Page 11 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)
CHAPTER NINE
KAI
T he banquet hall buzzed with conversation, the low hum of leaders exchanging pleasantries, the clink of champagne glasses, and the scent of expensive perfumes and rich colognes filling the air.
Kai barely noticed. He stood slightly apart, just on the edge of his father’s presence, where the older alpha’s magnetic pull could do the talking.
Years of watching Darius navigate these gatherings had taught Kai the value of the shadows—how to be seen without being noticed, how to observe without engaging.
But tonight? Tonight was different.
A scent hit him, cutting through the crowded space like a blade through silk—cranberries and rosemary.
Earthy, crisp, and so intoxicating, it nearly knocked the air from his lungs.
The purity of it sliced through everything—through the artificial perfumes, through the phantom traces of Ava on his skin, through seven years of carefully constructed certainty.
Kai froze, heart stuttering in his chest. The air hummed with tension as Orion’s low, insistent growl resonated inside him. Unlike his usual steady presence, the wolf swelled within Kai’s consciousness as if trying to break free from the confines of their shared body.
“Mate.”
Kai’s stomach twisted. He wanted to look away, to deny it, but the truth gnawed at him with the ferocity of an animal caught in a trap.
The pull was undeniable—primal and ancient, everything the stories had warned him about.
He resisted, body going rigid with the effort, muscles straining against Orion’s unprecedented strength.
There was no way he was ready for this. Not when he was still desperately holding on to the faint taste of Ava on his tongue.
Not when their morning promises were so fresh in his memory.
He glanced around the room, trying and failing to maintain his composure as he searched for the source of that maddening scent.
His breath came faster now, each inhale drowning him deeper in cranberries and rosemary until his head swam in it.
His eyes darted across the room, landing on a group of women, and then—
“There,” Orion whispered through their connection.
Across the banquet hall, her presence cut through the noise, drawing all his attention like a magnet.
She was here. Reddish-blonde hair cascaded down her back in soft, natural waves.
The strands danced like firelight in the ambient glow of the chandeliers.
Her strappy satin ivory dress molded to her curves, accentuating the swell of her breasts and the sensual lines of her hips and ass.
The elegant neckline framed the slope of her neck where the pulse point at the base of her throat beckoned him.
His fangs ached with a sudden, primal yearning to sink into that tender flesh, to claim her as his own.
Her full lips, painted a deep umber, shot a jolt of desire through him.
His body responded to the subtle promise of her curves, to her scent that guaranteed a rich, heady aroma that would bloom when aroused.
She was everything that scent suggested—an energy that prickled against his skin like static electricity. A presence that commanded attention, demanding acknowledgment without a word spoken. Her power resonated with something deep in his core that always felt vacant.
Until now.
He wasn’t prepared for this, for the storm that was about to hit him. The morning with Ava felt like a distant dream now, replaced by a reality he’d spent years trying to avoid.
Kai’s muscles locked, body rebelling against itself as Orion pushed toward their mate while his human half retreated. He took a hesitant step back. He couldn’t let fate win—not after fighting so hard against it.
“Father,” Kai said, but the older alpha barely glanced at him, still engaged in conversation with another leader. “I’ll be right back,” Kai muttered, voice strained as he tried to hold back the growing panic.
Orion was frantic, clawing against the edges of his control, urging him to go to her. “She’s our mate, Kai. She’s ours !”
With a deep breath, Kai forced himself to move, but his legs betrayed him with a step towards her scent instead of the exit. His body was drawn to her—to his mate—even as his mind screamed to turn the other way, to escape before she might recognize him, might realize who he was.
Too late.
LENA
Lena stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, excitement thrumming through her veins.
She’d been wavering between anxiety and anticipation for weeks, preparing herself for the politics, the alliances, the dance of power between packs.
Tonight felt different. There was a palpable charge in the air, something more fundamental than pack politics.
And then she felt it.
That unmistakable pull, drawing her toward something she couldn’t see but knew was there. Everything inside her stilled. She could smell him—her mate.
It was a familiar, intoxicating scent. Orange and nutmeg—warm with a touch of spice, like the smell of winter mornings and sweet treats baking in the oven.
But it wasn’t just a fragrance. It was the feeling that came with it.
The way it made her body hum in anticipation, like a piece of her was waking up from a long sleep.
Elara thrashed beneath Lena’s skin, claws scraping along the inside of her veins as she surged toward the surface. “He’s here.”
The instinct was immediate, urgent, and absolute. All her earlier fears about leaving Moonshadow, about losing her place, faded against the certainty of this moment.
Lena drew in a breath to speak to Cian, but he was already watching her with that intuitive awareness only twins possessed. “Go, Lena.” His knowing smile matched his warm, understanding tone. “Find him.”
Lena’s pulse quickened as she nodded, barely able to contain the excitement bubbling up inside her.
She stepped further into the banquet hall, each step drawing her closer to that tantalizing scent of orange and nutmeg.
Her spine straightened, each vertebra stacking with a confidence that spread through her limbs like liquid fire—a surety more profound than any she’d found in training sessions, pack meetings, or even running wild beneath the moon.
As Lena moved through the crowd, her anticipation only grew.
She could feel Elara’s elation, raw energy pulsing in her chest like a second heartbeat.
The primal knowing made her blood run hot.
This is what she’d spent years waiting for.
What the elders spoke of when they told stories of Selene’s greatest gift to Her children.
Lena’s pulse raced as she scanned the room, eyes darting from face to face.
And then she saw him.
He stood tall and imposing, broad shoulders radiating a quiet power that drew her in like a magnet. Her gaze locked onto his, and for a moment, the room melted away.
