Page 10 of Bond To The Alpha (Fated Bond #1)

LIANA

He’s coming to Moonlight Pack with me?

It doesn't compute like oil and water refusing to mix no matter how hard you shake the bottle.

I immediately force myself to steer clear of the idea that he made the decision because of the history between us. It’s impossible that he’s doing it for me—he's the Alpha of Blood Moon Pack now; it’s all business and pack politics; it's nothing more than a calculated move to assess a potential threat and maybe score some brownie points with another pack.

Back at the assembly, I was irresistibly drawn to looking at him from the corner of my eye while he spoke. He's changed, hardened somehow, and I have to grudgingly admit, it suits him. Kane always had a knack for fitting perfectly into whatever role he chose to play. But hearing him defend me and even give that speech - which I know was indirectly aimed at me -, just makes me more convinced that I can’t allow myself to go down that same path that cost me so much already.

I stop at the crest of the hill, and there my childhood home is in front of me.

Ivy crawls up the weathered siding of the little blue house, with its tendrils reaching for the sagging gutters, and wildflowers have colonized what used to be a well-kept lawn. The rickety porch swing creaks softly when I fully reach the house as if it's welcoming me home .

I climb up the porch steps and trace my hands down the sun-bleached railing, reflexively avoiding the third step. It always squeaked.

Why do I still remember? I shouldn’t remember.

What I do willfully recall, however, is that there used to be a front door standing where there’s currently nothing but the naked insides of the house.

The door itself is down on the floor with twisted hinges and splintered wood. It looks like someone kicked it down in my absence.

Must be wondering why I’m not lodging at a hotel, motel, or a more comfortable accommodation, but here of all places. I could have, but I don’t want to. I had to stand for two long hours at that assembly to witness how people still don’t want me here. So why not stay in this empty shell of a house that’s the only sanctuary to keep me free from the prying eyes and accusing fingers?

Even if it’s just a day.

To be honest, seeing the state of the house from the outside made me not so confident in my decision to try to spend the night in a house that’s been abandoned for 6 good years. I might as well just endure a night elsewhere.

But when I step into the house, it’s really not that bad. The house looks more kempt than I expected. Since the house is close to the outskirts of town I can only imagine that travelers or passersby must have camped here on many occasions…even up till recently.

The bedroom is even better. All it needs is some sweeping.

Thanks to whoever bust down the door to give people access to care for this place at least.

I’m in the kitchen trying to find a broom and am hit with that familiar stir inside me that makes my heart race again. I walk slowly out to the living room, and I see Kane standing in the doorway, his massive frame nearly filling it.

He looks around the place, then at me,

"You're not planning on staying here, are you?"

"I don't believe you have to concern yourself with me,” I snap.

"You're a dignitary here. How could I not concern myself with making you stay in a comfortable place? It doesn't speak well of me or the pack."

"I don't mind," I shrug. "I'm perfectly fine finding my own lodging. And I do not intend to do anything that will 'tarnish' your image."

Kane stares at me and for a fleeting instant, neither of us speaks.

"Liana..." he starts more softly.

I cut in, "If you don't mind I have some work to—"

Kane jumps forward, his hand closing around my arm as he yanks me towards him, but I’m able to steady myself, to not stumble against him. Following this is a loud crash behind us that rents the air with dust and debris.

I see a portion of the ceiling has collapsed exactly where I'd been standing. And while I’m still trying to steady the adrenaline rush inside me, I'm acutely aware of Kane's hand around my arm. It's like a live wire tingling my skin. It takes every ounce of willpower to step back, even as my skin screams at the loss of contact.

"You're still so stubborn," Kane shakes his head.

"You're coming with me."

He doesn’t let me protest before leading me out of the house, towards his car. The memories start pouring back again… of gentler times, of trust and hope and—

"Stop!" I yank my hand away.

I see Kane flinch.

"I mean... please. This isn't necessary. I'm not here to mingle with anyone or spend some 'great' and 'comfortable' time here. I can take care of myself."

