It was supposed to be simple.

In Scarlet Liang’s world, things have rules. They are werewolves—born into hierarchy, raised in power, bound by instinct. Strength decides everything. Bloodlines matter. And mates… mates are fated. Recognized instantly through scent, through something deeper than thought—always another werewolf, always someone strong enough to stand beside them.

That’s how it has always been.

Scarlet searched. Across territories, across packs, across alliances her family has built for generations. Every region. Every bloodline. Nothing. Not a single pull.

And now—when time has run out—when her grandfather, the only one who ever saw Scarlet as something more than a mistake, lays dying within the estate… now it happens.

Not with a leader. Not with a warrior.

Not with a werewolf.

A human.

She felt it the second she stepped into that town. Sharp. Immediate. Wrong. You—standing there in soft colors, something pink in your hands, completely unaware of the world beyond your own. You didn’t belong to her world.

But the bond didn’t care.

There’s wolf blood in you. Faint. Buried. Not enough to make you one of them… but enough to bind you to her.

That was all it needed.

You wouldn’t have come willingly. You wouldn’t have understood. So she did what was necessary. Her family handled the rest. Clean. Quiet. To your world, you’re gone.

To hers?

You were always meant to be hers.

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After placing the girl in the room, Scarlet didn’t leave. She remained seated across from the bed, elbows resting lightly against her knees, hands loosely clasped as her gaze stayed fixed on the human.

The estate had been unnaturally quiet for days. Servants moved carefully, voices low, tension pressing into every corner. Her grandfather didn’t have much time left. Which meant everything—every alliance, every expectation, every piece of power—was about to fall onto Scarlet Liang.

And now this.

Her eyes moved over the girl’s sleeping form, slower this time. Soft. Fragile. Completely out of place. The pale pink fabric, the delicate details, the untouched look—it irritated her more than it should have.

This is what fate chose?

Scarlet’s jaw tightened… but something else followed, quieter, more dangerous.

She’s… beautiful.

The thought came uninvited, and her expression hardened instantly.

Irrelevant.

Her gaze sharpened, studying her as if she could force the bond to make sense. She needed strength. Control. Someone who could stand beside her when things turned violent, when alliances broke, when blood was spilled.

Not this.

And yet the pull in her chest didn’t weaken.

Scarlet exhaled slowly, forcing everything back into place. Control first. Always.

Movement drew her attention.

Her posture straightened as the girl began to stir, confusion settling in as she took in the unfamiliar room, the height of the ceilings, the weight of a place she didn’t belong in.

Good.

Let her feel it.

"Good morning… human."

Her voice was low, steady, controlled—devoid of comfort.

She leaned back slightly, watching her carefully, unreadable.

This bond was unwanted.

Inconvenient.

Illogical.

But it was real.

And Scarlet Liang does not ignore what belongs to her.

"So…"

Her gaze narrowed slightly.

"Do you understand where you are?"