Elara, a rejected Omega cast out by her cruel pack, lives in a freezing shack on the edge of survival. When she discovers a dying, starving wolf pup in the snow, she makes a life-changing choice: she gives him her last scrap of food, saving his life while risking her own. She names him Leo, unaware that the little wolf sleeping by her fire is actually the missing heir to the most powerful bloodline in the world.
Weeks later, the terrifying Obsidian Unit—elite super-soldiers—surrounds her cabin. Elara prepares for death, but instead of attacking, the massive Commander Kaelen kneels before the "stray." Elara is swept away to the Obsidian Citadel, where she finds protection, justice, and a burning romance with the Commander who sees her true worth. Witness the ultimate story of karma as Alpha Vance faces the wrath of an army for harming the woman who saved the King.
#werewolfromance #rejectedmate #alphamale #luna #wolfpack #obsidianwolf #romancestories #dramaticstory #audiobook #lovestory #revenge #justice #omega #supernaturalromance #shifterromance #wolfshifter #tearjerker #emotionalstory #fantasyromance #destinedmates #trueheir #alphaprince #betrayal #redemption #fullstory
Weeks later, the terrifying Obsidian Unit—elite super-soldiers—surrounds her cabin. Elara prepares for death, but instead of attacking, the massive Commander Kaelen kneels before the "stray." Elara is swept away to the Obsidian Citadel, where she finds protection, justice, and a burning romance with the Commander who sees her true worth. Witness the ultimate story of karma as Alpha Vance faces the wrath of an army for harming the woman who saved the King.
#werewolfromance #rejectedmate #alphamale #luna #wolfpack #obsidianwolf #romancestories #dramaticstory #audiobook #lovestory #revenge #justice #omega #supernaturalromance #shifterromance #wolfshifter #tearjerker #emotionalstory #fantasyromance #destinedmates #trueheir #alphaprince #betrayal #redemption #fullstory
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00:00:00The cold wasn't just a temperature out here in the Shadowlands.
00:00:04It was a living, breathing predator.
00:00:06It didn't just bite at your skin, it chewed through the layers of threadbare wool
00:00:11and gnawed right on your bones.
00:00:14I adjusted the strap of my heavy canvas bag,
00:00:17digging my boots into the thick, crusted snow.
00:00:20The wind howled through the skeletal branches of the pine trees,
00:00:23a mournful sound that felt like it was grieving for me.
00:00:27I pulled my scarf tighter around my face,
00:00:30the rough fabric scratching my windburned cheeks.
00:00:33Just another mile, Alara, I whispered to myself,
00:00:37my voice raspy from disuse.
00:00:40Just get to the snare, check it, and get back.
00:00:43I was the ghost of the Blackwood Pack.
00:00:46That wasn't an official title, of course.
00:00:48To them, I was just the runt, or the defect, or simply her.
00:00:53Two years ago, when I failed to present a wolf spirit during the ascension ceremony,
00:00:58Alpha Vance hadn't exiled me.
00:01:00That would have been too merciful.
00:01:03Exile meant I could leave, maybe find a rogue pack, maybe start over.
00:01:07No.
00:01:08Vance kept me as a warning.
00:01:09I was allowed to live on the absolute fringe of the territory,
00:01:14in a rotting trapper's cabin that leaned precariously against the wind,
00:01:18provided I never, ever showed my face in the main village.
00:01:21I was the lowest of the low, an omega without a wolf, a human in a world of monsters.
00:01:28I reached my first snare line.
00:01:31Empty.
00:01:32The wire loop swung mockingly in the breeze.
00:01:35My stomach gave a violent, cramping twist.
00:01:38I hadn't eaten a full meal in three days.
00:01:41The winter had been brutal, the game scarce,
00:01:44and the pack patrols had been pushing the deer further south,
00:01:47away from my little slice of purgatory.
00:01:49I moved to the second snare, also empty.
00:01:54Panic, cold and sharp, began to prickle at the back of my neck.
00:01:58If I didn't eat today, I wouldn't have the energy to chop wood.
