005

IVY’S POV

His hand was warm.

That was the first thing I noticed.

Not the scars mapping his palm, not the way his grip tightened just slightly like he expected me to disappear—but the warmth. It spread from my fingers up my arm, slow and deliberate, like something waking after a long sleep.

The bond reacted instantly.

A pulse.

Then another.

Not violent this time. Not tearing or clawing. Just… there.

Alive.

Kael didn’t let go.

Neither did I.

For a moment, the howls outside faded into something distant, like a storm still far off but rolling closer with every second. The hall held its breath around us, fire crackling low, shadows pressing in like they were listening.

“Do you feel that?” I whispered.

His jaw tightened. “Don’t narrate it.”

“I wasn’t—”

“It makes it worse.”

I swallowed whatever came next. The truth sat heavy on my tongue anyway.

It did make it worse.

Because now that the bond had settled, I could feel him. Not just his presence—him.

A sharp edge of control.

Something restless underneath.

Something dangerous.

And buried deep… exhaustion.

It hit me so suddenly I flinched.

Kael’s grip tightened.

“Careful,” he said, low. “You keep digging like that, you might not like what you find.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s the problem.”

The words stung more than they should have.

I pulled my hand back.

This time, he let me.

The moment our skin broke contact, the warmth vanished, replaced by a hollow ache that made my chest feel too big for my ribs.

I hated it instantly.

“Convenient,” I muttered.

Kael exhaled through his nose, like he was trying not to react. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it.”

“You don’t get a choice.”

Silence stretched between us again.

Outside, the howls came closer.

This time, I didn’t mistake them for distance.

They were near.

Kael turned his head slightly, listening. His entire posture shifted—subtle, but sharp. Predator alert.

“They’re pushing the outer line,” he said.

“And your ‘not enough sentries’ are just going to… what? Watch?”

“They’ll hold.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m not.”

That got my attention.

I stepped closer without thinking. “Then why are we standing here?”

His gaze snapped back to me.

For a second, something like approval flickered in his eyes.

Then it was gone.

“Because,” he said slowly, “I needed to know if you’d run.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You’re still here.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m staying.”

“It means you didn’t bolt the second things got real.”

“They were already real.”

“Not like this.”

Another howl cut through the air—closer, sharper, layered with something that made the hairs on my arms rise.

Hunger.

Kael moved then.

Fast.

He crossed the hall in three strides and grabbed something from the wall—a long, dark blade that looked like it had seen too much use and not enough mercy.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

I stared at the weapon. “You’re serious?”

“Very.”

“I just told you I don’t know how to fight.”

“And I told you you’d learn.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “That’s insane.”

“So is walking into a wolf den alone.”

“Fair point.”

The torches flickered again.

Not from me this time.

From something outside.

Kael noticed too.

His expression darkened.

“They’re closer than they should be,” he muttered.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning someone showed them where to come.”

A chill slid down my spine.

“Your traitor?”

“Maybe.”

“Great,” I said. “Love that for us.”

Another sound—this time not a howl.

A thud.

Heavy.

Right against the doors.

Both of us froze.

The hall seemed to shrink, every shadow tightening, every flame holding still.

Then—

Another hit.

Harder.

Dust shook loose from the stone.

“They don’t usually knock,” I said.

“They’re not knocking.”

The doors groaned.

Something scratched against the wood—slow, deliberate, like claws testing the surface.

My power stirred.

Not wild this time.

Focused.

Alert.

I didn’t fight it.

I let it rise.

Kael glanced at me, sharp. “Can you control it?”

“Not really.”

“Good enough.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“It’s honest.”

The doors shuddered again.

A crack split through the wood.

Cold air rushed in, carrying the scent of wet fur and something rotten beneath it.

My stomach turned.

“Okay,” I said, voice tight. “That’s new.”

“Rogues,” Kael said. “They don’t clean themselves.”

“Disgusting.”

“Deadly.”

The crack widened.

A claw punched through.

Then another.

The wood splintered like it was nothing.

Kael stepped forward, placing himself between me and the door.

Instinctively, I didn’t move back.

Instead, I stepped up beside him.

He glanced at me.

Didn’t tell me to move.

Progress.

“Stay close,” he said.

“I thought you said behind you.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

His eyes flicked to mine, gold flashing in the firelight.

“Because if they break through,” he said quietly, “you’re the weapon they came for.”

My pulse spiked.

“Comforting.”

The door exploded inward.

Wood shattered across the stone floor.

Three figures stepped through the dust.

Not fully human.

Not fully wolf.

Something twisted in between.

Their eyes locked onto me.

Not Kael.

Me.

One of them grinned.

Too wide.

Too wrong.

“There she is,” it rasped.

My power surged.

This time, I didn’t try to stop it.

Sparks snapped across my skin, lighting the hall in sharp blue flashes.

Kael didn’t look at them.

He looked at me.

“Now,” he said.

I didn’t hesitate.

I stepped forward.

And let the storm loose.