Lena's pulse thundered in her ears, the echo of that voice still clawing at her mind as she stumbled back from the pendant. The clearing was too quiet, Blackwood Forest's dawn mist curling like a shroud around her and Kael. The silver relic lay in the frost, it's glow gone but its weight lingering, a promise of truths she wasn't ready to face. Her neck burned where Kael's mark pulsed, and her healed arm tingled, mocking her human denial.
She wanted to scream, to run, but Kael's presence, six-foot-five, gold eyes blazing, anchored her, his scent of pine and leather a tether she couldn't break.
"Lena," he said, voice low, rough with worry, stepping closer but not touching, respecting the space she'd demanded. His wolf was close to the surface, claws flexing, scanning the trees for threats. "What did it say? The voice—what was it?"
She shook her head, chestnut hair tangling in the wind, her hazel eyes darting from him to the pendant. "Just my name," she whispered, fear tightening her throat. "Like it... knew me." Her hand hovered over her heart, where the voice had seemed to pull, and the mate bond flared, hot and dizzying, drawing her gaze back to him. His face; sharp jaw, faint scar, gold-flecked eyes held her, not with force but something deeper, a longing that made her chest ache despite her anger.
Kael's wolf whined, sensing her turmoil, and he closed the gap, his hand brushing her cheek before she could pull away. "You're not alone," he murmured, his touch sparking fire through her, the bond singing with need.
"Whatever it is; pendant, voice, your power, I'm with you." His thumb traced her jaw, gentle but hungry, and she leaned into it, just for a second, before stepping back, her breath shaky.
"Don't," she said, but her voice wavered, caught between fear and the pull of him. "You can't just... fix this with promises, Kael. I'm not your mate, not your prophecy." Yet her body betrayed her, leaning toward his heat, craving the safety of his strength. She hated it, hated how his touch made her feel whole, how his eyes saw her, not as a barista or a freak, but as his.
"You are," he growled, soft but fierce, his hand dropping but his gaze holding hers, gold sparking with defiance. "I'd burn the world for you, Lena. Pack, laws, Zane, none of it matters if you're not safe." His voice cracked, raw with something that wasn't just duty, and it hit her like a wave— love, unspoken but screaming in every line of him.
Her lips parted, a retort dying as the bond pulsed, warm, binding, whispering mine in her blood. She wanted to fight it, to cling to her old life, but his words, his nearness, chipped at her walls. "Kael..." she started, unsure what she'd say—stay, stop, kiss me, when a twig snapped in the forest, sharp as a gunshot.
Kael spun, shoving her behind him, his body half-shifting, claws glinting in the dawn. "Stay back," he growled, nostrils flaring, catching a scent that made his wolf roar. Silverfang, not his allies. His eyes scanned the trees, the mist parting to reveal figures moving, too many, too fast. Wolves, human forms mixed, their eyes glinting with intent. Zane's scent hit him, bitter and sharp, but another cut deeper—Rhea's, his beta, his friend since they were pups.
"No," Kael breathed, disbelief lacing his snarl.
Rhea stepped into the clearing, her silver braid catching the light, her green eyes cold, not meeting his. Beside her stood Zane, blonde hair cropped, blue eyes icy, his smirk a blade.
Vren and Torin flanked them, with six others-Silverfangs who'd turned, their loyalty now Zane's. The pack's fracture was complete.
"Rhea," Kael said, voice deadly quiet, claws flexing. "You'd betray me? For him?"
Rhea's jaw tightened, but she didn't flinch.
"You betrayed us first," she said, her tone flat, cutting. "Marking a human, breaking our laws, dragging us into your mess. Zane's right-you're weak, Kael. She's your ruin." Her eyes flicked to Lena, hard with contempt, and Lena's stomach twisted, the pendant's weight still heavy in her mind.
Kael stepped forward, his wolf surging, rage drowning the pain of her words. "She's my mate," he snarled, gold eyes blazing. "You want my title, Zane? Fight me. Leave her out of it."
Zane laughed, cold and sharp, his claws extending. "Oh, I'll fight you, Alpha. But she's not walking away." He nodded to Rhea, who signaled the others, and they fanned out, circling the clearing, trapping Kael and Lena against the truck. "You marked her, claimed her. Now she dies for it."
Lena's heart stopped, her hand brushing Kael's back, needing his solidity. His growl vibrated through her, protective, fierce, and she saw it—the way he angled himself, shielding her, ready to tear through them all. Her fear mingled with something hotter, a rush of need, of trust. He'd die for her. She felt it, the bond screaming it, and it terrified her how much she wanted to fight for him too.
"Kael," she whispered, her voice trembling but firm, her fingers curling into his jacket. "Don't do this alone." She stepped beside him, ignoring his low growl to stay back, her hazel eyes flashing with defiance. "I'm not helpless."
His head snapped to her, gold eyes wide, raw with something that stole her breath—pride, love, hunger. "Lena," he said, voice thick, and before she could blink, he pulled her close, his lips crashing into hers. The kiss was fire, desperate, claiming, pouring every unspoken vow into her. She kissed him back, fierce, her hands fisting his hair, the bond exploding between them, drowning the wolves, the betrayal, the world. His taste was wild, it grounded her, and when he pulled back, his forehead pressed to hers, his breath ragged.
"I love you," he said, low, raw, the words a blade and a balm. "Stay alive. For me."
Her chest ached, tears pricking, but she nodded, the bond humming with his truth.
"You too," she whispered, her voice breaking.
She wasn't ready to say it back, not yet, but her heart screamed it, and his eyes said he knew.
Zane's laugh cut through, mocking. "Touching. But it's over." He lunged, shifting mid-air, his wolf gray and lethal, aiming for Kael. Rhea and the others moved, half-shifted, claws flashing, and the clearing erupted. Kael met Zane head-on, claws slashing, blood spraying, their snarls shaking the trees. Lena ducked as Vren charged her, his gray eyes glinting, but Kael's roar drew him back, leaving her facing Rhea.
"You're nothing," Rhea spat, her knife gleaming as she stalked closer. "A human who's tearing us apart."
Lena's blood roared, fear turning to fire. She wasn't nothing—not with Kael's kiss burning in her, not with the pendant's voice echoing, not with her healed arm proving she was more.
She backed toward the truck, her eyes darting for a weapon. "Stay back," she warned, voice steady despite her pounding heart.
Rhea sneered, lunging, her knife slicing air.
Lena dodged, stumbling, her hand scraping the ground. Her fingers closed around cold metal, the knife she'd dropped earlier, rusted but sharp, its weight familiar from the safehouse. She gripped it, standing, her stance shaky but fierce, Kael's love fueling her. Rhea paused, surprised, but her sneer returned, her claws flexing.
"You think you can fight me?" Rhea taunted, circling. Behind her, Kael grappled Zane, blood streaking his face, but his eyes flicked to Lena, a silent plea, stay alive.
Lena tightened her grip on the knife, her mark pulsing, the pendant's hum faint in her memory. She wasn't human, not fully, not anymore. And she wasn't running. Not from Rhea, not from Zane, not from Kael's love.
"Let's find out," she said, voice low, and raised the knife, ready to fight.