00:02:02If I didn't chop wood, the fire would die tonight.
00:02:04And if the fire died tonight,
00:02:06with the temperature dropping the way the gray sky promised it would,
00:02:10I wouldn't wake up tomorrow.
00:02:12I trudged toward the third snare, near the frozen creek.
00:02:15The silence of the forest was heavy, broken only by the crunch of my boots.
00:02:21Then, I heard it.
00:02:23A sound.
00:02:24It wasn't the wind.
00:02:25It wasn't the creaking of trees.
00:02:27It was a high-pitched, desperate keen.
00:02:30A sound of pure misery.
00:02:33I froze.
00:02:34Instincts I wasn't supposed to have flared to life.
00:02:37I crouched low, blending into the white and gray of the landscape.
00:02:42Was it a trap?
00:02:43The younger wolves from the pack sometimes came out here to torment me,
00:02:47leaving bait to see if the useless human would fall for it.
00:02:50The sound came again.
00:02:52Wine.
00:02:53Yip.
00:02:54Wine.
00:02:55It sounded like a dying animal.
00:02:58Cautiously, I crept forward, pushing aside a heavy evergreen branch.
00:03:02The snow beneath the tree was disturbed, churned up and stained with pinpricks of bright crimson blood.
00:03:09There, curled into a tight, shivering ball against the exposed roots of the tree, was a pup.
00:03:16He was tiny, nothing but ribs and matted fur.
00:03:19He couldn't have been more than six months,
00:03:22the age when shifting creates a metabolism that burns through calories like a furnace.
00:03:27Without food, a pup that age would starve in days.
00:03:30The winter had been brutal, the game scarce,
00:03:34and the pack patrols had been pushing the deer further south,
00:03:37away from my little slice of purgatory.
00:03:40He was covered in mud and ice, and his back leg was bent at an odd angle.
00:03:45I gasped softly.
00:03:47The pup's head snapped up.
00:03:49His eyes were a startling electric blue, wide with terror.
00:03:53He let out a low, trembling rowl, trying to bare his teeth, but he was too weak.
00:03:58The growl dissolved into a coughing fit that shook his entire fragile frame.
00:04:04Hey, I whispered, holding up my hands in surrender.
00:04:07I'm not going to hurt you.
00:04:09He tried to scramble backward, dragging his injured leg, but he collapsed, exhausted.
00:04:15He was alone.
00:04:16A pup this young shouldn't be alone.
00:04:19Where was his pack?
00:04:20Where was his mother?
00:04:21I looked around frantically.
00:04:23If this was a Blackwood pup, a patrol would be nearby.
00:04:26If they found me near him, they'd kill me for sure.
00:04:29They'd say I hurt him.
00:04:31They'd say I was trying to steal him.
00:04:33But the woods were silent.
00:04:35No scent of adult wolves.
00:04:36No howling parents.
00:04:38Just the smell of old ice and fresh blood.
00:04:41He was a rogue, or an abandoned runt like me.
00:04:44I looked at his ribs, protruding so sharply they looked like they might pierce his skin.
00:04:49I looked at the fear in those blue eyes.
00:04:52He was going to die here.
00:04:53If the cold didn't get him, the coyotes would.
00:04:56I knew that fear.
00:04:57I lived in that fear every single second of every single day.
00:05:02I don't have much, I murmured, slowly unzipping my coat.
00:05:06The blast of cold air hit my chest, making me shudder, but I reached into my inner pocket.
00:05:12I pulled out a strip of dried venison jerky, my emergency ration.
00:05:17It was supposed to be my dinner for the next two nights.
00:05:19I broke off a piece.
00:05:21The smell of the meat hit the air, and the pup's nose twitched, his blue eyes locked on the food.
00:05:28Here, I said softly, tossing the piece onto the snow halfway between us.
00:05:32He flinched when it landed, but hunger won out.
00:05:36He dragged himself forward, snapping up the meat and swallowing it whole without even chewing.
00:05:42He looked at me, licking his chops, his eyes pleading.
00:05:45That's all I have on me, I lied.
