Chapter 4: The Silver Rot

The black Charger flew down the mountain, its headlights cutting through the thick fog like two yellow eyes. Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of old blood and the sharp, hot energy of the bond.

Kaelen’s hand was still on Sera’s thigh. He didn't let go, even when he had to shift gears. Every time he touched her, the Life-Tether hummed deep in Sera's chest. It felt like a warm vibration that told her exactly what he was feeling. Right now, he felt like a storm, dark, heavy, and ready to break.

"Kaelen, you’re hurting me," Sera whispered.

He jumped, his grip loosening instantly. He didn't look at her, but his eyes in the rearview mirror were still black. "I’m sorry. I can’t... I can't turn it off. I feel your heart racing, and it makes my wolf want to hunt whatever is scaring you."

"You’re what’s scaring me," she said softly.

Through the bond, she felt a sharp spike of his guilt. It was a cold, bitter taste in the back of her throat.

"I know," he rasped. "I left you once. I won't do it again. Even if you hate me for it."

In the back seat, Silas let out a rough, wet cough. The sound was wrong; it sounded like glass breaking in his lungs. Sera turned around, her heart sinking.

Silas was leaning against the window, his face ghostly pale. His hand was clutching his arm, trying to hide the silver veins that were now glowing through his shirt. The "Pack Bond" was still there, buzzing like a broken wire. Because Silas wasn't part of the Life-Tether, he felt like a ghost sitting in the cold while Kaelen and Sera shared a fire.

"Silas, let me see," Sera said, reaching back.

"Don't touch me!" Silas snapped. His eyes flashed, a swirl of liquid silver moving through his blue iris. He pulled away from her, his voice full of a jealousy that made the air in the car turn cold. "You’ve got your Alpha now, Sera. You’ve got your soul-mate. Why do you care about the tracker?"

"You're my friend, Silas," she said, her voice trembling.

"Friend?" Silas laughed, but it turned into another cough. "I was the one who stayed. For three years, I watched you cry in that cabin. I was the one who protected you from the shadows while he was out playing King. And now? One howl and you're his again."

Sera felt Kaelen’s anger rise. The car swerved as Kaelen’s muscles tightened.

"Watch your tone, Silas," Kaelen growled, his voice dropping into a primal Alpha warning. "The rot is making you crazy."

"The rot is making me see the truth!" Silas shouted. He lunged forward, grabbing the back of Kaelen’s seat. "You’re tethered to her because you're weak, Kael. You couldn't protect her as a man, so you had to chain her soul like a dog."

Kaelen slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Crag of Ancestors. The moon above was now a deep, bloody red. The eclipse was almost complete.

Kaelen turned around, his face inches from Silas’s. The Alpha and the Tracker stared at each other, the old pack bond screaming between them.

"I did it to save her life," Kaelen hissed.

"You did it because you’re a thief," Silas whispered back.

Sera felt the explosion before it happened. The ground beneath the car buckled. A giant, black root larger than the car itself burst through the road. It flipped the Charger onto its side, glass shattering everywhere.

Sera screamed as her head hit the window. Darkness moved in the trees. The "Wild Hunt" had found them.

Through the fog of her pain, she felt Kaelen’s hand find hers in the wreckage. Even upside down, the tether held. But as she looked toward the back of the car, she saw Silas crawling out of the broken window.

He didn't look back at them. He stood up and walked toward the shadows of the woods.

"Silas!" Sera cried out.

A tall figure stepped out of the dark. It was the First-Born. He looked like a king made of rot and silver. He held out a hand to Silas, and for the first time, Silas didn't draw his daggers.

"The Alpha stole your place," the First-Born’s voice echoed in all their minds. "Help me break the tether, and she will be yours."

Silas looked back at the car at Kaelen holding Sera, and his eyes turned completely silver.

"Do it," Silas whispered.

The betrayal hit Sera harder than the car crash. The triangle was broken. The fight for her heart had just become a war.