The sound that ripped through the Northwood forest wasn't human, and it certainly wasn't a Thorne wolf. It was a guttural, soul-shaking howl that felt like the ground itself was screaming. The Shadow Pack. For centuries, they had been the boogeymen of our world, a nomadic tribe of outcasts who lived only for the hunt and the capture of rare bloodlines. And now, thanks to the golden light I had just unleashed to save Silas, they knew exactly where the last Thorne healer was hiding.
Killian's hand tightened on my waist, his knuckles white against the midnight-blue silk of my dress. I could feel the change in him. It wasn't just the Alpha presence I was used to; it was something more primal, more lethal. His eyes were no longer the warm brown I had grown to love; they were molten gold, glowing with a fiery intensity that reflected the danger outside.
"Silas, get the security detail to the perimeter," Killian commanded, his voice a low roar that vibrated through the floorboards. "And tell them to use the silver-tipped rounds. The Shadow Pack doesn't play by the rules of the Treaty."
Silas, looking stronger but still pale from the shock of his healing, nodded frantically. He grabbed the internal phone by his bed, his voice trembling as he barked orders. My mother stood in the corner, a ghost of the woman who had spent years worrying about economic status and social standing. None of that mattered now. The only currency that held value tonight was blood.
"Elara, come with me," Killian said, his voice dropping to a whisper meant only for my ears.
He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me out of the medical wing and down the long, shadowed hallway toward the back of the mansion. We moved with a frantic energy, my heels clicking against the marble in a staccato rhythm that matched my racing heart. Every window we passed revealed the same terrifying sight: hundreds of glowing red eyes at the edge of the treeline, moving closer with every heartbeat.
"Where are we going?" I asked, my breath hitching as we reached the heavy, reinforced doors of the underground bunker.
"To the one place they can't reach you," he replied, his grip on my hand never faltering. "And the one place where I can finally finish what we started without the world watching."
He punched in a code, and the steel doors hissed open. The bunker was a far cry from the cold, clinical medical wing. It was a sanctuary of dark wood, plush rugs, and an air filtration system that hummed with a quiet, expensive efficiency. As the doors clicked shut behind us, the sounds of the encroaching pack and the panicked shouts of the security team faded into a heavy, intimate silence.
Killian turned to me, his chest heaving under his tuxedo. The forbidden tension that had been building between us since the day I arrived in the rain was now at a breaking point. The amazing transformation of my body and soul had led us to this moment, the point of no return.
"You saved him," Killian said, his voice thick with a mixture of pride and obsessive desire. "You used your power in front of everyone to save a man who didn't deserve it. Do you have any idea how much that makes me want you?"
"I couldn't let him die, Killian," I whispered, stepping into his space. "Not because I love him, but because I'm not him. I'm not a thief."
"No," he murmured, his hands coming up to cup my face. "You're a queen. My queen."
He leaned down, and this time, the kiss wasn't a question. It was a claim. It was the Alpha marking his territory. The mate bond exploded between us, a searing, white-hot energy that made the healing power in my veins dance in response. I felt the rough texture of his tongue against mine, the taste of salt and bourbon, and the overwhelming heat of his body pressing me back against the cold steel of the door.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in the soft hair at his nape. The silk of my dress felt like a barrier I needed to shed. I wanted to feel his skin against mine, to lose myself in the erotic fire that only he could ignite.
"Killian, please," I breathed against his lips.
He didn't need to be told twice. His hands, large and sure, found the zipper at the back of my dress. The sound of it sliding down was the only thing I could hear over the roaring in my ears. The midnight-blue silk pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but my lace lingerie and the radiance of my own skin.
Killian stepped back for a moment, his eyes raking over my body with an intensity that felt like a physical touch. The imperfections I used to cry over were now the very things he seemed to worship. He saw the strength in my thighs, the curve of my hips, and the strong heart beating visibly in my chest.
"You are perfection, Elara," he whispered, his voice a low, erotic rumble.
