KAEL'S POV
If she was human…
Then I couldn't have her.
Not without igniting war in every direction—among the elders, the council, my bloodline, the damn packs who still snarled about purity and blood oaths.
She would be hunted, questioned, perhaps even stripped from me if they knew.
No. I couldn't risk it. Not for her.
Not for anyone.
Everything would be on the line—my claim to the throne, my role as Alpha, my people. And most of all, her. If anyone found out she was my mate, they wouldn't crown her. They'd bury her.
But despite all that…
My wolf raged.
You're a coward.
She is ours.
We've waited for her—bled for her, dreamt of her—and now you dare flinch because she bleeds differently?
"She's human," I whispered in my mind, the words feeling heavier than they should. "You know what that means. It's forbidden."
I don't care if she's made of ash and fire and dust.
She's MINE.
