2

Charollet could feel the shift in the air before she even saw him.

The usual dull hum of the rogue camp grew tense like a wire pulled taut. Voices dropped to whispers. Mia’s stance grew sharper as she returned from the border, her shoulders straightening like she expected trouble.

And trouble came in the form of Kade.

Beta of the Darkfang Pack.

He rode in with the storm, dressed in sleek black and silver, flanked by two lesser wolves from his patrol. His presence was too clean, too polished for rogue territory. His boots barely had a speck of dirt on them, and yet, the way he looked at everything as if it disgusted him was the true insult.

Charollet had only heard rumors before. About the Darkfangs. About their ironclad rule and their thirst for domination. And about Kade, the infamous beta who led blood-soaked border raids with a cruel smirk and left no survivors when disrespected.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not this deep into rogue territory. But there he stood, tall and broad-shouldered, his pitch-black hair tousled by the wind, his jawline sharp enough to cut steel, and eyes like molten onyx scanning the camp like a predator sizing up a meal.

Charollet had hoped not to draw attention.

But fate, as always, had other plans.

He saw her instantly.

She was walking back from the healer’s tent, carrying a basket of crushed herbs, her hair braided loosely over one shoulder. The soft golden strands gleamed like sunlight against the grey ash-covered camp. Her skin, fair and smooth despite the rough conditions, caught the fading light. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and those eyes...

Those eyes were the first thing that stole Kade’s breath.

A stormy grey. Like the sea before it broke into rage. Depths he couldn’t read. Mystery he didn’t ask for but found himself drowning in.

She was… beautiful.

No, magnificent.

She didn’t walk like a rogue. She didn’t carry herself with that usual bitterness or bravado. She moved softly, carefully, like the world around her had sharp edges and she was trying not to bleed.

And that made him want to cut.

He watched her pause as their eyes met. For a brief second, something flickered between them, fear, maybe. Or curiosity. But then she looked away, lowered her head, and kept walking.

Uninterested.

That’s what truly offended him.

Kade dismounted, shoving aside a younger rogue who came too close.

“Who is that?” he asked Viktor, who stood at the edge of the camp, arms crossed.

Viktor’s only response was a glare. “She’s no concern of yours.”

Kade smirked. “Everyone’s my concern in this territory.”

He watched her the rest of the day hovering, circling.

Like a shadow with teeth.

She tried to stay near Mia, knowing the older woman wouldn't let anyone close without a fight. But even Mia couldn't protect her from every glance. Every word. Every unspoken threat.

Later that night, after most of the camp had grown drunk on stolen wine and smoke, she slipped away to her cabin, seeking the safety of her paints.

The moment she shut the creaking door behind her, she leaned against it and exhaled shakily.

But she wasn’t alone.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up before she even heard the creak of the floorboard behind her.

She turned and froze.

Kade was there, standing in the corner of her room like he owned it.

“How...” she started, breath caught in her throat.

“You left your window open,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Not very smart for a place like this.”

She backed away. “You need to leave.”

“I don’t think I will.”

His eyes moved over her slowly, deliberately. “You’re different. Not just because you haven’t shifted. It’s something else… raw. Untouched.”

He took a step closer.

“I can smell it on you. You’re not weak, little girl. You just haven’t been claimed yet.”

Charollet’s heart pounded. “Don’t come any closer.”

Kade chuckled darkly. “Or what? You’ll stare me to death?”

She darted for the door, but he moved faster, blocking it. His hand pressed against the wood just inches from her head, caging her in.

“You don’t know what you are, do you?” he murmured. “But I do. And you’ll thank me when I show you.”

Something primal, dark, and possessive flashed in his eyes.

Charollet didn’t think. She acted.

She ducked under his arm and ran.

Her bare feet hit the cold earth, stumbling over stones and roots as she tore through the camp. No one tried to stop her some too drunk, others too indifferent.

But Kade followed.

Not with speed.

With purpose.

With a quiet, cold fury that chilled her more than the night air.

He didn’t catch her.

Not that night.

She collapsed behind a tree near the riverbank, chest heaving, tears mingling with the dirt on her face. She had never felt more helpless. More hunted.

The next morning, the camp woke to a different Kade.

Still calm. Still cold.

But now... cruel.

She avoided him, but the damage had been done.

Word spread that she had “teased” the Darkfang beta and humiliated him. That she’d tried to seduce him and fled when he turned her down. That she was a temptress. A liar. A spy.

Lies.

All of them.

But in rogue territory, lies could kill.

And Kade?

He let the rumors grow like fire. He fed them.

Because the moment she ran from him, she did more than reject him—she insulted him.

She bruised his pride.

Now, he was obsessed with one thing.

Breaking her.

Not because he loved her. Not because he needed her.

But because no one had ever looked at him the way she had—like she saw what he truly was.

And wanted nothing to do with it.

That made her dangerous.

That made her his target.

And Kade never missed his mark.