He shed his tuxedo jacket and shirt with a frantic grace, revealing the tattooed, muscular expanse of his chest. When he pulled me back into him, the sensation of skin-on-skin was like a lightning strike. I let out a soft, broken moan as he lifted me, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.
He carried me to the oversized leather sofa in the center of the room, laying me down with a gentleness that contrasted with the obsessive hunger in his eyes. Every touch was a vow. Every kiss was a promise of protection. As he moved over me, his hands exploring every inch of my transformed body, I felt the world outside vanish. There were no bullies, no fake DNA results, and no Shadow Pack. There was only the Alpha and his mate.
"I'm never letting you go," he growled against the sensitive skin of my throat. "Do you understand me, Elara? You are mine. In this life and the next."
"I'm yours," I promised, my voice breaking with the sheer intensity of the mate bond.
The erotic dance between us reached its peak, a symphony of breath and skin and shared power. I felt the golden light of my healing ability flare one last time, not to fix a wound, but to celebrate the union of two souls that were never meant to be apart. In that moment of absolute vulnerability and strength, I realized that this was the true transformation. I wasn't just a girl who had lost weight or gained an inheritance; I was a woman who had found her equal.
As we lay there in the aftermath, tangled in each other's arms and the discarded remnants of our finery, the silence of the bunker was suddenly shattered.
A heavy thud vibrated through the steel door. Then another. And another.
Killian was on his feet in a second, his wolf rising to the surface, his claws extending from his fingertips. I scrambled to pull on his discarded dress shirt, the scent of him enveloping me as I stood by his side.
"They're inside the mansion," Killian whispered, his ears twitching as he listened to the sounds through the thick metal.
The monitors on the wall, which showed the security feeds of the house above, flickered to life. My heart stopped. The grand foyer was a war zone. The security team was down, and the red-eyed wolves of the Shadow Pack were tearing through the tapestries and the fine furniture.
But it was the center of the screen that made me scream. Sarah was there. But she wasn't being attacked. She was standing next to a tall, gaunt man with eyes as red as the wolves around him. He was the Shadow Alpha. Sarah was pointing toward the floor, pointing toward the hidden entrance of the bunker.
"She betrayed us," I gasped, the sting of her scorn returning with a vengeful bite.
"She brought them here to finish what she couldn't do with the lawyers."
"She just signed her own death warrant," Killian growled, his eyes glowing with a lethal, fiery gold.
The man on the screen, the Shadow Alpha, looked directly into the camera. He smiled, revealing sharpened fangs, and held up a small, black device. A jammer. The screen went black.
A second later, the power in the bunker cut out, plunging us into total darkness.
The only thing I could see was the glow of Killian's eyes. And then, the sound of the keypad outside the door being bypassed. The hiss of the pneumatic seal breaking felt like the final bell of a funeral.
"Get behind me, Elara," Killian commanded, his voice a low roar of pure, unadulterated protection. "And whatever happens, don't stop using your light. It's the only thing they're afraid of."
The doors began to slide open, revealing the silhouette of the Shadow Alpha and Sarah's triumphant, twisted face in the flickering emergency lights of the hallway.
"The hunt is over, Thorne," the Shadow Alpha hissed, his voice like dry leaves on a grave. "Give us the healer, and maybe I'll let you watch her serve us."
I stepped out from behind Killian, my strong heart cold and steady. I didn't feel like a Miss Nobody anymore. I felt like the daughter of a king and the mate of an Alpha. I raised my hands, the golden light already beginning to pool in my palms, a weapon made of pure life.
"You want the healer?" I asked, my voice ringing through the bunker with a power I hadn't known I possessed. "Then come and take her. But I promise you, by the time I'm done, there won't be enough of your pack left to bury."
The Shadow Alpha roared, and the wolves behind him lunged into the room. Killian met them halfway, a blur of fur and fury, as I unleashed the first wave of light.