CHAPTER 5

I did not move.  

Outside the small chamber, Kael's remarks continued to drift along the hallway. Look for the girl. I'd like to see her.  

I felt someone could hear me through the door because I was so anxious and my heart was racing. Like a hunter who has finally found his desired scent, the wolf within of me was motionless. Her entire being was straining in the direction of that cold, deep voice.  

There were no more footsteps. Hushed voices were used to give orders. Doors opened and closed. The search was underway.  

I attempted to think things through while leaning against the wall. They would grab me if I stayed here. Ronan would come and drag me out himself, making the humiliation worse, so I fled to the servant halls. There was no way to make the proper decision. No one ever had any.  

I hugged the small side passageways as I crept out of the chamber. It felt different now in the pack house. thicker. It was as though the air had become thicker. Normally leaning against the walls, the warriors stood erect. They dropped their voices. Now there was silence even in the kitchen.  

Kael Draven was everywhere you looked.  

Two of our warriors stopped me as I was about to descend the laundry stairs.  

One of them said, "Here you are." He had a pinched face. Every servant in the main yard is needed by Alpha Ronan. Right now. "There are no exceptions.  

I started to apologies. The second fighter gave a headshake.  

"Don't worry. You were called by name by Blackridge Alpha. Ronan is already in the frame of mind to "just come."  

They failed to locate me. They were not required to. As a prisoner who was aware of the sentencing beforehand, I moved between them.  

The front doors were flung open. The morning air was chilly. The garden was overcrowded. Warriors, elders, kitchen workers, and kids restrained by their mothers formed our pack's perimeter. A group of strangers wearing dark clothing stood in the center. They didn't wriggle. They didn't cast an inquisitive glance about. They just bided their time. As if they already owned the entire pack house.  

Kael was leading that pack.  

Up close, he was even taller. far back. Black hair and the same silver eyes I had seen in the wolf's flash. He was not wearing a cloak or any other status symbol. He was not in need of one. The void in his immediate surroundings spoke loudly.  

A few paces distant, Ronan grinned too broadly. Alpha Draven, welcome back. My pack is devoted and well-organised, as you can see. "Just let us know when you're ready to discuss an alliance."  

Kael avoided eye contact with him. His cool, unwavering gaze swept over the faces in the group.  

"The girl," he murmured.  

Ronan's smile vanished. Yes. We were simply taking the staff outside to be inspected—  

"Not the slaves." Like a dagger, Kael's words cut through the garden. "Elara, Voss."  

The pack moved uneasily. The populace turned. In a single breath, whispers soared and sank.  

Ronan took a deep breath. My sister is... preoccupied with her responsibilities, so these discussions are useless to her.  

Kael finally gave him a look. The garden seemed to become colder.  

"I determine what matters.  

The two fighters beside me shifted. His throat was cleaned. "Alpha, she's here," he declared.  

Everybody was staring at me.  

I looked down. My hands were clasped at my sides. My eyes briefly became blurry as the animal in me punched the lock so forcefully. To ensure I wouldn't falter, I locked my knees.  

Ronan's face darkened. He approached, took hold of my arm, and pulled me forward so forcefully that I staggered.  

"Here she is," he declared in a fake, bright voice. She is merely a servant, as you can see. Bad blood. Very few wolves. "Not worth the time of the legendary Alpha Draven."  

Like he was showing off a broken instrument, he pushed me one step closer to Kael.  

Instead of staring at Kael's boots, I raised my head.  

Silver eyes met mine.  

To that one point of contact, the world shrank. My inner wolf surged. My chest was stabbed by a brilliant, searing ache. I bit my cheek till the taste of blood returned to the inside of my mouth. Kael's nostrils flared once, so I must have smelt different. He tilted his head a little.  

Something other than cold calculation moved across his face for the first time since he arrived.  

curiosity.  

Ronan continued speaking, his words flowing too quickly. "Her wolf had not shown up years ago." We tried our best, of course, but some lineages simply break. She is content where she is. "You don't have to-"  

"Shh."  

Word. In the middle of his speech, Ronan paused.  

Kael moved toward me by one step. The entire courtyard appeared to tilt backward, yet the individuals behind him remained motionless. He stopped a few feet away from me. I had to bend my neck back because it was so close. When I got close enough, I could smell him, steel, pine, and the chilly nite air.  

I heard a sound from the wolf inside of me that I had never heard before. Not a complaint. Not a single whimper. Something more recognisable.  

Kael squinted.  

He enquired, "How long has your wolf been locked up?"  

It was a light question. Soft, almost. Even now, it felt like a punch.  

Before I could say anything, Ronan did. The wolf does not exist. She has no money. That's all there is to it.  

Kael avoided even glancing at him. He examined my face.How much time?  

My mouth was also parched. I had to force myself to speak. "Since I was sixteen years old.  

Five years. Silence, silver, and pretending the emptiness inside of me didn't hurt for five years.  

Kael's silver eyes blazed a menacing gleam.  

He gave Ronan a sidelong glance. "You covered your own blood with silver."  

There was no doubt about that.  

"I did what I had to do to keep the pack together," Ronan said, his face turning white and then red. After our parents passed away, she became unstable. It was a favour to bind.  

Kael's voice became much quieter. "A generosity."  

He turned to face me again. He remained silent for a considerable amount of time. I could hear the watchtower's flags blowing in the breeze since the yard was so silent.  

Then he accomplished the unimaginable.  

He carefully lifted one hand, palm up, between us so that everyone could see he wasn't assaulting.Please extend your hand to me.  

Ronan started to advance, saying, "No way—"  

Kael's warrior adjusted his weight. That was all. Ronan stopped.  

I raised it, my hand shaking. I'm not sure why I paid attention. Perhaps the wolf was pressing so hard that I was worried that if I refused, she might rip something apart. Perhaps it was the silver eyes that prevented me from saying no.  

My wrist was seized by Kael's fingers. His skin was heated. callous. The lock in my chest burnt white with agony as soon as his fingers touched me. I took a swallow. I nearly fell to my knees.  

To keep me upright, Kael slightly tightened his grip. His eyes became acute.  

He had experienced it as well.  

The binding in silver. The way my wolf struck it was like a caged creature that at last smelt the open sky.  

Muscle twitched in his jaw.  

He released his hold on my wrist without taking a step back.He said, "That's interesting," in a voice so low that only I could hear.  

Then he shouted loudly enough for everyone in the garden to hear.  

The alliance question can wait. "Until I find out what was done to her, I'm not going."  

Ronan's expression twisted. "You're not entitled to—  

Without raising his voice, Kael cut him off. I am fully entitled. On a plot of land adjacent to mine, you have a pack. Your leadership is based on the secrets of a deceased Alpha and a closed bloodline. -- It becomes my business.  

He gave me another look. His silver eyes seemed to glow more brightly.  

"And she smells like something that wasn't meant to be caged," he remarked.  

My inner wolf let out a howl that was simultaneously silent, furious, and joyful.  

The ache below my ribs intensified.  

My eyes went white.  

And I felt the lock give for the first time in five years.