Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 191: The Reckless Fire

Chapter 191: The Reckless Fire

Kieran:

I didn’t move until I was sure the footsteps outside had disappeared.

Only then did I tighten my hold on her wrist and tug gently. "Come on," I whispered.

She didn’t protest, didn’t even hesitate... just followed. Her feet was light and careful against the cold stone floor. We passed through the hidden latch and descended into the narrow tunnel that ran beneath the Academy buildings.

The space was damp and silent, lined with old stone and scattered with faint traces of dust and spiderwebs. Even the smallest sound was echoing like a whisper of ghosts.

I felt her pulse hammering through the fragile bones of her wrist. It was fast. Wild.

Was it from the cold or the fear?

Her fingers were trembling slightly in my grip. She must have been freezing. The temperature in these tunnels was always lower than anywhere else on campus. And she wasn’t even wearing proper clothes to keep her warm, just a sweater and a cloak too thin for the biting wind outside.

Dammit, Evaline.

I didn’t say it aloud. Not yet. I kept walking, guiding her through the darkness with the ease of someone who had memorized every turn, every crack. I had used these tunnels too many times to count. But the further we walked, the more the questions inside me burned.

What was she even thinking?

Sneaking out this late. Eavesdropping on that group. She had no wolf. No backup. Not even the sense to call someone for help.

And she had almost been caught.

That thought, that image, sent a wave of red-hot fury crawling through my veins.

She didn’t understand how close she came to something she wouldn’t walk away from.

Stars above, if I hadn’t seen her slipping into that tower from the window of my quarters and tailed her...

I clenched my jaw as I felt my anger mixing with relief in a cocktail I didn’t know how to handle.

We reached the exit behind the west wing, and I pushed open the concealed door that led to the corridor behind the faculty quarters. Soft golden light from the hallway lamps spilled into the shadows as I stepped out first.

She followed close behind.

I heard her gasp when the dim light finally revealed my face and she recognized me.

She didn’t say anything, but I sensed her body relaxing, just enough to tell me she knew she was no longer in danger. Not from the people chasing her anyway.

But she was smart enough to know that I had my own brand of trouble waiting.

I said nothing as we walked. A few stairs, then two empty hallways later, we reached the door to my quarters. I entered the passcode, the lock clicked, and I pushed the door open, motioning for her to step inside first. Once we were in, I locked the door behind us and flipped on a single lamp.

The soft glow painted the living room in warm shadows.

Only then did I turn to her with my full attention.

She didn’t speak. Her gaze skittered from wall to floor to bookshelf, anywhere but at me. She was trying to look composed. Innocent. But the guilt was all over her face.

And maybe that’s what made me snap. "What the hell were you thinking, Evaline?" My voice cracked like a whip through the room.

She flinched.

The sound echoed off the walls and seemed to freeze the air between us. The second I saw her shrink into herself, the rage I was feeling turned to instant regret.

My wolf thrashed inside me, unhappy, furious... ashamed. He hated that she flinched at my voice. Hated that I made her look like that.

Her lips trembled, and then, without a word, she turned her face away. Still I noticed the lone tear that slid down her cheek. Silent. Small. But sharp enough to cut me clean through.

She wiped it away before it could fall, as if pretending it didn’t exist would undo it.

"Eva-" My voice was softer now, almost desperate. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I just-"

I exhaled hard and dragged a hand down my face.

"I was worried. Okay? I was terrified you would get caught. You have no idea how dangerous this matter is. Carson wasn’t a warning to us. He was a message."

She still didn’t speak. Her arms were folded around herself, shoulders tight. But she wasn’t crying anymore either. She was just... still.

I knew I shouldn’t have, but I stepped forward and gently pulled her into my arms.

She went rigid for a second, like she didn’t know how to respond. Her hands stayed glued to her sides.

"It’s okay," I whispered against her hair. "You are safe now. I promise. I have got you."

For a moment, nothing changed.

Then slowly, her arms lifted and curled around my torso. She passed her forehead to my chest, and I felt it.

The shift.

Her walls breaking down. Her breath shaking. The emotions she had been holding in, all of them, crashing through her like a wave. Fear. Guilt. Anger. Relief.

She trembled in my hold, and my only instinct was to pull her closer, tighter, like I could absorb all of it into myself and leave her light again.

"I didn’t mean to be reckless," she murmured into my shirt. "I just... couldn’t stop thinking about what I heard. I couldn’t sleep. I needed to know."

I closed my eyes. Her voice... it was small. Honest. It hurt to hear her this vulnerable.

"I know," I said. "But next time, you don’t go alone. Do you understand me?"

She nodded.

"And next time," I added, my lips brushing the top of her head, "you come to me. You want to know something, I’ll find the answers. You don’t get to throw yourself in front of danger just because you are curious."

She looked up, and her eyes met mine. And stars help me, there was something in her gaze that made it hard to breathe.

She wasn’t just the girl I once helped in the passing.

She was the center of everything I couldn’t have.

Everything I shouldn’t want.

And still...

I gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"You are going to be the death of me, Evaline Greystone."