Word spread quickly through Shadowfang territory.
The Alpha had brought a human girl into the heart of the den. He hadn't done that since the war—not since her. And now, the pack whispered in corners, voices laced with fear, curiosity, and suspicion.
"She smells like magic."
"Did you see the mark on her shoulder?"
"No way a human girl could be his mate."
"She'll bring trouble."
Kael ignored them all.
He had Elara moved to a guest chamber deeper in the lodge, where the walls were thicker and the stares couldn't reach her. She needed time to recover, to understand—and he needed time to figure out why the bond had returned after all these years.
But not everyone in the pack was content to let things lie.
"You should've killed her." Thorne stood in Kael's office, arms crossed, expression grim. "We don't know who she is, what she wants, or who's hunting her."
"She's mine," Kael said sharply, his voice edged with a growl. "And I will not harm what the moon has given me."
Thorne paced. "It doesn't matter if she smells like fate, Kael. You saw what happened last time you let your heart lead. You can't protect her from everything."
"I'll die trying if I have to."
Thorne froze at that. "You really believe she's the one?"
Kael didn't answer. He didn't need to. The bond thrummed beneath his skin like wildfire. Every heartbeat reminded him she was close, alive—and his.
That night, Elara couldn't sleep.
The mark on her shoulder burned faintly, pulsing in time with the moon outside the window. Something deep inside her stirred every time Kael's name echoed in her mind. Something ancient.
A memory, maybe. A dream. A voice.
"The Alpha will find you. When the moon bleeds, follow the light. You were born for him. And he… for you."
Elara sat up, breath hitching. The wind outside howled. And from somewhere deep in the woods, a wolf cried out—a haunting, lonely call.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
Without knowing why
, she whispered into the dark:
"Kael…"