Elara fell down. She couldn't breathe because her chest hurt so much. Her knees scraped against the wood as she fell hard to the floor. People were yelling around her, but it sounded like she was underwater because the sounds were so far away.
Her dad yelled, "Get away from her!"
The pain wouldn't go away, though. Her ribs felt like they were being used to rip out her heart. She looked up through her tears and saw Alaric fall backwards with his hand on his chest. His face was turned up in pain. Whatever was happening to her was happening to him too.
"Make it stop," she gasped.
Kian's laughter cut through the confusion. "It won't stop until you accept it, little omega. The mate bond doesn't care if you're ready or not."
Mate bond. The words made Elara's stomach flip. She had heard stories about mate ties her whole life. They were meant to be beautiful and magical. They weren't supposed to feel like dying.
"This is impossible," her father said. "She's too young."
"Tell that to the Moon Goddess," Kian said with a smirk.
Alaric took a shaky step toward Elara. The moment he moved closer, the pain in her chest eased just a little. But when he stopped, it came back twice as strong.
"Don't," he growled, but Elara didn't know if he was talking to her or to himself.
She tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't work. The unseen rope around her heart was pulling so hard she thought it might snap. Every instinct in her body was yelling at her to get closer to Alaric, even though her brain was telling her to run.
"Help me," she whispered to Lira.
But when Lira tried to touch her, Elara's skin felt like it was on fire. She jerked away with a cry.
"I can't touch you," Lira said, her eyes wide with fear. "It's like you're burning up."
That's when Elara understood. The link wouldn't let anyone else near her. Only him.
She looked across the room at Alaric. He was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face. His cold blue eyes were locked on hers, and for the first time since he'd arrived, he didn't look cruel or scary. He looked desperate.
"This is your fault," he said, his voice rough. "You did this to us."
"I didn't do anything!" Elara shot back, anger giving her strength to sit up.
"You called to me," he said. "Every night for weeks. In my dreams. You wouldn't leave me alone."
The dreams. Elara's heart skipped. "You... you saw me too?"
Something flickered in Alaric's eyes. "Every time I closed my eyes, there you were. Calling my name. Begging me to find you."
"I never begged for anything," Elara said, even though she wasn't sure that was true. Sometimes in her dreams, she had felt so lonely she thought she might die from it.
"Didn't you?" Alaric took another step closer. The pain in Elara's chest eased again.
"Stay back," her father warned, but his voice sounded weak.
Alaric ignored him completely. His eyes never left Elara's face as he walked slowly across the room. With each step, the terrible pulling feeling in her chest got quieter.
"Don't come any closer," Elara said, but her voice came out like a whisper.
"It hurts when I'm far away," Alaric said simply. "Doesn't it hurt you too?"
It did. It hurt so much she wanted to scream. But saying that felt like giving up, and Elara had never given up on anything in her life.
"I don't want this," she said.
Alaric stopped right in front of her. Up close, she could see that his hands were shaking. "Neither do I."
But when he knelt down beside her, the pain disappeared totally. For the first time since the bond had snapped into place, Elara could breathe properly.
"Better?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
They looked at each other in silence. This close, Elara could see that Alaric's eyes weren't totally cold. There was something else there. Something that looked almost... scared?
"I don't understand what's happening," she whispered.
"The Moon Goddess chose us for each other," Alaric said. "Whether we like it or not."
"But I don't know you."
"You will."
The way he said it made Elara shiver. It sounded like a promise and a threat at the same time.
"Can I..." Alaric reached out his hand, then stopped. "May I touch you? It might help with the pain."
Elara looked at his raised hand. She knew she should say no. This man was a stranger. He had been cruel to her pack. He was dangerous in ways she didn't even understand yet.
But the part of her that was linked to him through the mate bond was screaming yes.
"Just... just your hand," she said.
Alaric nodded and slowly reached toward her. When his fingers touched hers, lightning shot up Elara's arm. But it wasn't painful this time. It was warm and tingly and made her feel safe in a way she had never felt before.
"Oh," she breathed.
Alaric's eyes widened. "You feel it too."
She did. The moment their skin touched, it was like coming home after being lost for her entire life. The scared, confused feeling in her chest melted away, replaced by something that felt like... belonging.
This was why she had been having the dreams. This was why she had felt so antsy and lonely lately. She had been missing him without even knowing he existed.
"This is impossible," she whispered.
"But it's real," Alaric said. His thumb brushed across her fingers, and Elara had to bite her lip to keep from making a sound.
"What happens now?" she asked.
Before Alaric could answer, Kian's words cut through their moment like a knife.
"How touching," he said. "But I'm afraid this little reunion will have to wait."
Elara and Alaric both looked up. Kian was standing over them with a smile that made Elara's blood run cold.
"You see," Kian added, "there's something you both don't know. Something very important."
"What are you talking about?" Alaric growled, but he didn't let go of Elara's hand.
Kian's smile got bigger. "The mate bond between you isn't normal, Alaric. Someone made it happen."
"That's impossible," Elara's father said.
"Is it?" Kian pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small metal pendant that glowed with strange light. "Elara's been wearing a charm for the past three months. A charm meant to call to a specific alpha. Haven't you, little omega?"
Elara's heart stopped. She looked down at her neck and saw the chain her father had given her for her birthday three months ago. She had worn it every day since then. The same necklace that was now shining with the same light as Kian's pendant.
"Dad?" she whispered, turning to her father with fear.
But her father's face had gone white. He wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Kian like he had seen a ghost.
"You were supposed to wait," her father said quietly.
"Wait for what?" Alaric ordered, standing up and pulling Elara with him.
Kian's laugh filled the room. "Wait for the wedding, of course. You see, Alaric, your mate was already promised to someone else. She was promised to me."