Heart Bound

Channing Unrequited Feelings

Channing's POV

I stormed away from Kyrie’s house, my mind a tangled mess of anger and confusion. I couldn’t believe it—how had I not known? How had I been so blind? All this time, I’d convinced myself that I knew everything about her, that I was the one person who could protect her from whatever came our way. And yet, there she was—a werewolf, bonded to Cal Lockwood, as if it had been her destiny all along. It felt like a slap to the face, like a secret that everyone else had known while I was left out in the dark.

The night air was thick and cold as I crossed through the woods, moving faster, more recklessly, desperate to reach the one place where I could let loose my frustration. The shadow was waiting; I knew it would be. It always lurked nearby, watching me, listening, making itself known when I had something it wanted to hear.

Finally, I reached the clearing, where the trees seemed to grow darker, closer together, as if leaning in to listen to our conversations. I stopped, catching my breath, and waited. Slowly, the shadow coalesced from the darkness, forming an almost human shape that was both solid and insubstantial, shifting in and out of form as it moved.

“Well?” it asked, its voice a low, mocking whisper. “What news do you have?”

My hands clenched into fists, the anger I’d been holding back threatening to explode. “She’s a werewolf,” I hissed. “Kyrie. She’s… she’s like us. And you—you never told me. All this time, you knew, didn’t you?”

The shadow’s form shifted, rippling as if it were amused by my outburst. “Of course I knew,” it said smoothly, its tone dripping with condescension. “Did you really think I’d leave something that important to chance?”

My jaw clenched, fury tightening my chest. “And yet you kept me in the dark? You told me nothing. I’m supposed to be working with you, and you’re keeping secrets from me?”

The shadow’s chuckle was low, sending a chill down my spine. “You didn’t need to know,” it said simply, as if that were explanation enough. “Your job was to follow orders, nothing more. And now that Kyrie has discovered her true nature, you’ll have even more reason to remain… useful to me.”

A bitter laugh escaped me, and I shook my head, incredulous. “Useful? You told me if I helped you, if I did everything you asked, then… then Kyrie would be mine. *Mine.* That’s what you promised!”

The shadow’s form tilted slightly, as if considering my words with a bemused air. “And you still believe that?” it murmured, its voice taunting. “You’re more naive than I thought.”

I took a step forward, fists trembling, my voice rising with anger. “You lied to me! All of this—all the promises, the orders, everything you made me do—it was all for nothing?”

“Oh, Channing,” the shadow sighed, sounding almost bored. “You and your petty emotions. I never lied to you. Kyrie’s fate was always destined to unfold. Your role is to watch, to be part of that unfolding. Nothing more.”

I wanted to lash out, to hit something, anything, but I forced myself to stay still, my heart pounding. “And what about Hannah? What about her in all this?”

The shadow’s form stilled, as if this was the first thing I’d said that actually interested it. “Ah, yes. Your *mate.*” It drew the word out, taunting. “She’s as committed to this as you are, isn’t she? After all, she has her own claim on young Cal, doesn’t she?”

I exhaled sharply, the frustration mixing with the bitter truth I could never deny. Hannah was my mate—fated, bound to me in a way I’d always accepted, even if I didn’t always want to. She was as determined as I was to see this through, to secure her own place by Cal’s side, just as I wanted Kyrie by mine. Our motivations were different, but our goals were the same. We’d each found a reason to hate what this bond between Cal and Kyrie meant for us.

“Fine,” I said finally, my voice low and cold. “I’ll continue to do what you ask. But remember this—when the time comes, when everything’s in place, I expect you to keep your word.”

The shadow’s smile was audible in its voice. “Of course, Channing. You have my word.” And with that, it dissolved back into the darkness, leaving me alone in the clearing, the cold night air biting through my anger.

I stood there for a moment, my fists still clenched, the bitterness churning inside me. Then, taking a deep breath, I turned and made my way back toward the house. My family’s house was a few miles out from the main part of Timberclaw territory, and in the quiet of the night, it felt even more isolated than usual. I pushed through the front door, stepping into the stillness of the dimly lit hallway. The familiar silence settled over me, thick and heavy, and I felt the spell’s hold wrap around me like a comforting embrace.

My family was still under Winnie’s spell, and their compliance, their obedience, was the only thing that gave me a sense of control. After years of their dismissal, their ridicule, I finally had a taste of power. They had to listen now—they had no choice but to do exactly as I commanded.

I glanced around, finding my father, Axel, seated in his armchair, a blank look on his face as he stared at the television. My mother, Cherish, was in the kitchen, her hands mechanically washing dishes, her expression calm and serene, completely unaware of the spell’s hold over her.

I caught a flicker of movement as Chassidy and Kyan, my siblings, wandered in from the other room, both of them quiet, their usual smirks and superior airs nowhere to be seen. Under the spell, they were obedient, polite, their disdain replaced with a hollow compliance that felt as if it had been stripped of all personality. The way they followed my every command was mechanical, but it was… satisfying. Especially after all the years they’d treated me like I was nothing more than a convenient errand boy.

My mind flashed back to earlier this week, when Kyrie had come over to study. The memory stirred a strange feeling inside me, a mix of longing and frustration. She’d been so oblivious, so caught up in her studies, completely unaware of the control I had over everyone in the house. She’d always seen me as her friend, her equal, but I’d wanted so much more. I’d wanted her to see me in a new light, to understand that I was the one who could protect her, stand beside her—not Cal.

I remembered barking orders at my family just before she’d arrived, instructing them to act “normal” so that she wouldn’t suspect anything.

“Everyone, gather here,” I called out, my voice steady, authoritative. Instantly, they all moved toward me, their eyes blank, their bodies moving with a quiet obedience that still sent a thrill through me.

“When we have guests over,” I said, my voice low, “you act normal. Like a perfectly typical werewolf family. Nothing strange, nothing out of place. Understood?”

“Yes,” they answered in unison, their voices devoid of emotion, their faces eerily calm.

I looked at each of them, a strange sense of satisfaction settling in my chest. My family, finally behaving exactly as I needed them to. Exactly how they *should* have all along.

Axel had greeted her with a warm smile, his tone friendly, and my mother had offered her cookies as if she were the perfect host. My siblings had even managed polite small talk, every movement controlled, calculated.

They were nothing like the harsh, dismissive family I’d grown up with, the family that had constantly put me down, that had seen me as nothing more than the runt of the litter.

For once, they’d acted exactly how I wanted them to act, and it had felt like victory, a small triumph over the years of humiliation I’d endured. And yet, now, it felt hollow, overshadowed by the truth about Kyrie and the bond she shared with Cal.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm, to push down the anger simmering beneath the surface. I’d worked too hard, sacrificed too much to let it all fall apart now. Kyrie may have discovered her wolf, and Cal may have claimed her as his mate, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d been there for her first. That I’d cared for her, protected her, when no one else had.

With Hannah by my side and the shadow’s plan in motion, I’d make sure things went the way they were supposed to. One way or another, Kyrie would be mine. And Cal? Well, he was about to find out that bonds were as breakable as anything else.