31

KAEL

Desperation tightened in my chest as my eyes locked on Liora. She was the only one still standing with me. The rest were down. Broken. Bleeding. If I chased after Aria, I would be leaving her alone with three injured wolves who could barely move. That choice felt wrong in every way.

Leaving wasn't something I could accept.

But neither was letting that creature take Aria.

"I'll get them awake," Liora said, already moving. Her voice was firm, not shaken. "Go. We'll follow your tracks."

I hesitated. Every instinct pulled in opposite directions.

"Damn it, Kael, go," she snapped, meeting my eyes. "If he wanted her dead, she'd already be dead. He wants something else. You know that. Don't let him have it. Bring her back. I can protect them here."

That was it. There was no more time to argue with myself.

I let the wolf take over.

The world narrowed as I turned and ran. Muscles burned. The ground vanished beneath my paws. The creature was far larger than it should have been, wrong in a way that set my instincts on edge, but it hadn't bothered hiding its path. Broken brush. Deep tracks. Blood smeared along bark and stone. Following it took no thought at all.

What still didn't make sense was how it had surprised us.

We'd been focused on tracking a wild boar. The scent had been fresh. Clear. Then Nyssa had been ripped from the trees and thrown into me like a weapon. Fen managed to land a few solid blows. Enough to slow it, not enough to stop it. Then it ran straight for our camp.

Lucan had tried to get ahead of it. Tried to cut it off.

It hadn't mattered.

The image of Aria burned behind my eyes. She'd been standing there in human form, gripping a flaming log, her mouth sharp and fearless. She taunted something that could have ended her life in a heartbeat. One careless swipe of its claws would have been enough.

It almost was.

Her blood still clung to my senses, thick and sharp.

The trail led to the river. I slowed as I reached the bank. The creature dropped Aria there without care, then stepped into the water as if she were nothing more than a burden it had grown tired of carrying.

I stayed hidden. Watched. Waited.

Aria didn't move.

The monster bent low in the river, awkward and heavy, trying to scrub itself clean. Blood slid off its skin and vanished into the current. It made low, rough sounds as it worked, unaware of anything else.

When its back turned, I moved.

I crept closer, keeping low, every step measured. Her chest rose. Fell. The sight hit me hard with relief I hadn't realized I was holding back.

She was alive.

But her shift wasn't coming. It was too slow. Too weak.

I nudged her head with my muzzle. Once. Then again. No response. Her body was limp, heavy in the wrong way.

There was no choice left.

I shifted and lifted her into my arms.

She sagged against me as I pulled her over my shoulders. Her weight pressed into my spine. I straightened just as the air changed.

The creature had turned.

Power surged out of me before I could think. I reached deep and grabbed for the wolf buried inside that twisted form.

"She's mine," I called out, forcing my voice steady. "And I won't let her go while I'm still alive."

The creature growled and began to haul itself out of the river, water streaming from its body.

I pushed harder.

That was when I felt it clearly. There was a wolf inside. Still there. Still alive. But it was broken. Fractured. Fear and madness tangled together. I forced my will down on it, trying to take control.

For one brief moment, it worked.

"Shift," I commanded. "Show me who you are."

The creature dropped to its knees with a heavy grunt. Hope flickered.

Then panic exploded through the bond. Raw. Overwhelming. The wolf wanted to shift. Needed to.

It couldn't.

"Easy," I murmured, fighting to keep my own wolf from losing control as its wail tore through my head.

The creature lunged.

I braced myself.

Six wolves burst from the shadows and slammed into it at once. Teeth and bodies crashed together. They dragged it down, pinning it to the ground.

I crouched over Aria, shielding her with my body.

One of the wolves stepped back and shifted.

An older man emerged slowly, his movements careful. He walked toward me with his hands open, showing no threat.

"Easy, pup," he said quietly. "We're not here for you. We've been tracking Ashen for days. I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. Is your girl alive?"

"She will be," I said, tension still tight in my chest.

"I left a few of my wolves with your other woman," he continued. "They'll protect them. We have a camp nearby. Hearthstone Enclave. We can help treat your wounded. This is on us. Ashen was ours."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"My name is Thane," he said. "Ashen was one of my wolves. He went missing days ago. I don't ignore things like that."

One of his wolves.

Rogues with structure. With responsibility.

I ran through the odds quickly. Thane sounded sincere. Willing to let me leave. But if that changed, I'd be carrying Aria and unable to fight properly. Worse, Liora was alone with unfamiliar wolves.

That risk wasn't one I would take lightly.

Slowly, I lifted Aria again, keeping my movements controlled.

"I appreciate your help," I said.

We climbed for nearly two miles into the High Wilds before the settlement appeared.

Hearthstone Enclave stopped me cold.

The Timber Quarters were solid and carefully built. Wood cabins stood firm against the slope, arranged with purpose. This wasn't a place thrown together by beasts living on instinct. It rivaled the structures in Lowreach Crossing.

We had been wrong about the rogues.

The defenses weren't heavy, but wolves moved along the Outer Watch with discipline. Their paths were deliberate. Alert.

Guards.

My wolf growled low.

Were they armed? Did Thane command his own force? Was I walking Aria, unconscious and vulnerable, into a place more dangerous than where we'd come from?

The question stayed with me as we crossed into Hearthstone Enclave.