Four

The explosion tore through the van like shrapnel through flesh.

Sera hit the floor. Something heavy landed on top of her; Caelan. His body was a wall of muscle and bone, blocking her from the debris that sprayed through the ruined doors.

"Stay down," he ordered.

She didn't argue, not when they were clearly under attack. And her head still felt heavy, she was trying so hard to keep her eyes open.

Through the smoke, she saw figures leaping into the van. Blackmoor's enforcers; red eyes, extended claws. They moved like wolves, all hunger and violence.

Caelan shifted mid-lunge.

His wolf was massive, easily three hundred pounds of silver-furred muscle. His jaws closed around the first enforcer's throat and tore. Blood sprayed and the body dropped.

The second enforcer lost an arm.

The third grabbed Sera and she screamed and kicked, trying to free herself. But the enforcer's grip was iron. He dragged her toward the hole in the van's back, toward the waiting SUVs.

No, no, no.

Her wolf stirred. It was weak and fading, but it was there.

'Fight.' it urged.

She threw her head back with all the strength she had, it connected with his nose causing cartilage to crunch. He swore and loosened his grip.

She dropped, rolled, and came up with a shard of metal in her fist.

"Come near me again and I'll cut your throat." She warned, she was breathing so heavily and her vision was blurred. "I swear."

The enforcer laughed, he was about to speak but didn't get a chance. Caelan was there, bloody and feral. The enforcer hit the ground with his chest caved in.

Caelan shifted back shortly after, his breathing was hard, his body was streaked with crimson. He scanned the area: three enforcers were down, the rest were retreating into the darkness.

"Sera." He said, turning to face. "Are you injured?"

She stared at him, at the blood on his hands, at the bodies on the floor. She took a step back but his eyes gleamed red, warning her not to run. He was still feral, he'd mercilessly chase her if she bolted.

"Are you alright?" He asked again.

"Don't," she but out.

"Don't what?"

"Don't pretend you care about me. You're a monster. You did it because you need me alive, else I'd be dead by now."

His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. "Yes."

At least he didn't lie.

"Finn." He turned to the driver's compartment. "Status."

The beta appeared in the doorway, limping but functional. "Two enforcers dead, two retreated. Silas wasn't with them. Recon mission."

"Which means he knows we have her."

"Which means we have maybe six hours before the real attack."

Sera pushed herself to her feet. Her hands were shaking violently but she didn't care.

"Take me back to the bar." She demanded.

Caelan turned. "No."

"Take me back to Verance. I'm not your pawn. I won't be dragged into whatever game you're playing. I want to go home."

"You're dying."

His words made her breath falter. Yes, she'd felt it; she'd never really been the same since that night, she'd always push her body's limit and sometimes she'd wretch blood or end up nosebleed for hours. Hearing him point it made her realize that she didn't mind dying peacefully in the little quiet life she'd built.

"So?"

"So I need you alive." He stepped closer. "Your wolf is dormant, not dead. The bond can be restored. If you cooperate, you survive. If you don't, you waste away in six months. Either way, Ironwood loses a valuable asset. I'm not willing to accept that outcome."

Valuable asset, not mate.

Sera's hands curled into fists. "You're a monster."

"Yes." He agreed immediately.

"What do you want from me?"

His gaze raked over her and the red rings in them became more prominent.

"Bear my pups and you're free."

A humorless chuckle left her though her throat felt too tight.

"And you expect me to just spread my legs for you? Let you knot me like I'm livestock?" She asked in disbelief.

"The bond requires physical completion. Yes."

She laughed again. It was ugly and bitter.

"At least you're honest about it."

"I don't have time for anything else." He turned to Finn. "Secure the perimeter. We move in ten."

"Yes, Alpha."

Finn disappeared. And Caelan looked at Sera one more time.

"You can hate me," he said. "That's your right. But you will do what's necessary. For your survival, for mine, and for the pack. This isn't a negotiation."

And he walked away.

Sera stood in the wreckage of the van, surrounded by bodies and blood, and felt something crack inside her. Not her heart, she was certain that had died three years ago.

No, this was something else. Something colder.

If he wanted a monster, she'd give him one.

~~

The pack house was in decay.

Sera remembered it differently, she remembered grand hallways, chandeliers, the scent of cedar and money. Now the walls were cracked, the windows boarded, the chandeliers dark. Ironwood was dying.

Good.

After all, they'd laughed as Caelen almost ripped her throat out. They'd watched her run and they'd found it entertaining.

Finn led her through the wreckage without a word quietly.

Shifters stared as she passed. She saw the curiosity in their eyes, the recognition; she was the primal omega. The one who could save them.

She wanted to spit in every single face.

"East wing," Finn said, stopping before a heavy oak door. "Your quarters."

"Am I allowed to leave them?" She asked. She wanted to know if she was a prisoner or a savior.

"When accompanied by an escort. The territory isn't safe." He replied and she scoffed.

"Ironwood was never safe."

Finn's expression didn't change. "No. It wasn't."

He opened the door and stepped aside.

The room was beautiful; velvet drapes, a massive canopy bed. A fireplace crackling with fresh logs. Flowers on the nightstand.

But all she saw was a cage.

Sera walked to the window, pressed her forehead against the cold glass. The forest outside was dark and endless, and from what she'd been told, they were crawling with enforcers.

"Your cat will arrive in the morning," Finn said from the doorway. "The Alpha thought you'd want him."

Wreckage. The only living thing that had never asked her for anything.

She managed to nod.

Finn hesitated. Then: "He's not what you think."

"Who?"

"Caelan. He's not the monster you remember."

"He bit my throat out in front of his entire pack. What would you call that?"

Finn was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke again.

"Survival. His father would have killed you both if he hadn't done it. The rejection was the only way to keep you alive."

Sera turned. "And now?"

"Now his father is dead. And Caelan is trying to clean up the mess." Finn met her eyes. "I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm asking you to understand that nothing is as simple as it seems."

She didn't care, and the look in her eyes told him that. Ironwood could go to hell for all she cared, they could burn before her very eyes and she would bat and eyelid.

He left before she could respond, and that was better for him because he had momentarily saved himself from her sharp tongue.