Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

The air in his room was heavy. Dim evening light was streaming in from the tall glass window, bathing the space in streaks of pale gold.

River stood there, broad-shouldered and still as stone, gazing out at the horizon. His head turned sharply at the sound of the door, and in one swift movement he hid one of his hands behind his back. But he wasn't fast enough for me.

My eyes caught it. The red. The faint smear of blood across his knuckles.

And then, just to the left of him... was the wall where I noticed the dark splatters of red marring the pale surface. The metallic scent slammed into me full force, no longer faint but vivid and unmistakable.

My heart plummeted.

"River…" The name tore from my throat before I could stop it. In the next heartbeat I was in front of him, closing the distance as panic surged up my spine. "You are injured!"

I reached for his hidden hand instinctively, but he shifted, angling his body to keep it from me. "It's nothing," he said quickly, his voice low but tense. "You don't need to worry, Evaline."

How could I not worry?

My breath caught as my eyes darted between his guarded expression and the blood-streaked wall. His scent was laced with tension, and the bond between us pulsed with a storm of emotion. "River," I whispered, softer now but more insistent. I stared straight into his deep green eyes, silently pleading with him to let me see.

He shook his head, looking away. "I didn't mean to make you worry. It's just a scratch. It will heal within minutes."

I gave him the look, the one I reserved only for moments like these. The one filled with quiet, unwavering determination, with worry that would not be dismissed. My voice came out steadier this time. "River."

He froze. Our eyes met again, and something shifted in his expression. I could see the defeat creeping in, see the way his shoulders sagged slightly, as though the fight to keep his walls up was draining out of him.

With a sigh that sounded like surrender, he slowly drew his hand from behind his back and offered it to me.

I took it gently, my fingers trembling as they cupped his larger palm. The sight of his scraped, bloody knuckles made me gasp out loud. The skin was torn and raw, small but angry-looking wounds across every ridge. My thumb hovered just above the injuries, careful not to touch.

"Oh, River…" My voice cracked, a mixture of relief and sorrow.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, his tone heavy with guilt. "I didn't want you to see. I didn't want to make you worry."

I looked up at him sharply, my eyes searching his. "Why would you hurt yourself like this?"

He looked away again, his jaw tightening. "It's just… work," he muttered, but even as he said it, the words rang hollow. "I got worked up about a matter at the council. Nothing serious."

But I knew him too well.

The Rogue Alpha River Thorne didn't lose control. He didn't break things or throw punches at walls. He was always the steady one, the one who anchored everyone else when storms raged. For him to be standing here, knuckles bloody, eyes shadowed with something dark…

No, this wasn't nothing.

I swallowed hard, my gaze dropping back to his wounded hand. My fingers tightened around his palm, careful, cradling it as if it were fragile. "You don't do this," I whispered, mostly to myself. "Something must have been big enough to-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted again, his voice low and earnest. "I never meant to drag you into this. You don't need to-"

But I wasn't listening anymore.

Something deep inside me stirred.

It was a familiar sensation, like a thread of warmth uncoiling from the center of my chest. I hadn't felt it in months, not since that night when my power had surfaced by chance, flowing out of me in a rush of panic to heal Rowan's injuries. Since then, it had been quiet, as if sleeping.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to summon it. Maybe it had only been a one-time thing. Maybe I was reaching for nothing.

And then, like sunlight breaking through clouds, I felt it.

A soft, golden warmth filled me from the inside, curling up my arms, flowing down toward my hands. It spread until my palms tingled, and then it slipped into River's hand like water pouring into cupped fingers.

He went still.

His breath caught as his gaze snapped to mine. The heat pulsed between us, his injuries glowing faintly beneath my touch. Together we watched as that soft golden light wrapped around his knuckles, seeping into the torn skin. Slowly, the blood vanished and the scrapes knit themselves closed. The angry red faded into smooth, unblemished skin as though nothing had ever happened.

He stared, completely silent. His eyes were wide, and his lips parted slightly.

For a few precious moments, the storm in the bond quieted. All that existed was the warmth passing between us, the light glowing softly between our hands, and the quiet awe on his face.

I felt it too - the way the power hummed, pure and steady, filling me with a sense of peace even as it healed him. It was like touching something sacred, something that existed far beyond either of us.

And then, as quickly as it had come, the glow faded. The warmth slipped away, sinking back into whatever hidden depth it slept in inside me. My palms felt empty, my body drained but lighter somehow.

River flexed his now-healed hand slowly, staring at it like it was a miracle. "I…" He cleared his throat, still clearly stunned. "I have heard about this from my brothers, but seeing it…" His voice trailed off.

I looked up at him, still holding his hand lightly. "You have never seen it yourself."

He nodded his head once, eyes still on his knuckles. "It feels… pure." His voice was low, almost reverent. "Warm. Like sunlight."

For a heartbeat, we both forgot about the blood on the wall, about the fury and pain that had driven him here. It was just us, standing in the fading glow of my power, his hand in mine.

But as the warmth left me entirely, my focus sharpened again. My gaze snapped back to his face. The anger that had been replaced by awe flickered back to life, but now it was my anger... not at him, but for him.

"How dare you," I said softly, my voice trembling with restrained emotion.

He blinked at me, startled. "What?"

I tightened my hold on his healed hand, careful but firm. "How dare you hurt yourself," I demanded. "How dare you think this is okay, River Thorne?" My chest ached, my voice breaking as the words poured out. "You don't get to break yourself like this and then tell me not to worry. Not you. Not ever."

He opened his mouth, but I silenced him with one of my hands.

"If you ever dared to do something this stupid, then..." I trailed off when his startled and guilty expression shifted into that of curiosity and challenge. He was clearly daring me to finish my sentence, but that look on his face hit me with the sudden realization that the man in front of me was not just my mate, but the Rogue Alpha King himself.

What was I even thinking?