His piercing green eyes burned with an intensity that left her breathless. Fitted gray pants hugged powerful thighs, his tailored navy jacket highlighting the chiseled planes visible through his V-neck shirt.
Lena felt the heat of his brooding stare like a physical touch, sending shivers down her spine and a flood of warmth to her core.
His presence dominated the room, even as he stood motionless, trying to fade into the shadows.
The air around him vibrated with power, making her instincts scream to submit, to bare her throat and present herself to him in a deep, surrendering arch.
She sucked in a breath.
“Him.”
The pull was instant, undeniable, but it wasn’t just physical attraction. There was something else in the air—a power, a charge she hadn’t expected. Selene Herself seemed present, Her divine energy woven into the very bond drawing Lena forward.
“Mate.”
His energy rippled as though his wolf—his soul—was already beginning to recognize hers.
Elara gave a soft whine of approval. “Hurry, Lena. He’s waiting for us.”
Without thinking, Lena’s feet moved of their own accord. Her heart pounded, the rhythm growing more insistent with every breath. The energy in the room vibrated with anticipation, her cells humming with the promise of connection.
She needed to touch him. Everything else—the summit, the politics, even her fears about leaving Moonshadow—was background noise against the symphony of their bond flaring to life.
KAI
Kai’s heart thudded against his ribs as he tried to pull away from the crowd. He searched for an escape route, but his feet remained rooted. Conversation and laughter faded to background noise, leaving only the harsh sound of his own ragged breathing.
Just as he tried to turn towards the exit, she emerged from the sea of faces, her presence as sudden and jarring as a splash of cold water.
Her scent hit him with full force now—wrapping around him like a physical touch, drowning out every other sight, every other sound, every other scent, until there was nothing but her .
She launched herself into his arms without warning, soft body colliding with his in a perfect, natural fit that made Orion howl in triumph.
“Mate!” she declared, voice ringing out, filled with a joy and certainty that screeched in his ear like feedback.
Kai’s breath caught. For a moment, the world halted. His arms hovered stiffly around her perfect body, caught between Orion’s desperate need to pull her closer and his own instinct to push her away.
Beneath his skin, Orion lurched forward with startling force, his presence no longer contained within Kai’s mind but spilling outward like mist escaping through cracks in a stone wall—reaching for something beyond his physical form.
Her wolf.
The connection bypassed human thought entirely, pure and ancient—wolf to wolf, soul to soul.
For that split second, Orion’s joy coursed through Kai’s veins like liquid fire, unfiltered by human doubt or resistance.
The wolves recognized each other in a way that transcended words or reason—a recognition written in their very blood by the Goddess Herself.
A low growl built in Kai’s chest. The sound grew louder, more forceful, until it became a deafening roar that shook his very foundations.
“Take her, claim her, mark her—she’s ours !” Orion’s primal cry echoed in Kai’s head, leaving him breathless and bewildered.
His mind recoiled in horror—thoughts tangling in resistance as Ava’s face flashed behind his eyes—yet his body betrayed him. The press of his mate made his pulse race, arms tightening around her despite himself. Where Ava’s touch had always felt like a challenge, this—this felt like coming home.
“She’s beautiful, Orion. Our mate is perfect.
” The admission slipped past his defenses—past seven years of denial.
A vision took hold, and Kai felt his control slip.
He saw himself capturing her lush mouth in a kiss, tongues tangling in a passionate dance.
Her hands would slide down his back, fingers digging into his muscles.
Her ivory dress would fall away like a river of moonlight.
Her hardened nipples would press against his chest, sparking goosebumps across his flesh.
He imagined taking her against the wall, sinking into her heat, her labored breaths and whispered pleas echoing in his mind.
But as the fantasy reached its peak, Kai’s mind jerked back to reality, screaming in protest. He willed himself to pull back, to rein in the primal urges that threatened to consume him.
I’m not ready. This is too much.
LENA
The moment she collided with him, Elara howled in pure joy, the sound echoing through every fiber of Lena’s being.
His body was hard against hers, fitting perfectly, as if Selene had carved them from the same stone. His scent enveloped her completely now, orange and nutmeg mixing with something darker, something that spoke of power and destiny.
Elara slipped beyond Lena’s consciousness, reaching outward toward a presence Lena could feel but not quite touch.
The connection was electric—wild, primal, and achingly familiar though she’d never felt it before.
His wolf . A dark, powerful energy that caressed Elara’s essence like an ancient greeting.
For a heartbeat, the wolves communed without words or thoughts, recognizing each other as halves of the same soul, separated by time but joined by the Goddess’s hand.
The certainty in that wolf-to-wolf understanding was absolute, untainted by human fears or doubts.
“Ours.” Elara’s certainty blazed through their bond. “Finally.” The wolf’s joy was infectious, even as their mate’s hesitation confused them both. Elara whined, pressing against Lena’s ribs. His wolf called to them—she could feel it—so why did he fight?
Lena held tighter, refusing to let him pull away.
Even through his panic, hope pulsed between them—undeniable in the heat radiating from his chest, in how perfectly their hips aligned as if crafted as matching pieces.
Their bond flowed between them like an electric current, illuminating every cell with awareness.
“I’m Lena,” she whispered, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze.
His emerald-green eyes held secrets and pain she didn’t yet understand.
A muscle in his jaw flexed and his pupils dilated, the scent of orange and nutmeg intensifying with a honeyed warmth that hadn’t been there before. “And you...you’re my mate.”
His breath hitched. His arms tightened around her, and for the briefest of moments, she felt him surrender—just a little—to the connection they shared.
Elara surged with hope. “Yes, let us in.”
But it was fleeting. The tension returned just a moment later. Their connection was real, but he was fighting it with everything he had as if something held him back.
I need to help him see it, Lena resolved. I won’t run. I can’t.