Dawn found Elara studying the map.
Five territories marked in enemy red. Five packs bound to a dead master by blood magic they couldn't break. Five chances to offer choice instead of war.
Kael joined her at the table, a cup of tea in each hand. "You've been staring at that for hours."
"Planning." She accepted the tea, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. "Viktor thinks Ashfang is the most vulnerable. Their Alpha—a wolf named Cedric—was never fully loyal to the master. He was coerced, not convinced."
"Coerced how?"
"Family. The master held his mate and pups hostage. Used them to ensure compliance." Elara's jaw tightened. "Cedric's been doing the master's bidding for years, hating every moment, unable to break free."
Kael studied the map. "If we go there first—if we can break the bond and free his family—"
"He becomes an ally. A powerful one." Elara nodded. "And other packs see that surrender doesn't mean death. That the queen offers mercy, not revenge."
"Strategic." Approval warmed through the bond. "You're thinking like a ruler."
"I'm learning from one." She looked at him. "You taught me that choices matter more than victories."
Kael's lips curved. "I taught you that?"
"By example. Watching you lead. Watching you choose." She touched his face. "Even when it cost you."
He caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her palm. "Then let's go teach Cedric the same lesson."
---
The war council gathered one last time.
Viktor would remain at Shadowfang, securing his territory and preparing for whatever came next. Bran would return to Blackthorn, carrying news and coordinating with the loyalist packs. Cassian and Lyra would lead a small force to watch the other bound territories, ready to move if any showed signs of aggression.
And Elara, Kael, Dace, and Kress would go to Ashfang.
"Four against a pack of hundreds?" Lyra's voice was sharp. "That's suicide."
"It's diplomacy." Elara met her gaze steadily. "If we arrive with an army, Cedric has no choice but to fight. If we arrive with a small group—with proof that we come in peace—he has room to choose."
"And if he chooses wrong?"
"Then we hope Kress's knowledge of Ashfang's defenses gives us time to escape." Elara looked at the scarred warrior. "Can you get us in and out if needed?"
Kress nodded slowly. "I know every passage, every guard rotation, every weakness in their walls. I helped design them." His empty eyes held a flicker of something—shame, maybe. "For the master."
"Then you'll help us use that knowledge for something better." Elara held his gaze. "Redemption starts now."
Something shifted in Kress's expression. A crack in the armor he'd built around himself.
"I won't let you down," he said quietly. "Not again."
---
The journey to Ashfang took four days.
Four days of increasingly harsh terrain, of temperatures that dropped with every mile north, of snow that deepened until the horses struggled. By the third day, they abandoned the horses and continued on foot—slower, but safer in the treacherous conditions.
Kael stayed close to Elara throughout. Through the bond, she felt his constant awareness—of her, of their surroundings, of every potential threat. He was Alpha in full measure, protecting what was his.
But he was also something else now. Something softer. Hers.
At night, huddled together for warmth in whatever shelter they could find, they talked about everything and nothing. About the future they were building. About the children they might someday have. About the life waiting for them when all the fighting was done.
"Promise me something," Elara whispered one night, wrapped in his arms.
"Anything."
"When this is over—when the bonds are broken and the packs are united and the kingdom is truly at peace—promise me we'll take time. Just for us. To breathe. To live."
Kael's arms tightened around her. "I promise." His lips found her forehead. "A cabin somewhere. In the mountains. With a fire and furs and absolutely no one else for miles."
"That sounds perfect."
"It will be." His voice was warm with certainty. "Because you'll be there."
---
On the fourth day, Ashfang rose before them.
It was built into a mountain cliff—literally carved from the stone, with towers and walkways that seemed to grow from the rock itself. Waterfalls of melted snow cascaded down its sides, catching the pale sunlight in rainbows of ice.
"It's beautiful," Elara breathed.
"It's a fortress." Kress's voice was flat. "Every approach is watched. Every entrance is trapped. The master designed it himself."
"And you know how to get in?"
Kress nodded. "There's a way. A service passage used by the wolves who maintain the upper levels. It's not guarded—no one thinks it's important." He met Elara's eyes. "But it leads directly to the Alpha's quarters."
Directly to Cedric. Exactly where they needed to be.
