The Pack’s Verdict

Lena dreamed of fire again.

Not the clean kind, not the kind that warmed hearths. This was wildfire—uncontrollable, devouring. It burned through her veins, dragging her down into shadows where golden eyes gleamed and a mouth full of sharp teeth traced her throat.

She woke with a gasp, sheets tangled around her limbs, sweat slicking her skin. The cabin’s shutters had been thrown wide, letting in pale dawn light. Her lungs heaved as though she’d been running, and her pulse throbbed in the same rhythm as the bite that wasn’t there.

Her hand flew to her neck. Smooth skin. But it wasn’t gone. It pulsed beneath her palm, a phantom brand, as if her body itself remembered his teeth.

Mine.

“No.” Her voice cracked in the empty room. She shoved the furs aside, planting her bare feet on the floor. The boards were cold, but even that bite of chill couldn’t cut through the fever that lingered under her skin.

Every sound was sharper. The pop of the wood in the hearth. The distant caw of a crow. Even the steady heartbeat that wasn’t hers.

Her gaze snapped to the corner.

Kade sat in the shadows, shirtless, his long frame sprawled in a chair. Golden eyes half-lidded but awake, watching. Always watching.

Heat crawled up her neck. “Do you ever sleep?”

“Wolves don’t sleep deeply.” His voice was gravel and velvet, the same voice that haunted her dreams. “Not when danger circles.”

Danger. The word reminded her of the howls, the fight, the white wolf’s limp body in the snow. The pack’s eyes burning into her, their hatred aimed sharp and true. She pulled the furs tighter around her, though she knew it wasn’t the cold making her shiver.

“They’re still out there,” she whispered.

His jaw flexed once. “They’ll keep circling until I show them.”

“Show them what?”

“That you belong.”

The words landed heavy, choking her. She forced a laugh, brittle and sharp. “I don’t belong anywhere near this place. Or you.”

In a blur he was on his feet, closing the distance between them. Her body went rigid as he stopped too close, heat radiating from his bare chest.

“You feel it,” he murmured, his gaze dragging down to her throat. “Don’t bother lying.”

Her pulse betrayed her, hammering against her skin where his eyes lingered. She hated the flush that climbed her cheeks, hated the way her body leaned an inch closer even as her mind screamed to run.

“I feel sick,” she shot back. “I feel trapped. I feel—”

“Alive.” His hand snapped up, caging her jaw, tilting her face to his. “More alive than you ever did before I bit you.”

Her breath hitched, fury and heat tangled together. “You think one brutal bite makes me yours? You’re insane.”

A faint smirk curved his mouth. “Not insane. Alpha.”

The word rolled over her skin like a threat.

Before she could answer, the air outside shifted. Heavy paws thudded against snow, dozens of them. A low, unified growl rippled through the trees.

Kade’s gaze flicked to the window, his hand dropping from her face. “The pack waits.”

Lena’s stomach twisted. “For me?”

“For us.” He stepped back, grabbing a leather strap from the table and wrapping it tight across his shoulder wound. His movements were efficient, brutal, no hesitation. “They want to see if you bleed weakness. Or if you bleed Blackwood.”

Her mouth dried. “And if I bleed the wrong thing?”

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes molten gold. “Then they’ll test their Alpha. And I’ll kill my own wolves to keep you breathing.”

The words landed like ice in her chest. She shook her head, voice breaking. “I didn’t ask for this.”

He stalked closer again, this time not touching her, just looming until his shadow swallowed hers. “Neither did I.”

The silence that followed was heavier than any growl outside.

Then he turned and yanked the cabin door wide. Cold air and the smell of pine slammed into her. Beyond the threshold, wolves crouched in the snow, their eyes fixed on her with hunger and hate.

Kade looked back at her once, a challenge in his gaze. “Walk beside me. Or they’ll think you crawl behind me.”

Her heart pounded. She wanted to run, to slam the door and hide. But something in his eyes—feral, unyielding—made her step forward. Bare feet hit snow, sharp cold biting into her skin. Gasps rippled through the pack, low and furious.

