Kade's POV
The car ride to Ironpeak feels like driving toward my own execution.
I grip the steering wheel so hard the leather creaks. My wolf is going insane inside my head, howling and clawing to break free. It wants to go back. To rip Marcus Grey's throat out. To burn the entire Council chamber to the ground.
I want that too.
But I can't. Because Marcus won. He trapped me perfectly, backed me into a corner with no way out. Accept the omega or lose everything my pack depends on.
So I accepted.
And now there's a bond burning in my chest like a brand. A permanent connection to an omega thief I didn't choose. Didn't want. Can't escape.
My phone buzzes. I ignore it. It's probably Ash, my Beta, demanding to know what the hell just happened. I'll deal with him later.
Right now, I can barely think past the rage.
The bond pulses again. I feel her through it fear, confusion, and something that tastes like grief. The omega. Sera.
I slam my mental walls down, blocking her out. I don't want to feel her emotions. Don't want to know what she's thinking. She's not my mate by choice. She's a punishment the Council forced on me.
A weakness.
And I can't afford weakness.
Ironpeak's gates appear ahead. My fortress. My territory. The place I've spent thirteen years building and protecting.
The place that now has to house the omega who ruined my life.
I park and sit in the darkness for a moment. Through the bond, I sense that she's already here. The Council sent her ahead in a separate car.
Good. I don't want to see her yet. Don't trust myself not to say something I'll regret.
Or something I won't regret enough.
Ash is waiting in my office. He stands when I enter, his expression carefully neutral.
Don't, I warn.
Don't what? Ask why you just mated an omega you've never met? Ash crosses his arms. Or maybe ask why Marcus Grey suddenly decided to play matchmaker?
It wasn't matchmaking. I pour myself a drink whiskey, straight. It was punishment. For refusing their arranged marriage.
By forcing you into a different one? Ash shakes his head. That doesn't make sense.
It makes perfect sense. I drain the glass in one swallow. They wanted to humiliate me. What better way than binding me to a criminal omega? The weakest possible mate.
Ash is quiet for a moment. Is she really a criminal?
The Council said she stole sacred relics. Multiple witnesses.
And you believe them?
I stop mid-pour. What?
You've hated the Council for years, Ash says slowly. You've called them corrupt, power-hungry, manipulative. And now you're just... taking their word about this girl?
I saw the evidence myself. Relics in her room. Her scent on them.
Evidence can be planted.
The words hit me like a slap. I turn to face him fully. You think Marcus framed her?
I think Marcus is the kind of man who would frame anyone if it served his purpose. Ash meets my eyes. And I think forcing you into a bond with an innocent omega would serve his purpose perfectly.
My wolf stirs at the word innocent. I shove it down hard.
Even if she is innocent which I'm not convinced of it doesn't change anything. The bond is done. I'm stuck with her.
Where is she now?
The servants put her in the east wing. Small room. Nothing special.
Good. Keep her there. I don't want her in the main quarters.
Kade. Ash's voice is careful. She's your mate now. The pack will expect
I don't care what the pack expects. I slam the glass down. She's not my mate. She's a prisoner with a bond I was forced to accept. Nothing more.
The bond in my chest flares hot, like it's arguing with me. I feel a spike of hurt that isn't mine.
She heard that. Through the bond.
I don't let myself care.
Three days pass. I don't see her once.
I make sure of it. I know her schedule the servants report everything. She wakes early, works in the kitchens, keeps her head down. She doesn't cause trouble. Doesn't ask for anything.
Doesn't try to see me.
Good. That makes this easier.
But the bond makes everything harder.
Every time she's scared, I feel it. Every time she's in pain, my wolf rages. And worst of all every time she's near, something in me wants to go to her.
Wants to make sure she's safe.
It's the bond talking. Not me. I remind myself of this constantly.
On the fourth day, Mira corners me during training.
We need to talk about the omega, she says bluntly.
No, we don't.
Yes, we do. Mira doesn't back down she never does. She's your Head Warrior, which means she's one of the few people allowed to challenge me. The pack is talking. They don't understand why you're hiding her away.
I'm not hiding her. She's free to go wherever she wants in the fortress.
Is she? Because the servants say you ordered them to keep her in the east wing. To give her the worst jobs. To make sure she knows her place.
I did. Because that is her place.
Mira's eyes narrow. You're being cruel for no reason.
She's a criminal.
Is she? Or is she just a convenient scapegoat?
Why does everyone keep questioning this? I snap. The Council presented evidence. Witnesses testified.
And when have you ever trusted the Council? Mira crosses her arms. I'm not saying she's innocent. I'm saying you don't know for sure. And until you do, maybe don't treat your mate like garbage.
She turns to leave, then stops. Oh, and Kade? Next time you want to punish someone, make sure it's not yourself you're hurting.
She walks out before I can respond.
I stand there, fists clenched, trying to ignore how her words hit too close to home.
The bond pulses. A wave of loneliness so sharp it steals my breath.
Not mine. Hers.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, I wonder if Ash and Mira might be right.
What if she is innocent?
What if I've been punishing the wrong person?
That night, I find myself walking toward the east wing.
I don't plan it. My feet just carry me there, following the pull of the bond.
I stop outside her door. Light shows underneath she's still awake.
Through the bond, I feel her exhaustion. Sadness. Resignation.
My hand hovers over the door handle. I should knock. Should talk to her. Should at least look at my mate's face without hatred for once.
But what would I say?
Sorry I've been treating you like a criminal without proof?
Sorry the Council used both of us as pawns?
Sorry I'm too angry and too proud to admit I might be wrong?
A sound comes from inside. Crying. Quiet, muffled, like she's trying to hide it.
My wolf howls. Every instinct screams at me to go in there, to comfort her, to make the crying stop.
But I don't.
Because if I go in there now, if I let my guard down even a little, I might start to care.
And caring about someone is what gets you killed in this world.
So I turn around and walk away.
But I don't get far.
Because the fortress alarm starts blaring the sound that means only one thing.
We're under attack.