Alpha Arkan
After years, I had finally been able to return to my human form; more importantly, I had at last found my Luna. But alongside that miracle, there was another reality I was forced to endure: that abomination was with her.
She is mine, Bozok growled in my mind. Mine. Mine alone.
Kayra had only just begun to recover since I bit her in the dining hall. Even the fact that she had opened her eyes again after fainting from blood loss filled me with a sense of relief I could not describe. Because Bozok had wrested control of my body from me and Kongar had provoked him, Kayra had been forced to accept this bond in fear and pain.
My Kayra had not deserved that.
While I was speaking with my Luna, Soren had interrupted to tell me there was an urgent matter, forcing me to leave the room and my Kayra alone with that creature.
For Soren's sake, it had better be something truly important.
I had been struggling to keep my body in human form after it had been under Bozok's control for so long. Even so, being near Kayra helped me maintain control.
You are the only reason for that, Bozok muttered.
Stop blaming me for everything, I shot back.
"Is something wrong, Alpha?" Soren asked as he walked beside me.
At that moment, everything was wrong. Instead of walking down the corridor with a Beta, I should have been with my Luna. I should have been breathing in her scent and reassuring myself that she was truly there beside me.
"It's nothing," I said without looking at Soren.
As I quickened my pace, my thoughts had already returned to Kayra.
---
After leaving the pack hospital, we shifted into our wolf forms and ran toward the border. The moment we spotted the patrol guards, we came to an abrupt stop. The unease inside me intensified, and I quickly returned to my human form before striding through the patrol wolves, who respectfully bared their necks as I passed.
"What happened here?" I asked.
As I spoke, I examined the body lying on the ground, every drop of blood drained from it.
"The vampires have been taking advantage of your absence to hunt one of us from time to time," one of the patrol wolves said.
Do you see this, Bozok? I asked bitterly. Our pack is suffering because of you.
This pack deserves everything that has happened to it, he replied in a careless tone.
No matter how angry you are, we are still the Alpha of this pack, I shot back.
An enraged growl echoed through my mind in response.
"I'm sorry, Alpha," the patrol wolf who had spoken earlier said, taking a step backward.
Ignoring him, I crouched down beside the body. Some of the growls that rose while I argued with Bozok in my mind must have slipped out unintentionally.
I focused my attention on the corpse and continued my examination. No more than a few hours could have passed since death. The fact that the vampires had come this close to our borders was a challenge in itself.
If anything happens to my Kayra, I will destroy every one of them, Bozok growled again.
Then protect the pack so that nothing happens to her, I replied.
The only response I received was a dissatisfied grunt.
I rose slowly and turned to Soren. In one week, I intended to formally present Kayra to my pack and celebrate the arrival of my Luna. This would not merely be a celebration; it would also remind everyone that I had returned and that my pack was once again under the protection of its Alpha.
"In one week, we will celebrate the arrival of our Luna," I said.
The moment he heard my words, a pleased smile spread across Soren's face.
"Of course, Alpha."
I knew his father well. He had served the pack faithfully for many years and had been a dependable Beta. We had always worked well together. I hoped his son was equally loyal and capable.
We shall see, Bozok said in his usual skeptical manner.
Hearing anything resembling approval from him was nearly impossible.
That's the only reason you're still alive, he shot back.
Then I turned my gaze to the wolves gathered around us and raised my voice.
"Invite everyone. The witches, the Alphas, even the Vampire King. Let them know that I have returned."
A threatening growl rumbled in my throat.
"I will forgive no one who lays a hand on my pack."
---
On the way back, that creature had blocked our path. We needed to find a way to get rid of him as soon as possible.
She is mine, Bozok growled.
Of course she was ours. But we had to find a way to separate Kayra from that creature without harming her, and for that, we would need the help of a witch.
Kongar had rushed toward the pack hospital after claiming that something had happened to Kayra. That cursed being was not only unbelievably fast, but seemingly impossible to kill. He was a serious threat, and as long as he remained here, neither my pack nor Kayra could ever be truly safe.
Most importantly, Kayra is not safe, Bozok said.
With those words, he seized complete control of my body, and once again I was left with no choice but to watch events unfold. When we reached the room, Kayra did not object when that strange creature left us alone, and the moment I saw that, I could feel our bond growing stronger.
Her body was aching, and the bond needed to be completed. But before that happened, I needed to explain everything to her.
There is nothing to explain, mine, Bozok growled, then began kissing and licking the place where we had bitten Kayra.
I needed to be the one in control.
What if she never forgives us?
Do not be a coward.
