Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

The house was alive with warmth these past few days. Ever since we had chosen my son's name, the walls seemed to hum with his presence. It was only Thursday, just four days since that Sunday noon of laughter and games, but already, I felt as if time was rushing forward too quickly.

My friends hadn't been able to sneak away from the Academy during the week, but my mates had done their best to make me feel surrounded by their love and presence.

River always made sure to return to the house by half past five in the evening, no matter how busy he was with work. If he still had important work left to finish, he did it in the study while still keeping half his attention on me and Lioren.

Kieran and Oscar also returned every evening after their shift at the Academy officially ended.

Draven, however, was another matter entirely.

I could still hear his dramatic sighs from Monday's call echoing in my mind. He had gone on and on about how Kieran had betrayed him by rejecting his petition to stay the nights at the bew house instead of the dormitories.

"I'm your mate too, Eva," he had sulked, his voice breaking into an almost comical whine. "How is this fair? They get to go out and return whenever they like, but me? I'm chained to the Academy like some prisoner."

I had laughed despite myself, then promised him nightly video calls so he could see Lio before bed. His grumbling had softened at that, and when I had sworn to devote the entire weekend to him, his laughter had finally broken through his mock misery. "Good," he had said smugly, "I'll get my revenge then. They'll see."

Now, with those memories fresh in my mind, I tucked in my sleeping baby under the soft blanket. He fell asleep during our stroll through the mountain path behind the house. I left him under Madam Elira and Vanessa's care in the nursery and headed downstairs.

These days, I had been learning the secrets of the kitchen under Madam Elira's kind and patient guidance. Each time I held the knife in my hand or stirred a simmering pot, I imagined the looks on my mates' faces when I finally set their favorite dishes before them. And since I wanted all four of them to taste my cooking together, the plan was set for the coming Saturday. A dinner just for them, cooked with my own hands. It would be the first time, and I wanted it to be perfect.

I had just entered the kitchen, already savoring the scent of herbs and spices filling the air, when my ears picked up the soft rumble of a car pulling into the driveway.

I straightened as a shiver ran through me. My senses had been sharper lately, almost unnervingly so. I could hear things further away, distinguish scents with more clarity, feel vibrations in the air in ways I never had before.

Though my senses were always slightly better than humans, they were never on par with other wolves' senses. But recently, my senses had been getting stronger for some reason. And something inside me whispered they were still changing, still growing.

I tilted my head slightly, testing that inner thread of connection that bound me to my mates. The bond answered instantly, surging with a force that nearly stole my breath.

River.

But this wasn't the calm, steady current I was used to from him.

No, this was a storm.

Anger slammed into me first, scorching and fierce. Pain followed, deep and raw, bleeding through the bond like an open wound. Then fury, sharp enough to cut. And hidden beneath it all, like a trembling thread of gold, was worry.

My breath caught.

Right at that very moment, we all heard the front door banged shut so hard the walls seemed to tremble. A second later, I watched from the kitchen's entrance as River shot past the hallway, his movements a blur. He didn't glance my way, didn't even pause. His eyes were wild, his jaw tight, and the bond burned with his emotions until it nearly overwhelmed me.

I froze where I was standing, my hand still braced on the wall next to me.

River Thorne, who always carried himself like water flowing over stone - calm, steady, unshaken. He had vanished up the stairs without a word, without even realizing I was there.

My first instinct was to stay rooted to the spot, to give him space. Something was wrong, that much was clear. But should I intrude? Should I push into a storm I didn't understand?

I hesitated for a moment. And then I asked myself the question that changed everything.

What would I have done if it were Kieran? If it were Oscar? Or Draven?

The answer came easily, clear as day. I wouldn't have hesitated. I would have followed them. I would have demanded to know what had hurt them, what had carved such shadows across their faces.

So why should River be any different?

I drew a deep breath, my resolve steadying. No, I wouldn't leave him alone in this - not when the bond was screaming with his overwhelming emotions.

My feet carried me toward the stairs before I could second-guess myself again. Each step felt heavier, weighted with worry, but I didn't stop. I already knew where he had gone. His bedroom. The one space he always retreated to when the weight of the world pressed too heavily on him.

The hallway upstairs stretched long and silent, but I could feel him there, a heavy presence behind the locked door at the end. My hand hovered just inches above the handle, my pulse thundering in my ears.

River was in pain.

And I couldn't, wouldn't, walk away.

With one last breath, I closed my hand around the handle and without giving myself time to hesitate, I knocked once, softly, and before he could answer...or refuse... I turned the handle and stepped inside.