Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
KAEL
I ’m back in the keep, and I can feel her. Even from here, even through the walls, the pulse of the binding between us is like a whisper in my veins. At first, it was a slow trickle, a faint tug that kept me tethered to her no matter the distance. But now? Now it’s different. I can feel her more than ever, her every shift, every thought, every emotion.
There’s a distance there, a stretch in the connection that hasn’t been there before. It’s like a thread pulled taut, fraying at the edges, and I know what that means. She’s pulling away. She’s angry. Hates me, even.
I grit my teeth as I pace the room, my hands flexing, aching with the need to act. I don’t need the bond to tell me that she’s conflicted. I can feel it—the pull of something, or someone , else. And that someone is not me.
Torin.
Her desire is unmistakable. I can feel it like a fire racing through the bond, hot and unrelenting, burning with a hunger that’s not for me. It’s for him.
Fuck.
I can’t help the way my chest tightens. It’s not jealousy. Not for me, at least. I’ve never been jealous. I’ve shared women with my brothers before—hell, we’ve all shared before. But this… this is different. She’s different. There’s something about her, something more. And I hate it.
But the anger is there, too. That primal ache that gnaws at me. I can feel the sharp edge of desire, her desire, thrumming through the bond, and it’s not for me. It’s for Torin.
It takes me a second, but before I can even process what I’m feeling, I’m moving. My body reacts before my mind does. I stalk through the halls, moving faster, my fists clenched at my sides. Every step I take feels heavier, the weight of the bond pulling me forward, dragging me toward her.
I’m angry. So fucking angry. Angry that she’s feeling this for him, that she’s given him something she’s never given me. Angry that she’s pulling away, angry that I can’t feel her the way I used to.
Get to her. Now.
The bond pulses again, sharper this time, and the feeling floods me. It’s almost too much to handle. Her desire, her hunger, rolling through the connection like a wave crashing over me. And that wave? It’s not for me. It’s for Torin.
I move faster. My heart is hammering in my chest, my body burning with the intensity of her need. I can’t ignore it anymore. Not when it’s this strong. Not when it’s pulling me toward her, toward wherever the hell she is.
But then, something shifts.
I feel it in the air, a sudden change in the bond, in her energy. The desire that was once sharp and desperate turns into something else—something lighter, something free .
I pause, the shift catching me off guard.
Joy.
It’s joy. And excitement.
I feel it rolling through her, and for a moment, I don’t know what the hell is happening. She’s not conflicted anymore. She’s not angry. She’s alive in a way I can’t quite comprehend. She’s… happy?
What the hell is going on?
And then, I reach the edge of the realm where the barrier is. The divide between the human realm and ours. The air shifts around me, colder, sharper, as I step into the space where the magic thins. And that’s when I see it.
Her.
Sable.
She’s on Torin’s back, her body flushed with cold, her wild hair blowing in the wind, looking like she’s never felt more alive. She’s naked, the moonlight catching the smooth curve of her skin, her eyes wide with exhilaration, her body pressed to his. I can smell her arousal from here, the unmistakable scent of her hunger, and it’s not for me. It’s for Torin.
My teeth grind together as I watch. I can feel the heat of her, the thrill of her joy, and I can’t stop the jealousy that claws at my chest. It’s not just the fact that she’s with him. It’s the way she looks. Free. Beautiful. Happy .
I stand there, watching the scene unfold before me, the fire in my chest slowly simmering into a controlled heat. My eyes flick between Torin and Sable, who’s still perched on his back, looking like she’s been set free from some invisible cage. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, her hair wild, her body flushed with excitement—and I feel every drop of it, her desire rolling through the bond. The familiar, sharp ache of jealousy stabs at me again. I’ve always been in control, but now?
Now, I’m feeling like a fucking fool .
Torin’s shifted back into his human form, the transformation so smooth I don’t even see it happening, until he’s standing there, his body towering over hers. His eyes meet mine, and I can feel the tension flare between us, sharp and electric. He’s surprised. Caught off guard, just like I am.
