CAUIS
The scent pulled me like a current. Wildflowers after a storm—soft, but impossible to ignore. It was stronger now, more vivid than when I first arrived yesterday. No doubt she was close. No doubt she was mine. I rode in silence through the thicket, five of my best warriors following close behind on foot, every one of them sharp-eyed and silent as shadows. The rest of my men—ten more—were spread across Duskborne territory, blending into the trees as they scouted possible exits, in case this didn’t go as planned. I had been here yesterday. Silent, observing, planning. But that was yesterday. Tonight, I wasn’t kind at all. The treeline broke ahead, and the Duskborne settlement came into view—dark wooden houses cloaked under moonlight, torches flickering weakly against the wind. The Alpha’s home loomed above the others, its shape etched like a scar across the night. I dismounted, boots crunching over the moss-laced path. My warriors remained behind me, alert but still. We weren’t here to slaughter—unless we had to. I approached the Alpha’s house without hesitation. There was no need for stealth. Let them see me coming. And then—she appeared. Lira stood in the open doorway, framed by the warm, flickering light of a hearth behind her. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t retreat. Her hair spilled down her shoulders like moonlight itself, and those storm-swept blue eyes met mine without fear. Something twisted in my chest—tight and primal. Beautiful. Fenrir stirred, growling low in my mind. 'She is ours.' I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. My gaze was locked on her like a man drawn to flame, fully aware it could burn him alive. There was something feral in her stance, something unbroken despite everything. Despite the silence from her wolf. Despite the bond between us that buzzed with incompletion. And then they stepped out behind her—Duskborne warriors, half-cloaked in shadow, spreading out like a wall. Their leader moved through them, taller than the rest, older, broader-shouldered. His presence, unmistakable. Tobias Fenwick. His expression hardened the second our eyes met, and for a heartbeat, the years peeled away. I saw the man he used to be. The one who used to fight beside my father. But whatever familiarity might have once existed between us vanished in the thunder of his voice. “Caius Vexmoor,” Alpha Tobias growled, his tone laced with fury. “You are here without invitation, without warning—what gives you the right to trespass in my territory?” I didn’t flinch. “I’m not here for your territory, Alpha Tobias.” My voice was calm. Cold. “I’m here for her.” The weight of my words stilled the air. The Duskborne warriors exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering in their stances. But Tobias remained unmoved. “She is not yours to take,” he said, stepping forward. “She is under my protection.” I narrowed my gaze. “She’s my mate.” They were all shocked. Wandering if I told the truth. Probably questioning how their precious Lira was mated to me. His jaw tightened. “She is my daughter. She is Duskborne.” “She is mine,” I repeated, voice low and sharp, my gaze never leaving Lira’s. “You’ve hidden her long enough.” A muscle ticked in Tobias’s cheek. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Don’t I?” I said, taking a slow step forward. My warriors behind me mirrored my movement, though none drew their weapons. Not yet. “I felt the bond the moment I saw her,” I continued, each word deliberate. “But there’s something wrong. Her wolf is silent. And you—” I turned my glare to Tobias “—you know why.” His eyes flickered. Just for a moment. A flash of guilt—or was it fear? It was gone before I could catch it fully. “There are things you do not understand, Caius,” he said tightly. “This is not your fight.” “You made it mine the moment you kept her from me,” I snapped. “You knew who she was. You knew what she is to me. And still, you kept her locked away like some fragile secret.” “I didn't know you're her mate. I kept her safe,” he said, stepping between me and Lira. “From the world. From you.” A growl built in my throat. Fenrir echoed it, his rage simmering beneath my skin. He hides her. He lies. “She’s not a prisoner,” Tobias added. “She chose to stay here.” I glanced past him, eyes meeting hers again. “Did you?” I asked her, voice quieter now. “Did you choose this?” For a moment, she didn’t speak. Her lips parted, but the words caught. Her eyes—gods, those eyes—searched mine with something raw. Then, she nodded once. Hesitant. As if it hurt her to lie. Lira’s voice was soft, but clear. “This is my home.” It felt like a blade sliding between my ribs. A lie spoken to protect someone else. Maybe herself. But not the truth. Tobias turned to her slightly, and I caught it—the faint flicker of relief in his expression. Relief that she hadn’t confessed. That she hadn’t told me whatever it was he was keeping from me. Tobias’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening. He looked ready to pounce, and yet, I could feel the tension in the air shift. There was something deeper here, something he wasn’t saying. The bond between Lira and me was undeniable, and the longer I stood here, the more it gnawed at me. But there was something else—something Tobias wasn’t telling me. “What is it you’re hiding, Tobias?” I asked, my voice cold and low. “What are you so afraid of?” His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his gaze—a mix of fear and something darker. But then, he swallowed it down, his expression becoming steely again. “You don’t understand, Caius,” he said, his voice low, controlled. “There are things in this world that cannot be rushed. Things that take time, things that—” He faltered, as if searching for the right words. I stepped closer, my eyes never leaving his. “I understand enough. What I don’t understand is why you’ve been hiding her.” Tobias’s eyes flickered toward Lira, and I could see the brief flash of something—a flicker of regret, of something unspoken. His lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, he took another step forward, trying to assert his dominance.
