Mindlink

Ivy’s POV

"You are my mate." Alpha Kieran said coldly. 

But before I could protest again, something buzzed in my mind—it sounded like the wind. Beginning faintly and gradually growing louder. It buzzed inside my skull, the sensation sending shivers down my spine.

Alpha Kieran’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he abruptly turned away. His expression turned unreadable. 

I barely had time to process what was going on before Raya, who had been watching us with a smile, suddenly went still. Her amusement faded, replaced by a serious expression.

Something was happening.

I didn’t know what it was, but I could feel it.

Kieran stood stiffly, he had a poker face on, but the air between him and Raya had changed and I could sense it—they were having a conversation.

A mindlink.

Every pack had a unique ability, something that made them stand out from other packs, for the Blue Moon pack it was the ability to sniff out emotions from other wolves, for the Nightbane Pack it was mind-link. They could communicate with each other telepathically regardless of distance. 

I wasn’t sure how I knew that. I shouldn’t have known that.

But somehow, I did and now voices were echoing in my mind, it was loud and suddenly I heard Kieran’s voice thunder.

“I have to reject her!”

A sharp pulse flared in my temples causing a dull ache to spread through my skull. 

Raya’s response came immediately, “Don't be a fool, There's a good reason she's been chosen to be your mate.”

I could hear them. I clenched my fists, my fingers curling into the fabric of the dress I had on.

I shouldn’t be able to hear them, I wasn't part of the Nightbane Pack, I wasn’t even a full wolf. So, how could I hear them? 

Kieran didn’t respond right away. I could almost feel his hesitation before he continued. "She’s weak. She can’t shift. She won’t survive in our pack, let alone become Luna."

He was right, I was weak and pathetic. I didn't deserve to be mated to him but it still felt terrible overhearing him say it. 

"You don’t know that." Raya replied. 

Kieran exhaled sharply. "I do."

A sharp pulse began pounding behind my eyes, the pressure in my skull intensifying. My fingers pressed against my temples as if that would somehow stop it.

And then—

"…don’t reject her yet."

It was Raya’s voice.

"I felt something when I healed her." Raya’s voice was different now—she sounded serious. "Something different. You should’ve felt it too, Kieran."

There was a short pause.

Kieran stiffened. "You’re imagining things."

"Am I?" Raya challenged. “Haven't you noticed she can hear us?”

My breath left my lungs.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my entire body trembling. They knew I could hear them, I felt 

The pressure in my head grew stronger, sharper this time, like something was pushing to get out of my head. My heart pounded loudly in my ears. Then all of a sudden there was silence.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Kieran was staring at me.

His icy blue eyes darkened as something shifted in them.

He had sensed it—my presence in their link.

His eyes began to glow as he took a step toward me.

I stumbled back, as panic clawed up my throat, was he going to hurt me? I couldn’t tell. "Stop." My voice was barely a whisper.

But he didn’t stop.

"Please, stay away," I rasped, my pulse thundering as I tried to reach for something to throw at him. 

But his gaze locked onto mine, the intensity pinning me in place. "You heard us."

It wasn’t a question.

I swallowed hard, my breath shaky. "I—I don’t know how."

Kieran’s jaw clenched, his expression remained unreadable.

And then, from across the room—

Raya let out a low whistle, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Well," she drawled, amusement creeping back into her tone. "This just got a whole lot more interesting."

Kieran’s eyes changed from blue to red, I felt the shift in his energy as his glare pierced through me. Raya, on the other hand, looked downright smug.

“What—what’s happening to me?” I asked, stepping back in fear.

Kieran didn’t answer. Instead, his mind brushed against mine. “You shouldn’t be able to do this.” His voice slithered into my thoughts. 

I gasped and recoiled, gripping the side of my head. “Get out,” I rasped, my body trembling.

Kieran’s eyes flashed with something darker than earlier, and his presence in my mind didn’t retreat. Instead, it kept probing almost like he was trying to find out how I could mind-link. 

I gritted my teeth as a weird sensation overwhelmed me, clawing at the edges of my mind.

Raya tilted her head, watching me with intrigue. “Stop tormenting the poor girl, Kieran. This only proves my point, you can’t reject her.”

Kieran’s jaw clenched, releasing me from the mind link. “This proves nothing.” He snarled, his eyes flickering back to its normal icy blue color.

Raya snorted. “Oh, please. Mindlinking is exclusive to our pack’s bloodline, remember? Even if she was your mate, she shouldn’t be able to access it unless—”

She trailed off, her expression shifting into something more serious.

I swallowed hard, my heart thundering. “Unless what?” I asked, but Raya didn’t answer. 

Instead, she turned to Kieran, her playful expression vanishing. “She’s coming with us, whether you like it or not.”

“Fine,” he said, then grabbed my arm and pulled me with him.

“Wha—what are you doing?” I stammered, struggling to keep up.

“We need to make an appearance first. I can’t just take you without your pack knowing your fate.”

“You mean... you’re accepting me as your mate?” I asked hesitantly.

“For now,” he grunted. As we entered the ballroom, he leaned in to me and snarled. “Stay by my side.”

I nodded and followed closely as he pushed through the crowd, heading toward the Leader's table. Suddenly, someone yanked me away from him.

“You filthy mutt! How dare you abandon your duty?” The voice was sharp with anger—I turned to see the Dusk Warden glaring at me.

“Dusk Warden, I can explain,” I trembled.

“Take your stupid excuses to your grave because when I’m done with you, you’ll wish you had died yesterday.”

“Why are you threatening her?” Kieran’s voice came from behind her. He noticed I was gone and came back for me. My eyes filled with tears—no one had ever stepped in to defend me before.

“Stay out of this, you wretched—” The Dusk Warden started, but as she turned and saw who had spoken, her face paled. “Alpha Kieran! I—I apologize, I didn’t know it was you.”

“I asked why you threatened to kill my mate.” His voice was cold and dangerous.

“You—your mate?” She stammered, looking between us in shock.

“Yes. And I don’t tolerate threats to my mate or my pack.” He pulled me away from her grip.

“Impossible,” she whispered under her breath.

The room fell silent as my Pack Alpha, Liam, approached. “Alpha Kieran, what’s going on here?”

“One of your Betas just threatened my mate’s life,” Kieran said calmly, but I could feel the intensity of his words.

Liam turned to the Dusk Warden, his expression darkening. “Onyx, is this true?”

“I—I didn’t realize—”

“Silence!” he barked. The tension in the room thickened as I could practically smell her fear. On a normal day, this would be overlooked but because I was now a property of an Alpha it meant bad news for the Dusk warden. I couldn't imagine what they would do to her.

Liam turned back to Kieran, forcing a polite tone. “I apologize, Alpha Kieran. I’ll handle this matter. And… congratulations on finding your mate. I never imagined someone from my pack would be your match.”

The crowd began whispering.

"Her? She looks so weak."

"Does the Moon Goddess even know what she’s doing?"

"What a liability."

Kieran smirked slightly, “Well, fate is… unpredictable.” Then his tone immediately sharpened. “We have pressing matters in my pack, so we’ll be leaving immediately. I trust there won’t be any issues?”

“None at all,” Alpha Liam said with a forced smile. “If the Moon Goddess has chosen her for you, who am I to argue? It’s not like she was of much use to us anyway.”

“Good.” Kieran’s grip tightened on my arm as he turned away. “Until next time, Alpha Liam.”

Without another word, he led me out of the ballroom, leaving the crowd stunned.