Chapter 5

Dylan’s POV

Dawn comes too quickly. I stand at the border, watching Nadia prepare for the journey to Crimson Lake. She's wearing tactical gear instead of the dress Vincent probably expects. Good. She's not trying to impress him.

James loads supplies into the vehicle while I fight every instinct screaming at me not to let her go. My wolf is pacing, agitated. He knows what I know – Vincent Blackstone is dangerous, and we're walking into his territory.

"Stop looking like someone's dying," Nadia says, appearing beside me.

"This is a bad idea."

"You've mentioned that. Twelve times."

"Thirteen, actually," James calls out. "He said it once while you were changing."

Nadia almost smiles. Almost. These glimpses of our old dynamic make the ache in my chest worse.

"Vincent's not going to hurt me," she says. "I'm too valuable."

"That's what worries me. Valuable things get locked away."

She turns to face me fully, morning light catching the gold flecks in her brown eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then trust that I can handle this. I'm not eighteen anymore, Dylan. I'm not the weak omega everyone can push around."

"You were never weak," I say firmly. "Never."

Something flickers in her eyes – surprise, maybe. Or recognition of a truth she's never let herself believe.

"Alpha," James interrupts. "We should go if we want to make it by sunrise."

I drive, needing something to do with my hands besides reaching for Nadia. She sits in the passenger seat, staring out the window. James sprawls in the back, pretending to sleep but I know he's alert. We're all on edge.

"Tell me about Veronica," Nadia says suddenly.

My hands tighten on the wheel. "What do you want to know?"

"Did you love her? Even a little?"

I consider lying, making this easier somehow. But I've lied to her enough.

"I cared for her. She was pack, my mate by ceremony if not by bond. But love?" I shake my head. "I couldn't love anyone else when my soul was already claimed."

"That's tragic. For her."

"She knew. I never pretended otherwise."

"Still. To be someone's second choice, to know your mate's heart belongs to another..."

"Is that what you think you were? Second choice?"

She looks at me sharply. "Wasn't I? You chose her, Dylan. Whatever the reason, you chose her."

"I chose to keep you alive. There's a difference."

"The result was the same."

I want to argue, to make her understand, but we're approaching Crimson Lake's border. Twenty wolves wait for us, same formation as yesterday. Vincent stands at their center, now dressed in an expensive suit that screams power and wealth.

"Daughter," he greets as we exit the vehicle. His eyes slide over me dismissively before settling on James. "Beta."

"Alpha Blackstone," James responds carefully.

"Come. Breakfast is waiting."

The Crimson Lake pack house makes ours look like a cottage. It's a mansion, all glass and steel and modern architecture. Wolves watch from windows and doorways as we pass. Their eyes follow Nadia hungrily.

"Your pack seems interested in my arrival," Nadia observes.

"You're the White Wolf. Of course they're interested."

"How did you know? About me being the White Wolf?"

Vincent smiles. "I've been watching you for years, even if I couldn't approach. When you shifted for the first time, I knew. The white fur, the power... it's in our bloodline."

"Our bloodline?"

"My grandmother was also a White Wolf. It skips generations, only manifesting when the need is great."

We enter a dining room that could seat fifty. Only four places are set at one end.

"Who's the fourth place for?" I ask, immediately suspicious.

"My son. Your half-brother," Vincent tells Nadia. "He's eager to meet you."

Before Nadia can respond, a young man enters. He's maybe twenty-five, tall and broad like Vincent, with the same calculating eyes. But when he looks at Nadia, something else flashes there. Interest. Hunger.

"Marcus," Vincent introduces. "My heir."

"Not anymore," Marcus says smoothly, taking Nadia's hand and kissing it. "Not with the White Wolf here."

Nadia pulls her hand back. "I'm not here to take anything from you."

"Aren't you?" Marcus sits across from her, studying her intently. "Father's been obsessed with finding you. His lost daughter, the White Wolf who'll restore our pack's glory."

"Marcus," Vincent warns.

"What? She should know what she's walking into." Marcus leans back, smirking. "Half the pack wants to worship you. The other half wants to eliminate the threat you pose to the current hierarchy."

"Charming," Nadia says dryly.

"I prefer honest."

Breakfast is tense. Vincent talks about pack history, bloodlines, the legacy Nadia could claim. Marcus watches her with an intensity that makes my wolf snarl. James keeps one hand near his weapon.

"Let me show you the territory," Vincent offers after we eat.

We spend hours touring Crimson Lake. It's impressive – training facilities, a medical center that rivals human hospitals, schools, businesses. Vincent has built an empire.

"All of this could be yours," he tells Nadia as we stand overlooking the territory.

"I told you, I don't want to take anything from Marcus."

"You wouldn't be taking. You'd be sharing. Co-Alphas. It's been done before."

"No," Marcus says firmly. "If she stays, she rules alone. I won't share power."

Vincent's eyes flash dangerously. "That's not your decision."

"Isn't it?" Marcus steps closer to Nadia. "Unless you're planning to force something else?"

The tension is suffocating. I move closer to Nadia, ready to fight if necessary.

"Nobody's forcing anything," Nadia says. "I'm just here to learn."

"Then learn this," Marcus says, his voice dropping. "Father didn't tell you everything about our grandmother. The last White Wolf."

"Marcus," Vincent growls.

"She should know. Grandmother didn't die naturally. She was murdered. By her own mate. Because the power of the White Wolf drove her insane."

Nadia goes still. "What?"

"It's true. The power is too much for one wolf to bear. It corrupts, consumes. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Marcus glances at me, then back to Nadia. "Unless…”