Chapter 5

Irene's Pov

The morning of the Unity Hunt was the kind of crisp, clear day that should have been beautiful, but it just felt like a countdown to an execution.

The whole estate was buzzing. Guards were polishing boots, and the high-ranking wolves were preening.

It was a show for the public, a way to say look how united we are, while beneath the surface, we were all bleeding.

I was wearing leather hunting gear. My shoulder was stiff but functional, and I was hyper-aware of the folded piece of paper tucked into my waistband.

Every time I looked at Matthew, my heart did a frantic little dance. He was acting like the perfect Enforcer today.

He was standing at his father’s right hand, his face a mask of cold duty.

The hunt began with a roar. We shifted and ran, a sea of fur and muscle tearing through the underbrush.

But I did not stay with the main group. I waited for my moment, veering off toward the Old Creek.

I knew Matthew would follow. He was the Enforcer; it was his job to bring back strays.

I reached a clearing where the trees were so thick the sun barely hit the ground. I shifted back, pulling on the clothes I had stashed there earlier.

My breath came in short, jagged bursts. A moment later, the massive black wolf crashed through the brush.

He shifted in a blur of movement, standing before me with that same predatory intensity.

“What are you doing, Irene? Get back to the line before my father notices,” he growled, stepping toward me.

I did not move. I pulled the letter out and held it up. The white paper looked like a flag of surrender in the dim light.

“Neutralize me, Matthew? Is that the plan for the afternoon?”

He stopped dead. His eyes dropped to the paper. For the first time since I met him, he looked genuinely shaken.

The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

“Irene,” he started, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

“Did you write this?” I demanded, my voice trembling. “Were you waiting for the right moment to get me alone and do what your father told you?”

He laughed then, but it was a dark, broken sound. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out a small stack of travel documents.

They were forged IDs, a map of the northern border, and a bank card.

“I didn’t write it. I stole it from his desk to keep you ahead of him,” he said, stepping into my personal space.

“I am not planning to kill you, you idiot. I’ve been staying up all night forging these so I can get you across the border before he realizes our bond has manifested. If he knows about the singular counterpart, he won’t just neutralize you. He’ll use you as a leash to control me forever. I’m trying to save you.”

My breath hitched. The papers in his hand were a ticket to a life where I did not have to look over my shoulder.

He was going to give up his position, his legacy, just to get me out.

“Matthew,” I whispered. The anger drained out of me and was replaced by a surge of heat that had nothing to do with the silver wound. “You were going to let me go?”

“I have to,” he said, his hand reaching out to cup my jaw. “Because if you stay, I’m going to break every law this pack has just to keep you near me.”

“How touching,” a voice purred from the shadows.

We both whipped around. My mother stepped out from behind a massive oak tree.

She looked as composed and elegant as she did on her wedding day, but her eyes were not warm. They were calculating.

“Mom?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“Ensuring my future, darling,” she said, a sharp, cold smile playing on her lips. “I’ve known about your little... chemical connection since the wedding night. I saw the way you looked at him. And I certainly saw that little display in the gym.”

She looked at Matthew, her gaze hardening. “The High Alpha wants Irene gone if she is a liability. But I think she is an asset. As long as you are obsessed with her, Matthew, you’ll do exactly what I say. You’ll influence the Council for me. You’ll ensure my bloodline sits on the throne. If you don’t, I’ll tell your father exactly how ‘treasonous’ your feelings for your new sister have become. One word from me, and the council exiles you both.”

The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. My own mother was using us as pawns.

She did not care about the bond or the danger; she just wanted the crown.

The air around us began to vibrate. A low, terrifying sound started in Matthew’s chest—a growl so deep it felt like the earth itself was cracking open.

His eyes turned a glowing, lethal gold.

“You think you can use her?” Matthew asked. His voice was not human anymore. It was layered with the power of an Alpha.

“You think you can threaten what belongs to me?”

“Matthew, wait,” I started, but it was too late.

The shift was violent. He did not just change; he exploded into a wolf twice the size of any I had ever seen.

He was a mountain of black fur and obsidian claws. He stepped in front of me, his massive body a physical wall between me and my mother.

The growl that ripped from his throat shook the leaves off the trees. He turned his head slightly, his golden eyes locking onto mine for a split second.

I heard his voice in my mind—not a whisper, but a vow: I will burn the pack laws to the ground before I let anyone touch you. Sister or not, you are mine.

He turned back to my mother, his teeth bared in a snarl that promised nothing but blood. The hunt was no longer for deer.

The hunt was for anyone standing in our way.