00:05:49I had the rest of the strip in my hand.
00:05:51I looked at the sky.
00:05:53The sun was dipping below the tree line.
00:05:55Darkness was coming.
00:05:57I couldn't leave him.
00:05:58I just couldn't.
00:05:59If I take you with me, I whispered, more to myself than him.
00:06:04I'm dead.
00:06:05If the alpha finds out I'm harboring a rogue, he'll tear my throat out.
00:06:10The pup whined again, a sound that vibrated right in the center of my chest.
00:06:16Okay, I sighed, resignation settling over me like a heavy blanket.
00:06:21Okay, but you have to be quiet.
00:06:24I moved slowly.
00:06:26I took off my scarf and approached him.
00:06:28He snapped at me, his little teeth grazing my mitten, but he was too weak to fight.
00:06:33I wrapped the scarf around his trembling body, scooped him up, and held him against my chest.
00:06:39He was freezing.
00:06:40He felt like a block of ice.
00:06:42But as I tucked him inside my oversized coat, sharing my body heat, he stopped struggling.
00:06:49He rested his heavy head against my collarbone and let out a long, shuddering sigh.
00:06:54The walk back to the cabin was the longest of my life.
00:06:58Every snapping twig sounded like a patrol.
00:07:02Every shadow looked like a monster.
00:07:04My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat of terror.
00:07:09I was breaking the highest law of the territory.
00:07:12I was harboring an intruder.
00:07:14I got inside the cabin and bolted the heavy wooden door, dropping the crossbar into place.
00:07:20The cabin was small, just one room with a stone hearth, a cot, and a lopsided table.
00:07:26But it was out of the wind.
00:07:28I laid the pup on the cot, wrapping him in my only spare blanket.
00:07:32I stoked the fire, feeding it my precious stockpile of dry wood, until the flames roared.
00:07:38Let's look at that leg, I said gently.
00:07:42He let me touch him now.
00:07:43The warmth of the fire seemed to have sedated him.
00:07:46His leg wasn't broken, just badly sprained and cut deep.
00:07:50I cleaned it with boiled water and wrapped it with strips of clean cloth I tore from the
00:07:56hem of an old shirt.
00:07:57Then came the hard part, food.
00:08:00I looked at the rest of the jerky.
00:08:02It wasn't enough for him.
00:08:04He needed protein.
00:08:05He needed fat.
00:08:06I went to my small pantry, a wooden box nailed to the wall.
00:08:10I had three cans of beef stew I had been saving for the deep freeze of January.
00:08:15I opened one.
00:08:16The smell was heavenly.
00:08:18My own stomach roared in protest, cramping violently.
00:08:23Eat it, Alara.
00:08:24You need it.
00:08:25I looked at the pup.
00:08:26He was watching me, his head resting on his paws.
00:08:29I poured the stew into a bowl and set it on the floor.
00:08:33Eat up, little one, I whispered.
00:08:35He ate voraciously, lapping up the gravy and chewing the chunks of meat.
00:08:40When he was done, he licked the bowl clean and looked at me, his tail giving a tiny, tentative
00:08:46thump against the mattress.
00:08:48I sat on the floor, chewing on the last piece of tough, dry jerky, watching him sleep.
00:08:54I'll call you Shadow, I whispered, but that felt too dark.
00:08:58No, Barnaby?
00:09:00No.
00:09:01He shifted in his sleep, a little snore escaping him.
00:09:05Leo, I said, like a lion, because you're going to be strong.
00:09:09That was how it started.
00:09:11For the next three weeks, my life revolved around Leo.
00:09:16I starved so he could eat.
00:09:18I spent hours every day checking snares, venturing further and further into dangerous territory
00:09:24to find rabbits or squirrels.
00:09:27Every scrap of meat went to him.
00:09:29I lived on broth made from boiling the bones and pine needle tea.
00:09:33I grew thinner.
00:09:35My cheekbones jutted out like razors.
00:09:37My clothes hung off me like rags.
00:09:40I was constantly dizzy, black spots dancing in my vision whenever I stood up too fast.
