Chapter 4

CIARAN

The stench of the palace still clung to me. It was as overbearing as ever.

I was tense by the time I returned to the Blood Moon Pack. The Supernatural Summit had been a squabble for children, not a meeting.

“We need to find whoever was in that prophecy and kill her,” Oleus had said, annoyingly swirling his wine in his cup.

“It shouldn't come as a surprise that killing a child would be first on your mind, elf,” Zolaiah had spat in disgust.

“Hmm,” Oleus muttered. “Ogre scum is speaking again. What do they call your people again? Uncultured meat sticks?”

Zolaiah was close to throwing a table then, and he would've if Rune hadn't stopped him. But honestly, that wasn't any of my concern.

They were all children in royal finery, all of them.

Even Rune had nearly lost her temper. The Princess Regent usually played her cards close to her chest, but I’d seen the twitch in her fingers when Daryus—the dragon shifter—dared suggest weakening the central borders for “more flow.”

More flow meant more leaks.

More leaks meant more death.

Fools, the lot of them.

I remained silent for the most part. I didn't need to. But when high elf Oleus spoke of plague infecting northern packs, I did—and the room fell silent.

They always heard me out.

Not because they admired me but because they feared me.

And now, with the taste of royal deceit still on my lips, I stood in front of my packhouse, looking out across the horizon.

Something wasn't right.

"Liam," I said, my voice low.

My Beta looked at me, his brows furrowed. "You felt it too?"

Yes, I did. It rode the wind—thick and sharp, like smoke that was heavy with blood. I didn't know what exactly it was, but it made my wolf stir uncomfortably.

I walked down the stone steps and moved a bit, allowing my wolf to rise enough so that I could feel the tug beneath the earth.

“We're doing a check on the northern borders,” I said. “Now. Gather the guards.”

Liam didn't argue. He just tilted his head once, already mind-linking with the guards.

Minutes later, we were all running to the border, four guards behind us, who moved like silent spectres among the trees.

“Check for any abnormalities,” I spoke through the mind link to my men. “ Any sign of a threat, eliminate it.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they responded, their reply echoing in my head.

The forest should’ve been quiet but it wasn't.

Leaves cracked where they shouldn't and twigs snapped somewhere in the distance. The stench—gods, the stench—seared my nostrils.

All I could smell was anger, fear and blood— a lot of it.

I ran forward, faster, my instincts screaming at me to pump my hind legs as far as they could go. Then I heard it.

A howl—raw and muted—not by ears, but by land bond. My land howled out before she did.

Then I saw her.

A burst of pale arms and silver hair, sprinting through the trees like a scared deer. Behind her, wolves ran.

They were neither my pack members nor rogues. But they seemed highly trained, and the smell was off.

“Alpha,” Liam spoke. “They're not ours.”

“I know,” I spoke back. “Engage with caution.” This time around, I broadcast the words through the link to everyone.

The Wolves chasing the girl were bigger, in rhythm and coordinated, and it seemed they were unknowingly moving her into my territory.

One of them moved forward to attack her, and I didn't think before I acted.

My bones protested, muscles stretching, skin ripping open once more as my wolf was let out. The change happened halfway through the leap.

My wolf didn't waste time running towards the girl, and like this, I could feel everything more clearly.

I was larger than a normal alpha, and my paws carved deep tracks in the earth with every stride. My fur, dark as night, rippled with streaks of silver down the spine. My eyes—gold and ablaze—locked onto the first of the intruders.

I dove at him before he could even blink.

My jaws closed on him, the force enough to send him sprawling. Another shadow lunged at my flank.

“Alpha,” Liam's voice rang, but I ignored him and stayed locked in the rhythm of the fight.

I swiped with a front paw, raking my claws through his belly and driving him back with a sharp yelp.

The rest tried to close in on me, and I invited them.

One leapt onto my back. I rolled over, the weight of my body knocking him flat, the ground trembling beneath us. Another nipped at my neck, and I grabbed him mid-air and tossed him into the trunk of a tree, causing it to shiver against the impact.

Liam charged into the clearing in full wolf form, precise and relentless, tearing at one of the last wolves while the guards followed behind him, their teeth glinting in the light.

The forest floor was smeared with evidence of our victory. But I wasn't focused on the fight anymore.

I was focused on her.

The girl.

She was standing rigidly beside a tree, naked, bleeding, hair dishevelled, and eyes wide in terror.

Her scent hit me like lightning.

My wolf stuttered inside me.

Mate.

It was not a question but a fact as clear as day.

Something ancient and primal ripped through my chest, tying me to her with unseen chains. My mind was suddenly focused, and my body locked onto her.

My mate.

But that was impossible. I lost the privilege to a mate long ago. The moon herself told me so.

The woman trembled. She was filthy, broken and really quiet. But my wolf growled in understanding.

Mine. Ours. Guard her. Claim her.

That was all he muttered in my head.

No.

I couldn't have a mate.

Not now. Never.

I fought to suppress the urge to claim her instantly, but the bond blazed like fire in my bones. My wolf leaned forward at that moment, his ears drawn back, body low, tail whipping back and forth over the ground like an excited pup as he moved silently toward her, hoping for some sign. Some reaction.

Her lips opened, but nothing escaped them. Not a single sound.

I tried to nudge her mind, an attempt to speak to her through the link, but all I met was a block, as if she'd placed a mental barrier preventing anyone from communicating with her.

She stared at me like I was the Devil himself.

Then, like she could no longer stand, she fell to the ground.

The bond yanked at my chest so violently I stumbled forward, gagging.

I stepped back, mbones clicking back into position, blood slick on my skin, although not all of it was mine.

I stumbled forward, my body roughed up, naked, and I gagged from the sheer pain I felt coming from her.

My naked form looked over her, and then when she raised her and looked at me, her eyes widened.

“Be calm,” I said softly. “You're safe now. I won't hurt you.”

I know how bad that sounded, especially because I was naked, but I needed to calm her down somehow.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and then she fainted.

“Fuck,” I muttered as I rushed toward her limp frame.

“Alpha,” Liam called. I growled possessively, not liking the fact that another man was this close to her.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in deeply. “Ready the healers,” I told him. “I'm bringing her with me.”

Liam didn't ask any further questions and moved to do as I asked.

I gently took the girl in my arms, and my skin tingled with electricity.

I could feel my member rising, but I ignored it, determined to get her to safety and me far away from her.

She stirred in my hold but didn't wake up, and I walked back to the pack house.

This girl, this stranger, in my arms was mine.

I didn't even know her name.

And yet I knew then that everything had just changed.