The scent came back the next night—closer this time.
Kael didn't sleep. He stood at the window like a statue, arms crossed, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. His senses were sharp, drawn tighter than a bowstring. Every sound, every breeze carried weight.
Lina was asleep on the couch, wrapped in one of his old flannel shirts and a thick blanket. She looked peaceful. Fragile. Human, even though he knew she wasn't.
But she felt his.
He didn't know when that shift had happened—when his instinct to protect her stopped being about honor and started becoming personal. Possessive. Primal.
When dawn broke, Kael stepped outside. The woods were soaked with fog, and deep within the trees, a second scent cut through the stillness.
Not just Ryken.
Scouts.
Kael growled low in his throat.
They were testing his borders. Pushing at the edge of his territory, like wolves sniffing out weakness.
He gave them a warning.
A howl—low, powerful, ancient. It rolled through the valley like thunder.
Every wolf within miles would hear it. And they'd know.
This land belongs to an Alpha.
Inside, Lina stirred.
When he returned, she was waiting by the fire, eyes wide. "I heard you," she said softly. "That was… you?"
He nodded. "They're close."
Her breath caught. "Kael… if he comes—if Ryken comes—you don't have to fight him. I'll leave. I don't want to bring a war to your doorstep."
He stepped toward her, his voice quiet but terrifyingly firm. "You are on my doorstep. Which means you're under my protection. He wants a war? I'll give him one."
Lina stared up at him. "Why does this matter so much to you?"
Kael leaned closer, his eyes boring into hers. "Because I know what it feels like to be claimed without being chosen. And I'm not letting him decide your fate."
She swallowed. "And you?"
"What about me?"
She took a shaky breath. "If I had a choice… I'd choose you."
For a moment, everything inside him went still. His wolf, his rage, his fear—they all paused.
Her words struck something raw and buried.
He didn't deserve to be chosen. Not with the blood on his hands. Not with the cold inside him.
And yet… she said it like it was already true.
He stepped back, tension coiling in his jaw. "Rest. Today will not end quietly."
She watched him disappear into the other room, but her heart beat louder than before.
Because even if he couldn't say the words—Kael was no longer just protecting her.
He was claiming her in the only way he knew how.