00:09:45But Leo?
00:09:47Leo flourished.
00:09:48His coat, once matted and dull, turned into a thick, lustrous midnight black.
00:09:54His leg healed.
00:09:55He grew at a terrifying rate.
00:09:58In three weeks, he went from a scrawny thing I could hold in one arm
00:10:02to a sturdy, powerful young wolf that came up to my knee.
00:10:06And he was smart.
00:10:08Unnaturally smart.
00:10:10He seemed to understand everything I said.
00:10:13He learned to hide when I told him to.
00:10:15He learned to stay silent when the wind carried the scent of the pack patrols.
00:10:20We developed a routine.
00:10:21In the mornings, I would check the snares.
00:10:24Leo wanted to come, but I made him stay inside.
00:10:27It was too dangerous.
00:10:28If they saw a black wolf, a color not found in the blackwood pack,
00:10:32they would kill him on sight.
00:10:35In the evenings, we would sit by the fire.
00:10:37I would read aloud from the few tattered books I had,
00:10:40and he would rest his head on my knee, his electric blue eyes watching my face.
00:10:45I told him stories about a world where wolves and humans lived together without fear.
00:10:51I told him about my parents, who had died when I was small, before the pack turned on me.
00:10:57You're my family now, Leo, I told him one night, scratching behind his ears.
00:11:02Just you and me against the world.
00:11:05He leaned his weight against me, a silent promise.
00:11:09But secrets in the pack lands are like blood in the water.
00:11:13They eventually draw sharks.
00:11:15It was a Tuesday.
00:11:16The air was heavy with the smell of incoming snow.
00:11:20I was outside, chopping wood.
00:11:22The axe felt incredibly heavy in my hands.
00:11:25My arms were shaking with exertion.
00:11:27I hadn't eaten in two days.
00:11:30I had given the last rabbit to Leo that morning.
00:11:32Thunk.
00:11:34The axe split the log.
00:11:36Thunk.
00:11:37I paused, wiping sweat from my forehead, despite the freezing temperature.
00:11:42Then I felt it.
00:11:43The vibration in the ground.
00:11:45It wasn't the rhythmic thud of pause.
00:11:48It was the low mechanical growl of engines.
00:11:52Vehicles.
00:11:53The Blackwood pack didn't use vehicles often.
00:11:56Only the Alpha, and only for official business.
00:11:59Or...
00:12:00My blood ran cold.
00:12:02The council.
00:12:04The enforcers.
00:12:05I dropped the axe.
00:12:07Leo!
00:12:08I hissed at the cabin door.
00:12:09Hide!
00:12:10The cellar!
00:12:11Now!
00:12:12I heard the scramble of claws inside.
00:12:15We had practiced this.
00:12:16There was a small root cellar under the floorboards, hidden by a rug.
00:12:20I stood there, heart hammering, as the noise grew louder.
00:12:24Tires crunching on snow.
00:12:26Four black SUVs, massive and armored, tore through the tree line, crushing the underbrush.
00:12:33They looked like war machines.
00:12:35They didn't belong in these woods.
00:12:37They belonged in the city, or a military base.
00:12:40They surrounded my cabin, their headlights cutting through the gloomy afternoon light, blinding
00:12:46me.
00:12:46I raised my hand to shield my eyes, my other hand instinctively reaching for the small knife
00:12:52at my belt, a useless gesture.
00:12:55If these were who I thought they were, a knife was like a toothpick against a tank.
00:13:00The engines cut.
00:13:02Silence returned, sudden and suffocating.
00:13:06The doors of the lead SUV opened.
00:13:09A man stepped out.
00:13:10He was huge.
00:13:12That was the only word for him.
00:13:14He stood nearly seven feet tall, his shoulders broad enough to block out the sun.
00:13:19He wore tactical black combat gear, tight against muscles that looked carved from granite.
00:13:25He didn't wear a coat, despite the freezing wind.
00:13:28He didn't need one.
00:13:30The heat radiating off him was palpable even from ten yards away.