Kade’s hand hovered at her back, not touching, but close enough that the bond’s heat flared. She clenched her fists, lifting her chin against the stares.

Dozens of wolves shifted, bodies cracking, fur receding until the snow was littered with half-dressed men and women, muscles coiled and eyes burning gold.

A woman stepped forward first. Tall, scar down her cheek, hair braided tight. Her glare could’ve split stone. “She’s human.”

The word spat like venom. The crowd echoed it—human, human, human—a chorus of disdain.

Kade’s shoulders rolled back, dominance radiating from him in waves. “She’s mine.”

The woman sneered, baring her teeth. “The pack doesn’t take humans. Not as mates.”

“Then the pack will learn.” His voice cracked the air like thunder.

The wolves snarled, some baring teeth, others muttering darkly. Lena’s throat closed. Dozens of them, all glaring at her, all furious. She wanted to vanish, sink into the snow, disappear before they tore her apart.

But then a strange thing happened. The bond flared hot, searing through her chest, and before she could stop herself her body leaned subtly closer to Kade, seeking the heat he radiated.

Gasps erupted. A few wolves growled louder. And Kade… Kade smirked like he’d just won a battle.

“See?” His voice was a whipcrack. “The bond is sealed. You defy it, you defy me.”

The pack bristled, torn between fear and outrage.

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Then prove she deserves to stand among us.”

The challenge hung heavy in the frozen air.

The words prove she deserves cracked across the clearing like a whip.

The pack’s growls deepened, snow crunching under shifting feet. They smelled blood in the water—and Lena was the blood.

Kade didn’t flinch. His golden eyes glowed brighter, his presence filling the clearing like smoke and fire. “You question me, Mara?”

The scarred woman bared her teeth. “I question weakness.” Her gaze slashed to Lena, sharp as a blade. “A fragile human who’ll break the first time our enemies strike.”

Heat flared in Lena’s chest, equal parts fear and fury. Her hands curled into fists. Fragile. Weak. She hated those words—had hated them her whole life, whispered behind her back, muttered by people who thought she couldn’t hear.

Kade’s hand lifted, not touching her, but close enough that his dominance rolled through her veins like thunder. “Careful.” His voice dropped low. Dangerous. “You question her, you question me.”

The pack stirred uneasily. Some lowered their eyes, others bristled. Mara only smiled, slow and cruel. “Then let’s test you both.”

A ripple went through the wolves, a murmur of approval. Lena’s stomach dropped.

“Mara.” Another voice broke through the crowd, a male this time, broad-shouldered and silver-eyed. “Don’t bait him.”

But Mara ignored him. She stepped forward, snow crunching under her boots, until she stood only a few feet away. Her stare locked on Lena, predatory, as if she could already taste her fear. “One bite doesn’t make her pack. She proves herself in the circle—or she dies in it.”

The words hung heavy, carried on frosted air.

Lena’s breath hitched. “The circle?”

Kade’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look at her, his gaze never leaving Mara. “Trial by pack.”

Her pulse stumbled. Trial. The word tasted like death.

Mara tilted her head, cruel satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “If she’s truly worthy of an Alpha’s bite, she’ll survive. If not…” She shrugged. “Snow takes the weak.”

The wolves murmured their approval, low growls rumbling like distant thunder.

Lena took a step back, the furs slipping from her shoulders. “This is insane,” she whispered. “I’m not— I can’t fight—”

Kade moved so fast she barely saw it. His hand caught her wrist, steady, grounding, searing her skin with heat. He leaned down, his breath brushing her ear, his voice meant for her alone.

“You can. Because you’re mine. And mine don’t break.”

Her chest tightened, torn between terror and the strange, treacherous swell of strength his words sparked.

The circle formed quickly—wolves pacing, their golden eyes gleaming, snow packed down beneath their boots. The crowd closed in, a living wall. Mara stepped into the center, rolling her shoulders, her grin a promise of violence.

“Come on then, human.” She beckoned with one hand. “Show us you deserve to breathe our air.”

