Kael's eyes locked on mine, unreadable but searing. "Blackclaw warriors asking about a woman and a child," he repeated, each word measured.
Tarin's gaze flicked between us. "They were close enough to scent the border. If they cross…"
"They won't," Kael cut in. "Double the patrols on the east side. If anyone so much as breathes near that line, I want to know."
Tarin nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
I stepped back, pulse hammering. "They're looking for me."
Kael didn't move. "Obviously."
"This is exactly why I didn't want to be here," I said, my voice low. "You think keeping us in the middle of your territory is safe?"
His gaze sharpened. "It's the safest place you could be."
"I don't agree."
"I didn't ask you to."
He took a step toward me, then another. I held my ground until he was close enough that the heat from his body seeped through my clothes.
"You're not leaving," he said.
My spine stiffened. "That's not your decision."
"It is when Blackclaw's hunting you."
I shook my head. "We can go to human lands"
"They'll find you there. You think they can't track through concrete and steel? You think they won't smell him?"
The image of Liam in Blackclaw's hands flashed in my mind, cold and suffocating. My chest became tighter.
Kael saw it. He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "I will not let them touch him. Or you."
"This isn't about me," I said, my throat tight.
"It's about both of you."
I turned toward the door. "We'll stay until the threat passes. That's it."
His hand caught my arm, not hard, but firm enough to stop me. "You'll stay until I say it's safe."
I pulled free, glaring. "You don't own me."
His eyes darkened. "Maybe not. But the boy is mine. Which means I protect him however I see fit."
The words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
Kael led me back to the sitting room where Liam was building a tower of wooden blocks. He looked up, smiling. "Mom, look! It's taller than me."
I forced a smile. "It's amazing, baby."
Kael crouched beside him, studying the tower. "Impressive."
Liam grinned wider at the praise.
Kael looked at me over his shoulder. "He'll stay here, with me. You'll have your own quarters in the packhouse."
"No," I said instantly.
"Yes."
"You think I'm leaving him alone with you after everything?"
His gaze was steady, unflinching. "He's safer at my side than anywhere else in this territory. And if Blackclaw gets bold, I want him close enough to shield without thinking."
I hated that part of me agreed with him.
"I'll be in the same room," I said.
Kael straightened. "Then you'll stay in my quarters."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"They're the most secure. Top floor, reinforced walls, direct access to the roof in case of evacuation. And you'll be under my watch."
I folded my arms. "That's convenient for you, isn't it?"
A gaze of something, amusement, maybe, crossed his face. "Security first. Everything else… we'll see."
The move happened quickly. Within an hour, Liam and I were in Kael's quarters. Very spacious with dark wood furniture, a wall of windows overlooking the forest, and a large adjoining bedroom Kael insisted was for Liam.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Liam test the softness of the pillows.
"You like it here?" I asked.
He nodded. "It's nicer than our apartment. And the food smells better."
Kael's voice came from the doorway. "Dinner's in twenty minutes."
I didn't look at him. "We'll eat in here."
"You'll eat with me," he said. "In the main hall. The pack needs to see you."
"I'm not here to put on a show."
"They need to know you're under my protection."
I met his gaze. "And if they ask why?"
"They'll hear the truth," he said. "That you're mine."
The words came through like a hot blade. "You don't get to claim me just because!"
"I get to claim you because the Moon Goddess chose you for me," he said, stepping inside, his voice low and certain. "I was a fool to reject you then. I won't make that mistake twice."
Heat prickled under my skin. "You don't get to rewrite history to suit yourself."
"I'm not rewriting it," he said. "I'm correcting it."
Before I could answer, a knock on the door interrupted us. A young omega stepped in, bowing her head. "Alpha, the council is ready for you."
Kael's eyes didn't leave mine. "Escort them to the hall when they're ready."
"Yes, Alpha." She slipped out, closing the door softly.
Kael lingered for a beat, then left without another word.
⸻
Dinner was tense. The long tables of the main hall were filled with wolves watching us. Whispers followed every step I took.
Kael kept me close, one hand at the small of my back, guiding me to the high table. Liam sat between us, oblivious to the weight of every stare.
Halfway through the meal, Tarin leaned in to Kael, speaking low enough that I couldn't hear. Kael's expression didn't change, but his hand tightened slightly on his fork.
He stood. "I'll be back," he told Liam. To me: "Stay here."
The moment he was gone, the murmurs rose.
"She's the one he rejected…"
"And that boy?"
"Looks just like him…"
I kept my eyes on my plate, jaw tight.
A shadow fell across the table. I looked up to see Lyra, Kael's Beta's daughter, smiling without warmth.
"Enjoying yourself?" she asked sweetly.
"I was," I said.
Her gaze flicked to Liam. "Cute kid. Where'd you pick him up?"
My blood ran hot. "Watch your mouth."
Her smile widened. "If he's Kael's, that makes things… interesting."
Before I could answer, Kael's voice cut through the noise. "Lyra."
She turned, her smile faltering under his stare.
"Leave," he said.
She glanced at me, eyes narrowing, then walked away without a word.
Kael sat back down, his gaze sweeping the hall. "No one questions their place at my table. Especially not you," he said to me.
"I didn't ask for your defense."
"You have it anyway," he said.
When dinner ended, Kael led us back upstairs. Liam went straight to bed, exhausted.
I was about to retreat to my own room when Kael stepped into the doorway, blocking me.
"You and Liam are here under my protection," he said. "That means you follow my rules. No wandering, no slipping away, no speaking to outsiders without me present."
My pulse quickened. "You really think you can keep me here like a prisoner?"
His gaze didn't waver. "Not a prisoner. My mate."
Before I could respond, a howl split the night, long, urgent, too close to the borders.
Kael's head snapped toward the sound. "Stay here," he ordered, then was gone, the door closing behind him.