

Lucian went still. “Explain.”

“She stays,” the elder said. “Under watch. Close watch.”

“By who?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

The elder’s mouth curved slightly. “By you.”

Lucian’s head snapped up. “No.”

“That’s not optional,” she replied. “You triggered the bond. You rejected it. You are now responsible for the fallout.”

I stared at her. “You’re putting me with the man who rejected me.”

“Yes,” she said simply. “Forced proximity tends to clarify unresolved bonds.”

Lucian’s jaw clenched hard. “You’re using her.”

The elder didn’t deny it. “We’re controlling her.”

I laughed once, short and sharp. “You could’ve just said that.”

The elder turned to me. “You will be moved to the Alpha’s residence.”

Lucian swore under his breath.

“Training will begin immediately,” she continued. “You will learn restraint. Control. Obedience.”

That word hit wrong.

Lucian’s voice dropped. “She doesn’t obey.”

The elder smiled thinly. “Then she will learn consequences.”

The decision was already made. I could feel it. This wasn’t a discussion. It was a strategy.

Lucian turned to me slowly. “Say no,” he said quietly. “I’ll take you out of here.”

I looked at him—really looked at him.

The man who rejected me.

The man who chose me in front of everyone.

The man whose presence still made my chest ache in confusing ways.

And I shook my head.

“If I leave,” I said, “they’ll hunt me.”

“Yes.”

“And if I stay?”

“They’ll test you.”

I met his gaze. “Then at least I’ll see it coming.”

Something heavy settled in his eyes.

“Fine,” he said finally. “Then we do it my way.”

The elder inclined her head. “See that you do.”

---

Lucian’s residence wasn’t what I expected.

I didn’t know what I had expected—something dark and cold, maybe. Stone walls and weapons and reminders that I didn’t belong.

Instead, it was quiet.

Large, yes. Secure, definitely. But lived in. Warm lights. Clean lines. Windows that showed the city above, reminding me that the human world still existed.

“This is where you live?” I asked as we stepped inside.

“For now,” he replied.

“For now,” I repeated. “You say that a lot.”

He shut the door behind us. The silence that followed felt heavier than anything the pack had thrown at me.

“You get the east wing,” he said. “Separate entrance. Separate rooms.”

I snorted. “Wasn’t planning on sharing.”

His mouth twitched. “Good.”

We stood there awkwardly, neither of us moving.

“So,” I said finally. “Rules?”

Lucian folded his arms. “You don’t leave the property alone.”

“Expected.”

“You don’t test your abilities without me present.”

“That’s fair.”

“You don’t provoke the bond.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Define provoke.”

“Looking at me like that.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You are,” he said. “Right now.”

I dropped my gaze, annoyed that he was right.

“And you,” I added, “don’t touch me unless I say so.”

His jaw tightened. “Agreed.”

The bond hummed between us, uncomfortable and aware.

“Training starts tomorrow,” he said.

“Training in what?”

“Control,” he replied. “And defense.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You won’t,” he said.

“Confident.”

“I’ve watched you all day,” he said quietly. “You don’t run when you’re cornered.”

That should have scared me.

It didn’t.

“Where do I sleep?” I asked.

He gestured down the hall. “Second door on the left.”

I turned to go, then paused.

“Lucian.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t get to reject me again.”

He met my gaze steadily. “I don’t plan to.”

I didn’t know whether to believe him.

But as I lay in the unfamiliar bed later that night, staring at a ceiling that wasn’t mine, one thing was clear:

The pack thought forced proximity would break me.

They were wrong.

It was going to break him first.