I cross my arms, staring at them both. “What the hell were you two doing?” I ask, my tone a little sharper than I intend. They both look at me, suddenly sheepish, like they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t.
I roll my eyes, not bothering to hide my frustration. “It’s fairly obvious, don’t you think?” I snap. The jealousy flares again, hot and biting. I can’t stand it.
Torin grins at me, unfazed by my irritation. “Yeah, it’s not exactly subtle, is it?” he says, his voice dark with amusement.
I sigh heavily, my fingers digging into the fabric of my sleeves. “Put some clothes on, for God’s sake,” I mutter, my patience wearing thin.
Her gaze snaps to Torin and then down to his semi-erect cock and she smirks.
This whole thing—her desire for him, the way she looks at him like that—it’s tearing at my mind.
Torin chuckles under his breath, and then with a flick of his wrist, he uses his magic. In an instant, pants materialize on his lower half, fitting snugly against his toned form. It’s enough to settle some of my irritation, but not all of it.
I turn to Sable, my fingers itching to fix her, too, to give her something, anything to cover herself. But when I use my powers to drape a cloak over her shoulders, she immediately rips it off, the fabric falling to the ground with a soft thud.
“Don’t,” she snaps, the fire in her eyes flaring up. “I don’t need your charity, Alpha .”
I stand there, stunned for a moment. Her voice—sharp, biting—sends a chill through me, and I can feel the rush of emotion through the bond. Anger . That’s what she’s feeling now. That’s what’s coming through loud and clear.
“Is this how it’s going to be?” she spits, her eyes narrowing, glaring at me. “Every time I’m out here trying to have fun, you’re just going to show up and ruin it?”
Her words hit like a slap, and I can’t help the way my chest tightens. Fun? Is that how she’s seeing this? Fun? My grip on my temper slips again.
I take a step forward, my voice low. “It’s not about ruining anything, Sable. It’s about you acting like a damn fool. You think you’re free out here with him? You’re not.”
I see her jaw clench, her hands curling into fists at her sides. Then she turns back to Torin, her expression hardening, the frustration still burning in her eyes.
"You jealous prick," he seethes. She turns back to Torin, and asks the one question I didn't want to hear.
“Is that why you wouldn’t fuck me?” she demands of him, the words sharp and cutting. “Because you’re worried about him? Is that why you denied me?”
I freeze, my blood running cold. The air between us shifts, the tension becoming too thick to breathe through. I can feel the anger curling inside of me, mixing with jealousy, with something darker. She’s trying to provoke me. She’s trying to provoke us both.
Torin shrugs, his face unreadable, but I can see the flicker of something in his eyes. “It’s not like that,” he says, his voice low but steady. “I don’t want to mess with the binding, not for your first time. I don’t want to rob you of that.”
The words hit me like a punch in the gut, and for a second, I feel something break inside. Her first time?
My heart thuds heavily in my chest. I didn’t expect this—didn’t expect to feel this way. Jealous.
I glance between them, my breath coming in short bursts, my mind a swirling mess. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to process what I’m feeling.
I look at Sable, her eyes full of fire, but beneath that, I see something else—something fragile, something I didn’t expect. And I can’t ignore it. She’s not just angry at me. She’s angry at herself.
I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
The jealousy, the rage, they start to fade, replaced with something else—a sense of clarity, maybe. I’ve been losing control, and I know it. My temper, my emotions—no one else has been acting like this, not really.
Well, except for Sable.
She’s pulling at something inside me. Something I didn’t think I could feel anymore.
I take another step toward her, but this time, it’s not out of anger. I look at Torin and nod, accepting what he said. He’s right, of course. She doesn't under the binding, but we do. We can’t rush this, can’t mess with the bond. I won’t rob her of what’s hers to control.
And yet…
I can’t stand the way it feels to lose her. Not like this. I'm not used to losing at things.
