CHAPTER 4

The heat of her skin burned through the thick leather of Malakai’s tactical gloves.

​He cradled Aria against his chest, her head falling limp against his shoulder, her golden hair spilling over his arm like molten sunlight. The scent radiating from her skin had transformed completely—the bitter smell of scorched linen and dirt was gone, replaced by the intoxicating aroma of blooming night-jasmine, raw honey, and pure, concentrated Alpha blood.

​"Out of the way!" Malakai roared, shoving past the stunned guards as he carried her across the courtyard toward the master wing.

​"Malakai, wait!" Kieran shouted, catching up in long, frantic strides, his face pale, his blue eyes fixed entirely on Aria's unblemished, healed back. "Did you see that? The silver whip disintegrated before it touched her. Her injuries... they healed in seconds!"

​"I saw it," Malakai spat, his arms tightening possessively around Aria’s waist. Her small body was soft and warm against his rigid frame, her faint heartbeat thudding steadily against his ribs like a rhythmic spell.

​Silas flanked them on the right, his usual lazy, arrogant smirk wiped completely clean. His chest rose and fell in rapid breaths, his eyes dark and ravenous as he stared at Aria’s flushed cheeks. "It wasn't normal werewolf healing, Kieran. That light... it was gold. Pure, blinding gold. I felt my wolf drop to its knees inside my head when she looked at us."

​"That’s impossible," Kieran rasped, turning his head as they kicked open the heavy oak doors of the Alpha infirmary. "The Solis Royal bloodline was wiped out during the Great Blood Purge twenty years ago. There are no living Solis royals left."

​"Then explain what just threw Garrett through a stone wall!" Malakai bellowed, laying Aria gently onto the plush leather settee in the private sanctuary.

​The moment her head hit the pillow, a soft, helpless whimper escaped her throat.

​The sound hit all three brothers like a physical blow. Silas involuntarily stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch her face before he stopped himself, his fingers flexing in mid-air.

​"Get out, both of you," Malakai growled, his body instinctively positioning itself between his brothers and the couch.

​"Excuse me?" Silas sneered, his eyes flashing dangerous amber. "You don't get to hoard her, Malakai. We all felt it. The moment that gold wave hit the square, my blood felt like it was boiling from the inside out. My wolf is screaming for her."

​"So is mine," Kieran admitted coldly, stepping up beside Silas, his jaw set in a hard, uncompromising line. "When I locked eyes with her on that balcony, my aura submitted to hers. A former Gamma's daughter cannot command an Alpha's wolf unless..."

​He trailed off, the horrifying, impossible realization hanging heavy in the quiet room.

​Unless the mate bond is waking up.

​The heavy double doors of the infirmary slammed open, shattering the tense stand-off.

​Sienna rushed into the room, her mink fur coat trailing behind her, her face twisted with a mixture of rage and terror. Guard Commander Garrett limped in behind her, holding a bloodied cloth to his cracked jaw.

​"Malakai! Silas!" Sienna cried out, throwing her arms around Silas’s arm, her fingernails digging through his sleeve. "What are you doing bringing that thief in here? She’s a witch! She used dark magic on Garrett! She needs to be executed immediately!"

​Silas didn't hug her back. For the first time in months, he pulled his arm free from Sienna's grip, his dark eyes cold as ice as he looked down at her. "Keep your voice down, Sienna."

​Sienna blinked, stunned by his sudden frigidity. "Silas...? What is wrong with you? She stole the pack heirloom! She belongs in the salt pits!"

​"Did she steal it?"

​The room went dead silent.

​Malakai turned around slowly, his obsidian eyes locking onto Sienna with a lethal, suffocating intensity. He took two slow, predatory steps toward her, his heavy aura expanding until Sienna felt her knees buckle under the sheer weight of it.

​"A-Alpha..." Sienna stammered, backing away until her spine hit the doorframe. "What are you saying? You saw the key in her apron pocket!"

​"I saw Garrett pull it out," Malakai corrected, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly quiet register. "And I distinctly remember smelling your perfume in my study before the vault alarm went off. Tell me, Sienna... how did a maid, who was locked in my private quarters under my direct supervision, manage to sneak past thirty elite guards, unbolt the vault from the inside, and tuck a four-pound diamond into her pocket without anyone seeing her?"

​Sienna’s face drained of every drop of color. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She looked frantically to Silas for help. "Silas... tell him! I was with you in the East Wing!"

​Silas narrowed his eyes, remembering the way Sienna had purred in his ear right before the guards arrived—how she had pushed him to walk near the vault corridor. The fog of lust that had clouded his brain for the past month seemed to clear in an instant, replaced by a cold, sickening realization.

​"You used me," Silas whispered, his voice dangerously smooth. "You timed it so I would be in your room, giving you an absolute alibi while your guards planted the key."

​"No! Silas, no! I love you!" Sienna cried out, tears welling in her eyes. "I would never—"

​"Enough!" Kieran barked, his sharp, administrative tone cutting through the drama. "Garrett, take Sienna to her quarters. She is restricted to the East Wing until the blood-seal interrogation is completed. If she steps one foot near Aria, cut her throat."

​"Kieran! You can't do this to me!" Sienna shrieked as Garrett grabbed her arm, dragging her out into the hallway. "My father is the Beta! You need my family's backing for the Continental Summit!"

​The heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off her screaming.

​Silence returned to the room, thick and suffocating.

​Malakai turned back to the settee. Aria was still unconscious, her breathing deep and even now. The gold hue had faded from her skin, leaving her looking fragile, small, and entirely vulnerable against the dark leather.

​He walked over and sat on the edge of the couch. Without thinking, he raised his bare hand and brushed a stray lock of golden hair off her forehead. The moment his calloused skin touched her temple, a violent spark of electrical heat snapped between them, sending a surge of primal possessiveness straight to his heart.

​Malakai gasped, jerking his hand back as if burned.

​Kieran and Silas were watching him, both of their expressions rigid with an emotion they had never shared before: absolute, unadulterated jealousy.

​"We have a problem," Kieran said softly, leaning against the marble pillar, his eyes never leaving Aria's sleeping face. "The Continental Summit begins in forty-eight hours. The Imperial Lycan Representatives are arriving to inspect our territory."

​"If they smell Solis Royal blood on our grounds," Silas added, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists, "they won't just take her. They will execute our entire pack for harboring a Royal fugitive."

​Malakai leaned down over Aria, his face inches from her soft, breathing lips. He could smell her—pure, wild, and utterly irresistible.

​"No one is taking her," Malakai growled, his voice a dark, lethal vow that echoed through the room. "Not the Imperial Court. Not the Beta. And certainly not Sienna."

​He reached down, his broad hand cupping Aria's chin, his thumb gently pressing against her lower lip.

​In her sleep, Aria let out a soft sigh, turning her face directly into his warm palm.

​Malakai’s heart slammed against his ribs, his inner wolf letting out a triumphant, possessive howl. Mine.

​"She wakes up in an hour," Malakai commanded quietly without looking at his brothers. "Lock the doors. Bring Healer Selene under oath of silence. When Aria opens those eyes... we get the truth."