Ashina woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and had that disorienting moment of where am I? before reality crashed back. Moonlit Pack. The manor. Kendrick's territory. Her prison.
She'd barely slept. Every time she'd started to drift off, the bond had pulled at her attention making her aware of Kendrick's location in the manor, his restlessness, his inability to sleep knowing she was so close yet so far away. Around 3 AM, she'd felt him standing outside her door, his hand pressed against the wood, wanting to come in, wanting to check on her.
She'd held her breath until he walked away.
Now, morning light painted her gilded cage in shades of gold and made everything look deceptively peaceful. Through the bond, she felt Kendrick already awake, had been for hours probably, judging by the exhaustion dragging at the edges of his consciousness.
Good. Let him be as tired as she was. Let him suffer even a fraction of what she was going through.
A knock on the door made her tense. "Luna?" A female voice, soft and respectful. "The Alpha requests your presence in his study at nine o'clock." Requests. As if Ashina had any choice in the matter.
"Fine," she called back, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her voice.
Footsteps retreated.
She showered in the enormous bathroom, dressed in her own clothes rather than the expensive new ones hanging in the closet, and braided her hair with hands that shook slightly. The mark on her neck was visible above her collar even though she'd tried wearing a high-necked shirt, but it made the mark stand out more, like she was trying to hide it. She wasn't ashamed. She was marked against her will. If people wanted to stare, let them stare.
At precisely nine o'clock, Ashina descended the grand staircase. Pack members moved through the manor some nodded respectfully, others watched with barely concealed curiosity. She kept her chin high, her expression neutral, refusing to show any weakness.
A young wolf stepped forward maybe nineteen, with kind eyes and nervous energy. "Luna, I can show you to the Alpha's study if...."
"I can find it myself." Ashina had noticed the door yesterday during the tour. Heavy oak, closed, radiating Alpha power even from the hallway.
"Of course. I'm sorry, I just..." The girl bit her lip. "Welcome to Moonlit Pack, Luna. We're honored to have you."
The genuine warmth in her voice made something twist in Ashina's chest. These wolves didn't know. Didn't know she'd been forced.
"Thank you," Ashina managed, the words tasting like ash.
She found Kendrick's study easily the bond would have led her there even if she didn't remember the way. She stood outside the door for a moment, gathering her courage, feeling him on the other side. Waiting. Patient. Always so fucking patient, like time was on his side.
Ashina knocked once, sharp and aggressive.
"Come in."
She pushed open the door to find Kendrick standing behind a massive desk, silhouetted against floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the forest. He looked tired dark circles under his eyes, jaw tight with tension but otherwise perfectly controlled. The Alpha in his domain.
"You wanted to see me." Not a question. A statement laced with resentment.
"I did. Please, sit." He gestured to one of the leather chairs facing his desk.
"I'd rather stand."
"As you wish."
Ashina crossed her arms and waited, refusing to make this easy for him.
Kendrick studied her for a long moment, and she felt him taking in everything "I thought we should discuss expectations," he said finally, moving to lean against the front of his desk. Closer to her now, but not close enough to crowd. "Ground rules for living here. Your role as Luna."
"My role as prisoner, you mean."
"Your role as my mate," he corrected evenly. "And as Luna of Moonlit Pack."
"I didn't agree to be either of those things."
"The mark says otherwise."
Ashina's hand went to her neck automatically, and she saw his eyes track the movement. Saw the flash of possessive satisfaction he couldn't quite hide.
"Don't touch it," she snapped, snatching her hand away.
"I didn't."
"You were thinking about it. I can feel what you're feeling, remember?" She took a step toward him, anger giving her courage. "I can feel your satisfaction every time you look at that mark. Your pride in claiming me. Your pleasure in having me here."
"Yes." No denial. His eyes met hers steadily. "I won't apologize for being satisfied that my mate is where she belongs."
"Where she belongs," Ashina repeated mockingly. "Like a possession. Like property."
"Like my mate," Kendrick said firmly. "There's a difference."
"Is there? Because from where I'm standing, you took me, branded me, and locked me in your territory. That sounds a lot like property ownership to me."
Through the bond, she felt his flash of anger quick and hot before he controlled it. "You're not locked anywhere. I've given you freedom"
"Within your territory. With your permission. Under your rules." Her voice rose. "That's not freedom, Kendrick. That's supervised captivity."
