KAEL’S POV The warning horns blasted through the freezing night air, shaking the heavy stone walls of my chamber.
One blast meant a perimeter breach.
A second blast followed immediately after, echoing wildly across the snow-covered peaks.
An escaping intruder.
My eyes snapped open, my wolf surging to full alert in an instant.
The scent of rain and wild honey was faint, but it wasn’t coming from down the hall.
It was drifting in from the freezing wind outside my open window.
She was gone.
Ignoring the dull ache in my chest, I threw off the heavy blankets and stood up.
I pulled my heavy coat over my shirt and grabbed a dagger.
I wouldn’t be able to shift but I could still fight.
Garrett burst through the room doors a second later, looking breathless and pale.
“Kael, you shouldn’t be out of bed—” “Where is she?” I growled, my voice dropping into a deadly, low rumble that made the room vibrate.
“She…
she climbed out the guest room window,” Garrett said, his eyes wide.
“The guards didn’t see her leave.
The Elders were already rallying a search party to lock her in the dungeons before she ran away.” “She isn’t an intruder, and she isn’t a witch,” I barked, stepping past him into the freezing corridor.
“Find the Elders.
Tell them if anyone touches her, they will answer directly to me.” “Kael, the storm outside is blinding.” Garrett called after me.
“And your ribs—” “I don’t care about my ribs,” I roared, pushing through the heavy oak doors leading out to the courtyard.
The freezing wind slammed into my face, driving blinding sheets of white snow across the grounds.
My wolf was pacing behind my mind, practically tearing at my mind, screaming at me to run, to hunt, to find her before the freezing cold or the hostile pack guards reached her first.
I leapt over the outer wall, my boots sinking deep into the fresh snow of the mountain woods.
I followed her scent.
Even through the howling storm, the delicate smell of rain and wild honey cut through the bitter cold like a golden thread.
She was running south toward the human realm, pushing through deep drifts that had to be punishing for a body that carried no wolf spirit.
I moved like a shadow through the dark trees, my long strides closing the distance in minutes.
Up ahead, through the thick veil of falling snow, a small figure was stumbling through the drifts, clutching a leather bag to her chest and breathing in ragged, desperate gasps.
“Stop,” I called out, my voice cutting through the roar of the wind.
She froze.
She spun around in pure panic, her dark eyes wide with terror as she backed away from me.
Her foot caught on a hidden tree root, and she went down hard in the deep snow.
In a flash, I was over her.
I reached down, my broad hands catching her firmly by the arms to pull her back to her feet.
“Get off me,” she screamed, fighting against my grip with everything she had.
“Let me go.
Leave me alone.” “Be quiet,” I commanded, holding her steady despite her frantic struggles.
“The forest is filled with guards, Clara.
Most importantly, you’re going to freeze to death out here.” “I don’t care.
Let me go.” During her wild struggle, her hand slipped from her coat pocket, and her phone tumbled into the snow between us.
It hit the ground with its screen facing upward.
The display lit up brightly against the snow, displaying her lock screen photo.
My gaze dropped to the screen and my entire world stopped.
It was a picture of a young boy, no older than five.
He was grinning at the camera, his dark hair messy, tucked behind his left ear.
My heart slammed against my ribs with the force of a battering ram.
My breath hitched in my throat.
I stared at the boy’s sharp jaw, his pale gray eyes—eyes that looked exactly like my own.
A memory flashed through my mind.
Five years ago.
“Who is this?” I rasped, my voice shaking as I released her arms and dropped to one knee, staring at the screen in complete disbelief.
“Who is this boy?” Rhea gasped, her face draining of all color.
She scrambled backward through the snow, reaching out with a trembling hand to grab the phone and shove it back into her pocket, locking her terror behind a frantic wall of denial.
“He’s no one,” she cried, her voice cracking.
“He’s my son.
He has nothing to do with you.
Let me leave.” Before I could grab her wrist and demand the truth, the forest around us illuminated with bright lights.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the snow as a dozen armed guards surrounded the clearing, weapons drawn.
Standing at the front was the traditionalist Pack Elder, his wooden staff raised, his face twisted in absolute fury.
“There she is,” the Elder bellowed, his voice echoing across the trees.
“The rogue witch who uses dark magic.
Seize her.
Chain her and take her to the dungeons.” Four guards stepped forward, their swords glinting coldly in the torchlight, moving in on Rhea as she backed against the trunk of a massive pine tree, trembling violently in sheer terror.
My wolf snapped.
A violent, primal fury exploded through my blood, hotter and more terrifying than the poison that had almost killed me.
In a single heartbeat, I stepped directly in front of Rhea, blocking her completely from the guards.
I unsheathed my dagger in one fluid move, my eyes never leaving theirs.
“BACK DOWN!” I roared, my Alpha aura bursting outward in a crushing wave that forced the guards to drop to their knees in the snow, gasping for air.
The Elder staggered back, shock washing over his wrinkled face.
“Alpha Thorne.
She is a rogue.
She carries dangerous magic—” “She saved my life,” I snarled, my gray eyes burning with wild, lethal authority as I swept my gaze across every warrior present.
“She saved our children.
And if any man among you dares lay a single finger on her, I will tear his throat out with my bare hands.” “You cannot shield a stranger from pack law,” the Elder yelled back, trying to stand his ground.
“By ancient law, an outsider wielding strange power inside our territory must be bound or executed.” “Then hear the law,” I shouted, my deep voice booming across the dark, snow-covered mountainside.
I turned my head slightly, looking back at Rhea.
Her dark eyes were wide, her lips parted in sheer shock as she stared up at me through the falling snow.
I turned back to the Elders, raising my voice until it echoed off the very peaks of the North.
“She is not an outsider.
She is protected under the oldest law of this land.” I declared, my voice absolute and unyielding.
“Stand down.
You will not touch her.
She is my Fated Mate.”