Chapter 5

Harrison Hale's POV:

The bond between Katherine and I were still burning.

It was not the sharp and intoxicating pull that the old songs or council lectures had promised. This was worse. It was uneven, raw and damaged. There was a constant sting burning in my chest where the bond should have settled.

She was rejecting it even now.

I lay awake in my quarters and staring at the ceiling while my wolf paced under my skin. Even from a distance, her shallow breaths and restless movements tugged at me like a hooked blade.

Katherine Lark was not sleeping. And neither was I.

Her constant refusal was gnawing at me. This was not about pride or dominance anymore. I know a bond was meant to be shared although I had forced it shut after our earlier conversation. But the backlash left my wolf bristling and restless.

She was struggling. I felt it even from here. The pressure was rising and her distress, pain and resistance came through the bond in broken flashes.

And underneath it all, there was want.

I cursed under my breath and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I had known the moment I saw her. Not when she spoke about herself. Not when the elders reacted on her arrival. The instant she stepped into Darkblood territory and lifted her head with calm eyes in the face of hostility, the bond had snapped tight around my chest like a closing fist.

'Mate.'

The realization hit me with brutal clarity and leaving no doubt. But she was nothing like I'd expected. My mate should have been commanding, certain and her wolf should be loud and undeniable. But instead, Katherine Lark stood quietly among my elders.

They called her an omega. Her scent was faint and almost absent. Her composed and guarded posture was showing me she was someone who had learned to survive through stillness and not from strength.

It didn't make sense.

Before the day ended, I ordered my men to do a quick investigation about her background that the Darkblood could pull from Silvermoon records. But the reports were consistent.

She was an omega, wolf-less since birth, orphaned by a rogue attack, no shift records and no recorded howl. I had frowned when I read it all. Because my wolf and I strongly disagreed to it.

The moment she entered my awareness, my wolf stirred not in confusion but in recognition. It was sensing something buried and bound in her.

At that moment, I knew that Katherine Lark was not wolf-less. Her wolf was simply not answering. And that was what unsettled me.

A pretending omega would feel empty. Their lies were easy to sense. But Katherine carried something locked so deep that even herself didn't seem to know it was there.

For a moment, I suspected she was deceiving us. Maybe a planted spy and a wolf trained to hide itsel. That was why I watched her closely and tested her a lot of times.

But when Katherine showed she meant no harm and truly believed she was wolf-less, there was no lie in her words and faint scent. And that unsettled me more than any lies could have.

 

A wolf sealed so completely that its bearer believed it gone took Council-level power. It only means it was done on purpose.

That thought lingered in my mind until night fell. The still-intact bond was tightening in my chest instead of easing it. Her emotions were seeping through my quarters and putting my wolf on edge.

I couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring it was no longer an option. I repeatedly told myself I would just check on her to see if she needed anything and leave after.

The Darkblood's corridors were quiet at this hour. I moved on instinct and felt the bond tightening and growing as I neared her door.

I knew she was still awake. I stopped outside her door and sensed her labored breathing and rapid heartbeat. The door was not locked so I quietly opened it.

When I entered her room, the air suddenly changed. The bond flared under my skin and my wolf was urging me to claim and fix what was broken.

Katherine stood near the bed and wrapped in a thin blanket. Her arms was folded tight around herself. Then her head snapped up when she sensed me. Her eyes flashed with defiance but there was a flush on her cheeks and her breaths were coming sharp and uneven.

"You... Why are you here?" she said but her voice wavered.

"I felt the bond react." I honestly replied while keeping my voice even. "You are in distress and my wolf was forcing me to check on you."

Her eyes flashed at me.

"...I'm fine." she said. "I can handle this."

A lie.

I could feel her senses sharpening while her body was tensed under the surface. Her instincts were stirring even as she denied it.

I knew it because mine already had.

Katherine tried to step away but her feet faltered. I moved closer and put a hand on her waist before letting her pull away if she wanted. The moment I steadied her, a jolt passed between us.

There were sparks. It was a jolt that snapped through my arm and straight into my chest. Her breath hitched and so did mine. I stared at her for a moment before lowering my head.

"You're fighting it." I murmured on her ear. "I could feel it too. The way your senses sharpen and the pull you have towards me. I know even through the walls, you already know I'm here."

She shook her head but her lips parted. A soft gasp escaped from it before she replied.

"I didn't consent to this. To any of it. This bond is something I don't want."

Her words were fierce but her body betrayed her. She was leaning in closer to feel my touch. Her thighs were pressing together when the warmth was slowly building inside her. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the bond raging in my veins. If I pay more attention to it, that would only make my cock hardened more painfully against my pants.

"It hits me just as hard as you." I admitted in a growl. "Listen to me, Katherine. I could help you ease it. But I won't claim you without your consent. Not like this."

The restraint burned me but I held back. Even with my wolf aching for her, I wouldn't claim her. I felt her eyes on my lips while her breath was getting ragged. Then the tension snapped. She pushed my chest but her hands lingered on my shirt.

"...Do it." she whispered and her hips moved forward.

She doesn't need to ask me twice.

I could already smell her thick and heady arousal. My hand finally made contact and it slid to her waist before I gripped the fabric of her nightshirt. Katherine trembled under my fingers.

But she didn't pull away.