I did not expect him to come for me.
But the bond did not lie.
It burned.
Not gently. Not in the slightest. It throbbed like an open wound. My breathing flared sharply and intrusively every time I tried to calm it, as though to remind me that Kael Draven was restless somewhere beyond these mountains.
Good.
Let him feel it.
Let him choke on it the way I had choked on humiliation.
I was being referred to as Silver Wolf by the outlaws. I didn't correct them. Explaining was more difficult. Easier than acknowledging that I had once stood next to an Alpha who openly ignored me as if I were unimportant.
I was sparring when it happened.
With claws out, a rogue lunged for me. I twisted, ducked, and slammed my elbow into his ribs. With a grunt, he collapsed back into the snow. Over the past few weeks, my body has become leaner.
Harder. Hunger had carved away softness. Pain had sharpened me into something dangerous.
Then the bond flared.
Not pain.
Not anger.
Warning.
I froze.
The rogues noticed.
"What is it?" Stepping next to me, Scar-Eye asked.
I shut my eyes.
He was close.
Too close.
I muttered, "I have unfinished business."
Then I sensed it.
Kael
Not in a physical sense. Not just yet.
But close enough that my wolf surfaced, restless and alert.
Before I could question myself, I moved.
My bones broke. My vision became clearer. Scent and sound took over the world.
And there he was.
at the tree line's edge.
enormous. dark-furred. Even in silence, commanding.
Kael Draven
He didn't resemble the Alpha who had given me my sentence.
He appeared worn out.
I detested noticing.
He was the first to shift back.
A coward.
A second later, I followed.
I did not flinch when the chilly air touched my bare skin.
There was nothing but snow and silence between us as we stood facing one another.
He said, "You're alive."
That was the first thing he said.
Not, I apologize.
Not, I was mistaken.
Not, I should have paid attention.
You're still alive.
I chuckled. It had a broken sound.
"Disappointed?"
His jaw clenched. "That wasn't my intention."
"No?" I asked, cocking my head. "Because it seemed like you thought I would die."
His eyes grew gloomy. "I had faith that you would live."
I almost slapped him for his haughtiness.
"I was banished by you without a trial."
His face grew stern. "The proof was unmistakable."
"The proof was falsified."
Quiet.
He didn't dispute it.
Rather, "Rowan brought the proof," he said.
It was there.
The name is like a knife between us.
"You have more faith in him than in your partner?" I asked quietly.
He tensed his shoulders.
"Trust is not the issue here."
"Trust is the key here."
Between us, the bond pulsed violently. Not pliable. Not romantic. furious. Uncooked. Everything that neither of us wanted to acknowledge was reflected in it.
I went on, my voice steady despite my chest feeling like it was opening up again, "You humiliated me." "In front of your whole pack." You allowed them to drag me through the filth.
His nose wrinkled.
He yelled, "You think I don't regret that?"
The first break in his poise.
I apologize.
It's too late.
"What you did cannot be undone by regret."
He took a step toward her.
My wolf snarled.
He insisted, "You think this was easy for me?"
I gazed at him.
Simple.
This was about ease, he thought.
"They took away my title," I muttered. "They took away my honor. They referred to me as a traitor. You just stood there.
The memory struck me like a blow to the head.
The murmurs.
The chuckles.
the chill.
Kael's quiet.
My throat constricted.
I wouldn't cry, though.
Not before him.
His controlled mask was leaking frustration as he ran a hand through his hair.
The Council insisted on taking action. The pack was about to break away. If I hadn't provided evidence to support you—
"You put politics ahead of me."
The words hit the ground.
difficult.
He didn't respond.
since it was accurate.
The painful and accusing bond flared once more.
"What brought you here?" I inquired.
"To return you."
I chuckled once more.
"You banished me."
"And I'm turning it around."
As simple as that.
Like exile was some little annoyance.
"Like a soldier, you cannot call me."
His eyes grew piercing. "Silvercrest is in danger."
I was interested in that.
"Bloodfang is organizing. Last night, there was another attack on the eastern border. They broke through the second line of defense this time.
I remained silent.
He looked at my face.
"You are aware of something."
I did, of course.
For weeks, the rogues had been following Bloodfang's whereabouts.
Calmly, I said, "There is a traitor in your inner circle."
He squinted his eyes.
"Lyra, be careful."
"No," I said as I moved in closer. "Take care."
A flicker of uncertainty appeared in his face for the first time.
I went on, "Rowan has been meeting messengers outside of your patrol lines." "Your attack on the convoy wasn't a random one. It was fed.
He gazed at me as though attempting to determine if I was telling the truth.
He gave me the same expression during the trial.
More than exile, that look burned.
"I have noticed anomalies," he muttered.
I was more shocked by that admission than I had anticipated.
"You think he's guilty?"
"I have a lot of suspicions."
Not enough. It's too late.
"You ought to have had a suspicion earlier."
"And if you knew, you ought to have told me."
I went cold.
"You believe I was aware?" I dropped my voice dangerously. "You believe I set myself up?"
"I think you are stronger than I realized," he said slowly.
It was a poisonous compliment.
"You need me, which is why you came here."
"Yes."
Without hesitation.
At least he told it like it was.
I said, "You no longer have faith in your beta."
It was confirmed by silence.
I went on, "And you want me to come back so you can use me as bait."
He tightened his jaw.
"I want you to return to your rightful place."
Rightful place.
I nearly burst out laughing once more.
"Anywhere I am not respected, I don't belong."
The connection became stronger.
hurt.
Anger.
Something different.
Something we both didn't want to mention.
He declared, "You are my mate."
"You rendered that pointless."
The words struck like a blow to the head.
He moved forward once more, and I didn't back down this time.
He lowered his voice.
"Silvercrest falls if you don't come back."
"And who is to blame for that?"
His eyes flickered.
"This land will be covered in blood if Silvercrest falls. Wolves that are innocent will perish.
That hit home.
Because I wasn't heartless, no matter how furious I was.
He saw it in my expression.
"You're still concerned," he whispered.
He knew me well enough to see it, and I detested that.
I looked away from him, gazing into the snow's unending white.
If I went back, I went back on my own terms.
Not like the shattered Luna.
Not as the alleged betrayer.
As a pawn, no.
I said slowly, "It won't be because you ordered it when I return."
He held out.
"I will do it because I want to."
"What do you expect in exchange?"
Strength.
Fairness.
His regret.
However, I made a more straightforward statement.
Complete authority at your side. No intervention from the council. No trials in silence.
He paused.
Once more, there it was.
politics.
Politics at all times.
"Can you provide that for me?" Quietly, I asked.
Between us, the wind howled.
At last, he replied, "Yes."
I looked into his face.
for dishonesty.
for computation.
for manipulation.
I discovered fatigue.
And something that appeared perilously near desire.
Then get your pack ready, I said. "Because everything changes when I come back."
I was the first to leave.
But as soon as I did, I felt lightheaded.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
I faltered.
In an instant, Kael moved and grabbed my arm.
A violent surge was sent through the bond by the contact.
His gaze fell to my face.
"You look pale."
"I'm all right."
However, I wasn't.
I had been feeling weird for weeks.
feeling queasy.
exhaustion.
I attributed this weakness to exile.
Now my stomach twisted with fear.
Not fear for me.
Fear of what I might be carrying.
The bond flared once more.
This time, it's different.
defensive.
alive.
Kael's hold became more firm.
"What's wrong?"
I released my arm.
"Nothing," I blurted out.
However, my wolf awoke deep within me in a manner she had never experienced before.
Additionally, since exile, for the first time...
I questioned whether I had gained anything more than humiliation from leaving Silvercrest.