"The Northern Ridge," Thorn Senior jabbed a finger at the crumpled map spread across the oak table. "Silverclaw scouts. They came through the Devil's Finger."
"How many?"
"About a dozen. But those are just the ones we caught the scent of. The rest could be lying low in the hollows."
I crumpled the edge of the map, feeling my claws involuntarily scrape the wood. Everything inside was seething. The wolf was tearing at my lungs, demanding blood, demanding... her.
"Get the horses ready. We move in ten minutes."
"The whole unit?" Thorn Junior raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit much for a dozen scouts, Alpha."
"I didn't ask for your opinion. And have Alina readied."
Thorn froze. His gaze flickered to the door, then back to me.
"To the border camp? It's... not exactly a peaceful place for a girl right now. She can barely stand on her feet, Cale."
"She is my 'protection'."
I turned and walked out without waiting for an answer. The castle corridors felt too narrow, the air too thick. I needed to see her. Not just see her—keep her close. Without her, a cold hole expanded in my chest that not even the thrill of battle could fill.
In her room, it smelled of mint and stale fear. Alina sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers clutching the hem of her gray traveling dress.
"Get up."
She snapped her head up. Her eyes were huge, sunken.
"Where? Again?"
"Don't ask questions. Just get to the door."
"Cale, I... I feel sick. My head is spinning. Please, I won't survive the road."
I stepped toward her, closing the distance in an instant. I grabbed her forearm, jerking her to her feet.
"You'll survive. You are part of my retinue now. My ward."
"I am not an object!"
"Right now, you are. The most valuable one."
She swayed, and for a second I pulled her against my side, feeling her heart beat against my ribs—fast, like a trapped bird. For a moment, the snarl inside went quiet. The clean, sweet scent of her skin seeped through my irritation.
"Onto the horse. Now."
The wind at the border cut my face like a dull razor. We rode for three hours without stopping. Alina sat in front of Thorn Senior; I could only see her hunched back and strands of hair escaping her hood.
Every time the distance between us grew more than five paces, my wolf began to rage. As soon as I drew near, the fury was replaced by an icy calm.
"Alpha!" Thorn Junior pointed ahead. "I see smoke."
The border camp met us with chaos. Warriors were sharpening swords, and horses neighed, sensing foreign blood.
"Report," I jumped from the saddle, not even looking at the outpost commander.
"They're two miles from here, in the fir grove. They've pinned down our patrol."
"How many of ours?"
"Five. If we don't hurry, they'll be torn to pieces."
I turned to Alina. She slid off the horse, barely holding herself up on trembling legs. Pale, almost transparent in the twilight.
"Thorn, lock her in my tent. Let no one in. If she disappears, I'll have your head personally."
"Understood."
"Cale, don't go..." her voice was barely audible over the clatter of armor.
I froze for a split second. She was afraid. But in that fear, there was something else—a pull. The very bond that was twisting my insides.
"Stay quiet," I turned toward the forest, baring a fang. "I'll be back for what's mine soon."
The forest smelled of pine needles and outsiders. Dog-breath. Silverclaw rot.
"Left!" I barked, dodging the strike of a curved blade.
Thorn Junior took the attacker's head off. Blood splattered onto the moss.
I felt the battle trance washing over me. But this time, it was different. Before, it was madness, a blind rage that took hours to recover from. Now... now I saw everything. Every movement of the enemy, every breath.
Her scent filled my nostrils. Herbs. Wormwood. The sweet aroma of her fear drifting from the camp.
That scent guided my sword.
"Their leader! By the rocks!" someone shouted.
A massive Silverclaw wolf, half-transformed, was pinning down one of our warriors. I didn't run—I flew.
My sword entered beneath his shoulder blade. The enemy howled, trying to reach me with his claws, but I was already behind him. The crunch of vertebrae under my fingers echoed in my mouth with the taste of victory.
"Finish off the rest!" I ordered, wiping a bloody palm on my trousers.
"Alpha, are you wounded?" Thorn Senior approached, breathing heavily.
I looked at my hand. The deep scratch on my forearm hardly hurt.
"A trifle. Is the camp secure?"
"Clear. They are retreating to the border."
I didn't listen to the rest. I was being pulled back. Instinct screamed that I had been away from the source for too long.
I threw back the tent flap so hard the fabric groaned.
"Double the guards," I barked to the men outside. "No one enters. Anyone who comes within ten paces—kill them on sight."
It was dark in the tent, smelling of oil lamp smoke and... her.
Alina was curled up on a pile of bear furs in the corner. She looked at me like I was a monster from hell. And she was right.
I began unbuckling my leather armor. The straps were stubborn, my blood-crusted fingers slipping on the buckles. The armor hit the packed earth with a heavy thud.
"You... you're covered in blood," she whispered.
I took a step toward her. She tried to crawl away but hit the tent's support pole.
"Not mine."
I loomed over her, feeling the heat radiating from her body. The wolf inside purred contentedly, curling into a ball. All the exhaustion, all the pain from the fight evaporated. Only this thick, dark sense of possession remained.
I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her roughly to me. She cried out, pressing her palms against my chest.
"Let go... Cale, you're scaring me."
"Trembling?" I buried my nose in the curve of her neck, greedily inhaling her scent. "Good."
"Why did you bring me here? There's a war here."
"Don't you understand?" I squeezed her waist so hard she gasped. "Out there, in the woods... I heard you. Your pulse. Your scent. It made me faster. Meaner."
"I am not your talisman!"
"More, Alina. Much more."
I gripped her head with one hand, forcing her to look into my eyes. In her pupils, I saw my reflection—a bloodied beast that had found its prey.
"Did you see how I tore them apart?" my voice broke into a growl. "Not a single wasted wound. Not a single mistake. All because of you."
"You're hurting me..." she tried to twist away, but I only pressed her tighter against my thighs.
"Endure it."
I felt her resistance weakening. The bond didn't ask for permission—it just flowed between us, draining her will and filling my veins with pure power. Her tremors passed to me, but it wasn't weakness. It was resonance.
I buried my face in her hair again, feeling the battle-itch in my muscles subside. She was my anchor. My personal well of power.
"From now on, you won't leave my side," I growled directly against her lips, feeling her breath hitch. "Understand?"
"You've gone mad..."
"Perhaps. But I've never felt so alive."
I pressed her down onto the furs, pinning her with my body. Alina froze, her fingers clutching convulsively at my shoulders.
"You are my strength now. And I am never letting you go."