Chapter seven

The night air was cool against Kai’s skin as he stirred awake. His body ached with exhaustion, but his mind was already alert. For a brief moment, he forgot where he was. The quiet rustling of the trees, the distant river’s soft murmurs, and the presence of something warm near him were unfamiliar sensations.

Then it all came back—the Alphas, the fight, the bond pressing against his chest like a persistent weight.

His wolf stirred within him, restless. It was drawn to them, these three Alphas who had fought for him, who had claimed—no, who believed he belonged to them. Kai exhaled sharply, his breath visible in the cold night air.

He was still curled up near the edge of camp, away from the others, but not far enough to escape their presence. His body felt strangely comforted by their closeness, though his mind rebelled against the idea. He had spent years alone, running, avoiding anything resembling a pack or a bond.

So why did this feel different?

Across the fire, Lucian sat against a rock, his eyes closed but his breathing steady. He was awake—Kai could tell by the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers occasionally tapped against his knee as if he were keeping time with an invisible rhythm. He was a warrior even at rest.

Kieran lay on his back near the river, his golden eyes half-lidded as he gazed at the sky. His body was relaxed, but there was something sharp about his presence, like he was always listening, always aware.

Rhett was the only one truly asleep, sprawled on the ground, his arms folded behind his head. His chest rose and fell in steady breaths, his face slack with ease. He looked deceptively peaceful, but Kai had seen how quickly he could shift into a predator.

A part of Kai hated how easily they seemed to exist together, how their energy fit like puzzle pieces, leaving only one missing spot. A spot that, no matter how much he denied it, felt shaped for him.

The fire crackled, sending flickering shadows against the trees.

“You’re awake,” Lucian said without opening his eyes.

Kai stiffened slightly but didn’t bother lying. “So are you.”

Lucian’s lips twitched in what could have been amusement. “An Alpha doesn’t sleep deeply when there’s a new wolf in his territory.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “I’m not a threat.”

Lucian opened his eyes then, fixing him with a piercing gaze. “Aren’t you?”

Kai frowned, confused by the question. He wasn’t strong enough to challenge an Alpha, let alone three. What did Lucian mean?

Before he could ask, Kieran spoke up, his voice calm but unreadable. “He means that you’re a wild card, Kai. You fight us at every turn. You don’t submit, and you refuse to run. That makes you unpredictable.”

Kai bristled. “I don’t fight for fun. I fight because I have no choice.”

Rhett stirred, grunting as he stretched. “You always have a choice, sweetheart.” His voice was rough with sleep, but that usual teasing edge was still there.

Kai turned away from them, staring at the trees. “You don’t know what it’s like. To be hunted. To be used.”

Silence stretched between them.

Then, to his surprise, Lucian spoke again. His voice was quieter this time, less sharp.

“We know more than you think.”

Kai looked at him sharply. “Do you?”

Lucian held his gaze, something unreadable flickering in his blue eyes. “More than you realize.”

Kai didn’t know what to say to that.

He didn’t want to know what these Alphas had been through. He didn’t want to relate to them. That would make them real. That would make it harder to keep his distance.

Kieran shifted, pushing himself up on one elbow. “No one’s asking you to trust us overnight, Kai. But you can’t keep shutting us out. That’s not how the bond works.”

Kai clenched his jaw. “I didn’t ask for this bond.”

Rhett chuckled, sitting up fully now. “None of us did. But the universe doesn’t give a damn about what we want.”

Kai exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. “So what now? You keep me here until I magically accept this? Until I roll over like some obedient Omega?”

Lucian’s expression darkened. “That’s not what we want.”

Kai scoffed. “Then what do you want?”

Kieran sighed, standing. He walked toward Kai, stopping just a few feet away. “We want you to stop running from yourself.”

Kai froze.

The fire crackled between them, but all he could hear was the hammering of his heart.

Rhett leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “We’re not asking you to give up who you are, Kai. We’re just asking you to stop pretending you don’t feel this.”

Kai’s breath hitched.

The bond.

It pulsed between them, warm and insistent, curling around his chest like a second heartbeat.

Kai had spent so long resisting it, fighting against the pull. But now, sitting here in the quiet glow of the fire, surrounded by the three Alphas who had protected him, he felt something crack.

His wolf whimpered inside him, aching for connection.

He hated it.

He needed it.

Kai swallowed hard, looking away. “I don’t know how.”

Lucian’s voice was softer now, almost gentle. “Then let us show you.”

Kai squeezed his eyes shut, his mind warring with his instincts.

Let them in? Let them show him?

Could he do that?

Could he survive it?

He didn’t know.

But for the first time in a long, long time…

He wanted to try.

The next morning, Kai woke before the others. The sky was still streaked with the last hints of night, the world painted in muted blues and grays.

For a long time, he just sat there, staring at the river.

The bond hadn’t loosened. If anything, it felt stronger after last night’s conversation. It was as if acknowledging it, even a little, had given it power.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling.

He wasn’t ready to surrender to it.

But maybe…

Maybe he didn’t have to keep fighting it so hard, either.

The sound of footsteps drew his attention, and he turned to see Kieran approaching. The blond Alpha sat down beside him without a word.

For a while, they just sat in silence, watching the river move.

Finally, Kieran spoke. “You stayed.”

Kai hesitated before nodding. “I stayed.”

Kieran didn’t smile, but there was something in his golden eyes that looked… pleased.

“Good,” he said simply.

Kai looked at him, searching for hidden motives, for some kind of trick. But there was nothing there—just quiet acceptance.

Kai exhaled and turned back to the water.

For the first time, the bond between them didn’t feel like chains.

It felt like a choice.

One he still wasn’t sure he wanted to make.

But at least, for now…

He wasn’t running.