The mark he cannot control

The moment I stepped out of the Alpha’s cabin, the cold evening air hit me like a slap. It should have cleared my head, but the bond was a wildfire under my skin—too hot, too loud, too alive.

Kael followed silently behind me.

Not close enough to touch.

But close enough that every step he took dragged across my senses like claws.

Mate… my wolf whispered, pacing furiously inside me.

I didn’t dare look at him. Not yet. I wasn’t sure what I’d see—relief, anger, possession. Maybe all three. And I wasn’t sure which one scared me more.

We reached the tree line before Kael finally spoke.

“You shouldn’t have said that in front of him.”

His voice was low, rough, edged with something volatile. He wasn’t angry at me—but he was close to unraveling. I could feel it.

I wrapped my arms around myself. “I wasn’t going to reject you.”

A sharp exhale shuddered out of him, like the air had been punched from his lungs. “Don’t say things like that unless you mean them.”

I stopped walking.

Slowly, I turned to face him.

Moonlight cut across his features—dangerous, beautiful, devastating. His eyes had softened from molten silver to something gentler, but his muscles were still coiled, his stance tight.

“I meant it,” I said quietly.

His chest rose, fell. Rose again. Too fast.

“Lira…” he whispered, like my name was both a plea and a warning.

“You can’t control the curse,” I said. “But I can’t control the bond either.”

His jaw clenched. “If I lose control around you—”

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” I insisted. “Because you’ve already had a hundred chances to hurt me. Last night. This morning. Ten minutes ago in Rowan’s cabin. And you didn’t.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek.

“That’s not the same,” he said hoarsely. “There’s a difference between wanting to hurt someone… and losing the ability to stop yourself.”

His voice cracked on the last word.

He looked away, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I shouldn’t have come back. I should’ve stayed away the moment I scented you.”

“Then why did you come back?”

He froze.

His answer came out raw.

“Because I thought I could handle it.”

A humorless laugh escaped him. “But the moment I saw you… everything inside me fell apart.”

My heart twisted.

“Kael—”

“Don’t come closer,” he rasped.

I blinked. “I wasn’t—”

“You were,” he said. “And if you take one more step, I won’t be able to stop myself from touching you.”

I swallowed hard. “And that’s a bad thing?”

His head snapped toward me.

The look in his eyes…

Goddess.

It wasn’t lust.

It wasn’t desire.

It was need. Wild. Terrified. Consuming.

“It is when my touch might mark you,” he whispered.

My breath hitched. “You’re not losing control.”

“You have no idea,” he said. “None.”

Silence pressed between us, thick and trembling.

Then Kael stepped back—just one step, but it felt like a mile.

“I need… space,” he said. “And you need to stay away from me. At least until I can get the curse under control.”

“Can you get it under control?” I asked softly.

His eyes flickered. “I don’t know.”

He turned away, like he couldn’t stand to look at me anymore.

But when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“When the bond surged earlier… I felt my wolf try to mark you.”

Goosebumps prickled up my arms.

“And if he marks you,” Kael said, voice breaking, “the curse marks you too.”

I felt my stomach drop. “What does that mean?”

“It means your soul ties to mine completely,” he said hollowly. “No severing. No rejection. No Alpha intervention. Nothing.”

I stared at him. “That’s… that’s permanent.”

“It’s worse than permanent, Lira.” He turned, and the anguish in his face stole the breath from my lungs. “If the curse takes over me one day… you go with me. The mark binds you to my death.”

The world stopped.

“You die if I lose control,” Kael whispered.

I didn’t breathe.

He stepped closer—not touching me, but close enough that I could feel the heat of him.

“This is why Rowan fears us,” he said bitterly. “Why he wants the bond cut.” His voice softened. “He’s not wrong.”

“Kael—”

“But I won’t let him touch you,” he added, low and dangerous. “He’ll have to kill me first.”

My wolf snarled in agreement.

Something in me snapped.

“Stop trying to decide for me,” I said sharply.

His eyes widened.

“I get a say in this too,” I continued. “My life. My choice.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

I stepped closer. This time he didn’t stop me.

“When you talk about protecting me, Kael… you never consider that I might want to protect you too.”

His breath stuttered.

“And you never consider that maybe I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be,” he whispered.

“I’m not.”

His voice trembled. “Why?”

“Because your wolf doesn’t want to hurt me,” I said. “He wants to claim me.”

Kael’s eyes flashed bright silver. “That’s exactly the problem.”

“Not if we do this together.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand what you’re offering.”

“I understand enough.”

Silence.

Then Kael reached toward me—slowly, like a man touching fire—and his fingers brushed my wrist.

Just a brush.

But the bond roared to life, electric and blinding. A shockwave of heat surged up my arm. My wolf howled, ecstatic.

Kael swore and jerked his hand back like he’d been burned.

“That’s what I mean,” he said hoarsely. “I can’t even touch you without—”

He stopped abruptly.

His breathing hitched.

His eyes snapped to mine.

My wrist was glowing.

A faint, silver mark—like a crescent moon—flickered where his fingers had touched me.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Kael…” I whispered.

“No.” His voice broke. “No, no, no—this shouldn’t be possible—”

He backed away fast, panic flooding his expression.

“You have to go,” he said, voice shaking. “Now.”

“Kael—”

“GO!”

The trees shuddered with the force of his command.

My wolf whimpered.

And Kael—Alpha, cursed wolf, my mate—turned and vanished into the forest before I could reach him.

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