4

The square explodes with whispers the moment Kaelen’s words hit the air. My blood. My heir. It’s like a curse cast over the festival; even the musicians stop playing. Kaelion clings to my leg, his little fingers digging into my skin through the fabric of my dress. He doesn’t understand what’s happening, only that everyone is staring, only that the man with the ice-blue eyes is suddenly at the center of it all.

I tighten my hold on him and force my body to move, to walk—anywhere away from here. But as soon as I try to step around Kaelen, two of his enforcers appear like shadows in my path. Black uniforms, silver crests of the Shadowfang Pack glinting on their chests.

“Move,” I hiss, my wolf rising, a snarl curling under my breath.

They don’t.

Behind me Kaelen’s voice is a whip crack. “Escort them to the Alpha House.”

“No.” My voice slices through the square sharper than I intend. The crowd gasps. “You have no right—”

Kaelen steps closer, towering above me. His scent slams into my senses—pine, smoke, steel—and my wolf trembles under the old pull of dominance. “I have every right,” he says, his voice a growl only inches from my face. “You brought my heir into my territory. He will not leave.”

I’m shaking, but not from fear. Rage trembles through me so hard I can barely keep my voice steady. “You lost that right the night you rejected me. The night you cut me open and left me to die.”

Something flickers in his eyes, there and gone. “I’ll explain later,” he says, low. “Not here.”

“You don’t explain to me,” I spit back. “You let us go.”

His nostrils flare. For a moment he looks like he might reach for me—then his gaze drops to Kaelion, who peers up at him, unafraid, curious. The sight knocks the edge off him, but only for a heartbeat. “Take them,” he orders the guards again, his tone colder than frost.

Kaelion’s fingers tighten on mine. “Mum?”

I crouch quickly, brushing his hair back from his forehead, trying to shield him with my body. “It’s alright, baby,” I whisper, though my heart is pounding so loud I can barely hear myself. “Stay with me. Don’t let go.”

The guards close in. I bare my teeth, my wolf pushing at my skin. For a split second I imagine shifting, tearing through them, grabbing Kaelion and bolting for the border. But even if I made it out of the square, Kaelen would hunt us. And Kaelion… Kaelion isn’t like other pups. His powers flare when he’s scared. If he loses control in front of the whole pack…

No. Running now would destroy us both.

I swallow hard, force my wolf back down, and straighten. “Fine,” I say through clenched teeth. “But touch him and I will tear your throats out myself.”

The guards glance at each other but step aside to let me walk. Kaelen watches every move I make, his expression unreadable.

I keep my head high as I lead Kaelion out of the square, my back stiff, my fingers wrapped around his hand so tightly my knuckles ache. Inside, my heart is breaking all over again.

---

The Alpha House hasn’t changed. Massive stone walls, high-arched windows, a wrought-iron balcony curling like a predator’s claws over the front steps. I swore I’d never walk through these doors again, yet here I am, dragged back like some criminal.

Kaelion’s eyes go wide as we step inside. The grand foyer gleams with polished wood and silver. He stares at the huge wolf head carved above the fireplace, then at the rows of old portraits lining the corridor—Alphas past, each one more severe than the last.

“Where are we, Mum?” he whispers.

I kneel beside him, brushing a curl from his forehead. “Just a big house, love,” I say softly. “Stay close to me.”

Kaelen appears behind us, silent as a shadow. His presence fills the entire foyer like a storm front. “Take the boy to the east wing,” he tells one of the maids. “Prepare a room.”

I whirl on him, fury flashing. “He stays with me.”

Kaelen’s jaw flexes. “Aria—”

“He stays. With. Me.”

Something in my voice makes even his wolf pause. He studies me for a long moment, then nods once. “Fine. The east wing has two rooms. Both of you will stay there.”

It’s a small victory, but it’s all I have.

The maid leads us down a long hallway. The scent of cedar and old stone makes my stomach twist with memories. Kaelion skips ahead a few steps, peering into doorways, his curiosity unshaken by the tension suffocating me.

We stop at a suite at the end of the hall—spacious, with a carved bed and a window overlooking the forest. Two adjoining doors open to smaller rooms.

I set our small bag on the bed and kneel in front of Kaelion. “We’re just here for a little while,” I murmur, forcing calm into my voice. “Stay near me. Don’t wander off. Understand?”

He nods solemnly.

I press my forehead to his. “Good boy.”

The door clicks shut behind us.

For a long time I just stand there, breathing, listening to Kaelion’s soft hum as he explores the room. My wolf paces under my skin, restless, furious, afraid.

Trapped.

---

Night falls. Shadows creep across the walls like claws. Kaelion is curled up in the smaller bed, fast asleep, his small chest rising and falling. I stroke his hair until he murmurs and turns onto his side.

Then I stand, move to the window, and stare out at the moon.

The last time I stood here, I was nineteen, naive, believing Kaelen’s promises. Believing I was his mate, his equal. Hours later I was in the mud outside the border, bleeding and alone.

My fists clench.

I hear the door behind me before I smell him.

“You should be asleep,” Kaelen says quietly.

I don’t turn around. “Get out.”

“I can’t.” His voice is rougher than I remember, low and frayed at the edges. “We need to talk.”

I spin then, fury snapping through me like lightning. “Talk? Now you want to talk? After you dragged me here in front of your entire pack?”

His eyes darken. “You brought my son into my territory without telling me. What did you expect?”

“I expected nothing,” I hiss. “I didn’t come here for you.”

“Then why?”

“For him!” My voice cracks. “Because he deserves to know where he came from, even if it kills me!”

For a moment, silence.

Kaelen’s gaze softens almost imperceptibly, but then hardens again. “You should have told me.”

“You should have trusted me,” I fire back. “You should have listened instead of tearing the bond out and throwing me to the rogues like trash!”

His jaw ticks. His hands curl into fists at his sides. “I had no choice.”

“There’s always a choice.” My voice drops, raw and trembling. “You chose not to believe me. And now you think you can just claim him like property because you’re Alpha? Over my dead body.”

We stare at each other across the room, breathing hard. The tension hums between us, sharp as a blade, heavy with old hurt and something darker—something neither of us wants to name.

“I won’t let you take him from me,” I whisper.

Kaelen steps closer, eyes like winter sky. “I’m not trying to take him from you, Aria. But he’s mine too. And you’ve been running long enough.”

Before I can answer, a knock at the door breaks the moment.

A small, hunched figure steps inside—the Pack Seer. Her milky eyes widen as they fall on Kaelion sleeping peacefully. She shudders, a whisper escaping her lips. “The mark… It’s real…”

I move instinctively, blocking her view. “Leave him alone.”

But she’s already trembling, clutching the doorframe. “The child of blood and storm,” she murmurs. “He carries the Moon’s mark. And the shadow.” Her gaze lifts to mine, hollow with fear. “If you stay, the prophecy will wake. And if it wakes…”

Her voice trails off into a rasp.

Kaelen moves past me, his expression darkening. “What prophecy?”

The Seer’s eyes roll back for a heartbeat. “The heir who can unite or destroy the packs. The one born of rejection and hidden blood. If he is not bound…” She swallows hard. “Darkness will claim him before you can.”

Cold creeps up my spine.

Kaelen’s eyes snap to mine. His voice is a growl. “What have you been hiding from me, Aria?”

I clutch Kaelion tighter, my heart hammering.

Because the Seer isn’t wrong. And Kaelen has no idea just how dangerous his son already is.