Chapter Eight: The Morning After

Sunlight poured through the arched windows of the third-floor suite, but it brought no warmth to Asha’s chest.

She hadn't slept a wink. She had spent the entire night pacing the hardwood floor, checking the iron lock, and staring at her palms. The silver glow had receded completely, but a faint, persistent hum remained beneath her skin, like an electric pulse waiting to be tapped again.

A sharp knock echoed against the heavy oak door.

Asha snapped her head toward the sound, her posture instantly going rigid.

"Go away."

The key turned in the lock with a heavy thunk, and the door swung open.

It wasn't Kadence.

Standing in the doorway was a young female wolf with warm amber eyes, light brown hair tied in a practical braid, and a tray of steaming food in her hands. She wore simple clothes, linen trousers and a fitted sweater, and radiated a gentle, calm energy that instantly set her apart from the hostile elders Asha had met the night before.

"I brought breakfast," the girl said softly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her with her foot. "I'm Saskia. Ronan sent me up."

Asha crossed her arms, keeping her back against the vanity.

"I don't want his food."

Saskia set the silver tray down on the small tea table near the window. She turned around, looking at Asha with an unreadable, observant expression.

"It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re worried about. Kade would rip the throat out of anyone who touched a plate meant for you."

Asha let out a cold, bitter laugh.

"Your Alpha hates my guts, Saskia. He made that crystal clear last night."

Saskia’s lips tugged into a sad, knowing smile.

"Kade doesn't hate you. He hates what happened to his family. And right now, he's terrified because the universe gave him a mate who reminds him of his worst nightmare."

"I am not his mate," Asha said, every word dripping with defensive pride. "He made sure of that. He rejected me before he even knew my last name."

"A rejected bond doesn't just disappear, Asha," Saskia said quietly, taking a step closer. "If it were truly gone, you wouldn't be sitting in this room, and Kade wouldn't be down in the courtyard right now bleeding through his bandages while the elders try to force a ring onto his finger."

Asha froze.

"What?"

"Elder Tobias and the Castellanes called an emergency council meeting at dawn," Saskia explained, her voice dropping into a serious tone. "They know you're here. They know you're human. And they are using last night's rogue attack to pressure Kadence into signing the betrothal contract with Seraphine before sunset."

A sharp, unpleasant knot tightened in Asha’s stomach.

She hated how much the mention of Seraphine’s name bothered her. She had no claim on Kadence, and she didn't want one. So why did the thought of him standing beside that refined, icy wolf female make her blood boil?

"Good for them," Asha muttered, looking out the window. "Let him marry his ice princess. Then he can let me go home."

"He can't let you go," Saskia said firmly. "Even if he wanted to. The rogue that attacked you last night wasn't looking for a easy meal. Word is already spreading through the border territories. A human girl with a severed Alpha mark was found on Thornwell land. Other packs, dangerous ones, are going to start asking questions."

Before Asha could reply, heavy, thunderous footsteps echoed down the corridor outside.

The door was thrown open so hard it slammed against the wall.

Kadence stood in the doorway. He had changed into a dark charcoal suit, but he looked exhausted. The shadows under his eyes were deep, his jaw set in a tight, furious line. Behind him, standing in the hallway with his arms crossed, was Ronan.

Kadence’s amber eyes locked directly onto Asha, ignoring Saskia completely.

"Out, Saskia," Kadence commanded, his voice raspy and tight.

Saskia didn't argue. She gave Asha a quick, sympathetic look and slipped out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar until Kadence growled, forcing Ronan to pull it shut from the outside.

The suite went suffocatingly quiet.

Kadence took two slow steps into the room. The scent of pine and ozone rolled off him, but today it was mixed with the bitter smell of tension and fresh blood under his crisp white shirt.

"You're popular this morning," Kadence said, his voice flat. "The entire council is currently debating whether to execute you or throw you off the territory."

Asha raised her chin, refusing to let him see her flinch.

"Tell them I’ll walk off the territory myself. Save them the effort."

Kadence let out a harsh, humourless breath.

"You don't get it, do you? You think this is a game. You think you're dealing with city gangs." He stepped closer, towering over her, his eyes flashing with raw gold. "The Castellane pack wants you gone because you're an insult to their bloodline. The elders want you gone because you're a human vulnerability. If you step outside those gates without my protection, you won't last an hour."

"Then let me take my chances!" Asha yelled, taking a step toward him, her chest heaving with built-up rage. "I didn't ask for your protection! I didn't ask to be your fated mate! You looked down your nose at me, you judged me for how I survive, and now you're holding me prisoner in your pathetic pack house!"

Kadence’s jaw flexed violently. He reached out, grabbing her upper arms to hold her in place.

"I am trying to keep you alive!"

"I WAS ALIVE BEFORE I MET YOU!" Asha screamed back, pushing against his massive chest with both hands.

The moment her palms slammed into his shirt, that same wild, electric current flared between them.

The silver light didn't burst out this time. Instead, a terrifying, suffocating pressure dropped over the room. The air temperature plunged. The glass in the tall arched windows began to vibrate, high-pitched and strained, as if an invisible force was crushing the panes from the outside.

Kadence’s eyes widened in genuine shock. He felt it, not just the mate bond, but an ancient, overwhelming aura pushing out from her fragile human body, trying to force him to his knees.

WHAT IS SHE? his wolf roared in disbelief.

"Kadence!" Ronan’s voice barked from the hallway as he threw the door open. "Kade, stop! The council is coming up the stairs!"

The distraction broke the charge. Asha pulled her hands back, gasping for air as the pressure instantly dissolved. The window panes stopped vibrating, leaving fine, spiderweb cracks across the glass.

Kadence stood frozen, staring at his hands, then up at Asha’s pale, trembling face.

Before either of them could speak, Elder Tobias, Elder Meredith, and Seraphine turned the corner into the hallway, flanked by four armed pack guards.

Tobias took one look at the cracked windows and the intense, electric air lingering in the room, his face twisting into pure, unadulterated hostility.

"That's enough," Tobias declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "This human is an anomaly and a threat to the stability of the Thornwell line. By order of the Pack Council, she is to be moved to the subterranean holding cells until the betrothal with Seraphine is finalized."

Asha’s blood went cold.

Holding cells?

Two guards stepped past Ronan, reaching for their iron restraints as they approached Asha.

Asha backed away toward the cracked window, her fingers curling into tight fists, the silver hum under her skin flaring back to life in pure self-defence.

"Don't touch me," Asha warned, her voice deadly quiet.

The guards ignored her, stepping forward to grab her arms.

"I said," Kadence’s voice cut through the room like a thunderclap, "DON'T TOUCH HER."