Kane's expression darkens, but I push on.

"I'll report to the affairs building first thing tomorrow morning for the journey back to Moonlight Pack. Good night, Alpha.” I bow my head.

Then I turn and rush back into the house and hold myself against the wall with one hand on my chest. My body is raging a war between anger and longing.

I hadn’t expected to lash out at him like that, but seeing him…being near him is like ripping off a bandage and finding the wound still raw underneath.

I strain my ears to listen if Kane is still outside.

After a few minutes, I hear his car drive away.

Then my legs give out and I slide down the wall, into a stoop as I drop my head into my hands.

You’re doing a great job suppressing your emotions, Liana…but you can do better…

I can do better…

The first rays of dawn barely breach the horizon when I hear the rumble of an engine outside and I groan, rolling my eyes. Of course, he's here again. Kane can never take a hint….or rather, he chooses not to.

I carry my bag outside, almost expecting to have some kind of confrontation with him again. But Kane's just sitting in his car, hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead. No smug grin, no lecture. Just... waiting .

Sighing and seating myself in the passenger seat, I also ignore the stir his cologne causes under my skin.

"Good night's rest?" Kane asks, carefully neutrally.

"Fine, thanks," I reply with my eyes on the road ahead as we pull away from the house.

I’m just going to get through this journey as quickly and painlessly as possible….

…or so I thought.

I’ve started darting surreptitious looks at his ruggedly attractive side profile

Liana!

I force my gaze back to the window, but every few minutes I try to find his face in the rearview mirror again…

…until he catches me.

I look away quickly.

We drive on in silence, alighting the car as soon as we reach Sam’s residence.

"Come in," Sam's voice calls from inside after I knock.

He’s behind his desk and Jimmy is looming at his side like an overgrown shadow.

Sam's eyes light up when he sees me.

"You're back,"

But then they widen when they move to who’s behind me.

"Alpha Kane?"

A calm astonishment rings out in his voice as he hurries around the desk, then looks at me briefly as if to say, ‘thank you’.

I give him a tiny nod and a tight-lipped smile.

Message received: mission accomplished, even if not quite as planned.

"Sam Barrett of Moonlight Pack," he says, extending his hand with a stance conveying cautious reverence.

Kane replies, "Kane Wolf, Blood Moon Pack."

They both shake hands firmly, in a manner that’s almost a contest of strength. This is followed by a brief neck-scenting, which is the traditional Alpha greeting.

I can see Sam's shoulders relax slightly after this.

On the other hand, I catch Jimmy sizing Kane up with his expression. His lip curls slightly with an unimpressed look, and he notices me watching, he just gives me a silent ‘what are you looking at’ look that makes me turn my eyes elsewhere.

"This is my son, Jimmy," Sam gestures proudly to Jimmy.

"Nice to meet you, Jimmy."

Jimmy just stares at Kane’s outstretched hand, then shoves his own hands deeper into his pockets.

I see the embarrassment and disappointment that cross Sam's face.

"Pardon that," Sam mutters.

"It's fine," Kane brushes off smoothly.

But I’d say with the little experience I’ve had with Kane that when he narrows his eyes like that, he’s begun cataloging every detail and interaction—in other words, it’s a subtly dangerous look.

"Please, have a seat,” Sam distracts from the brief awkwardness, moving to set out a chair for Kane.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice. The situation has escalated beyond our capabilities."

Kane nods. "Of course, Blood Moon takes threats like this seriously. I've got intel on the matter myself and I’ve gone through the proposal. But I'd still like to hear from the horse’s mouth what you've encountered so far?"

I watch Kane absorb every word Sam says as he starts to give proper details about the attacks.

“….three attacks in the past week alone. They're getting bolder by the day.”

"And you haven't been able to get any leads?”

Sam shakes his head. "They vanish without a trace. It's as if they know our patrol routes."

