When the Storm Breaks.

Keon's POV:

Winter’s weight is heavier than anything I’ve ever carried.

Not because of her body.

She’s light.

But because of the impossibility of it all.

Me. Keon Blackbird. The most feared Alpha on the continent.

My mate got attacked on my own turf, in my own pack, and survived. Barely. And I wasn’t there to stop it. My wolf growls in my chest, vibrating through every bone.

Who?

That’s the only thought that matters.

Who dared? Who had the audacity, the skill, the cruelty to strike at her like this?

Her pale skin is bruised, her head and side bearing the brunt of the assault. Her hair is matted with leaves, broken twigs tangled in it. A faint shimmer of her magic pulses weakly against my senses, struggling to stay tethered to her.

I hope to Goddess she isn’t concussed.

I scan the area with my Alpha abilities, stretching them, pushing them, pulling every trace of residual energy into sharp focus. Nothing. No footprints. No lingering scent from the attacker. Whoever did this isn’t just strong—they’re smart. Experienced.

Calculated. They knew she would be alone here, knew the least-guarded path, the parts no one patrols.

My mind first jumps to wolves. Only a wolf could navigate my pack like that, moving silently, striking without leaving traces.

But… if it were a wolf, I’d smell it. I’d know immediately.

Could it be a witch?

Her sister’s words echo in my head.

“They’re saying you’re impure and cursed.”

“You know how it works back home.”

Back home… Could one of her own really do this? One of her family? One of her kind? For what reason? To test her? Punish her? Prove some twisted loyalty to ancient rules?

My wolf snarls at the thought.

But if it was a witch, how did they manage the teleportation? Distance drains their magic. Only a skilled, older witch could move like that without leaving residue. And even then… there should be traces. A disturbance in the air. Some scent. Something to mark the trail.

I feel the headache blooming behind my eyes.

Her pulse is faint. Too slow. My wolf growls, rising with every heartbeat I feel against my chest. This isn’t just anger, it’s righteous fury, molten and untamed. She doesn’t deserve any of this. Not the hate. Not the pain. Not the terror she felt in her final seconds.

I shift slightly, feeling the weight of her limp body in my arms, and curse under my breath. My wolf surges with protective instinct, the part of me that screams kill, rip, destroy if anyone lays a finger on her.

I snap my mind to the guards. Someone must know something.

The nearest stiffens at my approach, bowing quickly. “Alpha—”

“Silence.”

He falters. “Report.”

“Alpha… Everything seems in order. The grounds—no breaches—”

I grind my teeth. “Until now, yeah. Pretty obvious, isn’t it? Seeing as I’m holding one of our own, unconscious and hurt, in the area you were meant to guard.”

He swallows hard. “There was… a disturbance near the Blood-Fang trail. No one saw who—”

“Enough!” I slam my boot against a tree. Leaves and dirt shake off as he jumps back. “Enough excuses.”

I inhale slowly, forcing my rage into a manageable edge. “Send every scout. Every spy. I want a complete report: who passed her, when, every detail. And trace her path from the palace to the garden. Every branch, every shift of the wind. In one hour. Then meet me in the dungeons. Your punishment will follow.”

He flees, fear palpable. Good. Let them feel the weight of failing me.

I move, boots eating the corridors. I mindlink the pack doctor simultaneously, running basic scans as we move. Bruises, pulse, magic tremors. Something touched her, something sharp and deliberate. Something cruel.

I glance down at her. My mate. Impossible, infuriating, perfect Winter. The impossible human who managed to survive not one, but two bonds. Who had both Derrick and me tethered to her in ways no one thought possible. And now, this.

Someone dared.

Someone hurt her.

And I will make them regret it.

I run a hand through her hair, careful not to hurt her further. My wolf surges. How could they? How could anyone be this cruel? On my land. Against my mate.

I take a deep breath. I have to think. Scan. Analyze. Identify. And yet, every instinct screams to tear down the world in retaliation.

I replay her sister’s words. The hatred. The whispers. The rumors. Impure. Cursed. Impure.

That’s the angle they wanted. To destabilize her. To make her question her worth. To make me fail.

But it won’t work.

I scan the air again. The scent. Blue, like some insect or snake bite. Not wolf. Not human.

Something else entirely. A creature she could not have fought alone. Something she barely survived.

I bite back a curse, moving faster now. I have to secure her. Take her back to her room before anyone else sees. Before more questions arise.

I adjust my hold and begin moving. Every footstep is a countdown to revenge. My mind races with every possibility.

Rogue wolf?

Witch?

Someone from her family?

Or someone outside the realm entirely, testing us?

All I know is: Whoever did this is dangerous, cruel, and smart. And they thought they could escape me.

No one escapes me.

I reach the hallway near the garden where Derrick and Winter had eaten the other day. Guards scatter at my approach, eyes wide. I don’t care. Their fear is satisfying, but it doesn’t calm the storm inside me.

“Alpha,” one murmurs.

“Do not speak,” I growl. My wolf makes the warning palpable.

I finally reach the chambers. I lay her down on the bed. Her chest rises and falls slowly,

shallowly. She’s alive. That’s enough… for now.

I pace the room once, then stop. My hands curl into fists. My mind can’t rest. Who? How? Why?

I grip the edge of the table. The wolf within me claws at the world. The Alpha within me begins planning. Every guard, every spy, every possible suspect… they will be interrogated. Every weak point will be found. Every lie will be stripped away.

Winter will be safe. And if anyone got in the way…

They will die.

The bond hums between us, raw, exposed. It screams at me that this should not have happened. And yet, I feel her faint pulse, grounding me enough to hold back from immediate destruction.

But it’s only a pause.

I will find them. Whoever struck her. Whoever thought they could harm my mate.

And when I do…

They will pay.

Even if the world collapses around us.

Even if it kills me.

Even if I have to tear the land apart, piece by piece, until nothing stands in my way.

Because this is my promise.

And whatever the Alpha promises… he keeps.