Chapter 2: The Rogue King

KADE POV

I had been tracking the Silver Blood for weeks now, before she literally ran into my territory.

Well, not into it exactly, more like collapsed at the edge of it, glowing like a fucking beacon and crying silver tears that actually shimmered in the moonlight. Dramatic as hell, but I couldn't blame her. Rejection was brutal enough without your dormant bloodline deciding to wake up in front of half the werewolf population.

I'd watched the whole thing from the treeline.

The Silvermoon Pack's Lunar Blessing had been the talk of the region for weeks. Alpha Thorne Ashford finally coming of age to find his mate, all the neighboring packs sending their eligible daughters like it was some kind of supernatural power ball. I had only gone to observe, to see if the rumors about Council Elder Clearwater's daughter being pre-selected were true.

They were.

What I hadn't expected was the fragile looking Omega girl with dark hair and desperate eyes to be his actual fated mate. Or for him to reject her so publicly. Or for her to turn out to be the thing I'd been searching for since I was exiled five years ago.

A Silver Blood. A real, living, breathing Silver Blood.

I adjusted the unconscious girl in my arms as I navigated through the forest. She was lighter than I'd expected, all delicate bones and soft curves. Her skin still held a faint silver shimmer, like moonlight trapped under the surface.

Beautiful, Deadly, Perfect.

"Boss," Marcus's voice crackled through the radio clipped to my belt. "We've got Silvermoon wolves at the border. Ten of them. They're demanding we return the girl."

I smiled. "Tell them to wait, I'll be there in five."

"They're not happy."

"Good."

I took my time getting to the border, letting them stew. The longer they waited, the more agitated they'd get, and agitated wolves made mistakes. Besides, I was curious to see just how much Thorne valued what he'd thrown away.

Five minutes later, I emerged from the forest into the clearing that marked the official border between pack lands and my territory. Ten Silvermoon wolves stood in formation, all of them armed. Leading them was a Beta I recognized, tall, blonde, built like a tank.

"Kade," he growled, his hand on his weapon. "Return Sera Blackwood. Now."

I raised an eyebrow, adjusting Sera's weight in my arms. "No."

"That's not a request....."

"And that wasn't a negotiation," I cut him off, my voice cold. "She crossed into my territory, that makes her mine."

Garrett's jaw clenched. "She's a member of the Silvermoon Pack. You have no right...."

"Your Alpha just publicly rejected her in front of half the region," I said, letting amusement show in my tone. "So tell me, Garrett, is she still really a member of your pack? Or did Thorne throw her away like trash?"

A female wolf with red hair stepped forward—Maya, Sera's friend. Her eyes were red rimmed, desperate. "Please. We just want to know she's safe. She's my friend."

"Then maybe your Alpha shouldn't have humiliated her." I turned to leave. "We're done here."

"You can't just take her!" Garrett snarled, and I heard the sound of weapons being drawn.

I stopped, glancing back over my shoulder. The smile I gave them was all teeth. "Can't I? You're standing on neutral territory, about to threaten the Rogue King over a girl your pack rejected. How do you think that's going to play out?"

The wolves shifted uneasily. They knew as well as I did that they were outmatched. My territory might be labeled "rogue land," but I had more fighters than most established packs. And unlike pack wolves who played by Council rules, my wolves fought dirty.

"Tell your Alpha," I continued, my voice dropping to something dangerous, "that if he wants her back, he can come ask me himself. If he has the balls."

Garrett's face flushed with rage. "This is an act of war."

"No, this is me picking up what your Alpha threw away." I met his eyes directly, letting him see exactly how little I cared about his threats. "Now get off my border before I decide you've overstayed your welcome."

For a moment, I thought Garrett might actually be stupid enough to attack. His hand tightened on his weapon, his wolf rising in his eyes.

Then Maya grabbed his arm. "Garrett, don't. We can't win this fight."

Smart girl.

Garrett's lip curled in a snarl, but he backed down. "Alpha Thorne will come for her."

"I'm counting on it," I said, then walked away, dismissing them completely.

Behind me, I heard furious muttering, the sound of feet stomping back toward pack territory. Good. Let them run back to their Alpha with their tails between their legs. Let Thorne know that the girl he'd rejected was now under my protection and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Marcus met me halfway back to the compound, falling into step beside me. He was my second-in-command, a scarred wolf with silver running through his dark hair and eyes that missed nothing.

"You enjoyed that way too much," he said dryly.

"Watching pack wolves squirm? Always." I glanced down at Sera. Her face was peaceful in sleep, but I could feel the power still under her skin. "Did you see their faces when they realized who she was?"

"Half of them looked terrified. The other half looked like they wanted to drag her back and lock her in a cage." Marcus paused. "Are you sure about this, Kade? Harboring a Silver Blood is going to bring us attention we don't need."

"We already have attention. Might as well make it worth while." I shifted Sera's weight. "Besides, she's exactly what we've been looking for."

Marcus was quiet for a moment. "The Council is going to lose their minds."

"That's the plan."