Page 14 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER TWELVE

LENA

L ena exhaled deeply as she watched Cian and Darius leave the room, voices fading into the distance as the door closed behind them with a soft click.

No doubt they were already continuing discussions about alliances and partnerships—conversations that now centered on her and Kai.

The room contracted in the absence of their alpha auras, the distance between her body and Kai’s now measuring in heartbeats rather than feet.

Her pulse quickened as she faced him. He lingered by the door, fingers hovering above the knob as if he couldn’t decide whether to stay or bolt.

She could sense the storm raging beneath his surface as his wolf’s power rolled off him in waves, making Elara whine with longing.

His energy brushed against hers—tentative but electric—like a live wire testing its connection.

“ Prove we are worthy.” Elara urged with primal certainty. Lena didn’t want to push Kai, but her wolf’s compulsion thrummed through her blood like a war drum, propelling Lena forward.

Her first step wavered, ankle nearly buckling.

The second came stronger. By the third, she was close enough for the heat of his skin to warm the air between them, his body a furnace she couldn’t resist nearing.

His scent intensified with each step, spicy warmth mingling with something deeper and animalistic that made her dizzy with need.

“Kai,” she whispered. The name felt right on her tongue, like it been meant to fall from her lips forever.

His shoulders stiffened, and for a moment, she thought he might flee without a word.

But then he turned, his green eyes locking onto hers.

The intensity of his gaze stole her breath, the vibrant color shifting as his wolf fought for dominance.

His nostrils flared as he scented the air, and Lena’s cheeks burned as she realized what he smelled—her arousal, thick and unbidden, perfuming the space between them.

The air condensed until each breath required effort, her lungs straining against the pressure of their bond.

Her pulse thudded against her eardrums, each beat a call seeking its answering rhythm.

She couldn’t tell if it was courage or desperation that drove her forward.

She closed the final distance between them, fingers brushing against his arm.

The simple touch sent tingles dancing across her skin.

She saw something flicker in his eyes—something unfettered and feral that made Elara howl in triumph. But it vanished in an instant, replaced by that tightly controlled mask she was beginning to hate.

Kai tensed, fingers tightening around the doorknob until his knuckles went white, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he stood frozen, as if caught between instinct and restraint.

Elara seized the moment, pushing Lena forward with a surge of energy that made her bold. She leaned in, lips brushing against the hollow of his throat as she inhaled deeply, letting his scent wrap around her like a warm embrace.

“Mine,” she purred. Elara’s voice resonated through her.

Lena nipped at his skin, tongue flicking against his pulse point. The room faded away, replaced by the sensation of his heartbeat pulsing against her lips—rapid and unsteady, betraying what his rigid posture tried to hide. The taste of him was enthralling—salt and power on her tongue.

She felt Kai’s body tense beneath her touch, his wolf’s presence amplifying in response. His breath came hot and quick against her face, each exhale raising goosebumps on her flesh. For one glorious, breathless moment, she believed he might give in.

She turned her head, baring her throat to him in submission, eyes drifting closed as she waited, for him to scent her, to taste the flesh where his mark would rest. To acknowledge what they both knew was true.

She felt the faintest brush of his nose against her neck, so light she might have imagined it, but the burning trail it left behind was undeniable.

Elara trembled with anticipation, already imagining his teeth against their throat. His claim made real. The connection fractured without warning. The warmth of him vanished, replaced by the cool emptiness of the room.

Lena’s eyes snapped open just in time to see the door click shut. He was gone.

Her knees nearly buckled. She pressed her palm against the wall to steady herself, the space where he’d stood now achingly empty. Not rejection—she refused to call it that—but retreat. He’d run from what blazed between them, and that somehow hurt more than outright denial.

“Why?” Elara keened, retreating into the recesses of her subconsciousness. “Why does he run from us?”

Lena leaned her forehead against the cool wall, allowing herself three deep breaths—only three—to process the hollow ache spreading through her chest. Her mate might need time, but she wouldn’t hide away while he sorted through his conflict.

She straightened her spine. She wouldn’t let herself break—not here, not now.

Not when so many would be watching. Judging how the daughter of Moonshadow handled resistance from her fated.

By the time she re-entered the banquet hall, the reception’s noise had swelled, washing over her like a wave. Laughter and conversation felt distant—like a song playing underwater. The scents of food and wine pressed in, but all she could smell was his lingering essence on her lips.

Ryker’s familiar voice broke through the haze. “So?” He sidled up to her wearing his signature grin, one eyebrow arched as he handed her a drink she hadn’t asked for but now realized she needed. “How’s Prince Charming?”

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress the small, tired smile that tugged at her lips. Trust Ryker to still see her as just Lena, not some doomed fated or political pawn.

“Complicated,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended.

Ryker snorted, grin widening as he clutched his chest and staggered back a half-step in theatrical dismay.

“Complicated? After that entrance? Yeah, well, if you need me to punch him, just say the word.” He flexed his arm with exaggerated pride, winking at a nearby wolf who happened to glance their way.

A soft laugh escaped her, and the pressure in her chest relaxed. She glanced at Ryker, grateful for his unrelenting joy and support. He’d always been her rock, the one person who could make her laugh no matter how dire things felt.

The laughter died in her throat as her gaze drifted back to the hallway where Kai had disappeared.

Elara’s nose pressed against the boundary between wolf and female, tracking their mate’s fading scent.

Their bond throbbed like a fresh wound, each pulse sparking pain through nerve endings that hadn’t existed before today.

Complicated didn’t even begin to cover it.