Lena froze at the edge, heart pounding so hard it made her dizzy. She wasn’t a fighter. She wasn’t built for this. She was an outsider, dragged into a world she didn’t belong to. Every instinct screamed at her to run.

But then Kade’s voice cut through the storm inside her.

“Lena.”

She turned her head, and his eyes—molten, merciless—locked onto hers. “If you fall, I tear them apart. Every last one.” His voice was quiet, but it rang in her bones. “But I don’t want a corpse. I want you standing beside me.”

The pack couldn’t hear the way his words softened at the edges, couldn’t see the way his fingers brushed her wrist before releasing. But she felt it. She felt him.

Something shifted inside her, sharp and fierce.

She stepped into the circle.

The crowd howled their approval.

Mara smirked, circling her like a wolf around prey. “Good. Let’s see what your Alpha sees.”

The fight began with a blur. Mara lunged, faster than Lena’s eyes could track. Instinct screamed, and Lena dropped low, snow burning her knees. A hand swiped where her head had been, sharp nails grazing her scalp.

Gasps rippled through the pack. Not bad—for prey.

Lena scrambled to her feet, chest heaving. Mara prowled, grinning. “Quick. Like a rabbit.”

Lena’s fury sparked hot. “Keep talking. Maybe it’ll cover up how ugly you are.”

A shocked laugh tore through the crowd. Wolves weren’t used to prey biting back with words. Mara’s smile faltered, rage flashing in her eyes.

She attacked again, this time grabbing Lena’s arm, yanking her forward with brutal strength. Pain exploded as she hit the ground, snow smashing the air from her lungs. Mara’s hand pressed to her throat, claws just grazing skin. “Weak,” she spat.

The bond flared.

Lena’s vision blurred with heat, with fire, with Kade’s voice snarling mine. Rage—not hers, not fully—roared through her veins. Her hand shot up, grabbing Mara’s wrist. She twisted, a move she didn’t know she knew, sending the woman sprawling.

The crowd erupted.

Lena stumbled to her feet, chest heaving, staring at her own hands as if they belonged to someone else. She didn’t fight like that. She didn’t know how to.

But Kade did.

Her gaze snapped to him at the edge of the circle. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking—but his eyes burned like fire, and she swore she could feel him inside her skin, guiding her bones, whispering through the bond.

Stand. Fight. Don’t break.

Mara snarled, lunging again, and Lena met her this time, ducking low, driving her shoulder into Mara’s ribs. Both women crashed into the snow. Fists, claws, kicks—Lena fought like a woman possessed, like fire itself had taken root inside her.

Gasps turned to shouts, half the pack chanting Mara’s name, half screaming in disbelief as the human held her ground.

Blood slicked her knuckles. Her lungs burned. But when Mara pinned her again, pressing her face into the snow, Lena’s teeth snapped—not in words, but in instinct. She sank them into Mara’s shoulder.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, copper and heat.

The pack went silent.

Mara roared, throwing Lena back, clutching her wound. Her eyes burned with rage, but beneath it—fear.

Lena staggered to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth, chest heaving. She stood taller now, straighter, as though something ancient inside her had finally woken.

Kade stepped forward, voice booming through the clearing. “She bleeds Blackwood.”

The pack erupted in howls. Some in fury, some in reluctant respect. Mara’s glare could’ve cut steel, but she didn’t step forward again. She knew she’d lost.

Lena swayed, exhaustion pulling at her bones, but she didn’t fall. Not yet. Not while Kade’s eyes held her up.

He crossed the circle, his presence swallowing the air, his hand finally settling at her back. “Mine,” he growled, loud enough for all to hear. “By blood. By bite. By bond.”

The pack lowered their heads, one by one. Even Mara.

But not all.

From the edge of the crowd, a voice hissed through the snow. Cold. Cruel. “Not for long.”

Lena’s gaze snapped up. A stranger stood there, tall and lean, eyes red as fresh blood. He smiled, sharp and hungry, before vanishing back into the trees.

The rival Alpha.

Her blood turned to ice.

And Kade’s hand tightened at her back, claws half-shifting as he snarled into the silence.

The real war had just begun.