00:13:35Alpha energy.
00:13:36Ancient, crushing alpha energy.
00:13:39It hit me like a physical wave, forcing the air from my lungs.
00:13:43My knees buckled.
00:13:45I fought to stay standing, clutching the chopping block for support.
00:13:49Three other men stepped out of the other vehicles.
00:13:52They were all massive, all dressed in black, all moving with a predatory grace that screamed
00:13:58lethal.
00:13:58They weren't black wood wolves.
00:14:01They were something else, something worse.
00:14:04The leader walked toward me.
00:14:06His face was sharp, angular, with a scar running through his left eyebrow.
00:14:11His eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses, but I could feel his gaze burning into me.
00:14:17He took off his sunglasses.
00:14:19His eyes were gold, molten, burning gold.
00:14:23He looked at me, scanning my emaciated frame, my ragged clothes, the axe on the ground.
00:14:29His expression was unreadable.
00:14:32You are Ilara Vance?
00:14:34His voice was deep, a rumble that I felt in my bones.
00:14:38I, I am Ilara, I managed to squeak out.
00:14:42I dropped the Vance.
00:14:44I didn't deserve the name anymore.
00:14:46He took a step closer.
00:14:47The other three men fanned out, surrounding the cabin.
00:14:51My heart stopped.
00:14:53Leo, they were going to find him.
00:14:56My name is Kalen.
00:14:57I am the commander of the Obsidian Unit.
00:15:00The Obsidian Unit?
00:15:02I stopped breathing.
00:15:04Every wolf knew the stories.
00:15:06The Obsidian Unit was the High Council's personal execution squad.
00:15:11They were the boogeymen.
00:15:12They sent to deal with rogues, insurgents, and packs that broke the laws.
00:15:17They didn't take prisoners.
00:15:19They left only silence.
00:15:21Why were they here?
00:15:23Had I done something?
00:15:24Did they know about the snare lines crossing the border?
00:15:28I, I haven't done anything.
00:15:29I stammered, terror making my vision blur.
00:15:33I stay in my zone.
00:15:35I don't bother the pack.
00:15:37Kalen ignored my plea.
00:15:39He tilted his head, sniffing the air.
00:15:41His eyes narrowed.
00:15:43You're starving, he stated flatly.
00:15:46It wasn't a question.
00:15:48I, it's been a hard winter.
00:15:51And yet, he continued, taking another step,
00:15:54invading my personal space until he towered over me.
00:15:57You smell fresh game.
00:16:00Rabbit, recently killed.
00:16:03He looked toward the cabin.
00:16:04And I smell wolf.
00:16:08My world shattered.
00:16:10No, please.
00:16:11There's nothing in there.
00:16:13Just me.
00:16:14Kalen looked back at me, his golden eyes piercing.
00:16:18Do not lie to me, Omega.
00:16:20I can hear two heartbeats.
00:16:22He signaled to the man on his right.
00:16:25Breaker, check the cabin.
00:16:27No!
00:16:28I screamed.
00:16:29I threw myself in front of the door, spreading my arms.
00:16:33It was a suicide move.
00:16:35I was a 90-pound human woman,
00:16:37standing in front of an elite wolf super soldier.
00:16:40Please, I begged, tears freezing on my cheeks.
00:16:44He's just a pup.
00:16:46He's hurt.
00:16:47He's not dangerous.
00:16:49Please don't kill him.
00:16:50Kill me instead.
00:16:51Take me.
00:16:52Just leave him alone.
00:16:54Kalen froze.
00:16:56He looked at me, really looked at me, with a strange intensity.
00:17:00He looked at my desperate stance, my shaking hands.
00:17:04He?
00:17:05Kalen asked softly.
00:17:07He's just a baby, I sobbed.
00:17:09I found him in the snow.
00:17:11He was dying.
00:17:12I couldn't leave him.
00:17:14The man named Breaker paused, his hands on his weapon,
00:17:17looking to his commander for orders.
00:17:20Kalen stepped forward.
00:17:21He reached out a hand.
