Page 70 of The Bound Blood
He doesn’t say Nolan’s name. He doesn’t have to.
I open my mouth to say something, but Raiden lifts his hand, brushing his thumb gently beneath my eye like he’s erasing the apology I haven’t spoken yet.
“It’s okay,” he says quietly.
I blink, surprised.
Raiden exhales again, long and deep, as if the weight in his chest has shifted into something he’s willing to carry.
“In our world,” he continues, voice low and even, “packs form around instinct. Loyalty. Trust. You don’t always choose who your people are. Sometimes the bond just... chooses you.”
My throat tightens.
He looks at me like he’s seeing something ancient written beneath my skin. Like he’s known it longer than I have.
“As far as I’m concerned,” he says softly, “you, Nolan, Kael… you’re already my pack.”
My breath catches. Not because he’s wrong. But because some part of me already knew.
Raiden lifts my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles—then just holds it between us, like a promise sealed in silence.
And I don’t let go. I don’t think I could if I tried.
TWENTY-SEVEN
LINDSAY
The world hasn’t quite settled yet.
The temple is quiet, lit only by the soft blue glow of the runes carved into the stone walls and the candles on the altar. My lips are tingling, my heartbeat is too loud in my ears, and Raiden…Raiden looks like he’s trying very hard not to touch me again.
He stands close—close enough that I can still feel the heat of him—his chest rising and falling in slow, controlled breaths that don’t fool me for a second.
I tilt my head, searching his face. “Are you okay?” I whisper.
His eyes lift to mine instantly, dark and steady. “Yes.”
Not a lie. Not this time.
He steps closer, fingers brushing my wrist—tentative—as if asking permission. I offer my hand fully, and he takes it, slow and deliberate, tracing his thumb over the back of my knuckles like he’s memorizing the shape of them.
“I’m not sorry about kissing you,” he says quietly.
The words slam into me—warm and fierce and way too much for my chest to hold.
“Good,” I manage, breath catching. “Because I’m not either.”
His mouth twitches, that tiny almost-smile he pretends he doesn’t have. Raiden leans in just a fraction, his forehead nearlybrushing mine, like he’s drawn in by a gravity I can feel tugging at my ribs.
“I shouldn’t have waited that long,” he murmurs. “I’ve wanted to do it since the moment I first saw you.”
My breath stutters; my thoughts scatter like startled birds.
He chuckles—actuallychuckles—and the sound sends a warm shiver down my spine. His thumb skims my cheek, slow and careful, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he touches me too fast.
“Don’t look so shocked,” he says.
I blink up at him, heat blooming all the way to my ears. “I’m pretty sure you wanted to murder me when you first saw me,” I mutter. “I definitely didn’t get the‘I want to kiss you’vibe when you shoved your magic at me in the sparring ring.”
