The Meeting

The hunters’ chapel had sat empty for at least a century.

Its roof sagged where the beams had cracked, letting in moonlight through broken gaps. The door leaned on rusted hinges, heavy enough to creak when the wind pushed it. Inside, the floorboards bowed, carved with initials and warnings from wolves and humans long gone. The air smelled like dust, ash, and the faint whispers of old prayers that no one answered anymore.

It was the perfect place for secret meetings.

I stepped into the clearing with my heart beating too fast. My wolf pressed at my ribs, both restless and afraid. My boots crunched over old snow, the sounds thunderous in the still of the night. My sleeve was tugged low over my palm, but the mark burned anyway, a steady pulse against my skin.

He was already there, I could feel his presence.

Kael stood at the far end of the chapel, a shadow carved from the dark. His golden eyes found me instantly, sharp and glowing. His coat hung open, revealing the broad strength of his chest. He looked too big for the broken chapel, too alive for a place meant for ghosts.

“You came,” he said softly.

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

“I’m not. I knew you would.” His voice was steady, too cocky. “The bond is relentless. We wouldn’t be able to fight the pull for long.”

I swallowed, hating the truth in that. The bond tugged at me like a rope pulling me closer with every step. I stopped halfway down the aisle, refusing to go nearer.

“This changes nothing,” I said. “You’re still a Blackthorn. I’m still a Thornridge. Our packs will never allow this.”

Kael tilted his head, studying me. “Then we have to make a choice before they find out.”

I curled my fist. “You mean sever it.”

His gaze flicked to my sleeve, as if he could see the glow under the fabric. “I mean decide if we’re strong enough to live without it… or if we’re fools for trying.”

Silence settled between us, broken only by the wind rattling the broken glass in the windows.

“You think I want this?” I snapped. “That I asked for it? That I’d ever choose you?”

Something flickered across his face…pain, maybe, but it was gone in an instant. His mouth curved in that sharp half-smile I hated. “You say that, but your wolf doesn’t agree.”

The mark throbbed, hard enough that my breath hitched. My wolf surged forward inside me, desperate, whining. I bit my cheek and held her back with everything I had.

“You don’t know me,” I whispered.

Kael’s eyes burned hotter. “No. But I will.”

He started walking toward me, slow and steady, like a predator closing the distance. I froze. Every instinct screamed to step back, to run, but my feet wouldn’t move. My chest rose and fell too fast, breath coming shallow. My gaze trailed over his body, the wind swept dark hair, his golden eyes, his full lips, and hard muscular body. I found myself thinking thoughts I had never had before. The feeling pooling low. I held my breath hoping he couldn’t smell my arousal.

When he stopped only a foot away, the air between us snapped like lightning. Heat rolled off him, mingling with my own, the pull almost unbearable.

“Don’t…” I said, voice shaking.

He leaned down slightly, close enough for his breath to brush my cheek. “Tell me you don’t feel it. Tell me, and I’ll cut the bond tonight.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My throat was tight, my wolf clawing at me, howling for him. I hated myself for trembling. I hated him for knowing.

“You can’t,” he said softly. “Because it’s there. Because we’re already bound together, its fate.”

I jerked back, putting space between us. “This will destroy everything. My father…”

“Will declare war anyway,” Kael cut in. His tone was sharp, final. “He’s planning it, isn’t he? He’ll march on Blackthorn as soon as the thaw comes. Don’t pretend it not true.”

The truth hit me like a strike to the chest. My father’s war maps. His endless planning. Kael knew.

“How…?”

“I too have scouts or spies, whatever you want to call them.” He stepped closer again. “I know Thornridge wants our blood, wants us gone. So tell me, Rhea, what will your father do when he learns his daughter belongs to me?” He voice dropped to a low sexy tone.

My breath caught. The thought was poison. My father would never forgive me. He would kill Kael, or try to. He would burn alive me for betraying Thornridge.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “I can’t be yours.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “You think I want this either? That I wanted the Goddess to tie me to the daughter of my enemy? I should want to kill you. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about you. Do you have any idea how much I hate that?”

His words cut, sharp and raw. They echoed my own anger, my own fear.

We stood in silence, breathing hard, the mark pulling and burning.

“Then what?” I demanded. “We hide this forever? Pretend we’re not what we are?”

He shook his head. “No. We have to decide tonight. We cut it, or we don’t.”

I looked at him, really looked. At the lines of his face, the fierce set of his jaw, the pain buried under his anger. And for one terrifying second, I wanted him.

I wanted him so badly it hurt.

The heat flared, and I swayed forward before I caught myself. His hand twitched, like he’d been about to reach for me.

My voice broke. “If we don’t sever it, it will kill us both.”

Kael’s eyes softened, just slightly. “Or it will save us.”

The words hung between us, heavy and dangerous.

Before I could answer, a noise split the night.

A branch cracked outside.

Kael’s head snapped toward the sound, eyes flashing gold. His wolf was right under his skin now, ready to tear out and take control.

I froze, my stomach dropping.

We weren’t alone.

The night went still. Too still.

Something, or someone, was in the trees. They were watching and listening.

The pull throbbed hard in my chest, warning me. I was feeling Kaels fear mixed with mine.

Kael’s gaze flicked back to me, sharp and unreadable. His lips shaped words I barely heard: We’re not alone. (No shit, I thought).

The chapel door groaned as the wind shifted. Shadows thickened along the broken windows.

My heart slammed so hard it hurt.

Because whoever was out there… now knew too much, and we could be in trouble.