Chapter 7

Nadia

We met that night at the edge of the tree line near his territory, far enough from both packs that no one would overhear. Kade was already there when I arrived, leaning against the same fence from the bonfire, hands in his pockets, waiting.

"You came," he said.

"I said I would."

"You also said you'd give this space, then avoided me for two days. I've learned not to assume with you." He offered a small smile to soften it, but I could tell the nerves underneath were real.

I took a breath, the kind that felt like stepping off a ledge. "My name isn't just Nadia Voss. Voss isn't even a real pack name. I made it up."

Kade didn't move, didn't interrupt, just watched me with careful attention.

"My real name is Nadia. Just Nadia. Daughter of the Royal Pack Alpha." I forced the words out before I could lose my nerve. "I'm the first female Alpha born into our bloodline in three generations. My father's hidden my identity my whole life, home-schooled me, told everyone I was ordinary so no one would come after me or use me as a political prize."

For a long moment, Kade said nothing at all. The wind moved through the trees behind him, and I braced myself for shock, for him to step back, for the careful trust we'd built to crack right down the middle.

Instead, he exhaled slowly, and something like relief crossed his face.

"Royal Pack," he said quietly. "That explains a lot, actually."

"You're not surprised."

"I suspected something like it," he admitted. "The way you moved during training, the way certain alphas from your father's territory watched you a little too closely at the gathering. I didn't have proof. But I had a guess." He studied me carefully. "I wasn't going to push you to confirm it, though. I figured you'd tell me when you trusted me enough to."

Something in my chest loosened, tension I'd been carrying for a month finally easing. "You're really not upset?"

"Why would I be upset that my mate turns out to be a princess?" A small, crooked smile broke through. "Terrified, maybe. Royal Pack politics aren't exactly simple. But not upset."

"There's more," I said, and the smile faded slightly as he waited. "My father had visitors a few nights ago. Elder Row's son, proposing a political match between our families. My father's considering it, not because he wants to, but because our northern border's under pressure, and rumors about me have started spreading since the gathering."

Kade's jaw tightened. "Rumors from that night. Because I pulled you away from the fire."

"It's not your fault."

"Feels like it might be." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering across his face. "So what happens now? Your father hands you off to secure a border, and the bond just gets ignored?"

"I don't think he wants that. But he's scared, Kade. If packs think we're vulnerable, this won't be the last threat we see." I hesitated. "There's something else, too. I think part of the reason he's even willing to consider Row's offer is that a confirmed mate bond with your pack would look like weakness to him — like the Royal Pack needs the Ashford name to survive, instead of standing strong on its own."

"That's not weakness. That's an alliance."

"I know that. Convincing him is a different problem."

Kade was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Then we don't leave it up to just convincing him with words. Let me talk to my father. If the Ashford Pack formally recognizes the bond and offers support, not as though we need something from your father, but as equals standing beside him against whoever's testing your borders, it changes the whole picture. It stops looking like desperation and starts looking like strength."

I stared at him. "You'd do that? Involve your whole pack in this so soon?"

"Nadia, I already told you. I'm not going anywhere. Might as well make it official." His voice softened. "Besides, if someone's out there trying to exploit the idea of a vulnerable Royal Pack, the fastest way to shut that down is showing them exactly how wrong they are."

Hope, cautious and unfamiliar, started building in my chest. "My father won't agree easily."

"Then we make our case together. Properly. Not sneaking around in tree lines at midnight." A teasing edge crept back into his voice, easing some of the heaviness between us. "Although I'll admit, this spot's grown on me."

I managed a small laugh despite everything. "Let's not tell him about all the tree line meetings."

"Deal."

I walked home lighter than I had in weeks, the secret finally out, the weight of hiding lifted even if new weight had taken its place. My father was waiting in the front hall again, the way he always seemed to be lately.

"You told him," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I did."

He studied my face for any sign of regret and, finding none, sighed heavily. "And how did he take it?"

"Better than I expected. He wants to talk to you. Formally. He thinks if the Ashford Pack stands with us openly, it changes how vulnerable we look to everyone testing our borders right now."

My father considered this for a long moment. "That's a bold move for a boy his age to suggest."

"He's not wrong, though."

"No," my father admitted slowly. "He isn't. It's a smarter play than Row's offer, if the Ashford Pack truly commits and doesn't just posture for show." He studied me again, something shifting in his expression, cautious hope replacing some of the worry that had lived there for weeks. "Set up the meeting, Nadia. Let's see if this mate of yours is as serious as he sounds."

"He is," I said, more certain of that than I'd been of almost anything since this all started. "I promise, he is."

My father nodded slowly, and for the first time since the bonfire, I let myself believe that maybe — just maybe — this wasn't a threat to survive, but a chance to finally stop hiding for good.