Chapter 3 THE SILVER BLADE

Time seemed to slow down.

My eyes locked on the silver dagger in Selene's hand. Silver. The one thing that could burn through a werewolf's skin like acid and leave a scar that would never heal.

"Don't do anything stupid," I warned, my voice low, dropping into a defensive crouch. My wolf was pacing frantically in my mind, clawing at the surface, begging to be let out.

"Stupid?" Selene laughed, a cold, brittle sound. She took another step closer, the heels of her shoes clicking menacingly. "I'm doing this pack a favor. Kael is blinded by a biological glitch. A rogue mutt like you doesn't belong in this house, let alone by his side."

"I don't want to be by his side!" I snapped, my hands balling into fists. "You want him? Take him! I was trying to leave!"

"Liar!" Selene shrieked, her face twisting with ugly rage. "You smelled him. You felt the bond. You're just like all the others a pathetic gold-digger trying to climb into the Alpha's bed and take what's mine!"

She lunged.

She was fast. She moved with the practiced grace of a high-ranking wolf, the silver blade slicing through the air toward my chest.

But I had spent three years surviving in the wild. I had fought rogues, hunters, and starvation. I wasn't going to die in a silk bedroom.

I dropped to the floor, rolling hard to the right. The dagger whistled past my ear, missing my shoulder by a fraction of an inch. I didn't stop moving. I kicked out hard with my bare foot, catching her in the back of the knee.

Selene stumbled, letting out a furious hiss.

"You little!" She spun around, slashing wildly.

I scrambled backward, my hand brushing against the heavy crystal decanter I had dropped earlier. I grabbed it just as Selene lunged again. I swung the decanter with all my strength.

Glass shattered against her wrist.

Selene screamed, the silver dagger flying from her grip and skidding across the hardwood floor. I scrambled to grab it, but Selene recovered faster than I expected. She grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head back viciously.

Pain exploded across my scalp. I gasped, dropping the heavy glass neck of the decanter.

"I'm going to cut that pretty face of yours to shreds," Selene seethed, her nails digging into my scalp. She raised her free hand, her claws extending into sharp, lethal points. "Let's see how Kael looks at you when you're bleeding out on his rug!"

She swiped her claws down toward my throat.

Suddenly, the bedroom door didn't just open. It exploded.

The heavy oak door tore off its hinges, splintering into pieces as it crashed against the wall. The sheer force of the impact shook the entire room.

The scent of Alpha power hit the air-so heavy, so suffocating, it felt like a physical weight crushing my lungs.

Selene froze, her claws inches from my face. Her eyes widened in absolute terror.

"Kael," she breathed, her face draining of all color.

I looked past her. Kael stood in the doorway.

He was no longer the composed, arrogant businessman I had seen earlier. His chest was heaving, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal the thick, corded muscles of his forearms. But it was his eyes that terrified me. They were pure, pitch-black. Not a trace of gray remained.

His wolf was in complete control.

"Step away from her," Kael growled.

It wasn't a request. It was an Alpha command.

The air vibrated with the sound. Selene's body was yanked backward as if an invisible leash had been pulled. She stumbled away from me, her claws retracting instantly, dropping to her knees in submission.

"Kael, please, I was just" she stammered, trembling violently.

"What did I tell you about entering this room?" Kael's voice was a deadly whisper. He stepped into the room, and the shadows seemed to follow him.

"I brought her food! I was trying to help!" Selene lied, tears streaming down her face.

Kael's dark eyes dropped to the floor. To the discarded silver dagger.

The silence in the room became deafening.

"You brought silver," Kael said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. The calmness was far more terrifying than the yelling. "Into my house. Near my mate."

"Kael, she attacked me! She was going to kill me!" Selene sobbed, reaching for the hem of his trousers.

"Don't touch me," Kael snarled, stepping out of her reach. He looked down at her like she was a piece of trash. "I marked her, Selene. You can smell the bond on her. You knew exactly what she was, and you came here to murder her."

"I love you!" Selene screamed, her voice breaking. "I have loved you for ten years! I was supposed to be your Luna! You can't let a rogue take my place!"

Kael's face twisted into a look of absolute disgust. "You were never anything but a political convenience. And now, you are a traitor."

He lifted his hand, pointing a single, commanding finger toward the shattered doorway. "Guards!"

Two massive warriors appeared instantly.

"Take her to the dungeons," Kael ordered, his voice ringing with finality. "She threatened the Alpha's mate with silver. She will be judged for treason at dawn."

Treason. The penalty for treason in a wolf pack was death.

"No! NO! Kael, please!" Selene shrieked, thrashing wildly as the guards grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the room. Her screams echoed down the hallway until a heavy door slammed shut, cutting them off.

The sudden silence was deafening.

Kael stood there for a long moment, his broad back to me, his shoulders rising and falling as he struggled to control his breathing. Slowly, the pitch-black color of his eyes began to recede, bleeding back to the pale gray I recognized.

He turned around.

His eyes swept over me, scanning for injuries. I was still sitting on the floor, my back against the wall, breathing hard. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rough.

I shook my head, unable to speak.

Kael walked over to the silver dagger on the floor. He didn't touch it, pulling a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wrapping it around the blade before picking it up. He tossed it into the unlit fireplace as if it burned him.

He walked over to me, kneeling down so we were eye to eye. Up close, I could see the faint, dark circles under his eyes. The man was exhausted.

"I told you," Kael said, his voice softening just a fraction. "I told you that my wolf would tear this territory apart if you were not near me. When Selene's scent hit my office... when I realized she was in here with you..."

He reached out, his large, warm hand gently cupping the side of my face. His thumb brushed against my cheekbone, wiping away a tear I hadn't even realized had fallen.

"You're shaking," he murmured.

"I'm fine," I whispered, though I leaned into his touch instinctively, the mate bond pulling me toward him like a magnet.

Kael's eyes darkened again, but it wasn't with anger this time. It was with something far more dangerous. Possession.

"I almost lost my mind," he confessed quietly, his voice a low rumble. "I haven't felt fear in ten years, Ava. But when I saw her claws near your throat... I realized something."

He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my lips. The scent of sandalwood and rain wrapped around me, intoxicating and safe.

"Realized what?" I breathed.

Kael's hand slid from my face to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair.

"I realized," he said, his eyes dropping to my lips, "that I don't care if the bond is a weakness. I will slaughter anyone who tries to take you from me."

He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine, sending a shockwave of electricity straight through my body.

But before the kiss could land, a loud, frantic howl shattered the silence of the night outside.

Kael froze. His head snapped toward the window, his entire body going rigid.

"What was that?" I whispered.

Kael's face hardened. He stood up, pulling me to my feet with him. He walked to the window, his eyes scanning the dark treeline.

"That," Kael said, his voice turning to ice, "is the war cry of the Blood Moon Pack. The rogues who killed your family."

I froze, the blood draining from my face. "What? Why would they be here?"

Kael turned to look at me, his eyes glowing with a terrifying, protective fury.

"Because they just found out," Kael said slowly, "that the last surviving member of the Silvermist bloodline is in my house."

I stared at him, my heart dropping into my stomach. I had hidden my true identity for three years.

"They're coming for you, Ava," Kael said, reaching for the gun holstered under his suit jacket. "And they're not going to stop until you're dead."