Chapter 6

 (First-Person – Astrid)

I stared at my bleeding palm, trying to slow the flow of blood with the hem of the oversized shirt. Some of it had already soaked through the white fabric.

I hadn’t thought it through.

I’d been so desperate to stop them from fighting that I’d forgotten one important thing—I didn’t have healing abilities. No wolf. No magical quick-fix. Just pain.

A knock sounded, soft and hesitant.

“Who’s there?” I asked, wiping my hand against the sheet.

“It’s me.” Kaiden’s voice came through the door, deep and unmistakably him. “Please… can I come in? I just want to tend to your wound.”

I sighed. Might as well. The cut was starting to throb, and I didn’t exactly want to bleed all over Kendrick’s bed.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Kaiden stepped inside, carrying a small box. He shut the door gently behind him and walked toward me.

Seeing him again, up close, felt like looking at Kendrick through a slightly different lens. The resemblance was uncanny—same high cheekbones, same sculpted jaw, same intense eyes. But where Kendrick was smooth-shaven and refined, Kaiden looked a little more rugged. A beard traced his jawline, along with sideburns and a goatee that somehow made him look both dangerous and heartbreakingly handsome.

He sat beside me and opened the box, pulling out a bottle of alcohol and some cotton pads.

“Give me your hand,” he said softly.

I hesitated, then placed it in his. The second our skin touched, the mate bond flared—sparks flickering between us.

He was staring.

“The wound’s down here,” I said, pointing to my palm.

Kaiden chuckled and glanced away, a grin tugging at his lips. “Sorry. I can’t help it. You’re… beautiful.”

Heat rose to my cheeks so fast it was embarrassing. I looked away, hoping he didn’t see the full extent of my blush.

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “This will sting.”

He wasn’t kidding.

As soon as the alcohol hit the cut, I winced and hissed through my teeth. It felt like fire crawling over raw skin. My eyes watered.

“Look at me,” Kaiden said gently. “Astrid… look at me. I promise, you won’t feel it anymore.”

I met his gaze, and despite the pain, I couldn’t look away.

He dropped the soaked cotton pad, then lifted my hand to his lips. Still holding my gaze, he kissed the center of my palm—right over the cut.

The sparks were instant. Hot. Electric.

And somehow… the pain dulled.

“Wait… how did you do that?” I asked, my voice a whisper.

Kaiden lowered my hand, brushing one last kiss over my skin. “Mates can sense each other’s pain,” he said quietly. “In some cases, we can take it away. My wolf felt your pain. So it took it.”

“That’s… incredible,” I murmured. “But… how did you know I wouldn’t heal?”

“When you didn’t heal immediately after cutting yourself, I figured your healing was slow,” he said, packing away the supplies.

“It’s not slow,” I said, pulling my hand back. “It doesn’t exist. I don’t have a wolf, Kaiden. I’ve never shifted. I’m… wolf-less.”

I waited for judgment. A flinch. A withdrawal.

But he didn’t even blink.

“I don’t care,” he said simply. “Wolf or not, my wolf feels you. It knows you’re mine.”

I looked at him sharply. “You don’t even know me. You just got here, and now you’re… claiming me. Is that really how this works?”

Kaiden met my gaze without hesitation. “The mate bond doesn’t care if this is our first meeting, Astrid. It just is. That pull between us? The sparks? The way you reacted when I touched you? That’s the bond. It’s real, and it’s powerful.”

He reached for my hand again, holding it between both of his.

“I know we barely know each other. But I’ve been searching for you for so long. I can’t just walk away now that I’ve found you. I don’t want to. All I want to do is hold you and never let go.”

His voice had dipped into something raw, something aching. His eyes—gods, those eyes—were full of heat and longing.

I had to look away.

Kendrick had looked at me like that too.

“Kaiden?”

He straightened. “Yeah?”

“Why did you leave Lunaria?”

His smile faded. He looked down, jaw clenched.

“I don’t know the whole story,” I continued carefully, “but I think Kendrick was really hurt when you left. I’ve never had a sibling, but I know I’d feel it if one walked away without a word.”

Kaiden took my hand again and pressed it to his cheek.

“I never meant to leave Kendrick,” he said softly. “I never meant to leave Lunaria. But something happened. Something I can’t talk about yet.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when the time is right. I promise. But not now.”

He kissed my hand again. “Is that okay?”

I nodded, though my head was spinning. His lips were still warm against my skin. And those eyes—gods help me, those eyes were pulling me under.

I still couldn’t believe it—two men, both impossibly handsome, both willing to fight for me, to die for me. And somehow… both of them were mine.

“What are you thinking about?” Kaiden asked, tilting his head.

I flushed. “Nothing.”

“Liar,” he teased, flashing a grin that melted me just a little.

I smiled despite myself.

And then the door opened.

Kendrick walked in carrying a tray of food.

The moment his eyes landed on our clasped hands, his entire posture shifted. His jaw tightened, and his smile vanished behind something harder.

I let go of Kaiden’s hand like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

“Hi, Kendrick,” I said, trying not to sound guilty even though I felt… something.

He set the tray down on the bed and smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hi, baby. You must be hungry. How’s your hand? Let me take a look.”

“I already did,” Kaiden said, voice sharp.

Kendrick ignored him and sat on my other side. “If you need anything, just let me know, okay?”

I was nodding when Kaiden grabbed a plate and speared a piece of roasted beef.

Then—he tried to feed me.

“She can feed herself,” Kendrick growled.

“I can feed my mate if I want to,” Kaiden snapped.

“You’re such a child—”

“Okay, enough!” I cut in before they could turn into wolves in front of my eyes again. “Both of you are acting like toddlers. I would really like to eat in peace. And yes—I can feed myself.”

They fell quiet.

Kendrick poured me a glass of water.

Kaiden, not to be outdone, picked up the cup of juice and offered it to me.

They glared at each other like they were about to have a juice duel.

And that’s when it hit me.

They weren’t just arguing.

They were both trying to impress me.