I was not a coward. But Kayra was human, not a wolf; she knew nothing about the rules of our kind or what this bond truly meant.
She will learn.
The choice had to be hers.
The fact that Kayra wanted to touch me of her own free will had surprised me. I told myself it was only the effect of the bond, and I tried not to let myself hope for more.
Keep telling yourself that. She loves me.
I hoped he was right.
When her tiny, soft hands slipped into my hair, my arms tightened instinctively around her waist. Then she did something I had never expected. Tugging gently at my hair, she began placing shy kisses along my neck. I was struggling with every ounce of my will not to throw her onto the bed and climb over her.
Then let us stop holding back. Why are you restraining us? Bozok growled.
If Kayra continued this sweet torture for even a little longer, I did not think I would want to stop Bozok. Her scent alone was intoxicating enough to test the limits of my self-control, and now her delicate yet surprisingly fierce touches were pushing me to the brink of madness.
Just as I was thinking that, the door opened and someone stepped inside.
"Arkan! You're back—"
As the woman's voice filled the room, Kayra turned to look at her. Another scent slipped into the air, mingling with Kayra's dizzying arousal.
Our former fiancée.
Your former fiancée, Bozok corrected angrily.
That was one of the reasons Bozok still resented me.
Resented? he roared. You have no claim over her. I would never betray my mate.
Neither would I, but...
Yes, of course. Keep telling yourself that.
For years, we had waited for our Luna, and over time I had begun to believe that I might never find her. Our bloodline had to continue; the pack needed an heir to lead after me. The elders of the pack had pressed me relentlessly on the matter, insisting that everyone would rest easier if I had an heir.
We are not ordinary werewolves.
And that was precisely the greatest problem.
The moment I sensed the intense surge of jealousy radiating from Kayra, my heart began to race. Did she truly care about me?
Of course she cares. She is our Luna—the one you betrayed.
Bozok never missed an opportunity to throw that mistake back in my face. Alara was a reasonable woman. Once she learned that I had found my Luna, she would leave me.
I growled when Kayra suddenly tugged at my hair. Then she sank her tiny teeth into my neck. Before I could recover from my surprise, she bit down a little deeper, and a wave of raw desire shuddered through my entire body. Purrs and growls spilled from my lips. I was practically purring like a cat.
Did she realize what she was doing? She was binding herself to me completely.
She is binding us to herself as well, Bozok said, his voice sounding drunk with pleasure. And why shouldn't she? If I could, I would keep her trapped within me forever.
As Alara murmured something on her way out, I did not hear a single word. The only sound echoing in my ears was the rhythm of Kayra's heartbeat pounding in perfect time with my own.
She accepted us.
No. She must have done it without understanding what she was doing. Besides, how could she possibly have known that she needed to bite my neck to bind us to her?
Kayra is an intelligent Luna, Bozok said with unmistakable pride. My clever mate.
She was intelligent, yes, but she also knew nothing. I was not even certain she fully understood that our world was real. And Alphas did not allow even their mates to mark them. Our wolves were far too dominant, and becoming completely bound in this way could pose a serious threat to the future of the pack. Without realizing it, Kayra had tied not only our fates, but our lives together as well. If anything happened to one of us, the other would not survive.
It was also a blood oath.
Why did you let her do this? I asked, while desire still burned fiercely through me.
Kayra may do anything she wishes to me. I have waited for her for years.
What about the pack?
All they care about is an heir. The only one who matters to me is Kayra.
I had never heard of an Alpha wolf sharing his authority with his mate. I was not troubled by the idea, but it made me realize that I understood Bozok far less than I had believed.
I am not an ordinary Alpha wolf, he said with a pleasure-laden groan.
When Kayra slipped from my arms and ran toward the bathroom, an unexpected emptiness opened inside me.
We should go with her.
I rose from the bed and waited outside the bathroom door. I wanted to go in and remain by her side, but the firm way she refused me left a sharp ache in my chest.
The moment the door opened, she collided with me. She was so delicate that I wanted to gather her into my arms and never let her go again. I should hide her from the world itself.
Yes, let us hide her. She is ours.
As I checked to see whether she had hurt her nose, her hands suddenly cupped my cheeks. Even that simple touch made every part of me cry out to possess her.
She tilted her head toward me.
She is going to kiss us.
Was she really going to kiss me?
But then I realized that, at the last moment, she hesitated and began to pull away.
No.
If she wanted to kiss us, then she was going to kiss us.
I slid my hand to the nape of her neck and drew her toward me.
And pressed my lips to hers.