Chapter 11

BOND SEALED IN BLOOD

Kael woke to screams.

Not distant ones.

Her scream.

He shot out of bed, heart hammering. The bond scorched through him, ripping his control into ash. Every footstep echoed with panic, every breath fate.

He bolted through the hall, instincts tearing him forward. Guards stumbled as he passed. He ignored them. He ignored everything except her voice.

Liana.

He reached the foyer—chaos.

A dark shape loomed in the center, surrounded by snarling rogues.

Liana lay pinned to the floor.

One rogue’s muzzle close to her throat.

Kael's eyes flared silver.

The world slowed.

He charged.

The fight was brutal.

Kael tore through the rogues with pure, instinctive violence. Claws and teeth, raw strength—and rulership. The rogues fell, one by one, bloodied and broken. Kael’s own body shifted mid-battle, half-wolf, half-man. His voice was a growl between snarls.

When the last rogue dropped, Kael roared in triumph…and instant horror.

Liana lay crumpled, limp, chest heaving. Blood pooled beneath her as the alpha guard carried the unconscious rogue’s blade.

Kael fell to his knees beside her.

“Liana,” he rasped. No reply. Only shallow breaths.

His hand hovered over her throat. Ice slammed through him. She’d been stabbed.

Stabbed.

He tasted copper in his mouth, the bond erupted with ice-cold panic. Her blood fed his senses with every heartbeat.

She’s going to die.

The thought shattered him.

He lifted her up, cradling her gently—even as claws remained at the ready.

“Get her upstairs. And double the wards,” Kael ordered, voice low and reigned-in.

He carried Liana up the stairs and into his private chamber. Xander stayed close. Kael laid her on the bed.

“Stop the bleeding,” Kael ordered. “And stay.”

Xander nodded and obeyed, kneeling to dress her wound.

Kael paced the floor. Minutes stretched like lifetimes as sinners on the bedside.

The wound was deep—just above her belly, hidden by her clothes, but plenty enough to reach vital organs. Kael’s breath hitched.

“No,” he whispered.

He knelt and hovered above her. The connection roared inside him. The bond demanded.

He closed his eyes.

“I can’t protect you,” he said. “Not like this.”

Liana moaned, stirring. Her eyes fluttered open.

“Kael—”

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Tears tracked down his cheeks—something he never did.

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t talk.”

Her breath hitched again. Her skin was icy cold.

He kissed her forehead.

“Forgive me.”

He shifted onto the bed beside her, pressing his body against hers.

No hesitation this time.

His teeth sank deep—marking, sealing.

The warmth of his blood flowed into hers. She gasped, clutching him.

The bond roared to life, replaying his strength and her fear, his need and her desperation.

Liana’s eyes opened wide, glowing gold and silver as the bite sealed.

The power between them shook the room.

When he pulled back, she clutched his bicep.

“You saved me,” she whispered.

He nodded, voice broken. “I claimed you.”

She touched her neck—his blood, his life, on her skin.

They collapsed on the bed together—primal, vulnerable, bound as alpha to mate.

No words came.

Only the raw beauty of survival.

Morning

Liana woke in Kael’s arms, head resting on his chest. Her breathing felt steady—strong.

She moved, and the wound stung faintly. He stirred. His body weighed on hers. Not heavy—but protective.

She lifted her head. He stared down at her—eyes softened from the beast.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

She nodded. “Alive.”

He let out a soft breath.

The bond hummed behind her ribs.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

He swallowed. “Yes.”

She sat up, disentangling herself from him. He followed suit, careful with her wound.

He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

Their bodies brushed—and the bond flared again.

“Don’t ask me to apologize,” he said.

“I’m not. You saved me.”

“We’ve crossed a line.”

She breathed in. “I know.”

Kael looked at her—really looked.

“I promised I’d wait,” he said softly. “But when you were bleeding… we had to finish it.”

She nodded. “I don’t regret it.”

He closed his eyes. “Neither do I.”

For a moment, they just existed—bonded alpha and mate. No war. No rescue. No distance.

But peace was short-lived.

Xander entered.

“Alpha, a message from the east guard.”

Kael tensed. “Show me.”

Xander passed the note: ROGUE ALPHAS CONVERGING. DAMON IS DEAD. RONAN HAS DECLARED WAR. LUNA-BORN MUST DIE.

Kael looked at Liana. The bond pulsed fiercely.

“We’re no longer hiding,” he said.

She reached for his hand.

He squeezed back.

“Then let’s fight.”