Ronan's POV
The drive back to Seattle should have taken three hours. I made it in two.
Marcus kept shooting me looks from the passenger seat, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel, and Kane was pacing in my head like a caged animal.
That girl, Kane growled. Something's wrong with that whole situation.
"I know," I muttered under my breath.
"Alpha?" Marcus finally spoke up as we hit the city limits, his voice careful.
"The mate bond," I said, gripping the wheel tighter. "It was real. I felt it snap the moment she walked into that room."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. "And Black rejected her anyway," he said finally, disbelief coloring his words.
"In front of everyone. Like she was nothing." My jaw clenched as the memory replayed. "But that's not the worst part."
"What's the worst part?" Marcus turned in his seat to face me.
I pulled into Shadowfang territory, our compound rising like a fortress against the Seattle skyline. Modern glass and steel mixed with traditional stone. Progress and power combined.
"Her wolf," I said, pulling into Shadowfang territory. "Beautiful eyes with a black fur. That's not cursed, Marcus. That's the mark of the old bloodlines."
Marcus went very still beside me. "How old?" he asked quietly.
"Moonwhisper old," I said, my voice grim.
"Shit." Marcus ran a hand through his hair, processing the implications. "I thought they were all dead."
"So did everyone else." I got out of the car, my mind racing. "But if she's really Moonwhisper, then what Black did today wasn't just cruel. It was dangerous."
We walked through the lobby, pack members nodding respectfully as we passed. Young wolves training in the gym, elders discussing business in the conference rooms. This was what a pack should look like. Strong, united, purposeful.
Not like the toxic mess I'd just witnessed in Chicago.
"Alpha," Marcus said as we entered the elevator, his voice cautious. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that girl is in serious danger. And I'm thinking the Council needs to know about this," I said, jabbing the button for my floor.
"The Council?" Marcus raised an eyebrow skeptically. "They don't exactly love it when we interfere with other packs."
"They'll love it even less when a potential Moonwhisper heir gets murdered on their watch." The elevator doors opened to my private floor. "Set up a secure call with Elder Rowan," I ordered, striding out.
"Rowan's been dead for fifteen years," Marcus said, following me down the hallway.
I smiled grimly over my shoulder. "Has he?"
Marcus stopped walking abruptly. "You know something," he accused.
"I know that when I was twenty-two and stupid enough to almost get myself killed going after Janny's pack alone, someone left me intel that saved my life. Someone who knew things only a Council Elder would know," I explained, pushing open my office door.
"And you think it was Ronan," Marcus said, realization dawning in his voice.
"I know it was Rowan." I walked to my desk, papers scattered across its surface. "The question is whether he'll come out of hiding for this."
Kane was still agitated, pacing and snarling in my head. The wolf had been unsettled since the moment we'd seen that girl - Alina. Even her name felt significant somehow.
She's ours to protect, Kane insisted. Can't you feel it?
"She's not ours," I said out loud, then caught Marcus's confused look. "Sorry. Kane's being territorial."
"About the Moonwhisper girl?" Marcus asked, settling into the chair across from my desk.
I nodded, dropping into my chair heavily. "He wants to go back and tear Black's throat out."
"Can't say I disagree with him there," Marcus said with a dark chuckle. "What Black said to her in that courtyard... no one deserves that."
The memory made my blood boil. The way Damien had spoken to his own fated mate, dismissing her like she was garbage. The tears in her eyes as she stood there, taking it.
And then Elder Silas, that ancient bastard, calling her cursed.
"There's more," I said, leaning forward. "When I was leaving, I saw Silas heading toward the main house. With guards."
Marcus went very still, his expression darkening. "You think they're going to hurt her?"
"I think they're going to do whatever it takes to make sure she disappears quietly." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through contacts. "Which is why we're not waiting for the Council."
"Ronan." Marcus leaned forward, concern etched in his features. "What are you planning?"
Kane was practically howling now, demanding action. My wolf had never reacted this strongly to anyone except.
Except Janny. But that had been different. That had been about possession, control. This felt like protection. Like Kane recognized something in Alina that I couldn't quite grasp yet.
"I'm planning to make sure an innocent woman doesn't get murdered for her heritage." I started typing a message, my fingers moving quickly. "Jake Sant owes me a favor."
"The private investigator?" Marcus asked, recognition flickering in his eyes. "The one who used to work for the Council?"
"The one who specializes in supernatural extractions." I hit send with more force than necessary. "If Alina Gray is really in danger, she needs to disappear before they can hurt her."
My phone buzzed immediately. Jake's reply was short: When and where?
"This is dangerous," Marcus said, his voice heavy with warning. "If the Council finds out we interfered with Bloodmoon Pack business..."
"Then they'll have to explain why they let a Moonwhisper heir get killed on their watch." I stood up abruptly, Kane's restless energy driving me to pace. "The old bloodlines aren't just history, Marcus. They're prophecy."
"What do you mean?" Marcus watched me move across the office, wariness in his tone.
I walked to the window, looking out over my territory. Strong. Everything I'd built in the four years since taking over from my father. But something was missing. Something I'd never been able to name.
Until today.
"My grandmother used to tell me stories," I said, stopping at the window. "About the time before the Council, when magic and wolf lived in balance. She said someday, when the world was ready, the old bloodlines would return."
"You believe in prophecies now?" Marcus asked, skepticism lacing his voice.
"I believe in protecting what matters." I turned back to him, my decision crystallizing. "And I believe that girl matters more than anyone realizes."
My phone rang, Jake Sant's name flashing on the screen.
"Talk to me," I answered without preamble.
"Got your message. You're talking about a full extraction from Bloodmoon territory?" Jake's voice was all business, cutting through static.
"If necessary," I replied tersely.
"That's war-level interference, Vale. You sure about this?" There was concern beneath his professional tone.
"I'm sure," I said firmly.
"Then you better move fast. My contacts in Chicago say there's been unusual activity around the Gray estate." Jake's voice dropped to a warning whisper.
My blood went cold. "How long do we have?"
"Hours, maybe less," he said grimly.