CHAPTER 5

I felt my heart hammering against my ribs, a wild, trapped thing, as I scrambled to find a crevice in the shadows. I was just a small pup in a fortress of giants.

Moments later, Patricia Bennett hurried onto the second floor, her scent heavy with anxiety as she made her way to the master chambers where Collins lay. She was terrified of the impending clash on the ice. Even though Ethan had clawed his way back from that devastating sled crash seasons ago, the healers had warned that his legs were still susceptible to the bite of old injuries if he pushed too hard. Patricia couldn't bear to see her Alpha lose his dignity or his health to a rogue’s strike, so she turned to the only person who might have the power to stop it.

She pushed open the heavy door and crossed the floor to the furs. Looking down at Collins’s face, she felt a pang of guilt, but she knew his recovery could wait—the peace of the Citadel could not.

"Collins," she whispered, her voice trembling as she shook his shoulder. "Collins, wake up!"

I groaned, the sound vibrating deep in my chest as I fought to surface from the dark.

"Open your eyes, Collins!" Patricia’s voice rose, sharp with desperation.

Slowly, I forced my lids open. When my blurry gaze settled on Patricia’s worried face, a tired smile tugged at my lips.

"You have to get up. Mike and Alpha Ethan are on the ice-rink right now. You’re the only one who can quell their bloodlust! You know the Alpha’s legs aren't what they used to be," Patricia said, helping me haul myself upright.

I rubbed the grit from my eyes, my voice a raspy mumble. "Mike and Ethan... on the ice?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, quickly relaying the tale of the yearling’s breach and the rogue’s challenge.

As I looked around the unfamiliar, stone-walled chamber, a cold sweat broke out across my back. The realization hit me like a plunge into a frozen lake. "How did I end up in the Carter Citadel?!"

After a flicker of hesitation, Patricia spoke with blunt honesty. "You locked yourself in your Rower and succumbed to the frost last night. If the Alpha hadn't tracked your pulse and dragged you to the medical wing, the winter would have claimed you. Now, please—to the ice-rink!"

The tension on the ice shattered the moment I appeared at the edge of the rink. My gaze swept over Hayden, standing like a tiny sentinel, and Mike, whose skates were already carving aggressive arcs in the frost, before finally anchoring on Ethan’s face.

"Thank you for pulling me from the cold," I said, my voice carry across the ice.

"Don't waste your breath on thanks. You should return to the healers," Ethan replied. The sight of my face seemed to pull the predatory edge right out of his aura. "Your blood scans showed your system was running on nothing but sheer will last night."

"I understand..." I said. Aside from the heavy weight in my limbs, I felt the fire of my wolf returning.

Mike skated to the edge and gripped my arm, his voice a forceful growl. "I’m taking you to a real clinic!"

As he led me away, I couldn't help but look back at Ethan over my shoulder. I had been hollowed out by the project I was working on, but Mike had been howling for me to join him for a birth-cycle surprise. I had tried to refuse, but he wouldn't take a scent-trail for an answer. I’d forced myself behind the wheel, but the exhaustion was a physical barrier. I’d pulled over just to catch my breath, and the darkness had swallowed me whole. I’d wanted to call for help, but my body had simply shut down.

A shiver raced down my spine as the memory solidified. I would have been a frozen husk if Ethan hadn't come for me.

When Ethan returned to the grand hall, Patricia placed a steaming bowl of bone broth in front of him.

"This was prepared specifically for Collins. It’s a shame he didn't stay to take the nourishment," she said regretfully.

Ethan drained the bowl in silence, then retreated to his chambers to find the rest he’d been denied.

At three in the afternoon, a sound like a silver whistle being blown in a tunnel pierced through the entire Citadel. Ethan was jolted upright, his wolf rising to the surface at the sound of a high-pitched, deafening wail.

It was a pup’s cry!

Hadn't Hayden been escorted out? Could there be another intruder... another yearling in his home?

Ethan took a sharp breath of the cold air. He paced out of the room and saw a tiny figure at the top of the grand staircase, trembling with heavy sobs.

It was Collins’s daughter!

It was absurd. When had she slipped through the perimeter? How had his sentries missed a second pup? Was his state-of-the-art surveillance truly a toy for these children? He remembered then that the grid had been dark for hours; she must have slipped in during the blackout Hayden caused.

Layla was clutching a backpack shaped like a white rabbit. She held a plush bunny in one hand and gripped the stone banister with the other, sobbing as she navigated the stairs with the clumsy grace of a pup. She didn't even notice Ethan prowling behind her.

The servants gathered at the base of the stairs, their eyes wide with shock as if the girl had manifested out of the mountain itself.

"Mommy... My Mommy’s gone... and I’m howling so loud... and she won't come for me... Ahhh!"

Her cries were rhythmic, building like the roar of a sled engine.

"Aren't you the Parker yearling, little one?" Patricia Bennett hurried over and gathered the girl into her arms.

Layla pouted, her eyes swimming with tears. "Did my Dad and my brother leave me behind?"

"They did, sweetie. They left hours ago. How did you get inside? We never scented you."

Patricia carried her to the sofa and began drying her face with a soft cloth. She was a striking pup, the absolute image of Collins. No one could doubt their blood connection. However, Patricia didn't dare ask who the sire was; she assumed Ethan had already scented the truth.

"I slipped in when the guards were distracted... I’ve been hiding for so long... I just wanted my Dad! I miss him..." Layla sniffled. "Why didn't they call for me? Uncle Mike knew I was here..."

Ethan stepped into her line of sight, looking down at her small face.

"I don't want you looking at me, Dirtbag Alpha!" Layla wailed, shooting a fierce glare at Ethan before turning her back on him completely.

Ethan’s mood soured instantly. How dare this pup act like the injured party after infiltrating his fortress? This was clearly the result of Collins’s lack of discipline!

At that moment, Shea emerged from the shadows of the hallway. When she spotted Layla, she let out a soft sound of joy and rushed toward her. Shea remembered the girl from their brief encounter, even if she couldn't name her. She reached out a trembling hand toward Layla.

Layla looked up, but instead of returning the gesture, she scowled. She lifted her chin with an air of cold superiority and let out a sharp, dismissive huff.

But Shea was undeterred. She took another step and gently took Layla’s hand in hers.

Ethan felt a headache beginning to throb behind his eyes. Why was Shea so obsessed with Collins and his brood? Had they shared a secret history he wasn't privy to? Why did she crave their touch every time they crossed paths? He was completely in the dark.

"Get away!" Layla snapped, jerking her hand back with a look of pure disgust. "I don’t want to play with you, you weird wolf!"

Shea froze, her eyes instantly welling with tears.

Ethan’s heart twisted at the sight of his sister’s pain. These children weren't just defiant; they were cruel. It was a joke he wasn't laughing at.

"Layla Parker! Look around you and remember whose territory you are standing in!" Ethan roared, his voice echoing through the hall as he moved to teach her a lesson in pack etiquette. "Did your father fail to teach you to ask for passage before breaching a den? And furthermore..."