Then it bolts.
It vanishes into the treeline in a blur of dark fur and flying leaves, using the heartbeat of distraction I gave it. Several wolves start forward instinctively, but none move fast enough to intercept. The forest swallows the rogue whole.
No one speaks.
Pack wolves stare openly now, shock plain across their faces. Even the unfamiliar wolves at the perimeter have gone rigid, attention locked on the mark fresh on Cassidy’s throat and the way her scent now carries my claim.
Ciaran breaks through the treeline seconds later, chest heaving, eyes taking in the scene in one sharp sweep.
“Well,” he mutters under his breath.
I do not answer.
Cassidy is limp in my arms, breathing steady but unconscious, her head tipped against my shoulder. The mark at her neck stands out stark against her skin, already darkening as the bond settles into place.
There is no undoing this, no matter how much Gideon might protest.
Murmurs begin at the furthest edge of the gathered wolves, low and stunned.
“You marked her.”
“That was not?—”
“Alpha…”
I tune them out.
My hold on Cassidy tightens slightly as I shift fully back toward human, ignoring the ache in half-settled muscles. Her weight settles more naturally against my chest, light enough to carry but heavy enough to remind me exactly what I just set into motion.
Ciaran steps closer, voice pitched low. “You just detonated the council.”
“I am aware,” I reply.
Ciaran exhales slowly, then turns toward the watching wolves. “Clear the perimeter. Track the rogue as far as you can. I want eyes on every ridge between here and the boundary.”
The pack moves quickly at his command, shock giving way to trained response. Boots pound dirt, wolves peeling off in coordinated groups as the clearing begins to empty.
I adjust Cassidy more securely in my arms and turn toward the estate.
17
CASSIDY
Pain wakes me first.
It burns sharp along the side of my neck, hot enough that my hand flies up before my eyes even open. My fingers brush tender skin and I hiss softly, breath catching as memory slams back into place.
I was in the clearing, the rogue attacked me, but it was Alden who bit me… his teeth sinking into my neck.
My eyes snap open.
I am sprawled across a massive bed layered in dark linens that smell faintly of pine and something warmer beneath it. The room around me is all heavy wood and stone, clean lines and controlled order. A single lamp glows low near the far wall, casting long shadows that make the space feel both intimate and dangerously quiet.
Alden stands near the window, watching me.
The second I realize where I am, I shove upright. The motion pulls hard at my neck and I wince, fingers pressing again to the sore skin. Heat pulses there in slow, steady waves that feel entirely too aware of themselves.
“You bit me,” I say. My voice comes out rough and hoarse.