"Then that's our path." Elara looked at her small group. "We go in at night. We find Cedric. We offer him a choice." She paused. "And if things go wrong—"
"They won't." Kael's voice was firm. "Because we won't let them."
Through the bond, his confidence flowed into her.
She held onto it like a lifeline.
---
Night fell cold and clear over Ashfang.
They moved through darkness like shadows—Kress leading, his knowledge of the fortress absolute. Through hidden paths, along narrow ledges, past guards who never saw them. The service passage was exactly where he'd promised, a narrow tunnel carved into the mountain's heart.
Elara's heart hammered with every step. Through the bond, she felt Kael's tension, his readiness to fight, his desperate hope that this would work without violence.
Almost there, he thought. I can feel him. Cedric. He's close.
Can you sense his bond to the master?
A pause. Yes. It's... wrong. Corrupted. Like rot beneath the skin.
Can I break it?
I don't know. But if anyone can—
They emerged into a chamber.
Stone walls. A fire burning low. Furs piled on a massive bed. And standing at the window, staring out at the frozen night—
Alpha Cedric.
He turned as they entered, storm-grey eyes widening. His hand went to the sword at his hip—then stopped as he saw Kress, as he saw Elara, as he felt something in the air that made him freeze.
"You." His voice was rough. "The queen."
"I'm not here to fight." Elara stepped forward, hands open and visible. "I'm here to offer a choice."
Cedric stared at her. At Kael. At the small group that had somehow penetrated his impenetrable fortress.
"How did you—" He stopped. Shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You're here. Which means you know about the bond."
"I know the master bound you with blood magic. Used your family as leverage." Elara met his eyes. "I know you've been serving him against your will, hating every moment, unable to break free."
Cedric's jaw tightened. "And you think you can do what I couldn't? Break a blood bond that's held for years?"
"I think—" Elara let her power flicker, silver light dancing across her marks. "I think royal blood can undo what corrupted blood created. I think you deserve a chance to choose your own path. And I think—" She stepped closer. "I think your family deserves to be free."
At the mention of his family, something broke in Cedric's eyes.
"They're not here." His voice cracked. "The master took them. Years ago. I don't even know if they're still—" He couldn't finish.
Elara's heart clenched. "Where?"
"Somewhere in the wastelands. A camp. Hidden." Cedric shook his head. "I've searched. Sent scouts. Nothing."
Kress spoke quietly. "I know where the camp is. I helped build it."
Cedric's head snapped toward him. "You—"
"I was the master's weapon. His tool. I did things I can never undo." Kress met his gaze steadily. "But I can help you find your family. If you'll let me."
Silence.
Then Cedric's knees gave way.
He sank to the floor, this massive Alpha, and buried his face in his hands.
"I've been alone so long," he whispered. "So long. Thinking I'd never see them again. Never choose again." He looked up at Elara. "If you can help me—if you can free me from this bond and help me find my family—I'll pledge everything. My pack. My life. Everything."
Elara crossed to him. Knelt before him. Took his hands.
"Then let's start now." She closed her eyes. "The bond. Show me where it hurts."
Cedric's power opened to her—and she felt it. The corruption wrapped around his soul like chains. Dark. Cold. Wrong.
Like the master's magic, she realized. The same darkness.
Can you break it? Kael's voice through the bond.
I don't know. But I have to try.
She reached into the darkness.
---
The corruption fought back.
It was alive—the master's will lingering even after death, clinging to those he'd bound. As Elara's power touched it, the darkness screamed. Lashed out. Tried to consume her.
But she'd faced the master himself. She'd destroyed him with light.
This was just an echo.
You're not him, she thought at the darkness. You're just a memory. A remnant. And memories can be erased.
She pulled.
Silver light flooded through her, through Cedric, through the bond that had held him captive for years. The darkness shrieked—and dissolved.
Cedric gasped. Fell forward, caught by Elara, trembling like a newborn pup.
"It's gone." His voice was wonder. "It's gone. I can—I can breathe."
Elara held him as he shook, as years of captivity fell away, as hope flooded back into eyes that had forgotten what it looked like.
Behind her, Kael's hand rested on her shoulder. Warm. Proud. Here.
You did it, he thought. You actually did it.
We did it. Together.
Together.
---
End of Chapter 30🐺