“Maybe we need to get to know each other a bit better,” I say, trying to keep the tension in check. “Considering we’re going to be fighting together in the Trials, it might help if we at least know what makes the other tick.”
Torin grins, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and his gaze flicks between us. "Have fun, kitten," he says with a mock salute, and with a fluid motion, he shifts back into his sabertooth form, vanishing into the forest.
Sable calls after him, her voice sharp, “Wait!” But before she can say more, she turns on me, her eyes flashing with that same fire I’ve seen before. That anger, that challenge. And I can’t help it.
My eyes rake over her naked form, lingering longer than I care to admit. Her skin is flushed from the cold, but it only adds to the raw beauty of her. The way her hair falls around her shoulders, wild and untamed, and the way her body moves, full of strength and defiance—it’s intoxicating. Even when she’s angry, she’s so goddamn beautiful.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she snaps, her voice barely above a whisper but full of warning. I smirk, but there’s no denying the way she affects me and I her. It’s like a magnet pulling at every part of me and I'm just waiting for her side to flip and come crashing into me.
I clear my throat, trying to shake off the intensity of the moment. “What would you like to do, Sable?” I ask, my voice low, controlled.
She stares at me for a moment, that challenge still in her eyes. “Escape,” she mutters, her tone biting.
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me, a low chuckle that rumbles in my chest. “Besides that,” I say, raising an eyebrow, “you know you’re not getting out of here that easily.”
She looks thoughtful for a moment, as if considering something, then shakes her head slightly. “I don’t know,” she admits, the frustration in her voice mixed with a hint of something I can’t quite place. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
I nod, understanding. None of us do. I don’t say it out loud, but the words linger in my mind. She’s caught between two worlds—torn between what she wants and what she’s afraid of. I get it. I’m not sure I know what I want either, not when it comes to her.
“I have an idea,” I say, my voice quiet but firm. “But would you please allow me to cover you?”
Sable rolls her eyes, and I can almost hear the exasperated sigh in her head. But after a long moment, she bends down and picks up the cloak she threw on the ground earlier, wrapping it around herself without saying a word. It’s not much, but it’s something.
We start walking toward the keep, and her sassy side comes out again. “You know, Alpha,” she says with a smirk, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “Torin let me ride on his back in his shifted form.”
I glance over at her, my lips curling into a smirk of my own. "That's not something we're going to be doing," I say, my voice laced with amusement, though there's a flicker of something else—something darker—beneath it. "You and I? No piggyback rides."
Her eyes flash with challenge, and she takes a step closer, her lips curling into that damn knowing grin. "Oh, I see. Jealous?" she teases, her voice a smooth, playful purr. "It wasn’t a piggyback ride, Kael. Torin’s not so... uptight."
I raise an eyebrow, feeling the burn of her words, but I keep my cool. "I’m not uptight," I reply, the corners of my mouth lifting. "I just don’t think you’re ready for the kind of ride I’d give you."
She laughs, the sound low and teasing, the air between us thickening with something that almost feels like tension—but not quite. "Is that so?" she asks, her voice dropping, a playful challenge lacing her words. "I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it."
I let out a low chuckle, my steps slowing just slightly. "You would," I say, my voice suddenly darker. "But trust me, Sable... some things are better left to the imagination."
She tilts her head, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Or maybe I’ll make you prove it," she says, her tone shifting to something more daring. "You’ve been all talk since we met. Maybe it’s time you showed me exactly what you’re capable of."
I stop walking, my gaze locking with hers. "Careful, little huntress," I murmur, my voice thick with an edge of warning and amusement. "You’re poking at a fire you might not be able to handle."
She grins, clearly enjoying every second of this. "Guess we’ll see, won’t we?"
I shake my head, but the grin on my face betrays the fact that I’m enjoying this far more than I should. "Keep testing me, Sable, and you might just get a lesson you weren’t expecting."