"They're very organized is one thing I’ve noticed—“

"Forgive me, Alpha Kane," Jimmy suddenly interrupts and I already have a bad feeling about what he’s about to say next.

"But I'm curious….what made Blood Moon decide to intervene now? Surely you have your own priorities to attend to."

I wait for Kane's reaction, and his face is impassive as he turns to Jimmy.

"You're right, we do have our own challenges. That’s why I've delegated some matters to my Beta to be here. But the spread of rogues is a threat to all packs. We can't afford to ignore it."

Jimmy nods with a smile that doesn't even make a crinkle around his eyes. "Of course. It's just interesting timing, isn't it? We've been reaching out to neighboring packs for weeks—"

"Jimmy," Sam warns softly.

"It's a fair question,” Kane says. “I mentioned earlier on, in case you didn’t catch that. We’ve been monitoring the situation already. And when Liana brought news of how dire things had become, I felt it was time to act directly."

I feel Jimmy's gaze slide to me. "I see," he murmurs. "How fortunate that she was able to convince you."

I have to fight the urge to squirm in my seat now that I’ve been mentioned.

"Perhaps," Sam interjects quickly, obviously trying to steer the conversation back on track. "We should focus on strategy. Alpha Kane, given Blood Moon's resources, what would you suggest as our first steps?"

As Kane begins outlining potential plans, I catch Jimmy watching him with unpleasantness again. There's a calculation in that gaze, maybe even a hint of jealousy. And this is when I realize that this cooperation might be more complicated than I'd hoped.

Kane's voice draws my attention back.

"...need to establish a perimeter to pool our information. If we can predict their patterns—"

"And how long do you plan to stay, Alpha Kane?" Jimmy cuts in again.

"Surely Blood Moon can't spare you indefinitely,” he adds.

"As long as it takes," Kane answers. This time, there's an instantaneous flare of irritation in his eyes that he actively tries to hide.

"So your pack is fully on board?" Jimmy asks.

"There were discussions. Some felt our resources were better focused elsewhere. But as Alpha, I made the call."

"You mean they refused to help," Jimmy scoffs.

Sam sits up. "My son will apologize for his rudeness."

"What did I do wrong? I was just—“

"Jimmy. Leave. Now,” Sam snarls intimidatingly even though he tries his best to be calm about it.

At first, I think Jimmy might refuse, but then he pushes off from the wall he's been leaning against and stalks out.

"I apologize for my son's behavior, Alpha Kane.”

“It’s fine,” Kane says.

More like he wants to punch Jimmy in the face.

At this point, I remember that I also have to excuse myself. In fact, I should have earlier on, and the last thing I need is this matter suddenly leading to people to start prying into my history with Kane.

"I should excuse you two,” I notify, moving close to the door.

"Actually," Sam interrupts, his eyes lighting up with an idea I already know I'm going to hate.

"We haven't discussed accommodations for Alpha Kane."

My stomach drops.

No. Please, no.

"I'm sure we can find suitable—" I start, but Sam's already shaking his head.

"Most of our guest quarters are being used by displaced families from the outer territories. And the inn is full with the increased patrols. So I was hoping you could make some space for him at your tavern."

This is just great.

“Actually I—“

“That’s very kind of you, Liana,” Kane suddenly says, and I clench my jaw slowly as he looks directly at me, “Thanks for inviting me to stay at your place. It would be really nice to put up at a friend’s place here, instead of anywhere else.”

Friend. Really.

"You two are friends?” Sam asks contentedly..

Kane nods, smiling. “Oh, we go way back.”

I want to object and clarify that there’s no such thing between us. At the same time, I know doing so might only invite more questions I'm not prepared to answer.

Kane is challenging me, huh?

"Well, that settles it then! Liana, you'll host Alpha Kane at your tavern. It's perfect…and you two can catch up."

With a tight smile that feels more like a grimace, I nod.

"Of course. It would be my...pleasure."

Pleasure indeed.