The entire pack is bound to our Luna.
What was that supposed to mean?
I took a few steps back. Why would an entire pack be bound to me?
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Soren frowned. His gaze shifted away from me and settled on Arkan.
"I haven't explained the Luna matter yet," Arkan said.
Soren nodded as if that explained everything.
"The Luna matter?" I asked.
A bad feeling settled in my stomach. Every new thing I learned about this world turned out to be more complicated than the last.
"You accepted our Alpha as your mate," Soren said, pointing at Arkan's neck.
My gaze snapped to Kongar.
"You were the one who told me to bite him!" I shouted.
My whole body was trembling with anger. Arkan tried to move closer, but I raised a hand to stop him.
"Yes," Kongar said. "But my goal was to make sure you would have a say over him as well."
Then he dropped to his knees in front of me and lowered his head.
"Forgive me, Kayra."
What kind of authority could I possibly have over him?
When Kongar lifted his head, I saw tears trailing down from his yellow eyes. The sight of him crying made some of my anger give way to surprise. What was even stranger was that his tears weren't clear—they were a pale yellow color.
"You refused to come with me," he said, sniffing. "I had no other choice."
I blinked.
He wasn't entirely wrong. I never would have agreed to go anywhere alone with him. But now I had somehow ended up entangled in an inexplicable bond with an entire pack.
Would it have been better if I had just stayed in that pit and quietly waited to die?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a knock sounded at the door, and I turned toward it.
The moment I realized the person who had entered was the blonde woman I had seen before, my already tense body grew even tighter. I felt Kongar rise to his feet and move to my side while the woman looked directly at Arkan.
"Arkan, are you available? My father is coming to visit."
Before I even had time to think about what I was doing, my body moved toward her. I had barely taken a few steps when Arkan wrapped an arm around my waist from behind and pulled me back against him.
"Calm down, Kayra," he said, leaning close to my ear.
The warmth of his breath against my skin sent a shiver through my entire body.
I had expected a growl in his voice, but instead there was a pleased purr. It sounded as though he was enjoying this rather than being bothered by it.
Was he actually enjoying this?
More importantly, what was wrong with my body?
As I struggled to free myself from Arkan's arms, I noticed the blonde woman watching us with a smile.
Was this funny to her?
"Luna... um..." the woman began.
"Kayra," Soren corrected.
While I was still trying to reach her from within Arkan's embrace, she cleared her throat and tried again.
"Luna Kayra, welcome to your pack."
Welcome?
Wait a minute...
Wasn't she supposed to be my rival?
Get a grip, Kayra. Rival? Really?
"Thank you. Um..." I said, extending my hand toward her even though I was still trapped in Arkan's arms.
"Alara," the blonde woman said.
As she shook my hand, her eyes flickered toward Arkan for the briefest moment.
The fact that she was standing so close to him stirred a tension inside me that I didn't particularly like, but I chose to ignore it.
Maybe Arkan would end up with her and leave me alone. That way, I would at least be rid of one of them.
The thought brought a faint smile to my lips.
However, the moment Alara noticed the expression on my face, her brows drew together slightly. A second later, she smiled back as if returning the gesture.
Another knock sounded at the door, and a man stepped inside. He greeted Arkan first, then me, still trapped in Arkan's arms, before turning to acknowledge Soren and Alara as well.
"The Alpha of the Eastern Pack has arrived, Alpha," he announced.
"My father got here sooner than I expected," Alara said as she headed for the door.
As Arkan's arms slowly began to loosen around my waist, an inexplicable sense of unease settled over me. Before I could even stop to question it, I dug my nails into the hard muscles of his arms and let out a low, dissatisfied sound.
The movement in the room came to an abrupt halt.
While I was still trying to figure out what I had just done, a deep growl rumbled from Arkan's throat. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist again, pulling me back against him until our bodies were pressed together.
A startled sound escaped my lips at the sudden contact, but that wasn't what truly caught my attention.
A scent flooded my senses—more intense and intoxicating than anything I had ever smelled before. It wasn't floral, nor did it resemble anything familiar, yet for some reason I wanted nothing more than to keep breathing it in.
I inhaled again, trying to find its source.
"Where is that scent coming from?" I whispered.
As much as I could, I turned my head toward Arkan.
"What scent, Kayra?" Kongar asked.
He had somehow appeared right in front of me, and now he was sniffing the air along with me.
How could he not smell something this strong and overwhelming?
"Alpha," Soren said.
I didn't even look at him. The scent was the only thing I could focus on.
"I think Luna can smell her mate's scent now as well," he continued.
Mate's scent...
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.
Arkan pulled me a little closer, buried his face in my hair, and inhaled deeply as well.
"Hmm..." he murmured. "My mate..."
My mate.
The words echoed through my mind, and I opened my eyes at once.
Kongar's darkened eyes were right in front of me. He had moved so close that I could feel the cold brush of his breath against my face.
My body tensed, and I shifted restlessly in Arkan's arms, instinctively pulling my nails free from where they had dug into his skin. Only then did I realize how deeply I had sunk them into his arms. The moment my nails left his flesh, Arkan straightened with a dissatisfied rumble.
"I-I..."
I cleared my throat and tried again.
"I think you shouldn't keep the Alpha waiting any longer."
I slowly pushed away the arms wrapped around my waist. Arkan tightened his hold at first, but eventually gave up resisting and let me go.
"Let him wait," he said flatly.
His voice was still deep, but it lacked the strength I was used to hearing from him.
"But keeping a guest waiting when they've come to see you isn't very fitting for an Alpha," I said.
I had absolutely no idea what was or wasn't fitting for an Alpha. I was simply clinging to the first excuse that came to mind if it meant getting him out of the room.
Arkan stared at me silently for a moment.
"I'll be back soon," he said at last.
Then he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. After giving me one last smile, he followed Alara out of the room.
The sight made irritation flare inside me all over again.
I needed to get rid of that girl.
No.
No, no.
She was the key to my freedom.
"Luna, they'll be bringing you some food. If you'd like, you can rest until it arrives," Soren said.
For the first time since we'd met, he was treating me with such obvious respect and distance.
"Don't call me Luna—"
By the time I turned my head, I realized he was already gone.
I slowly walked over to the bed and sat down. Kongar settled beside me at the exact same moment. Over the last few minutes, it felt as though he had been staying closer to me than usual.
Turning slightly toward him, I looked at his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Kongar studied me in silence for a moment before lowering his head.
"Have you forgiven me, Kayra?" he asked, lifting his eyes to meet mine.
His eyes had returned to their familiar golden color, but they were still damp.
Was he still crying?
I slowly raised my hand and wiped away the tear trailing down his cheek.
"Can I trust you?"
"Of course, Kayra. I am bound to you," he said, taking the hand that had wiped away his tear and holding it between his palms.
"What kind of bond is this?" I asked. "Is it like a mate bond?"
Kongar shook his head slightly.
"Deeper."
Then he placed a hand against my chest, directly over my heart. A moment later, he took my hand and pressed it against his own chest.
I could feel his heart beating beneath my palm.
The strange thing was that its rhythm matched mine perfectly.
It was as if the two hearts were beating together.
"How is that possible?" I whispered.
"Our souls are connected," he said.
He had a soul?
Wasn't he a creation of witches?
"You're more connected to me than you are to Arkan," he said, and his eyes darkened for a brief moment.
His voice was deeper than I had ever heard it before, yet strangely calm.
Cradling my face between both of his hands, he leaned closer and—
Kissed me.