Chapter Three: Secrets and Shadows

I grabbed the silver blade from the table. Kade was already moving, silent as death despite his injuries.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

“This is my territory.”

“And I am your mate.” His voice dropped low. Commanding. “Stay. Behind. Me.”

My wolf wanted to obey. Wanted to let him protect us. But I was the alpha’s daughter. I did not hide behind rogues, no matter what the bond demanded.

I moved to the window. Slowly. Carefully. The glass was dirty, cracked. But I could see movement in the trees.

A figure. Watching.

“It is just one,” I whispered.

“One is enough to destroy you.” Kade positioned himself between me and the door. Every muscle in his body was tense. Ready. “If they saw us together, if they report what they saw…”

“I know what happens.”

My father would kill me. Maybe not immediately. Maybe not with his own hands. But I would die. Slowly. Publicly. A lesson to every wolf who thought about disobeying their alpha.

The figure moved closer.

I recognised the scent.

“No,” I breathed. “No, no, no.”

“Who is it?”

“My cousin. Lila.”

Kade’s hand tightened on the blade. “Family makes the best traitors.”

He was not wrong. Lila hated me. Had hated me since we were children. Since my father chose me as heir instead of her brother. Since I became the future of the pack while she remained nothing.

The door burst open.

Lila stood there, dark hair wild, eyes gleaming with triumph. “I knew it. I knew you were hiding something.”

I stepped forward, putting myself between her and Kade. “Lila, please. You do not understand.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” She smiled. Cruel. Vicious. “The weak little princess has a secret. And Uncle Marcus is going to love hearing about it.”

“He will kill me.”

“I know.” She pulled out her phone. “But maybe that is exactly what this pack needs. A real leader. Not a pathetic excuse for an alpha daughter.”

Kade moved.

One second he was behind me. Next, he had Lila pinned against the wall, his hand around her throat. Not choking. Not yet. But the threat was clear.

“Drop the phone,” he said.

Lila’s eyes went wide. With fear. With something else. Recognition.

“You,” she gasped. “You are him. The Blackwood rogue. The one who murdered his entire pack.”

“Drop. The. Phone.”

She let it fall. It clattered against the wooden floor.

“Kade, let her go,” I said.

“She will tell your father.”

“I know. But killing her will make everything worse.”

His silver eyes met mine. There was something dark in them. Something that made my wolf whimper and press close. This was not just a rogue. This was something dangerous. Something barely controlled.

“Please,” I said. “Trust me.”

Slowly, he released her.

Lila collapsed, gasping. Her hand went to her throat. Red marks bloomed where his fingers had been.

“You are going to regret that,” she said. “Both of you.”

“Lila, listen to me.” I crouched down beside her. “If you tell my father, he will ask questions. He will want to know why you were here. Why do you follow me? Why were you spying on the alpha’s daughter?”

“I was protecting the pack.”

“You were looking for ammunition. For anything you could use to take my place.” I leaned closer. “But if you tell him about the rogue, you have to tell him you let the rogue escape. That you found the most wanted wolf in North America and did not capture him. Did not kill him.”

Her face went pale.

“He will see it as weakness,” I continued. “As failure. And you know what Father does to wolves who fail him.”

She did know. We both did. My father did not tolerate weakness. Did not forgive failure. Lila’s brother learned that lesson three years ago when he lost his challenge. When my father watched him die and did nothing to stop it.

“What do you want?” Lila asked.

“Silence. For three days.”

“That is all? You want me to stay quiet while you hide a rogue murderer in our territory?”

“Yes.”

“And what do I get in return?”

I had nothing to offer. Nothing except…

“When I mate with Thomas Crane, when I leave this pack to join his, you can have my position. You can be Father’s heir.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You would give up everything?”

“I do not want it. I never wanted it.”

It was true. Every word. Being heir meant being my father’s weapon. His tool. His disappointment. I hated it. Hated the responsibility and the expectations and the constant reminder that I would never be good enough.

“Three days,” Lila said. “But after that, if you are still here, if you are still hiding him, I will tell Uncle Marcus everything.”

“Deal.”

She stood, grabbed her phone, and left without another word.

The cabin fell silent.

Kade watched me with those unreadable silver eyes. “You just gave away your birthright.”

“I gave away a prison sentence.”

“You could have let me kill her.”

“And start a war within my own pack? No.” I picked up the needle again. “Sit down. Those wounds still need closing.”

He did not move. “You are not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“A pampered alpha daughter. Spoiled. Weak. Useless.”

“I am weak.”

“No.” He caught my wrist. Pulled me closer. The bond flared between us, hot and insistent. “You are surviving. There is a difference.”

His touch burned. Made my wolf howl with need. Made me want things I could not have.

I pulled away. “You need rest. And I need to get back before my father sends someone else looking for me.”

“When will I see you again?”

“Tomorrow night. After Thomas Crane’s arrival dinner. I will bring more supplies.”

“Aria.” My name on his lips sounded like a prayer. Like a promise. “Thank you. For saving me. For risking everything.”

“Do not thank me yet. We still have two more days to survive.”

I left before I could do something stupid. Like stay. Like kiss him. Like, claim the bond that would destroy everything.

The walk back to pack territory took twenty minutes. Every step hurt. My back was still bleeding from training. My ribs ached. My wolf was furious at leaving our mate behind.

But I made it to the main house without being seen.

Almost.

“Where have you been?”

I spun around.

Thomas Crane stood on the front steps. Early. He was not supposed to arrive until tomorrow.

He was exactly as I remembered. Tall. Muscular. Cruel eyes and a smile that never reached them. Power radiated from him in waves that made my wolf want to bare her throat.

“I asked you a question, Aria.”

“I was at the border. Clearing my head.”

He moved down the steps. Closer. His scent washed over me. Wrong. Everything about him was wrong.

“Your father told me you have been difficult lately. Rebellious.” His hand caught my chin. Forced me to look at him. “That will change after our mating. I do not tolerate disobedience.”

“Yes, Alpha.” The words tasted like ash.

“Good girl.” He released me. “Get cleaned up. We have much to discuss before the ceremony.”

He walked past me into the house. Like he already owned it. Like he already owned me.

I stood there in the darkness, shaking.

Two days. I had two days before I was bound to him forever.

Two days before my mate had to disappear.

Two days before my entire life was decided by everyone except me.

My phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

I opened the message.

“I know what you are hiding. And I am coming for him. Tick tock, princess. - A Friend”

Someone else knew about Kade.

And they were coming.