Heart Bound

Questions Unanswered

Cal's POV

The moment I kissed Kyrie, everything shifted. It was as if my entire world realigned in an instant, and there was nothing else but her—her scent, her warmth, the way her lips fit so perfectly against mine. And when she whispered that single word, Mate, it felt like every unanswered question in my life had found its answer.

The world blurred, as if every question and hesitation I’d ever had faded into a single, undeniable truth: she was my mate. The bond pulled me to her like a magnet, wrapping around my heart, tightening with every breath. The way her scent hit me, warm and familiar, was overwhelming. I hadn’t even realized I’d been searching for it until now. And yet, as the initial rush settled, I felt something else creeping in—uncertainty.

But then that distant howl shattered our moment, jerking me back to reality. I pulled away, my instincts kicking in, every sense on high alert.

“We need to get you home,” I murmured, looking around, feeling the familiar prickle of danger lingering in the air. I didn’t know who—or what—had called to us, but I wasn’t about to let anything happen to Kyrie. Not now, not ever.

She nodded, her eyes wide with the same unease that had settled over me. I took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, and we took off, running through the cool night toward her house. The streets were empty and silent, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was lurking just out of sight, watching us. I kept my grip on her tight, pulling her along as we moved quickly through the neighborhood.

I slowed down as we reached her front yard, glancing up at the dark windows. I didn’t know if her family was still awake, but I wasn’t about to let her go alone. “Let’s get you inside,” I whispered, nodding toward the side of the house.

She looked at me, a mix of excitement and nerves in her eyes, and nodded. Together, we crept around to the back, careful to stay out of view from the windows. She led me toward a trellis along the side of the house, a quiet invitation for me to follow her up. I smirked, feeling a surge of adrenaline as I climbed up behind her, every movement quiet and deliberate.

When we reached her window, she pushed it open and slipped inside, holding her hand out to help me in. I climbed in after her, landing softly on the carpeted floor of her room. The space was warm and cozy, filled with little touches that screamed Kyrie—the fairy lights strung up on the walls, the scattered books and notebooks, a faint hint of vanilla lingering in the air.

We stood there in the dark, both of us catching our breath, the intensity of what had just happened settling over us. She closed the window quietly, locking it, and then turned to face me, her gaze flickering with emotions I couldn’t quite read.

The silence between us was thick, charged with everything we couldn’t say out loud. I watched her, my heart still pounding, feeling the pull between us growing stronger with every second. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright as she looked up at me, and I knew she could feel it too.

How could she be a wolf? I’d known her for years, always thought of her as… well, human. And not just any human. Ordinary. Sweet, yes, but nothing to suggest she belonged to my world.

As we crept through her window and into her bedroom, the gravity of the night began to sink in. The lights were dim, but I could see two other figures lying in sleeping bags on the floor—Gina and Channing. They appeared to be fast asleep, but I had the uneasy sense that they weren’t as oblivious as they seemed. I stepped carefully, not wanting to disturb them, yet I couldn’t ignore the questions crowding my mind, the doubts I couldn’t shake.

Kyrie closed the window quietly and turned to face me. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, and I felt that undeniable pull, stronger than anything I’d ever experienced. But I couldn’t help it—instinctively, I took a small step back, creating just enough distance to give myself room to think.

“Kyrie…” I whispered, searching her face, hoping for answers that I wasn’t sure she had. “How… how are you a werewolf?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly as uncertain as I was. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know until tonight. I thought I was just… human.” She paused, her voice softening. “Just normal.”

Her words tugged at something inside me, a sympathy, but my thoughts kept racing. The mate bond pulled at me, demanding I close the distance, but my mind struggled to make sense of everything.

“How come I couldn’t sense it before?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking too loud would break the fragile moment between us. “Is that why you… smelled so good to me?” I shook my head, still feeling the pang of attraction coursing through me. “Who are you really?”

Her brow furrowed, her face softening in confusion and hurt. “I… I’m just me, Cal. I don’t know what’s happening either.”

I clenched my fists, feeling the storm of emotions swirling inside me. I could feel the bond, the intense need to be close to her, yet my wolf was pulling back, hesitant. I recognized the subtle scent of an omega in her, faint but there, and it added another layer of confusion.

“You smell like… an omega, but not quite” I murmured, not even sure she’d understand the weight of that. I’d always thought Kyrie’s scent was just… her, not anything supernatural.

She bit her lip, frowning as she processed my words. “I don’t know what that means. Cal, I… I just know that everything feels different now.”

I looked away, my mind spinning with questions I couldn’t answer. The ache to hold her, to keep her safe, fought with my instinct to retreat, to understand this before I jumped in. But every time I glanced back at her, the bond surged again, wrapping me in a feeling that felt as natural as breathing.

And then my thoughts drifted back to that howl in the distance, to the shadows I’d sensed following us. “Who… who was that after us?” I asked, my voice tense. I glanced at her, catching the flicker of fear in her eyes. She shook her head, as clueless as I was.

I clenched my jaw, my protective instinct flaring up. Whoever had been after us, whoever had drawn us to that dead end—it couldn’t be a coincidence. But was it after me… or her?

In the dimness, I noticed Gina and Channing shift slightly, as if they were listening even while pretending to be asleep. I caught the faintest twitch from Channing’s direction, and I knew he’d heard everything.

I turned back to Kyrie, forcing myself to focus. “This changes everything,” I said softly, more to myself than to her. The weight of it all settled on my shoulders. I wanted to protect her, to be close to her, but I didn’t even understand what this meant for either of us.

Kyrie’s gaze softened her voice barely a whisper. “Cal… I know this is a lot. But I… I feel it too. I don’t understand it, but it feels… right.”

The sincerity in her words made my heart twist, and before I could stop myself, I closed the gap between us, reaching out to touch her cheek. Her skin was warm beneath my fingertips, and the tingling warmth that spread from my touch was both exhilarating and terrifying.

“I don’t know where this goes,” I murmured, my voice tight with conflicting emotions. “But I’m here. I’m not leaving you. We’ll figure this out.”

Just as Kyrie and I stood there in that quiet, intense moment, a soft knock on the door made me freeze. Her mom’s sickly sweet voice drifted through, calm but laced with that strange tension.

“Kyrie? Everything okay in there?”