His jaw clenched at her use of his name the first time she'd called him anything but 'Alpha Ridge' since arriving. "Would you prefer I let you leave? Let you wander off into neutral territory where you'll get sick and hurt yourself?"
"I'd prefer you'd never marked me in the first place."
"Well, we don't always get what we prefer, do we?" His control was slipping now, frustration bleeding through. "You preferred Darren Kale. You preferred a man who used you and walked away. The Moon preferred to give you to me."
"Don't you dare"
"We're getting off track." Kendrick straightened, and suddenly he was the Alpha again—commanding, unyielding. "Sit down, Ashina. We need to discuss this whether you like it or not."
"Make me."
The words hung in the air between them, a challenge neither of them could ignore. Ashina felt his wolf surge forward but he shoved it back down with visible effort.
"Please," he said instead, and the word cost him. "Please sit. This doesn't have to be a battle."
"Everything with you is a battle."
"Only because you insist on fighting what's inevitable." He gestured to the chair again. "Five minutes. Give me five minutes to explain the rules of living here, and then you can go back to hating me."
Ashina wanted to refuse. Wanted to storm out, slam the door But she also knew he was right this conversation was going to happen one way or another. Might as well get it over with. She sat, perching on the edge of the chair like a bird ready to fly away at any moment.
Kendrick nodded once and moved back behind his desk, putting the solid wood between them like a buffer. Like he didn't trust himself too close to her.
"First," he began, "you're expected to learn Luna duties. Eventually."
"Eventually?"
"I'm not going to force you to act as Luna immediately. You need time to adjust, to learn about the pack, to process." His hands rested on the desk, fingers drumming once before going still. "But eventually, you'll need to take on those responsibilities. Managing pack disputes, organizing events, overseeing the welfare programs. The pack needs a Luna."
"Find someone else."
"There is no one else. You're my mate. The role is yours whether you want it or not."
Ashina's nails dug into the chair's armrests. "What if I refuse?"
"Then the pack suffers." His voice was matter-of-fact, not threatening. "We've been without a Luna for five years since my mother died. The pack needs feminine leadership. Balance. Someone who cares about the members beyond their military value."
"Emotional blackmail. Nice."
"Truth." He leaned forward. "I'm not asking you to love me, Ashina. I'm not even asking you to forgive me. But the pack needs you and you're Luna now. That comes with responsibilities."
She wanted to argue, but the words stuck in her throat. Because he was right. Could feel how heavy his responsibility was, how much he carried alone.
"What else?" she asked instead.
"Pack dinners." Kendrick's gaze didn't waver. "Every Friday and Sunday evening, the entire pack gathers for communal meals. It's tradition. Attendance is mandatory for high-ranking members."
"Including unwilling Lunas?"
"Including Lunas, yes." A pause. "I know it's difficult. But the pack needs to see us together. Needs to know that despite everything we're a unit."
"We're not a unit."
"We have to appear to be one." His voice softened slightly. "I'm not asking you to pretend to love me. But the pack can't see open hostility between us. It creates instability. Makes them question leadership."
"So I have to lie."
"You have to be civil. There's a difference."
Ashina laughed bitterly. "You want me to smile and play house while I'm dying inside. Got it."
She felt his pain but his expression remained controlled. "I want you to survive. However you need to."
They stared at each other across the desk, and Ashina wondered if he could see how much she hated this. Hated him. Hated herself for feeling his emotions and knowing he wasn't a monster, wasn't evil, just devastatingly wrong in his methods.
"What else?" she asked through clenched teeth.
"You cannot leave pack territory."
"I already knew that. The bond makes it impossible."
"Not impossible. Difficult." Kendrick's hands clasped together on the desk. "Some mated pairs can be apart for days before the bond becomes painful. But in our case, given that the mark is so new and you're actively fighting it, the bond will react more severely."
"How severe?"
"Painful. Possibly dangerous." His eyes were serious. "Don't test it, Ashina. I'm asking you please don't try to leave. Not because I want to control you, but because I don't want you hurt."
"You already hurt me."
"I know." The words were quiet. "But I don't want to hurt you more."
Ashina looked away, unable to hold his gaze when his regret was so palpable through the bond. "What else?"
"If you go into the forest, particularly the outer territories, you need to check in with me or Ryker first."
Her head snapped back. "Excuse me?"
"The outer forest borders rogue territories. It's not safe"
"I'm a wolf. I can handle myself."
