The Witch's Warning

"Get down!"

Kade's roar came a second before he slammed into me, taking us both to the floor behind the couch. His body covered mine completely, one arm wrapped around my head protectively, the other braced against the floor.

The window exploded inward.

Glass rained down like deadly snow. Dark magic crackled through the air, scorching the spot where I'd been standing moments before. The smell of sulfur and burnt ozone filled the office.

"Stay down," Kade growled against my ear, his breath hot on my neck.

My heart hammered—from fear or from having his body pressed against every inch of mine, I couldn't tell. Probably both.

Our mate is protecting us, Ash purred, entirely too pleased with the situation.

Now is not the time.

Kade shifted slightly, and I felt every hard plane of muscle against me. Felt his heart racing as fast as mine. Felt the mate bond singing with satisfaction at our proximity.

"Marcus!" Kade shouted. "Lockdown protocol! Now!"

Footsteps thundered in the hallway. Alarms started blaring throughout the compound.

Slowly, carefully, Kade lifted his head to look at the shattered window. I turned my face just enough to see too.

The forest was empty. Morgath had vanished.

But burned into the grass outside, written in chars and ash, were words:

THREE DAYS, LITTLE BREAKER. THEN YOU'RE MINE.

"Fuck," I breathed.

"Agreed." Kade finally pushed himself up, then offered me his hand.

I stared at it for a second—strong, scarred, capable—then took it. The contact sent that now-familiar electricity racing up my arm. He pulled me to my feet easily, steadying me when I swayed.

He didn't let go immediately.

"You okay?" His silver eyes scanned me for injuries, one hand moving to cup my face, tilting it to check for cuts from the glass.

The gentle touch was so at odds with the lethal Alpha who'd just shielded me with his body. It made my chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with hitting the floor.

"I'm fine," I managed, stepping back. His hand fell away. "What does she want?"

"You. Obviously." He moved to the window, boots crunching on broken glass. "Morgath created false bond magic. She's been hunting bond-breakers for centuries."

"Why?"

"To harvest your power." A new voice spoke from the doorway.

I turned to see an elderly man, white-haired and bent with age, leaning on a carved walking stick. But his eyes were sharp, assessing.

"Elder Orin," Kade said. "What do you know?"

"More than I wish I did." The old man shuffled into the room, his gaze fixed on me. "You're the Blackwood girl. I knew your grandmother."

My breath caught. "You knew—"

"Knew her. Warned her. Watched her die anyway." His voice was bitter. "Morgath hunts bond-breakers because your power is the only thing that can break her spell work. She kills you before you can destroy what she's built."

"But I'm still alive," I pointed out.

"Because you've been running. Hiding. Never staying anywhere long enough for her to track you properly." He moved closer. "But now you've used your power publicly. Broken a bond in front of witnesses. She knows exactly where you are."

"Three days," Kade said, voice hard. "That's what the message said. Why three days?"

"The new moon." Elder Orin's expression darkened. "The strongest time for dark magic. She'll perform the Harvest ritual then. Drain your power completely and add it to her own."

"Then we leave," I said immediately. "I'll go. Lead her away from here."

"No." Kade's voice was flat. Final.

"I'm not putting your pack in danger—"

"You're not leaving." He moved between me and the door like he thought I'd bolt right that second. "She'd just follow you. Hunt you down when you're alone and vulnerable."

"I've been alone for ten years. I can handle—"

"You almost died last night!" His control cracked. "Lyanna took you down in seconds. You were unconscious. Helpless. If I hadn't been there—" He stopped, jaw clenching.

The fear in his voice made something warm unfurl in my chest.

"He's right," Elder Orin said quietly. "Your only chance is to stay here. Use these three days to prepare. Learn to fight not just with your power, but with everything you have."

"I don't know how to fight," I admitted. "Not really. I've always just run."

"Then you learn." Kade's silver eyes were intense. "I have the best warriors in the Northern Territories. They'll teach you."

"In three days?"

"We'll teach you enough to survive." He stepped closer, and I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. "I won't let her take you, Sera. I won't let anyone take you."

The mate bond thrummed between us, responding to the possessive promise in his voice.

He means it, Ash whispered.

I knew he did. I could feel it through our connection—his determination, his protectiveness, his absolute refusal to let me go.

It terrified me.

"Why?" The question slipped out. "You barely know me. Why risk your pack for a rogue bond-breaker?"

His hand came up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture was so gentle, so intimate, that I forgot to breathe.

"Because you're mine to protect," he said simply.

Not my mate. Just mine.

The distinction shouldn't have mattered. But it did.

"The training starts now," Elder Orin said, breaking the moment. "Every second counts."

Kade nodded, his hand dropping away from my face. "I'll have Mara take her to the training grounds."

"Mara?" I asked.

"My Beta. Best fighter in the pack." A slight smile. "She's going to hate you at first. Don't take it personally."

"Great. Looking forward to it."

The door burst open. A woman strode in—tall, blonde, muscular, with eyes that could cut glass. She took one look at me and her expression went cold.

"This is the bond-breaker?" She looked at Kade. "The one who has Morgath threatening our pack?"

"Mara—"

"No." She held up a hand. "I'll train her. Because you've ordered it. But if she brings danger to this pack, if she gets our people killed—" Her eyes locked on mine. "I'll kill her myself."

The threat hung in the air.

I lifted my chin. "Get in line. There are at least three packs ahead of you."

Surprise flickered across her face. Then, unexpectedly, her mouth twitched. "You've got guts. I'll give you that."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Don't let it go to your head." She jerked her head toward the door. "Training grounds. Now. We've got three days to teach you how not to die."

I looked at Kade. He nodded. "Go. Learn everything she teaches you. I'll work with Elder Orin on finding Morgath's weakness."

"And the false bond?"

"We work on that tonight." His voice dropped. "After training. Just you and me."

The way he said it made heat pool in my stomach.

Just you and me. Like a promise. Like something more than just research.

"Okay," I managed.

Mara made an impatient sound. "Can you two stop eye-fucking each other for five seconds? We have work to do."

My face heated. Kade's expression didn't change, but I felt his amusement through the bond.

I followed Mara out, very aware of Kade's eyes on me the entire way.

In the hallway, Mara glanced at me. "So. You're his mate."

"It's complicated."

"It always is." She pushed open a door leading outside. "Word of advice? Don't hurt him. He's been through enough."

"I'm not trying to—"

"I know. But the mate bond doesn't care about trying." She looked at me seriously. "He lost his first mate five years ago. It nearly destroyed him. If you break his heart—mate bond or not—I will end you."

The words should have been threatening. Instead, they just made me respect her more.

"Noted," I said.

"Good." She cracked her knuckles. "Now let's see if you can throw a punch without falling over."

We stepped onto the training grounds where a dozen warriors waited, all of them staring at me with varying degrees of suspicion and curiosity.

Mara raised her voice. "Listen up! This is Sera. She's the Alpha's mate. She's also being hunted by a psychotic witch who's threatening our pack. We have three days to make her dangerous enough to survive."

She turned to me with a sharp smile.

"Try not to die in the first five minutes."

Then she attacked.