The howl cut through the night like a warning bell. Long. Urgent. Too close.
I froze in the middle of the room. My heart kicked hard in my chest.
Liam stirred in the bed beside me. "Mom?"
"It's okay, baby," I said quickly. "Go back to sleep." My voice was calm, but my hands were tight around the blanket.
The door opened and Kael stepped in, already pulling on a black jacket. His eyes scanned the room, landing on me.
"Stay here," he said. "No matter what you hear."
"What's happening?" I asked.
"Blackclaw scouts at the west border. We're moving to intercept."
The west border was miles from the east, where they'd been seen before. "They're testing you," I said.
"They're testing my patience," he replied.
Before I could answer, Tarin appeared in the doorway. "Alpha, they're stalling. I think they're trying to draw you out."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Double the guard around the packhouse. No one in or out without my order."
"Yes, Alpha."
Kael turned to me. "You lock this door. You don't open it for anyone but me or Tarin."
"I'm not helpless," I said.
His gaze held mine. "You're not stupid either. Keep him safe."
Then he was gone.
The minutes crawled. I paced the room, glancing out the window every few seconds. I could hear distant growls and the faint thud of paws hitting the ground. Wolves were moving fast through the forest.
Liam sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Mom, what's going on?"
"Just pack business," I said, forcing a smile. "Nothing to worry about."
But I was worried. Every instinct in me screamed that this wasn't just a test from Blackclaw. They wanted something. And I had a good idea what that was.
A knock came at the door.
"Mom, is that him?" Liam asked.
I moved quietly to the door. "Who is it?"
"It's Tarin," came the reply.
"Kael said you'd be with him," I said.
"I was," Tarin answered. "He sent me to move you and the boy somewhere safer."
Something felt off. Tarin was loyal, but Kael wouldn't send him back so soon, not without more detail.
"Where's Kael?" I asked.
"He's still at the border. We need to go now."
I glanced at Liam. He was watching me, wide-eyed.
I didn't open the door. "Tell Kael to come get me himself."
There was a pause. Then the voice outside the door changed. Deeper. Rougher. "Open it. Now!"
Every muscle in my body locked. That wasn't Tarin.
I grabbed Liam's hand and backed us away from the door. "Under the bed," I whispered.
"Mom…"
"Now."
He slid under just as the door handle rattled.
The lock held. For now.
"Come on, Elara," the voice outside taunted. "We just want to talk."
I stayed silent, my back to the wall, my eyes on the door.
After a few seconds, the footsteps retreated.
I didn't breathe until they were gone.
It was another twenty minutes before the real Tarin came to the door. "It's me," he said. "Kael's orders. He's on his way back."
This time I opened it. His face was tense, his eyes scanning the hallway. "You're both okay?"
"Yes."
"Good. Because someone tried to get in here who wasn't ours. We found tracks heading back toward the east border."
So it hadn't just been in my head.
Kael appeared seconds later, his shirt streaked with dirt, his hair damp from sweat. He looked from me to Liam, then back to me. "What happened?"
I told him.
His jaw tightened with every word. When I finished, he stepped closer, his voice low. "This is exactly why you're not leaving my sight."
"You think keeping us here will stop them?" I asked.
"It'll make it harder for them to get to you."
I crossed my arms. "You mean harder for me to get away."
His eyes darkened. "Call it whatever you want. You're not leaving."
Something inside me snapped. "You can't keep me here like a prisoner, Kael."
"I can keep you alive," he said.
"That's not the same thing."
"It's close enough for me."
We stood there, glaring at each other. Liam shifted uncomfortably on the bed, sensing the tension.
Kael's voice softened, but his words stayed firm. "I won't let them touch you. Either of you. And if that means you hate me for it, so be it."
Later, after Liam fell asleep, Kael stayed by the window, watching the dark line of the forest. I sat on the edge of the bed, my arms wrapped around my knees.
"Why now?" I asked finally.
He didn't turn. "Blackclaw's been quiet for months. This… this is planned. They knew when you came back."
A cold weight settled in my stomach. "You think someone told them."
"I think someone's been watching you. Maybe for years."
I shivered. "What do they want?"
His eyes met mine across the room. "If they know he's mine… everything changes."
We didn't say his name, but we didn't have to.
"I'm not staying here forever," I said.
"You'll stay until I say otherwise."
The stubborn part of me flared. "And if I take him and go?"
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "Then I'll come for you. And I won't stop until I have you both."
There was no threat in his tone. Just certainty.
The rest of the night was quiet, but I didn't sleep much. I lay awake, listening to the sounds of the packhouse, the occasional distant howl.
When morning came, Kael was gone, but Tarin stood outside the door like a shadow.
"Breakfast in the hall," he said.
I looked past him toward the stairs. "What if I don't want to eat there?"
"Then you'll still be escorted," Tarin said simply.
It was starting to feel less like protection and more like control.
But when I saw Liam's smile as he bit into a fresh roll at the long table, I stayed quiet.
Kael arrived halfway through the meal, his presence filling the space instantly. He sat beside me without asking, his hand brushing mine briefly as he reached for his plate.
"We need to talk," he said under his breath.
"About what?"
"About claiming you."
I turned to him sharply. "You're out of your mind."
"Maybe," he said. "But it's the only way to make Blackclaw back off. If they think you're fully mine, they'll know taking you means war."
"And if I say no?"
His lips curved in a slow, infuriating smile. "Then I'll take that as a challenge."