Kael's POV
The ceiling falls like the sky collapsing.
I grab Lyra, yanking her close and shielding her body with mine. Concrete crashes around us. Dust chokes the air thick enough to drown in.
Pain explodes through my wounded leg but I don't let go. Can't let go.
PROTECT MATE. The bond screams it through every cell.
When the dust settles, we're buried. Trapped. A small pocket of air keeps us alive for now.
For how long, I don't know.
Kael? Lyra's voice is muffled against my chest. Afraid. Are you okay?
Fine. You?
Alive. She shifts slightly. You're bleeding more. I can feel it through the bond.
She's right. The silver in my leg is spreading. Poisoning my blood.
I have maybe an hour before I'm too weak to move.
Vera screams somewhere in the rubble. Then goes horribly silent.
We have to get out, Lyra says urgently. Mira
The bond. We use it like before. My leg won't support me. Vision blurring. Channel your strength through the connection. Combined, we can break free.
She hesitates, and I feel her terror through our link. Terrified of the bond. Of depending on it. Of trusting something she didn't choose.
Lyra. I know you don't want this. Neither do I. But it's our only weapon right now. Use it.
She breathes shakily. Nods against my chest. Okay.
The bond flares to life between us.
Her strength flows into me like lightning through water. Mine flows into her. Overwhelming. Intense. More powerful than I've ever felt.
My wolf roars with triumph. MATE. OURS. STRONG. TOGETHER.
Together, we push against the rubble. Our combined power cracks concrete like glass.
We dig. Claw. Fight our way up through stone and rebar and destruction.
Finally blessed air.
I pull Lyra through the opening. We collapse on the wreckage, gasping, covered in dust and blood.
The building is destroyed. Completely demolished. A professional job.
Thorne! I shout, looking for my captain. THORNE!
My second-in-command appears from behind a vehicle, bloodied but alive. Relief hits me.
Alpha King! He rushes over. We were hit by
Find the prisoners who were here. NOW. And find Mira Ashwood.
His face goes grim. Sir
DO IT!
He runs, calling orders.
I turn to Lyra. She's shaking, staring at the ruins with haunted eyes.
They tried to kill everyone, she whispers. Even Mira. Why would they
Silencing witnesses, I say, the tactical part of my brain piecing it together. No loose ends.
What did you see during the kidnapping? I ask urgently. Any detail. Anything distinctive.
She closes her eyes, thinking. One of them had a ring. Silver with a wolf head emblem. Ornate.
Pack symbolism. Old family crest.
Which pack?
I don't know. It was intricate. Not common.
Thorne returns, and his face makes my blood freeze.
We found them. All three kidnappers. Dead. Throats slit. Professional kills.
My heart stops. What?
Clean executions. Someone didn't want them talking. Bodies are still warm. Killer was here minutes ago.
The trap within a trap.
Mira? Lyra grabs my arm desperately.
Still searching the rubble.
You need to see this, Alpha King. Thorne leads us carefully across debris to three covered bodies.
I pull off their masks one by one.
And my heart stops.
Shadow Vale wolves. All of them. Damon's pack members.
No, Lyra breathes beside me. These are Damon knew them. They were at the ceremony.
Someone in Shadow Vale orchestrated this. Someone close to the Blackwood family.
Who benefits from Damon dying? I ask, mind racing. Who gains power in Shadow Vale?
Her face pales with understanding. His uncle. Marcus Blackwood. He's next in line for Alpha. And he was the one performing the ceremony
Marcus. The name sends ice through my veins.
Like my own traitorous uncle who poisoned my brother's mind.
No coincidences in our world.
We go back to Shadow Vale, I decide. Confront Marcus.
But Mira
They moved her before the explosion. This was a distraction. I hate saying it, but it's true. We won't find her in this rubble.
Tears stream down her face. I feel her anguish through the bond like my own.
My phone buzzes.
Another photo of Mira. Gagged now. Barely conscious. Fresh burns on her arms.
You survived. Impressive. Shadow Vale mourns their Alpha at sunset today. Come pay respects. Bring the murderer. Or the sister dies at midnight. No tricks this time. We're always watching.
Sunset. Three hours away.
It's obviously a trap.
But it's our only chance.
I show Lyra the message.
They want us walking into a trap, she says quietly.
Yes.
They could kill you. You're the Alpha King. If you die
They could try to kill me, I correct. Let them.
She looks at me with something like awe. Why are you doing this? You could leave. Wash your hands of me. Save yourself and your throne.
The bond pulses warmly between us.
Because you're my mate. Like it or not. Chosen or not. I don't abandon my own.
Something shifts in her eyes. Not trust yet that takes time. But the beginning of it. A crack in her walls.
What's the plan? she asks.
We go. Play their game. Let them think they're in control. When they move to take us we end this.
Thorne steps forward. I'm coming with you, Alpha King.
No. I need you tracking every Shadow Vale wolf's location. Someone there is a traitor. Find them. Document everything.
He wants to argue but bows instead. Yes, Alpha King.
As he leaves, I turn back to Lyra. Can you fight? Be honest.
She tests her shoulder where the bullet hit. Winces but nods. I'll fight. For Mira, I'll do anything.
Good. Stay close to me.
We head toward the vehicles.
My phone buzzes again.
This message freezes my blood completely.
A photo of Thorne. Tied to a chair. Beaten bloody. Barely conscious.
Behind him, smiling at the camera someone I never expected.
Someone I trusted for ten years.
Isla. My healer. My advisor. My friend.
Surprise, Alpha King. Your most loyal servant sends her regards. See you at sunset. Come alone, or everyone dies. And this time, I mean everyone.
Isla is the traitor.
She's been working against me for years.
I gave her access to everything. Every secret. Every weakness. Every strategic plan.
What? Lyra sees my face go pale.
I show her with shaking hands.
Her eyes widen in horror. If she's been with you for ten years, she knows everything. Every secret. Every weakness. Every defensive position.
She's right. Isla knows exactly how to destroy me.
We're walking into an ambush designed by someone who knows me better than I know myself.
We're going anyway, I say.
That's insane!
It's our only option. I meet her storm-gray eyes. Trust me, Lyra. One more time.
The bond waits. Hopeful. Terrified.
She takes my hand, squeezing tight.
Okay, she whispers. I trust you.
The words seal something between us. Deeper than the bond. Deeper than fate.
A choice. Her choice.
We drive toward Shadow Vale.
Toward certain danger.
Toward a confrontation that will either save everyone or destroy us all.
And for the first time since my brother died, I'm not alone in the fight.
For better or worse, I have someone fighting beside me.
Someone worth fighting for.