POV: Liora
Kael strode through the corridors with the scroll gripped tight in his hand. I hurried after him, my shorter legs struggling to keep pace.
"What are you going to do with it?" I asked, breathless.
"Keep it safe."
"But we need to show people. We need to prove.."
"We have proven nothing yet." Kael stopped so suddenly I almost crashed into his back. He turned, his expression hard. "That scroll implicates my council in murder. If word gets out before I have all the facts, it could tear this pack apart."
"So you're just going to hide it?"
"I'm going to investigate properly." His eyes narrowed. "You think Matthias acted alone? That my council just happened to agree? There's more to this, Liora. And until I know what, that scroll stays hidden."
"Where?"
"Somewhere you can't break into again." He turned back toward his office. "Go back to the barracks. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"But.."
"That's an order."
I watched him disappear down the hallway, frustration burning in my chest. He believed me, but he was also shutting me out. Hiding the one piece of evidence that could clear my name. What if he never showed it to anyone? What if he decided protecting his council was more important than justice for Declan?
I couldn't trust him. Not completely. Not yet.
++++++++++
Two days passed with no word from Kael. He avoided the training yard, sent Marcus to deliver orders, and didn't even show up for meals. It was like he was hiding from me. Or hiding something from me.
I threw myself into training, pushing my body until every muscle screamed. My wrist was nearly healed now, the bone knitting back together faster than it should. My shoulder barely pulled anymore. The other warriors noticed, commenting on my quick recovery.
"You heal like someone with Alpha blood," Thomas said during a break, offering me water. "Not many wolves bounce back that fast."
I shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Just lucky, I guess."
But it wasn't luck. My wolf was different, had always been different. Stronger, faster healing, more aggressive than most she-wolves. My father used to say I had warrior's blood, that I'd do great things.
He'd been wrong about that.
"Leo!" Vera called from across the yard. "Alpha wants you. His office. Now."
My stomach dropped. Finally. I found Kael standing at his window again, hands clasped behind his back. He didn't turn when I entered.
"Close the door," he said quietly.
I obeyed, my heart racing. The scroll sat on his desk, still sealed, taunting me.
"I spoke with Councilor Bram," Kael said. "He admitted to the correspondence. Claims he thought it was harmless, that Matthias was just posturing." His voice turned cold. "He was wrong."
"So you believe me now? Completely?"
"I never said I didn't believe you." Kael finally turned. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes. "But I needed confirmation. Bram's story matches yours. Matthias planned the murder, framed you, and the council gave him tacit approval by promising neutrality."
Relief flooded through me. "So you'll help me clear my name?"
"Eventually." Kael moved to his desk, picking up the scroll. "But first, we need to understand why. What does Matthias gain from an alliance with Nightbane? What's his real goal?"
"Power. Control. Isn't that enough?"
"Maybe." Kael's eyes met mine. "Or maybe there's something bigger happening. Something worth killing an Alpha for."
Before I could respond, shouting erupted from outside. Howls split the air, urgent and alarmed. Kael was moving before the first howl ended, grabbing weapons from the wall. "Stay close to me."
"What's happening?"
"Rogues. At the southern border." He tossed me a blade. "Consider this your first real test."
We ran through the halls, warriors streaming from every direction. Vera appeared at Kael's side, her face grim.
"How many?" Kael demanded.
"At least twenty. Maybe more. They came out of nowhere, Alpha. Coordinated attack."
Twenty rogues working together? That shouldn't be possible. Rogues were lone wolves, unstable and territorial. They didn't coordinate. Unless someone was leading them.
We burst out of the main building into chaos. Wolves fought everywhere, fur and fangs flashing in the fading daylight. Blood stained the ground. The smell of it made my wolf surge forward, hungry for battle.
"Leo, on me!" Kael shifted as he ran, his human form exploding into a massive black wolf. His Alpha power rolled out in waves, commanding and absolute.
I shifted too, my grey wolf smaller but fast. I stayed close to Kael's flank as he tore into the rogues. They were wild, feral, attacking with no strategy. But there were so many of them.
A rogue lunged at Kael's exposed side. I intercepted it, my jaws closing on its throat. The crunch of bone, the taste of copper. It fell, and I moved to the next threat.
We fought as a unit. Kael has brutal efficiency, all power and lethal grace. I was speed and instinct, covering his blind spots, protecting his flanks. My wolf knew where he'd be before he moved, anticipating his attacks like we'd trained together for years.
The bond hummed between us, pack magic recognizing pack magic. But there was something else too. Something deeper that I didn't understand.
A massive grey rogue, bigger than the others, burst from the tree line. It headed straight for Kael, who was locked in combat with two other wolves.
He didn't see it coming.
I didn't think. Just moved. I slammed into the grey rogue mid-leap, knocking it off course. We hit the ground rolling, teeth and claws tearing. It was stronger than me, heavier. Its jaws snapped inches from my throat.
But I was faster. I twisted, raking my claws across its belly. It howled and released me. I lunged for its throat, my teeth sinking deep. It thrashed, trying to throw me off, but I held on until it stopped moving.
When I released it and turned, Kael was there. His black wolf stood over the bodies of three rogues, ice blue eyes fixed on me.
The remaining rogues were fleeing, driven back by Nightbane warriors. The battle was over.
I shifted back to human, panting, covered in blood that wasn't mine. Kael shifted too, his chest heaving with exertion.
