Chapter 5: The Alpha's Mate

Raven woke to the smell of rain and the warmth of Kaelen's body pressed against her back. His arm was around her waist, his breath stirring the hair at her nape, and for a single moment, she forgot everything.

Then memory crashed back.

Atlas. The claiming. The war.

She tensed, and Kaelen stirred behind her.

"You're awake." His voice was rough with sleep. "You've been out for twelve hours."

"Twelve—" She twisted to look at him. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed the rest. Your body went through a lot last night." His amber eyes traced her face. "How do you feel, don’t be restless!?"

She took inventory. Her muscles ached. Her neck throbbed where he'd bitten her. But beneath the pain was something else—a humming energy, a current of power that hadn't been there before.

"Stronger," she admitted.

"well, good. That's the bond." He sat up, the sheet falling to his waist. "It amplifies everything. Your wolf. Your senses. Your instincts. You'll need all of it."

Raven's gaze caught on the mark she had left on his shoulder—a perfect imprint of her teeth, already healing but still visible. Her mark. Her claim.

Something primal put inside her.

"We need to talk about what comes next," Kaelen said, rising from the bed. He was relaxed unknowingly in his nude, moving with the easy grace of a predator. "Atlas won't wait long. He'll strike within days."

"Days?"

"Maybe less." He pulled on a pair of dark jeans, then tossed her a shirt from his dresser. "The Dark Ones move fast. And your brother has something to prove."

Raven pulled the shirt over her head—it smelled like him, pine and smoke and something wild. "What do we do?"

"We prepare. I have called a war council. The other packs need to know what's coming."

"Other packs?"

"The Marrow Pack isn't the only one in the region." He buckled a leather belt, his movements efficient. "There are five major packs in the territory. We are the largest and strongest, but the others have power too. If Atlas is planning a war, we need allies."

"And if they don't believe us?"

Kaelen's smile was grim. "Then we make them."

The war council was held in the Marrow Pack's great hall—a cavernous room carved from stone, lit by torches that flickered in the cold air. A big oak table dominated the space, surrounded by chairs that were already filled when Raven and Kaelen arrived.

She felt their eyes on her immediately. Assessing. Judging.

The Marrow wolves were hard-faced and scarred, dressed in leather and steel, their bodies marked by battle. They looked at Kaelen with respect. They looked at her with bit of confusion others suspicion.

 "Alpha" A grizzled man pushed to his feet — tall, broad, silver in his hair, eyes hard as stone. "We heard you claimed the Blackwood girl."

"I did." Kaelen's voice was calm. "This is Raven. My mate. My equal."

The man's eyes moved to Raven, then back to Kaelen. "With respect, Alpha, she's the sister of our enemy."

"She's also a Primordial Lycan. The first to awaken in a thousand years." Kaelen took his seat at the head of the table, pulling Raven into the chair beside him. "Her power is greater than anything we have seen. She's not our enemy. She's our weapon."

Raven's jaw tightened. Weapon. Was that all she was to him?

But she kept her face neutral. She had learned long ago not to show weakness in front of wolves.

Another man spoke—younger, dark-skinned, with a rough scar running from his brow to his jaw. "The Blackwood boy has already killed three of our scouts. He's heading south, gathering the rogue packs. If he unites them—"

"We won't let him." Kaelen leaned forward. "That's why we are here. We need to mobilize. Every able-bodied wolf, every ally we can call in. This is not a tussle. This is a war."

"And the Dark Ones?" A woman this time, lean and sharp-eyed. "If Vesper is backing him—"

"Then we deal with Vesper too." Kaelen's voice was hard. "I've killed Dark Ones before. I'll kill them again."

The council erupted into arguments—strategies, concerns, demands. Raven listened, trying to absorb the information, but her attention kept drifting to the bond. She could feel Kaelen's emotions through it—a low motion of tension, of determination, of something darker underneath. Fear. Not for himself. For her.

He's worried about me, she realized.

The thought made her chest ache.

"We should send envoys to the other packs," the scarred man was saying. "The Red Ridge and the Ironclaw might ally with us."

"The Ironclaw won't," the woman said. "They have been solitary for decades."

"They'll have no choice when the Dark Ones come for them."

"Enough." Kaelen's voice cut through the noise. "I'll send envoys to both packs. In the meantime, we fortify. We train. We prepare for the worst at least."

"And what about her?" The grizzled man was looking at Raven again. "What role does the Blackwood girl play in all this?"

"She fights with us," Kaelen said.

"She's without training yet."

"She's Primordial. She'll learn."

The man's lip folded. "With respect, Alpha—"

"You've said 'with respect' three times now, Dorian." Kaelen's voice was dangerously soft. "And each time, you've questioned my judgment. Do you wish to challenge me?"

The room went still. Dorian's face paled.

"No, Alpha."

"Then sit down and shut up." Kaelen turned to the rest of the table. "We have three days. I want every warrior ready by then. Dismissed."

The council filed out, some casting glances at Raven as they left. She didn't look away. She had learned that much from her father—never show weakness, never back down.

When they were alone, Kaelen turned to her.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be." She met his eyes. "They have a right to be suspicious. I'd be suspicious too."

"You handled it well."

"I handled nothing. You did all the talking."

"I meant that you didn't flinch. You didn't hide." He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're stronger than you think."

Before she could respond, the doors to the hall burst open.

A young wolf ran in, bleeding from a wound on his side, his face twisted in panic.

"Alpha!" he gasped. "There's been an attack. The Ironclaw pack—they're gone."

Kaelen surged to his feet. "Gone?"

"Wiped out." The wolf's voice cracked. "The entire pack. Men, women, children. All dead."

Raven felt the blood drain from her face. "Who did it?"

The wolf looked at her, and she saw something in his eyes that made her stomach clench.

"A Primordial Lycan. With silver eyes."