Kael didn't stop moving.
The moment he crossed the border, the air shifted.
His territory.
Stronger.
Alive.
It responded to him.
But he didn't feel it.
Not fully.
Not when she was still in his arms, her breathing uneven, too light, too fragile for someone tied to him.
"Alpha—"
"Call the doctor."
His voice cut through the forest before the words behind him could even form.
His men exchanged looks but didn't question it.
They ran.
Kael kept walking.
Fast.
Purposeful.
Every step steady, controlled—but beneath it, something darker moved.
Rage.
It hadn't left him.
It hadn't even settled.
It was waiting.
For the right moment.
The pack grounds came into view, wolves already shifting back to human form as they felt him approaching.
They felt it.
The tension.
The storm.
Their Alpha had returned.
But something was different.
They saw it immediately.
The girl in his arms.
Blood.
Unmoving.
The whispers started before he even reached the main house.
"Who is that—"
"Is she—"
"Mate?"
Kael didn't slow.
Didn't look at them.
Didn't acknowledge anyone.
The doors to the pack house opened before he reached them.
No one dared make him wait.
Inside, everything stilled.
Eyes followed him.
But no one spoke.
No one stepped in his way.
Not when his aura pressed down on the room like something suffocating.
"Room," he said.
That was all.
And they understood.
The largest room.
Closest.
Prepared instantly.
He entered without hesitation.
The bed was already cleared.
White sheets.
Too clean.
Too untouched.
It didn't match her.
Kael lowered her carefully.
Slowly.
Like she might break.
For a moment, his hands didn't leave her.
They stayed.
One at her back.
One at her arm.
As if letting go meant something would happen.
Something worse.
"She's losing too much blood."
The voice came from the doorway.
The pack doctor.
Older. Experienced. Careful.
Kael didn't look at him.
"Fix it."
The doctor stepped closer, eyes scanning Nyra quickly, his expression tightening with every second.
"This is bad."
Kael's head lifted.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"Then you should already be working."
The doctor didn't argue.
He moved.
Fast.
Gloves.
Bandages.
Clean water.
Kael stepped back—but not far.
Never far.
His eyes never left her.
Not when they cleaned the blood.
Not when they pressed against her wounds.
Not when she didn't react.
Didn't move.
Didn't wake.
Something inside him twisted.
Unfamiliar.
Unwelcome.
"She should have shifted."
Kael's gaze snapped to the doctor.
"What?"
The doctor frowned slightly, confused.
"She's a werewolf. Injuries like this—her body should be trying to heal faster. Even if she's weak, there should be some reaction."
Kael went still.
His mind sharpened.
"You're saying she's not healing."
"I'm saying…" The doctor hesitated. "Something is wrong."
Kael looked back at Nyra.
Really looked.
At the bruises.
The cuts.
The way her body stayed too still.
Too human.
Too fragile.
No.
His wolf growled low.
Rejecting the thought.
"She is mine."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Quiet.
But absolute.
The doctor froze for half a second.
Then nodded slowly.
"…Then she will survive."
It wasn't reassurance.
It was expectation.
Kael didn't respond.
Minutes passed.
Heavy.
Slow.
The room filled with the scent of herbs, blood, and something softer beneath it.
Her.
Faint.
But there.
Kael moved closer again.
His hand hovered near her face.
Didn't touch.
Not yet.
"She needs rest," the doctor said finally. "And time. If her body starts reacting, she might make it."
Might.
Kael didn't like that word.
"You stay close."
The doctor nodded.
"I will."
Kael stood there for a moment longer.
Silent.
Watching.
Then—
A shift.
Small.
Barely noticeable.
But he felt it.
Her breathing changed.
Just slightly.
His hand moved instantly.
This time, he touched her.
Her skin was warm.
Still.
Alive.
His jaw tightened.
"Nyra."
The name felt strange on his tongue.
Unfamiliar.
But it settled quickly.
Like it belonged there.
Her eyelashes fluttered.
Weak.
Slow.
Then—
Nothing.
She didn't wake.
But she heard him.
He knew it.
His wolf knew it.
"She's responding," the doctor said quietly.
Kael didn't look away.
"Good."
But something in his voice had changed.
Not softer.
Just…
Focused.
Possessive.
"She won't die."
It wasn't a guess.
It wasn't hope.
It was a decision.
And Kael didn't make decisions that failed.
Outside, the pack had gathered.
The tension hadn't faded.
If anything, it had grown.
They had seen their Alpha return with a broken girl in his arms.
They had felt the shift.
The change.
War.
It was coming.
And inside that room—
Everything had already changed.
Kael stepped back slightly, his eyes still locked on her.
"Prepare the pack."
The command carried through the doorway without him raising his voice.
It didn't need to.
"They will come."
And when they did—
There would be nothing left of them.