"You saved my life," he said, disbelief coloring his voice.
"You would have been fine."
"No." He stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. "That rogue would have killed me. You saw it before I did. Moved before it struck." His hand reached out, gripping my shoulder. "How?"
"I don't know. I just... felt where you'd be. What you needed."
Kael's expression shifted to something between wonder and fear. "That's not possible. Pack bonds don't work that way, not with warriors and their Alpha. There has to be..." He stopped, his hand falling away. "We need to talk. Privately."
But before we could move, Vera approached. "Alpha, we found something. You need to see this."
She led us to the tree line where the rogues had emerged. One of them lay dead, but pinned to its chest was a piece of cloth. A message.
Kael ripped it free, reading the words scrawled in blood.
"The false Alpha harbors a murderer. Return Liora of Silver Creek or face our wrath. This is your only warning. - Matthias"
My blood ran cold. Matthias knew where I was. He'd sent these rogues to attack, to send a message.
"He's not going to stop," I whispered. "He'll keep sending them until.."
"Until nothing." Kael's voice was steel. "Let him send his rogues. Let him threaten. He set foot in my territory, attacked my pack. That's an act of war."
He looked at me, and something in his expression made my breath catch.
"You're under my protection now. Mine." His eyes glowed with his wolf. "Matthias wants you? He'll have to go through me."
The other warriors murmured their agreement, a low rumble of support. They didn't know who I really was, but they'd seen me fight. Seen me protect their Alpha.
In their eyes, I'd earned my place.
"Come on." Kael started back toward the main building. "We need to debrief and figure out how Matthias knew you were here."
I followed, my mind racing. How did he know? I'd been careful, hiding my identity. Unless… Unless someone told him.
A traitor. Here in Nightbane.
We made it to Kael's office, warriors dispersing to tend wounds and secure the border. Kael closed the door, locking it behind us.
"Strip," he ordered.
"What?"
"You're covered in blood. I need to see if any of it's yours." His voice was pure command, no room for argument.
I hesitated, then pulled off the remains of my shredded shirt. The bindings around my chest were still intact, thank the ancestors. I kept my back to him, examining my arms for wounds.
"Turn around."
"I'm fine. Just scratches."
"Liora. Turn. Around."
I turned slowly. Kael's eyes traveled over me, clinical and assessing. But when his gaze lingered on the bindings, on the curves I couldn't quite hide, something shifted in his expression.
"You bind yourself," he said quietly. "To hide that you're female."
"Yes."
"It must be uncomfortable."
"It keeps me alive."
Kael moved closer, and I fought the urge to cover myself. His hand reached out, hovering near my shoulder where a scratch leaked blood.
"What happened out there," he said, his voice rough, "what we felt during the battle. That shouldn't be possible."
"I know."
"Pack bonds create a connection between Alpha and pack, but not like that. Not that... intimate." His eyes met mine. "It felt like you were part of me. Like I could feel your wolf alongside mine."
"I felt it too."
His hand finally made contact, fingers gentle on my wounded shoulder. Heat flooded through me at the touch, my wolf purring with contentment.
Wrong. This was so wrong.
"Kael," I whispered. "What's happening to us?"
"I don't know." His other hand came up, cupping my face. "But it's getting stronger. Every day you're here, every moment we're near each other, my wolf becomes more... possessive. More certain."
"Certain of what?"
His thumb traced my cheekbone, his eyes dark with confusion and something that looked like fear. "That you're important. That you're meant to be here. With me."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "I'm not meant to be anywhere. I'm a fugitive. A liar. Someone you should have turned away."
"I know." His forehead pressed against mine, his breath warm on my lips. "I know all of that. And it doesn't matter."
His wolf's energy crashed against mine, powerful and overwhelming. I gasped as heat flooded through every nerve. My wolf rose to meet him, not submissive but equal. Matching his strength with hers.
Impossible. Female wolves didn't match male Alphas in power. Especially not female wolves with no pack.
Kael jerked back like he'd been burned. His eyes were wide, his chest heaving.
"What are you?" he demanded.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Your wolf. She's..." He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "She shouldn't be that strong. Female wolves, even warriors, they don't have that kind of power."
"Maybe I'm just different."
"No." Kael paced, agitated. "It's more than that. The healing, the strength, the bond I feel. It's all..." He stopped, staring at me. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
He shook his head. "It's not possible."
"What's not possible?"
Kael moved to the window, his back to me. Moonlight spilled across his shoulders, highlighting the tension in his frame.
"There are legends," he said quietly. "Old stories about wolves who are meant for each other. Whose souls recognize each other across distance and time." He paused. "Mate bonds."
My heart stopped. "That's just stories. Myths."
"That's what I thought too." He turned to face me, and I saw fear in his eyes. Real, genuine fear. "But I've never felt anything like this. Never wanted to protect someone this fiercely. Never felt another wolf's energy like it was part of my own."
He crossed the distance between us in three strides, grabbing my arms.
"And you're male," he said, his voice breaking. "Or you're supposed to be. No man should make me feel this way. No man should make my wolf howl with recognition. No man should make me want to.."
He stopped, his grip tightening.
"Want to what?" I whispered.
Kael stared at me, trembling, his eyes glowing in the darkness. His face was inches from mine, his breath coming in harsh pants.
"Everything," he finally said. "No man should make me want everything."