"You're my wolf now." His voice hardened. "And you wear my mark. That makes you a target. Rogues would love nothing more than to capture or kill an Alpha's mate. Especially one as powerful as mine."
"So I'm not allowed to run free in the forest?" Ashina's voice rose with each word. "Not allowed to shift and hunt without permission? Not allowed to exist without checking in like a child?"
"You're allowed to do all of those things within safe areas. The inner territories are fine. The lake, the meadow, the training grounds. But the outer forest?" He shook his head. "Not alone. Not without someone knowing where you are."
"This is insane."
"This is safety." Kendrick stood, rounding the desk to sit on the edge closer to her. Not touching, but near enough that she could feel his body heat. "I know you think I'm being controlling. Maybe I am. But I've already made one terrible choice because I was desperate not to lose you. I won't risk actually losing you because you wandered into rogue territory and got hurt."
"Is that all?" Ashina asked coldly.
"Almost." Kendrick hesitated, and for the first time, she saw uncertainty cross his face. "I know you contacted your family last night. I want you to know that you can see them whenever you want. They're welcome here, or I can drive you to Silverpaw territory for visits."
That surprised her. "Really?"
"Of course." He looked almost offended that she'd doubted it. "I'm not trying to isolate you from everyone you love. Your family is important to you, which makes them important to me."
"How magnanimous," she said sarcastically, but something in her chest loosened slightly. She'd been terrified he'd cut her off from her family.
"I mean it, Ashina." His eyes were intense. "Call them daily. Visit weekly. Whatever you need. I won't keep you from them."
"Just from everything else."
"Just from danger." He broke off, jaw clenching. "From making the same mistakes you were making before."
"You mean from having free will."
"I mean from destroying yourself!" The words burst out, loud and frustrated. "I mean from wasting your life on a man who didn't deserve you. I mean from refusing to see what was right in front of you because you were too stubborn to admit you might be wrong!"
Ashina shot to her feet. "You don't get to decide what's right for me!"
"Someone had to!" Kendrick stood as well, and suddenly they were toe to toe, both breathing hard, both radiating fury. "You wouldn't listen to reason. Wouldn't see the truth about Darren. Wouldn't accept the mate bond. Someone had to make the hard choice."
"It wasn't your choice to make!"
"Yes, it was!" His voice was rough, almost anguished. "The second the bond snapped, you became my responsibility. My mate. Mine to protect, mine to provide for, mine to care for even if you hated me for it."
"I do hate you."
"I know." He stepped closer, and she could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the guilt he carried, the love that burned despite everything. "I know you hate me. But you're alive. You're safe. And someday maybe not soon you'll realize that what I did, however wrong, came from a place of desperation and love."
"Love doesn't look like this."
"Maybe not." His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "But sometimes it feels like this. Desperate and terrible and willing to do anything to keep the person you love from harm."
They stood there, inches apart, the bond singing between them with tension and anger and unwanted connection. Ashina could see the exhaustion etched in every line of Kendrick's face, Good. Let it cost him. Let every moment of her hatred weigh on him like the guilt he claimed to feel.
"I understand the rules," she said finally, stepping back. "Imprisoned but mobile. Captive but called Luna. Yours whether I want to be or not."
"Ashina"
"Are we done?"
he just nodded, resignation settling over him like a cloak. "Yes. We're done."
"Good." Ashina turned toward the door, desperate to escape the suffocating weight of his presence, his guilt, his love.
"Ashina." His voice stopped her with her hand on the doorknob. "I know you hate me. But you will be safe here. I swear it. Whatever else I've done, whatever else I fail at I will keep you safe."
She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Safety isn't the same as happiness."
"I know." destroyed everything to have her and was only now realizing the cost. "But maybe someday it could."
Ashina yanked open the door. "Don't hold your breath."
She walked out before he could respond, but not before she caught another glimpse of that vulnerability in his eyes. The mask slipping. The Alpha cracking to reveal the desperate, lonely wolf underneath who'd made terrible choices because he couldn't bear the alternative.
For just a second, she almost felt sorry for him. Then she remembered the forest, the chase, his teeth in her neck, and the sympathy died.
Ashina climbed the stairs back to her gilded cage, feeling Kendrick's presence through the bond like a weight on her chest.
He stayed in his study, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, and felt her hatred like a blade between his ribs.
Two people, bound together by fate and separated by violation. And neither of them knew how to bridge the gap.