Chapter 2: Unwelcome Bonds

Alethea's POV

I couldn’t breathe.

The air felt thick with tension, and every step I took seemed to draw me closer to the storm brewing within me. Ryker had his hand on my arm, pulling me through the trees, but every part of me screamed to pull away.

I didn’t want to be near him. I didn’t want to be caught up in whatever game he was playing. But his grip, firm and unyielding, kept me moving forward.

“What’s going on, Ryker?” I snapped, my voice shaky but demanding. “What was that thing out there? What are you not telling me?”

His jaw tightened, his eyes scanning the surrounding woods as we continued to move toward the edge of Silverwood. He didn’t answer right away, his focus laser-sharp. It was like he could feel the danger even before I did.

“Alethea,” he finally said, his voice rough. “You need to trust me. There’s more at stake than you realize.”

“I don’t trust you.” My words were venomous, sharp with the bitterness that had been building for years. “I don’t trust anything about you or your pack. I made it clear I want nothing to do with you.”

Ryker’s eyes met mine, a flicker of something dark passing through them. His expression hardened, but there was something else underneath—a hint of regret, perhaps, or an understanding I couldn’t quite place. “Then you’re going to have to trust me on this. I’m not here for the pack. I’m here because of you.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, yanking my arm free from his grip. “What the hell are you talking about?” I couldn’t contain the disbelief in my voice. “You’ve been nothing but a damn nuisance since the day you showed up. Why me? What could I possibly have to do with your pack?”

Ryker stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. My breath caught as he towered over me, his gaze unwavering. “It’s not just the pack, Alethea. You’re more connected to this world than you realize. You’re part of something much bigger than your hatred for me. And I need you to understand that.”

I backed away, my chest tight. “I’m not a part of your world. I don’t want any part of it. I don’t owe you anything.”

“You do.” Ryker’s voice was low and unyielding, and it sent a shiver down my spine. “Whether you want to accept it or not, you’re tied to it. To me. The sooner you face that, the sooner you can stop running from yourself.”

I shook my head, refusing to let his words sink in. He was playing some kind of game, trying to manipulate me. I wasn’t going to fall for it. Not again.

Before I could say another word, the sound of rushing footsteps interrupted our conversation. There was a growl, low and guttural, followed by another one—closer, louder. My heart hammered in my chest as my instincts screamed at me to run.

“Ryker…” I breathed, my voice barely audible as the growls grew louder.

“Stay close,” he ordered, his eyes scanning the surrounding trees. His body shifted into a more defensive stance, his muscles tensing. “They’re here.”

Before I could react, a shadow darted past us, moving at inhuman speed. I barely had time to register it before more figures emerged from the forest—rogue wolves, their eyes glowing with a feral hunger. They surrounded us, their snarls filling the air.

I felt my heart race in my chest. This wasn’t just a random pack. This was a rogue group—a pack out of control, a pack that had no loyalty to anyone but themselves.

“What do they want?” I asked, my voice trembling as I looked to Ryker, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

Ryker’s gaze never left the rogues as they slowly circled us, his expression hardening. “They want Silverwood,” he said through gritted teeth. “And they’re not here for a peaceful negotiation. This ends tonight.”

“Are you going to fight them?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, but the fear in my chest was palpable.

Ryker turned his piercing gaze to me, his lips curling into a smirk. “What do you think?”

A growl erupted from one of the rogue wolves, and the others joined in, their eyes glowing with malevolent hunger. I didn’t have time to respond. Before I could even move, Ryker shifted—his form rippling, bones cracking as his wolf emerged in a burst of fury.

The transformation was fast, brutal. In seconds, the man I had been facing was gone, replaced by a massive, black-furred beast. His golden eyes locked onto mine for a fraction of a second, and then he turned, charging into the fray.

I took a step back, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was a monster, a beast unlike anything I’d ever seen. But there was something… beautiful about it. His power, his ferocity, it was intoxicating.

But I wasn’t just standing there like a helpless bystander.

I closed my eyes, focusing, reaching deep inside myself, trying to tap into whatever was buried within me. I could feel it—the pull, the energy that had always been there, just out of reach. I didn’t know how to control it, but I had to try. I couldn’t stand by while Ryker fought alone. Not again.

I concentrated harder, and just as I felt the surge of magic rising within me, the rogue wolves lunged forward. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, and I raised my hands instinctively, casting a shield of pure energy between me and the attacking wolves.

It worked. For a moment, at least.

The wolves stopped short, their eyes flashing with confusion and anger. But I wasn’t prepared for the backlash. The force of their power pushed against my shield, threatening to break through.

“Alethea, move!” Ryker’s voice—gravelly, urgent—shouted from behind me.

I snapped my eyes open, just in time to see him leap at one of the rogues, his claws sinking deep into the wolf’s flesh. The animal let out a howl of pain before collapsing to the ground.

I didn’t need any more prompting. I charged forward, the power inside me swelling as I called on it again, more forcefully this time.

The air around me crackled, and for the first time, I felt like I was connected—like I was part of this world, part of the wolves, part of the fight.

As my hands reached out, a wave of energy surged forward, knocking back two of the rogue wolves. The ground beneath their paws cracked, and they stumbled back, stunned.

Ryker paused, his eyes locked on me in stunned surprise. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know,” I gasped, my chest heaving with the effort. “But I didn’t do it intentionally.”

Ryker’s wolf growled, his tail flicking with an almost... prideful energy. He looked at me with a mixture of confusion and something else I couldn’t quite place—something darker, more primal.

“Stay close to me,” he ordered, though his voice was softer now, like he was suddenly seeing me in a new light. But I could also feel it—the undeniable pull between us, growing stronger by the second. The bond that shouldn’t exist, but was forming anyway.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog in my mind. “I don’t want this,” I whispered, but even as I said it, I knew it was a lie.

The air shimmered around us, and the rogues regrouped, circling again. Ryker’s eyes locked with mine. “Get ready. This fight is just beginning.”