Rowan sliced a small loaf of rough bread with a hunting knife, placing berries beside it. "You came at a strange time," he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Dante doesn't usually let anyone near his room."
Elara leaned against the stone table, hugging her arms to herself. "I didn't exactly choose to come."
"I know," he let out a sympathetic breath. "He had to punish Caius somehow."
She didn't answer.
"Look...he's rough, harsh and selfish. But never cruel. Not like your former mate."
A shiver went through her. "He wasn't my mate."
"But he claimed to be,"
"Why did he take me, then? He could have killed me instantly to punish Caius."
Rowan gave a humorless smile. "He wasn't thinking of Caius when he took you. He answered the bond. Rogues don't usually get mates. We're cursed with solitude the moment we lose our pack. When Dante felt the pull toward you, he was more confused than you were."
Her cheeks warmed. "He bit me without asking."
He shrugged. "His wolf took over. He's been alone a long time."
"How long?"
Her heart twisted. She wanted to ask more but something pulled her senses, tightening around her chest like an invisible rope.
The bond.
"You okay?"
She swallowed, clutching her chest. "He's close."
The door slammed open.
Dante stood in the doorway, chest rising and falling with a quiet intensity. His white hair was tied back in a rough knot, a few strands falling over his sharp cheekbones. His jaw was locked.
"What are you doing here?" he said quietly, his gaze cold enough to freeze fire.
Rowan stiffened. "She was...hungry, Dante. I was just-"
"I wasn't speaking to you."
Elara swallowed, lifting her chin even though her pulse was trembling.
"I came for food. That's all."
"I can feel you through the bond so don't lie to me. Your heartbeat changes when someone's too close."
Rowan backed away instantly. "I'll go check the boys."
The moment he was gone, Dante moved closer. Close enough that she could smell the heat of him. She had to blame it on the bond.
"I'm trying to keep you alive. You shouldn't be alone with other wolves."
Her breath hitched. "You don't get to dictate where I go."
His eyes darkened. "The bond says otherwise,"
The room was silent except for the soft scrape of Caius's thumb against the edge of the wooden table. His jaw had been locked for so long the muscles trembled subtly beneath his skin.
"Speak," Caius ordered, and Ravik, eyes sharp as flint, voice rarely used unless needed, didn't hesitate.
"The village was empty," he breathed. "Silent. Abandoned."
Caius straightened slowly.
"And my men?"
"Gone."
He word hung heavily between them.
"I could taste it in the air. They died some few days ago."
"And the girl's parents?"
"No scent, no bodies. Someone took them."
He smiled with a icy clarity that made Ravik shiver.
"So, he lied to my face."
"That is certain," Ravik said. "Thorn was a coward."
"Find him, and bring him to me."
She stood in front of Dante, chest rising and falling with the force of everything she hadn't said for hours.
"You need to listen to me," she said, voice tight. "My parents are out there. You can't keep me here like some stolen gold!"
"I will see to that," he said with clenched teeth.
"No, you're pacing in around snaring about Caius." he voice trembled with fury. "I won't sit here without knowing your next move."
"I'm trying to keep you alive." he growled again.
"I didn't ask you to keep me alive!" she shouted, tears burning her eyes. "I want to find them."
Something inside him snapped.
In two strides, he reached her, hands circling her waist. She gasped as her feet left the floor.
"Put me down!"
He didn't. He held her against his chest, every breath strained, his heartbeat a frantic drum beneath her hands.
The lock clicked, and silence swallowed the corridor. He turned to Rowan who was smiling.
"Stay here and watch her," he ordered, voice harsh. "If something goes wrong, you call for me the usual way."
"I won't leave my post." He replied with resolve in his eyes.
He exhaled. Low and rough. His wolf didn't like leaving her. "I will be back."
He descended the tower stairs, boots echoing against ancient stone as he emerged into the chilled air outside. His men already gathered, in human skin, all watching with sharp , waiting silence. One by one, they shifted, bones rearranging, fur turning through the the air, bodies expanding into powerful shapes.
The ran like shadows, nose flaring, slipping through the dense forest. Leaves and branches brushed their fur as they moved. Dante kept to the front, his eyes flashing as he ran.
His room smelled like pine, cold wind and sweat. An intoxicating blend she refuses to acknowledge stirred something in her stomach. The room was too silent.
Her eyes drifted around maps pinned to the stone wall, ink faded with age. Her eyes landed on the door. She crept toward it, heart hammering and tried the handle. Rowan stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
"Move." She said with determination. Perhaps Rowan could see sense.
"I know," he said gently. "But if Dante locked this door, It's because outside is more dangerous for you than in here."
"Is he always like this?"
"No. He's only like this with you."
Heat rushed through her neck, but she pushed the door wider to distract herself. "I will break the door."
He blocked her. "If you run, he will feel it. And he will come back."
She doesn't care. She needs to find her parents.
"Please," Rowan interrupted. "Stay inside."
Grimhol was a ghost.
The moment Dante and his men padded into the shuttered village, the air changed. Heavy, stale and lonely. Houses leaned to the side, half eaten by rot. Fires had long died, ashes scattered by the wind.
He stalked through the silent streets, every sense sharpened. He followed a faint scent to a house near the edge of the river. He stopped a man near a well. "I'm looking for a man. Grey beard. Lived alone near the border."
The man's expression fell. " He was killed last winter. No one goes near the area now."
Dante clenched his jaw. Another dead end. Another piece of truth rotting on the ground.
"Caius got to him." Jax said and sighed.
A soft noise made Dante turn as the man left. A young woman emerged from an abandoned house, slender and amber-eyed. She clutched a bundle of wood, with a determined set to her mouth.
"He was my father," she said. "But Caius killed him. Like he did others."
"Your name?" Dante asked, voice low.
"Lysa. Daughter of councilman Torren."
"You came for proof," she continued, voice breaking. "I...heard you were banished for murder."
His jaw tightened.
"I know you didn't kill them," she said, tears welled up in her eyes. "My father knew too. He wrote what he discovered after he took us to safety."
"Where is it?" Dante asked, stepping toward her.
"He gave it to Norren to deliver to your father."
"And where is Norren?"
She stared at him for a moment. "I don't know but I can help you find him."
"Then, we leave. Now."
Caius stalked through the hall, rage simmering under his skin. He reached the chamber where Jerren, Thorn's closest man, waited and kneeling. He stepped into the room.
"Look at me," he said,
Jerren raised his head slowly, sweat shining on his brow. Caius smiled.
"You have news for me," he murmured. "Start talking."
Jerren bowed instantly, wiping the sweat with trembling hands. "Forgive me. Thorn asked us not to say. When we reached the village, it was empty. Your men were killed."
"Elara's parents?"
"Gone, my lord. No scent trail."
For a heartbeat, the room felt like it had fallen into a void.
"You lied to me," Caius whispered, crouching before him. "You and Thorn told me they were safe."
Jerren's voice broke. "It was Thorn-"
His hands snapped around his throat, squeezing his neck and a wet crack echoed off the stone walls.
"Send word to Thorn," he told the man hovering outside as he wiped his hands filled with blood. "Tell him it's his turn."