Chapter 5

Lydia shifted in her seat, leaning back into the soft leather as the trees along the highway began to change, the bright green canopy of the Howlers’ territory gradually giving way to the taller, darker pines of the northern woods.

“So, who else am I going to have to dodge in this pack?” Lydia asked, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder. “Besides Cassius and the ambitious Cindy.”

Liam chuckled, a low sound that immediately lightened the heavy atmosphere in the back seat. “Well, there’s Curtus Stevens, our Delta. He’s twenty-eight, solid as a rock in battle, but off-duty, he’s entirely run by his mate, Yvonne.”

“A mated pair?” Lydia smiled slightly, a small comfort settling in her chest amidst all the uncertainty. “What are they like?”

“Yvonne is wonderful,” Liam admitted, a genuine warmth softening his features. “She’s kind, fiercely loyal, and doesn’t take an ounce of Curtus’s nonsense. You’ll like her. She’ll probably kidnap you for tea within ten minutes of your arrival just to rescue you from the pack politics.”

“And what about you?” Lydia asked, turning her sharp green eyes toward him, curiosity gleam in them. “Gamma, thirty years old, sharp as a tack... how have you escaped being pushed into a match by the Elders?”

Liam feigned a look of sheer terror, placing a hand over his heart. “Please, don’t give the Elders any ideas. They’re already obsessed enough with Asher’s love life. I am blissfully unmated and intend to keep my freedom for as long as the Goddess allows.”

Lydia laughed, the sound real and unburdened for the first time all day. “Fair enough. But seriously, Liam... why does Cassius seem so eager to see Cindy beside Asher? Isn’t a Beta supposed to support his Alpha’s best interest?”

Liam’s light hearted demeanour faded, replaced by the serious, calculating gaze of a seasoned commander. He glanced subtly toward the front seat before answering, his deep voice dropping an octave. “Cassius likes power,” Liam said quietly. “And he likes control. Cindy has been pushing her way into Asher’s orbit for months, and Cassius seems all too happy to encourage it. Let’s just say the Beta enjoys having a hand in who holds influence over the pack.”

Lydia absorbed his words carefully. She had already sensed something twisted about Cassius, but hearing Liam validate her instinct made her trust the Gamma even more. As the towering mountains of the Frostwell territory loomed on the horizon, Lydia realized she wasn’t just walking into an arranged marriage—she was stepping right onto a battleground.

Thirty minutes away from the main Frostwell territory borders, the winding mountain road grew dense with pine trees, casting long dark shadows across the damp asphalt.

Lydia was looking out the side window when she noticed the brake lights of the SUV ahead flicker once before the lead vehicle accelerated sharply. The engine roared as Cassius’s car sped up, rounding a steep mountain curve at breakneck speed and disappearing entirely from view.

“Why is Cassius speeding?” Lydia frowned, sitting up straighter and looking back at Liam.

Liam’s brow furrowed, his body instant entering a state of high military alert. “He shouldn’t be. The protocol for a convoy in unpatrolled border territory is strict formation—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud, violent impact rocked their SUV.

A massive pine tree crashed down across the narrow road directly in front of them with a sickening roar of splintering wood. The driver slammed on the brakes, the tires shrieking against the wet road as the vehicle screeched to a halt mere feet from the fallen trunk.

“Rogue ambush!” the driver yelled.

Instantly, dark figures emerged from the dense treeline on both sides of the ridge. Terrifying, guttural snarls echoed through the forest as over a dozen ragged, feral wolves bounded down the dirt embankment, surrounding the isolated vehicle.

Lydia looked down the empty, winding road ahead. There was no sign of Cassius’s SUV. He had accelerated just moments before the trap sprang, leaving them completely stranded and outnumbered.

“That bastard sped up on purpose,” Lydia hissed, her green eyes flashing with cold anger as she realized the Beta had abandoned them—or worse, planned this.

“Stay inside, Lydia!” Liam commanded, pulling a silver blade from his belt as his claws extended and his eyes glowed a dangerous gold. He glanced out at the swarm of rogues circling the SUV. “They blocked the path and took out our lead. We’re on our own.”

The driver and the front passenger warrior shifted half-way, leaping out of the doors to meet the first wave of leaping rogues. Liam threw open the door, lunging out into the fray with brutal, deadly precision, taking down a massive black wolf mid-air.

Lydia gritted her teeth. She wasn’t about to sit quietly like a victim in the back seat while her companions fought for their lives. She unbuckled her belt, reached under her seat for a heavy emergency iron wrench, and prepared to step out into the chaos.