Elara's back pressed against the cool marble of the bathroom counter, Kai's massive body caging her in. The piece of bread hovered at her lips, his thumb gently but insistently pressing against her jaw.
"Eat," he repeated, voice low and rough with frustration.
She glared up at him, heart pounding. "Get your hands off me."
From the bedroom, Mia's nervous voice floated in. "Elara? What's happening? Who are these people?"
Lila stood in the doorway, shifting anxiously. "Kai… she really won't eat. And the girl looks scared."
Kai exhaled sharply, golden eyes flashing with barely contained worry. He lowered the bread but didn't step back. "Fine. Talk first. Then you eat."
He finally released her jaw and stepped away just enough for Elara to slide off the counter. She rushed back into the bedroom, pulling Mia protectively behind her on the huge bed.
Kai followed, towering over them both. Lila hovered near the door, tray still in her hands.
"Listen carefully," Kai said, his tone serious but edged with urgency. "You're in the territory of the Nightshade Pack. I am their Alpha. We are werewolves."
Elara stared at him. A beat of silence. Then she laughed — sharp, disbelieving, edged with hysteria.
"Werewolves?" She shook her head, clutching Mia tighter. "You kidnapped us, drugged me, locked us in some fancy forest mansion, and now you're telling fairy tales? Wolves that turn into people? Do you even hear how insane that sounds?"
Mia's eyes were wide, flicking between Kai and Lila. "He's joking, right? Like… a cult or something? Or one of those prank YouTube things?"
Lila looked genuinely confused. "Cult? No, we're real. I can shift if you want proof—"
"No!" Elara snapped, holding up a hand. "Don't. Just… stop. Wolves don't exist.
People don't turn into animals. This is Pretoria, not some fantasy movie. You're clearly dangerous and delusional."
Kai's jaw tightened. He ran a hand through his dark hair, the scar over his eyebrow standing out. "I know it sounds impossible to humans. But it's real. The Moon Goddess binds us. We live hidden among you — packs in the forests, territories you think are just nature reserves. Last night in the alley… I didn't realize you were my fated mate until the bond hit me the next morning. That's why I came back for you. For both of you."
Elara's stomach twisted — partly from the pregnancy, partly from the sheer ridiculousness of his words. Fated mate? Moon Goddess? She remembered the night clearly: the heat, the intensity, the way his eyes seemed to glow. But that didn't mean he was a werewolf. It meant he was good in bed and now completely unhinged.
"You're lying," she said flatly. "Or crazy. Either way, let us go. I have a job. Mia has school. We have a life. Whatever game this is, it ends now."
Kai stepped closer, his presence filling the room. "It's not a game, Elara. You're carrying my pup — a shifter child. That's why you're sick. Your human body is too weak to handle the rapid growth. The pregnancy is attacking you from the inside. Without my claiming bite, without becoming part of the pack, you won't survive to full term. The baby won't either."
Mia whispered, "Elara… he sounds serious."
Elara's hand instinctively went to her stomach. The cramps had eased slightly after the forced bite of bread earlier, but the strange heat still simmered under her skin. Still, she refused to believe any of this supernatural nonsense.
"I don't know what kind of drugs you gave me," she said, voice shaking with anger and fear, "but werewolves aren't real. Magic bites that fix pregnancies? That's insane. I'm not letting you anywhere near me with your teeth or whatever crazy ritual you have planned."
Kai's eyes darkened with a mix of desperation and alpha dominance. He glanced at Lila. "Take the girl — Mia — to the kitchen. Get her something to eat and show her around safely. She's pack-adjacent now. Protected."
Lila nodded and gently coaxed a reluctant Mia toward the door. "Come on. It's okay. There's nice food — vetkoek, fresh fruit, whatever you like."
Once the door closed behind them, Kai turned back to Elara. The room felt smaller, the air thicker.
"You can deny it all you want," he said, voice dropping lower, more intimate. "But your body already knows the truth. The pull between us? That heat? It's the bond. And right now, it's the only thing keeping you and our pup alive. Refuse the claiming as long as you like… but you're staying here until you understand. Until you accept it."
Elara backed up until her legs hit the bed. She lifted her chin defiantly, even as another wave of dizziness hit her.
"I will never let you bite me. I don't believe in your wolves. And I sure as hell don't trust you."
Kai's gaze dropped to her stomach, then back to her eyes. A low, possessive growl rumbled in his chest.
"Then I'll have to prove it to you… one way or another."
The door locked again from the outside.
Elara sank onto the bed, heart racing, mind spinning with confusion and fear.
Wolves didn't exist.
…Right?