The forest was unnaturally quiet. Even the wind seemed to pause when Sebastian and Aliena stopped walking. The aftermath of the fight had left the trees heavy with silence, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves and Aliena's uneven breaths.
Sebastian stood a few feet away, but she could feel the weight of him in the space between them. Each step he had taken through the forest had been deliberate, controlled, almost predatory, but now, he remained still, coiled like a spring, and something unspoken hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
Aliena took a hesitant step closer, her gaze fixed on him. "Sebastian…" she whispered.
He didn't turn. He didn't speak. And yet, the tension that vibrated through the forest seemed drawn from him, rippling against her chest and making her heart hammer in response.
"I…" Her voice faltered. She felt exposed, small, and incredibly aware of every detail about him, the sharp line of his jaw, the way his golden-red eyes glowed in the moonlight, the subtle rise and fall of his chest. "I don't know how to… how to thank you for saving me. Again."
Sebastian's hand twitched at his side. His expression remained hard, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something unrestrained, something raw and dangerous.
"You should not—" he began, voice low, sharp, almost a growl. "You should not feel anything close to comfort around me."
Aliena swallowed, heart hammering. "But I do," she whispered, stepping closer, her own hesitation melting away in the pull she felt toward him.
Sebastian turned toward her, eyes narrowing, lips pressed into a thin line. Every movement he made was deliberate, measured, controlled, but the tension in his body betrayed him. His jaw tightened, shoulders coiled, and the crimson fire of his gaze seemed to burn through her.
"You're dangerously close," he said, voice tight. "This… this is not allowed."
"I—I can't help it," Aliena admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Being near you… it feels—" She stopped herself, the words inadequate to describe the thrum in her chest. It was inappropriate to be this close to the Crown prince, but it felt as though something was pushing her.
Sebastian's eyes softened for a fleeting moment, just enough for her to glimpse something behind the mask of cold control. Something tender. Something dangerous.
"I will not let this… emotion…" he whispered, shaking his head slightly, "…control me. Not here. Not now."
Her breath caught. "Emotion?" she repeated softly, taking another cautious step closer. "It's natural to feel… gratitude… admiration…"
He flinched almost imperceptibly at her words, as though admitting even that much was a betrayal of himself. "No," he said, voice low, trembling with the effort of restraint. "It is… more than that. And I will not allow it."
Aliena's pulse quickened, every nerve alert. The space between them was electric. She could feel the heat of him in the cool night air, the intensity of his gaze drawing her closer even as his words pushed her back.
"Sebastian," she murmured, stepping so close that their shoulders nearly brushed. "I… I don't understand this… feeling. But I can't ignore it."
He froze, jaw tightening, and for a heartbeat, the predator in him, the prince in him, the vampire in him, all clashed against the unfamiliar pull he felt. He reached out, almost unconsciously, and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.
Aliena's breath hitched. "Sebastian…"
His hand lingered near her jaw, the warmth of his fingers against her skin sending shivers down her spine. His golden-red eyes searched hers, stormy and intense, and Aliena realized he was struggling, fighting something within himself as much as fighting the world outside the forest.
"You should step back," he whispered, almost harshly. But his fingers didn't move. "This… closeness… it is forbidden. Dangerous."
"I'm not afraid," she said softly, her voice trembling in spite of her determination. "Not of you. Not now. Not here."
Sebastian's chest rose and fell rapidly. His control was slipping, the calm mask he always wore cracking under the pressure of proximity and unspoken desire. He could feel it, the pull toward her, the overwhelming need to protect, to touch, to claim.
And then it happened.
Her necklace flared violently, golden light bursting outward in jagged, wild arcs. Aliena yelped, stumbling back, clutching the pendant as it blazed like a miniature sun.
"What… what's happening?!" she cried, panic threading her voice.
Sebastian's expression remained unnervingly calm. "It is a reaction," he said softly. "Do not fear it. It is not a threat." He knew there was something peculiar about the necklace and her mother must have invoked some kind of magic into it.
The light pulsed again, hotter, brighter, surrounding her chest and hands, radiating outward. Aliena felt it pressing against her skin, wild and uncontrolled, and she shook, unsure if she should be terrified or awed.
"Sebastian… it burns!" she whispered, tears threatening. "I don't understand!"
He stepped forward, slower this time, deliberately. His hand hovered just above hers. "Trust me," he murmured, voice low, controlled, but layered with something that made her stomach clench.
When their fingers met, the light shifted. It no longer lashed out violently. Instead, it wrapped around their hands, golden and warm, pulsing gently in response to the connection between them.
Aliena's breath caught. "I… I don't understand…"
Sebastian's jaw tightened. Deep inside him, the realization hit like ice and fire at once. He felt it in his bones, in his heart, in every fiber of his being. The pull, the warmth, the golden light… it was a bond, undeniable and terrifying.
He pressed her hand slightly, feeling the surge of energy between them, and his chest constricted with both awe and dread. "No… no… this cannot be… I cannot…" he muttered under his breath, voice trembling.
Aliena's eyes met his, wide with confusion and awe. "Sebastian… what is it?"
He swallowed hard, voice almost a whisper, raw with revelation and fear. "…You're mine. This… this connection… it cannot be ignored."
The golden light pulsed softly around their hands, steadying, wrapping them together in a quiet warmth. Sebastian's mind raced. This was forbidden, unimaginable, terrifying. And yet… undeniable.
He took a shaky breath, chest tightening with a truth that both exhilarated and terrified him. "…She's my mate," he whispered, voice trembling, almost afraid to say it aloud.
Sebastian knew about the mating bond, how it happens. It was a very rare bond which no one in the present generation has ever experienced, not everyone was destined to have a mate. He knew Aliena was his mate because the moment their hands connected, he heard the whisper.
Aliena's eyes widened, mouth parting in shock, but Sebastian didn't look away. He couldn't. The realization burned through him, consuming every barrier he had built against attachment, against desire, against vulnerability.
The forest seemed to hold its breath along with him, the shadows watching, waiting, as the golden light of their bond pulsed softly between them.
For the first time in his life, Sebastian felt something he could not control. Something primal, irrevocable… undeniable.
She's my mate.
And the thought, terrifying as it was, made his heart beat faster than it ever had before.