The pull of the forbiden

Elara’s POV

I led the way through the thick forest, branches snagging at my sleeves, my boots sinking into the mossy ground. The trees stood like old guards, tall and watchful, their trunks blurred by drifting mist that curled like fingers through the undergrowth. Every step felt like trespassing, like we were slipping into a place that had been hidden for centuries and should have stayed that way.

We walked deeper, and slowly, the forest began to thin. The mist loosened, sliding between the trees and rising into the cool air. Faint sounds drifted toward us—soft echoes of life beyond the woods. Ahead, the edge of the extension part of town came into view, blurred but familiar.

This was where most people lived. Small houses with weathered roofs lined crooked streets, their windows glowing with warm yellow light as dusk settled. Laughter echoed faintly—high, clear peals of children chasing each other down dirt roads. The smell of baked bread drifted from open doors, mixing with the faint scent of earth and woodsmoke. People moved easily here—carrying baskets, tending neat garden beds, leaning on porches as they spoke in quiet tones. Life had a rhythm here, slow and steady, unhurried in a way the rest of the town forgot.

It felt far away from the main part of town, where narrow roads twisted between crowded market stalls and old shops. There, voices rose and fell in tangled waves, footsteps hurried over cobblestones from dawn to dusk. Here, everything stretched wider. Softer. The air was calmer, even if something inside me wasn’t.

The others trailed behind me, quiet as shadows, but I could feel Kieran’s gaze pressing into my back—heavy, unrelenting. It made my heart pound faster and spun my thoughts in tight, dizzy circles. At first, he kept his distance, but his Alpha power still pushed against me, too strong, too close. My wolf stirred deep inside, uneasy. Without her to steady me, I felt everything from Kieran with sharp clarity, too raw to ignore. I clenched my fists. I wouldn’t let him see me slip.

But then he moved closer.

I felt it before I saw it—the shift of his weight, the subtle change in the air. My breath caught. I glanced at him for only a second, just a flicker of a look before I forced my gaze back to the path. His face gave nothing away. His dark eyes were shadowed, deep and searching, his jaw sharp with focus. A spark of heat flickered through me, low and unwelcome, but I locked it down and kept walking, steps even, face blank.

I heard the soft fall of his boots on the ground. And then, suddenly, he was beside me, matching my pace as if he’d always been meant to walk there.

“Afraid of an Alpha, little wolf?” His voice brushed my ear, low and warm, threading straight into my chest.

I snapped my head toward him and glared. “I’m not afraid,” I said, but my voice shook—just enough for both of us to hear.

Kieran’s lips curved into a slow smile. “You’re shaking.”

“From being grossed out,” I snapped. Another lie. A weak one. I sped up, but he stayed right with me, step for step. The air between us thickened with each stride, dense and heated. A coil of fire unfurled deep in my belly, sharp and maddening. My wolf whimpered, wanting to be closer—Alpha and Omega. Natural, inevitable. I bit down on the inside of my cheek.

The ground sloped upward, and I stumbled on slick leaves. My breath caught as I tipped forward, but before I could fall, Kieran’s hands wrapped around me. Strong, steady. His arms closed around me like it was the easiest thing in the world. It was him.

And his scent—gods, his scent—pine after rain, fire and something darker, something deeper that pulled at a part of me I didn’t want to name. My heart hammered, my pulse beating fast and bright in my ears. I froze as our eyes locked, and everything around us blurred.

The mist thickened again, folding close and swallowing sound. All I felt were Kieran’s hands holding me upright, the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my back, the shallow rise and fall of his breath. His eyes dropped to my lips, and hunger flickered there—sharp, raw, unhidden—for just a second before he blinked and it was gone. His grip tightened like he was fighting himself, muscles coiled beneath his skin.

Heat surged to my cheeks. I shoved against his chest, breaking free and stumbling back.

“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, but it came out thin, brittle. A lie wrapped in fragile words. Kieran slowly raised his hands, face shifting from smug to serious, gaze steady.

“As you wish, little wolf.”

I turned away sharply, pretending to scan the woods. My skin burned where he’d touched me. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to smother the heat, trying to pretend it hadn’t happened.

The others were too far ahead to see—or maybe they had seen and chose to say nothing. Shame twisted tight in my chest, sharp and biting. How could I want Kieran when I already had a mate? How could my body betray me like this? I thought of Rendell—his cold eyes, the way his smile felt like he was ticking off a task. Our bond felt thin now, stretched like frayed thread.

“No. I chose Rendell. I won’t break that.”

But as we kept walking, I couldn’t stop watching Kieran from the corner of my eye. Every shift of his shoulders, every flex of his hands sent shivers down my spine. I hated him for slipping into my thoughts, for making me doubt everything I’d promised myself. I needed space.

The trail narrowed, forcing us into a single line. I hurried ahead, desperate to put distance between us, between him and the heat rising inside me. My wolf whimpered louder now, clawing at me from within. I clenched my teeth. She wanted Kieran. It was terrifying. It couldn’t be real.

Mates were fate. You didn’t make mistakes. Or… Did you?

I remembered old stories—whispers about second bonds. Myths told around firesides, dismissed as legend. Nothing real. I was already claimed. I had made my choice.

And yet—

And yet—

I stumbled again, catching my foot on a root hidden under the leaves.

“Fuck.”A curse slipped from my lips. Kieran’s voice floated from behind me, softer now, edged with something careful.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I snapped, sharper than I meant.

“That’s the second time, little wolf. Don’t tell me you’re that clumsy?” His voice slid toward me again, low and teasing, but softer this time. Almost… amused.

I stopped in the middle of the trail and turned back to glare at him, letting out a sharp breath. His lips curved into a faint smirk, eyes catching the dim light, glinting like polished stone. Calm. Confident. Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

I clenched my jaw and tore my gaze away, forcing my feet to keep moving forward.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU, ELARA? FOCUS ON THE WAY!”

I screamed the words in my head, scolding myself as my boots hit the ground harder. My pulse raced, too fast, too uneven. I felt hot and cold all at once. This wasn’t me. I didn’t lose control like this. Not over a man. Not over him. Damn it!

But I felt him watching me now—not like prey, but like he was trying to understand me. His gaze wasn’t hunting—it was searching.

We fell into silence, our boots quiet on the mossy ground. I kept walking, kept my eyes forward, forcing my thoughts to stay clear. I wouldn’t let this consume me. I wouldn’t.But deep inside, something had already shifted. Something had cracked, deep and quiet. And I was terrified it was already too late.

Because there was something about Kieran—something dark and magnetic—that tugged at me no matter how hard I tried to turn away.

And that scared me more than anything.