Blood, Bond and Bullet

The Masked Lycan stood transfixed beneath the oak tree, his broad hands tucked into the pockets of his pants, gaze fixed on the volcano of anger that had just erupted from the Royal Mansion.

She was lethally beautiful. Every step she took was sharp with authority, every line on her face sculpted with rage and grief.

Her presence hitched his breath, and for a fraction of a second, he blinked. Then again. Hoping this wasn’t real. But it was. And his heart kicked against his ribs annoyingly.

“What the hell?” he inwardly tittered after realizing she bore a striking resemblance to the late Alpha, meaning she was the daughter he’d heard about.

Fuck.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Not now. Not here. Not her.

Harlow Gold? This must be a cruel joke by the Moon Goddess, no doubt.

Kai hadn’t come to mourn. He had come to claim. He’d planned to pressure the Elders into surrendering the pack before a new Alpha could be named. But then, she walked out, his steps toward the mansion halted and his wolf howled her name like thunder.

Mate.

A low snarl crawled up his throat.

“Lycan Kai… How did he…?” the Elders who had just stepped out muttered with fear and surprise lacing their tongues.

A grin parted Kai's lips - a slow, menacing grin that made warriors tremble. But his eyes never left Harlow.

She hadn't even flinched. She couldn't process the full horror of her father’s killer having the effrontery to stand before her… and he was her mate.

“Come here!” Kai snarled at the Elders and they obliged like trained pups. “I didn’t come to raze this place down yet. Hand over the pack now or–”

A cold hush fell.

“Or fucking what?” Harlow snapped, igniting gasps from everyone, including the guards who just noticed, the sound of her voice cracked like a whip. Sharp. Loud. Insulting.

In the blink of an eye, she made a swift movement through the air and moved like a shadow. Kai didn’t expect the punch. He didn’t see the footwork. One moment he was standing; the next, he was on his back, a wild Alpha’s daughter straddling him, fists flying.

Kai realized he wasn’t humoring her, he was genuinely impressed and at the same time, enjoyed the moment rather than feel humiliated.

In fact, those who doubted Harlow’s strength now somewhat saw her in a different light.

"Stay still," he mind-linked his men, who were about to pop out from their hiding place when Harlow's knuckles connected with his jaws.

He allowed her to punch him again. And again. His nostrils bled ocean. His lips split.

Though the mating bond urged her to stop, she wasn't letting that cloud her judgement.

She wanted him gone.

Dead.

Erased.

And he let her rage, letting her burn like a wildfire.

Blood spilled across his chin, hot and metallic. "Gotten it out of your system?” he sniggered, spitting red onto the dirt.

Harlow straightened upright, breath hagged and pulled a small pistol from behind her waistband. "How about I get you out of this system?"

For a second, he thought she wouldn’t pull the trigger. Thought the bond might stop her and she'd drop the gun. But then she fired.

He turned just in time, the silver bullet brushing his cheek as it collided into the tree behind him. Dirt sprayed across his face. The guards leapt, but before anyone could reach her, Kai had snatched the gun from her hand, pitched it away, and tackled her to the ground in a blur of motion.

“Guns? That’s not how lions fight, little mate.” he uttered laconically.

“Get the hell off me, coward!”

She broke free with a violent twist and locked her legs around his torso, flipping his weight with a fluid combat hold.

A murmur of disbelief spread through the gathered crowd.

Kai only laughed.

Not a bitter laugh.

A real one.

Something raw and rare that startled even his own men in their hidden positions.

“This coward will rule this pack in a matter of days. Make it easy, mate," he teased, each word laced with dominance.

Low whispers exploded, unable to believe he just referred to Harlow as his mate.

Harlow’s eyes widened for a split second. Distracted, Kai used the moment. He broke free of her grip, lifted her off with ease and tossed her aside like a gentle wind.

Fury kindled in her veins and as Kai sprang to his feet, a lopsided smirk curled his lips. “Expect my return," he breathed.

“You be ready!” Harlow yelled after him. “Because the next time I see you, I’m fucking blowing fucking head off!”

Then she turned to the surprised Elders.

"Don’t waste my time with any contest. I am your new Alpha, and if you have a problem with that, deal with it," she declared, authority and confidence radiating from her aura as she shut her car door.

~~~

Silence followed Harlow into the mansion. Every step echoed with rage she couldn’t shake off. The guards still glared in disbelief, and the smell of blood clung to her skin.

She didn’t care. She was done playing small.

An old breeze carrying a familiar scent welcomed her into her room. It was just as she had left it.

Pink walls were lined with stickers of her celebrity crushes. Teddy bears perched like sentinels on the king sized bed.

But nothing felt the same.

She perched on the edge of her bed and reached for a picture of her and her dad that was sitting on her reading table. It was taken the day she graduated from Elementary School.

And she clung the frame to her chest, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

“How could she?” she mumbled to no one. “How could the Moon Goddess bond me to the bastard who killed him?”

"I should have killed him...!" she kept whispering, pounding her fist into the mattress.

The pain swelled until her anger burned out and exhaustion pulled her into slumber.

~~~

Rays of darkness had veiled the room by the time Harlow woke. Famished, she straightened upright, flicked on the chandelier, and was heading to the bathroom when a knock landed on the door.

“What?” she asked hoarsely without opening the door.

“Dinner is ready, Young Miss, and Beta Ian is waiting for you,” a maid announced.

Her breath caught.

Ian.

Her father's Beta and most loyal second.

“Thank you. I’ll be down soon,” she steadied her voice, and the sound of receding footsteps followed.

Harlow showered and slipped into a pink top and black pants that surprisingly still fit, and since she was staying anyway, going shopping was definitely in order.

~~~

Descending the left side of the grand staircase and veering to the sitting room afterward, Harlow spotted him.

Beta Ian, his gray beard longer, his face pale and drawn. An IV line was connected to his right hand, but he tried to rise and bob when his eyes fell on her.

Harlow hastened toward him and wrapped her arms around him before he could. “Don’t,” she uttered. “You bow to no one but my father. Never me.”

“Welcome home, Harlow,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I was not at the hall. It shames me to face you as a fallen warrior.”

“You shouldn't,” she chipped in. “You stayed loyal. That’s what matters.”

"Thank you," he uttered and she motioned for dinner.

Harlow and Ian sat side by side in the grand dining room, where the aromas of different meals and assortments stuffed into their nose.

She didn’t realize how famished she was until she took the first bite.

Eating, she expressed. “I want you with me. As my right hand. As my Beta.”

Shock engulfed him. Then he nodded slowly, pride flooding his tired features. “You honor me, Harlow. I will serve you with everything I have left.”

“Good. I’ll need that.”

Harlow had just refilled her plate and was about to take a spoon when a guard burst into the room, a white file clutched in his hand.

“Alpha Harlow,” he sputtered with urgency. “This just arrived.”

Harlow collected the file instantly, but the moment she unsealed and read the content, she sprang to her toes, fury crackling from her like her wildfire.

And the next words ripped from her lips like a blade. “Who the fuck sent this?!”