The forest was too quiet.
Not the peace of stillness, but the hush of something lurking waiting. Every snapped twig beneath Kael's boots made Aria flinch, and every whisper of wind sounded like a warning. The aftermath of the confrontation with the Hollow Fang had left the pack on edge, the bond between Kael and Aria glowing with a constant tension neither of them knew how to ease.
It had been days since the incident at the border. The council was divided, some calling Aria a miracle, others whispering of curses and prophecies. Kael kept her close, not just as her mate, but as her shield. But the shadows were growing thicker by the hour.
They were being watched.
Kael knew it. Aria felt it.
They had become prey.
"I don't understand," Aria murmured as they navigated a narrow trail deep within the woods. "Why now? Why all this attention just because we bonded?"
Kael glanced back at her, his expression guarded. "Because no Alpha in recorded history has ever bonded with someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
"Not just a wolf. Not just a woman. Something… else."
Aria's brow furrowed. "I didn't ask to be different."
"I know," Kael said softly. "But difference draws fear. And fear breeds the worst kind of enemies."
A twig snapped to their left.
Kael's hand flew out, pressing Aria behind him. He dropped low, his senses igniting. The scent of the wolf was faintly masked but present. And not one of theirs.
"Move," he whispered.
They ran.
Not back to the heart of the pack lands, but deeper into the woods, where even the council rarely ventured. Trees clustered so thickly that moonlight barely touched the mossy floor. The air was dense, filled with the scent of earth and warning.
Kael's heartbeat was steady, calculating, as they darted between trunks, his ears tuned to every breath of movement. Aria followed his lead, her feet barely making a sound, her instincts sharper than they had ever been before. She didn't know if it was the bond or something older awakening inside her but she could feel the presence closing in.
Three of them.
Fast. Coordinated.
Hunters.
They emerged from the trees like ghosts: two males, one female, all in half-wolf forms, their skin stretched over muscle and menace, eyes glowing pale silver. Not Hollow Fang. These wolves wore no symbols, bore no identifying scent. Rogue? No. They were organized.
Trained.
"Split!" Kael commanded.
Aria obeyed instantly, veering right as Kael took left, drawing two of the attackers after him. The third, the female, zeroed in on Aria.
She barely had time to dodge the first swipe, ducking beneath the claws aimed at her throat. She rolled, came up fast, and flung her hand forward. A burst of heat erupted from her palm, sending the she-wolf sprawling backward into a tree with a snarl.
Aria stared at her hand in shock. She hadn't even meant to summon the fire.
The attacker recovered quickly, this time leaping with fangs bared. Aria sidestepped, catching her arm and using the wolf's own momentum to throw her into a thicket of thornbrush. The flames inside Aria stirred again, begging to be unleashed, but she resisted.
No. Not yet. Not unless she had to.
Meanwhile, Kael was fighting like a storm. One wolf had already fallen, his body slumped against a tree, unconscious but alive. The second was quicker, more precise, circling Kael with deadly patience. But Kael was the Alpha for a reason his movements were honed by years of battle and instinct.
He lunged, claws meeting flesh, and the rogue howled, backing away with a torn shoulder. Kael didn't let up; he pinned the wolf to the forest floor with a knee and growled low.
"Who sent you?"
The rogue coughed blood but said nothing.
Kael pressed harder. "You crossed into my territory. Attacked my mate. Speak."
"Too late," the rogue hissed. "They already know. They're coming for her."
"Who?"
The rogue laughed, a bitter, broken sound. "The ones who want what she is. She's not yours, Alpha. She never was."
Kael's fist met his jaw hard enough to knock him out.
When Kael rejoined Aria, she was standing over the defeated she-wolf, her expression unreadable. Her knuckles were bruised, her mark faintly glowing beneath her collar.
"You okay?" Kael asked.
Aria nodded slowly. "They weren't just here to scare us."
"No. They wanted to test you. To see how strong you've become since the mark."
Aria looked at the unconscious wolf at her feet. "They didn't smell rogue."
"They weren't. These wolves… they were sent. But not by Malrik."
She turned to him. "Then who?"
Kael hesitated, dread sliding into his gut. "There are whispers of an old bloodline. A secret faction from before the High Council. They called themselves the Emberborn."
Aria stilled. "You think I'm one of them?"
"I think they believe you are."
A wind blew through the trees, carrying a scent both foreign and familiar. Ash. Smoke. Old magic.
Aria looked toward the darkness beyond the trees. Her heart thudded.
"I think they're getting closer."
If the Emberborn truly exist and are hunting Aria, what do they want with her bond and what price will she and Kael have to pay to protect it?