Chapter 6

The helicopter lifted off into the frozen sky, carrying Elena away from Silvermoon and everything she had known.

She pressed her forehead against the cold window, watching the pack territory shrink beneath her. The glittering lights of the summit hall faded into darkness. The pine forests became a blur of black and white. And then they were gone, replaced by endless mountain peaks and swirling snow.

Kaelen sat across from her, his obsidian eyes fixed on her face. He hadn't spoken since they boarded. His massive frame filled the cabin, his silver tattoos pulsing faintly in the dim light. The silence between them was thick, suffocating, charged with five years of unanswered questions.

Elena's hand drifted to her chest, where the silver pendant rested beneath her tunic. It burned against her skin, hot and alive, responding to his presence.

"Why now?" she finally asked, her voice hoarse. "You hunted me for five years. Why wait until tonight?"

Kaelen's jaw tightened. "I wasn't waiting. I was searching. You masked your scent well. Thomas's potion bought you time."

"You knew about Thomas?"

"I know everything about you, Elena." He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I know you gave birth to my children in a leaky clinic. I know you nearly bled out and Thomas had to stitch you up with thread. I know you held Leo through his first seizure and sang to Lily when she couldn't sleep."

Elena's throat constricted. "You were watching."

"Always." His voice dropped to a low growl. "I had guards stationed near Haven House from the day you arrived. They reported everything."

Rage surged through her veins. "You spied on me."

"I protected you." His eyes flashed silver. "The rogues would have found you within months if I hadn't kept them away. Brandon's scouts were circling your location by year three. I eliminated them before they could report back."

Elena stared at him, her mind reeling. He had been her silent guardian, her hidden predator, her invisible hunter. She didn't know whether to thank him or kill him.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you care so much?"

Kaelen reached across the cabin, his fingers brushing her chin. She flinched, but he held firm, tilting her face up to meet his gaze.

"Because you are my mate," he said. "Because you gave me heirs. Because when I wake in the middle of the night, I feel your heartbeat through the bond and it's the only thing that reminds me I'm still human."

Elena's breath caught.

He released her chin and leaned back, his expression shuttering. "We arrive in twenty minutes. The Citadel is cold, but the medical wing is fully stocked. Your children will be brought to you within the hour."

"Leo and Lily," she said quickly. "They need to stay with me. They're scared of new places—"

"They will stay with you." His voice softened. "I wouldn't separate you. I know what that feels like."

The helicopter descended through a layer of clouds, and Elena's breath caught in her throat.

The Lycan Citadel rose from the mountain peaks like a black claw scraping the sky. Obsidian walls glittered with frost. Towers pierced the clouds like ancient spears. A moat of silver fire surrounded the fortress, pulsing with magic that made her wolf whimper in submission.

It was terrifying. It was magnificent. It was a prison.

Kaelen helped her out of the helicopter, his hand firm on her elbow. Armed guards flanked them, their eyes glowing silver, their fangs visible. Elena kept her head high, refusing to show fear.

The Citadel's interior was even more opulent than its exterior. Marble floors gleamed under crystal chandeliers. Tapestries depicting ancient battles lined the walls. Servants bowed as they passed, their eyes averted.

Kaelen led her through winding corridors until they reached a massive oak door. He pushed it open, revealing a suite larger than Haven House itself. A four-poster bed dominated the center, draped in silver silk. A fireplace crackled with blue flames. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound tomes.

"This is your room," he said.

Elena's eyes widened. "I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"You have your own suite." He pointed to a smaller door on the far wall. "Through there. With a lock."

She exhaled, relieved.

"However," he continued, his voice dropping, "you'll dine with me every night. You'll attend official functions by my side. And you'll let me see my children."

Elena stiffened. "You can't have them. They're mine."

"I'm their father." His voice was quiet, but steel-edged. "I've been watching them grow from a distance for five years. I've missed their first words, their first steps, their first shifts. I won't miss another moment."

She opened her mouth to argue but he held up a hand.

"I'm not going to take them from you, Elena. I want to be a part of their lives. Is that so unforgivable?"

She searched his face for lies. She found only exhaustion and a deep, raw longing.

"Their sickness," she said carefully. "Can you really cure them?"

He nodded. "The archives hold the formula. But the ritual requires a Blood Moon. The next one is in three months. Until then, I'll give you access to the Citadel's medical wing. You can study, prepare, do whatever you need."

Three months. Three months to find a cure. Three months trapped in this fortress with the monster who marked her soul.

"Fine," she said. "I'll stay for three months. After that, I'm leaving."

Kaelen smiled a slow, dangerous smile that made her stomach flip.

"Three months," he agreed. "We'll see."

The twins arrived an hour later.

Elena stood on the landing pad, her heart pounding, as the helicopter touched down. The doors opened, and two small figures tumbled out.

"MAMA!"

Leo hit her legs first, his small fists gripping her tunic. Lily followed a second later, wrapping her arms around Elena's waist, burying her face in her mother's stomach.

Elena dropped to her knees, pulling them both into a crushing embrace. "I'm here. I'm here. I'm never leaving you again."

Leo pulled back, his silver eyes scanning Kaelen's eyes scanning his surroundings with suspicion. "Where are we, Mama? It smells weird."

"It's a castle, baby. A big castle."

Lily tilted her head, her golden eyes glowing softly. "A man is watching us."

Elena looked up. Kaelen stood at the edge of the landing pad, his face unreadable, his hands clasped behind his back.

Leo followed her gaze. His small body stiffened, and his wolf surged forward with a raw, powerful aura that made the guards nearby flinch.

"Who's that?" Leo demanded.

Elena opened her mouth, but Kaelen spoke first.

"I'm your father."

He walked toward them, slow and deliberate, giving the children time to react. Leo bared his tiny fangs. Lily's humming power kicked in, a defensive vibration that made the air buzz.

"I don't want a father," Leo said. "We have Mama."

Kaelen dropped to his knees in front of them, a king, kneeling to children. "I know. And I'm not here to replace her. But I've been watching you for a long time. I know you love pancakes. I know you're scared of the dark. I know Leo's favorite game is hide-and-seek, and Lily talks to the plants in the garden."

Leo blinked. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've always been watching," Kaelen said softly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the first four years. But I'm here now. And I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Lily reached out and touched his cheek with a hesitant, gentle touch. "Your wolf is sad," she murmured. "He's been sad for a long time."

Kaelen's composure cracked. A single tear slid down his face.

"Yes, baby," he whispered. "He has."

Elena's chest ached. This was the last thing she wanted to see him bond with her children, to see them accept him. But she couldn't deny the look on Leo's face. The boy was curious now, cautiously intrigued.

And Lily was already humming a soothing tune, wrapping her healing magic around the Lycan King.

This is a disaster. Or maybe it's a beginning.

She didn't know which. And that terrified her.

The first night in the Citadel was the longest of Elena's life.

She lay in her silk sheets, staring at the vaulted ceiling, listening to the distant howls of Lycan guards patrolling the walls. The silver pendant on her nightstand hummed with warmth, syncing with the distant pulse of Kaelen's heart.

She felt him in the adjacent suite, restless, awake, fighting the same magnetic pull that kept her tethered to him.

Why does it have to be him? Why did fate choose a monster?

But as she drifted toward sleep, she heard his voice in her mind soft, broken, barely a whisper.

I'll protect them, Elena. I'll protect you. I swear it.

Elena closed her eyes and let the tears fall.

She didn't know if she could trust him.

But for the first time in five years, she allowed herself to hope.