00:17:23I flinched, expecting a blow.
00:17:25Instead, he gently took my chin in his fingers,
00:17:28tilting my face up.
00:17:30His skin was scorching hot.
00:17:32You are starving to death, he murmured,
00:17:35his voice laced with a confusion I didn't understand.
00:17:39You are skin and bone.
00:17:40You have barely enough life force to stand.
00:17:43And yet, you are feeding a stray?
00:17:46He's not a stray, I whispered fiercely.
00:17:49He's Leo.
00:17:51Suddenly, a ferocious snarl erupted from inside the cabin.
00:17:55Crash!
00:17:56The window shattered outward.
00:17:58A blur of black fur launched itself from the cabin.
00:18:01It wasn't the clumsy, injured pup I had brought home three weeks ago.
00:18:05It was a whirlwind of teeth and rage.
00:18:08Leo hit the ground between me and Kalen, his hackles raised,
00:18:12his lips pulled back in a snarl that exposed gleaming white fangs.
00:18:17He was small compared to these men.
00:18:19Tiny, really.
00:18:20But he stood his ground, placing himself directly in front of me.
00:18:25He barked, a sharp, commanding sound.
00:18:27The four men froze.
00:18:29They weren't looking at Leo with aggression.
00:18:32They were looking at him with shock.
00:18:35Kalen's eyes went wide.
00:18:37He looked from the small black wolf to me and then back to the wolf.
00:18:40He slowly, deliberately dropped to one knee.
00:18:43The other three men immediately did the same.
00:18:46They bowed their heads, exposing their necks.
00:18:49The ultimate sign of submission.
00:18:51I stared, my mouth hanging open.
00:18:54The wind howled around us, but the silence between the wolves was absolute.
00:18:59Leo stopped growling.
00:19:01He stood tall, his chest puffed out, looking at the massive soldiers kneeling in the snow
00:19:06before him.
00:19:08Kalen looked up, his golden eyes locking onto mine.
00:19:11There was no coldness in them anymore.
00:19:13There was awe.
00:19:15We have been searching for three months, Kalen said, his voice reverent.
00:19:19He looked at the pup.
00:19:20We thought the air was dead.
00:19:22He looked back at me.
00:19:24You, you have the alpha prince.
00:19:27The world didn't stop spinning.
00:19:29If anything, it spun faster, tilting on its axis until gravity felt like a suggestion rather
00:19:35than a law.
00:19:36The alpha prince, I repeated, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.
00:19:41My knees, already weak from hunger and the biting cold, finally gave up the ghost.
00:19:47I slumped downward, expecting the hard bite of the frozen earth.
00:19:50I never hit the ground.
00:19:52Strong, scorching hands caught me.
00:19:55Kalen moved faster than my eyes could track, a blur of shadow and motion.
00:20:00One moment he was kneeling.
00:20:01The next, he had me scooped up against his chest, cradling me as effortlessly as I had
00:20:06cradled Leo weeks ago.
00:20:09Easy, Kalen rumbled, the sound vibrating through his chest and into my own hollow rib cage.
00:20:14You have reached your limit, Omega.
00:20:17I'm not, I'm fine, I lied, my voice a thready whisper.
00:20:21I tried to push away, panic flaring.
00:20:24Physical contact with high-ranking males usually meant pain.
00:20:28It meant being shoved, disciplined, or used as an example.
00:20:32Put me down, please.
00:20:34He will not allow it, Kalen said, nodding his chin downward.
00:20:38I looked down.
00:20:40Leo, no, the prince, was pressed against Kalen's leg, his front paws resting on Kalen's
00:20:46shindards, his blue eyes locked onto my face with intense, possessive scrutiny.
00:20:51He let out a low warning growl directed at Kalen, a sound that said, be careful with her.
00:20:57He is guarding you, Kalen observed, a note of disbelief coloring his tone.
00:21:02The air is guarding a civilian.
00:21:05He's Leo, I mumbled, my head lolling against Kalen's tactical vest.
00:21:11The scent of him, clean rain, gun oil, and pure concentrated power was making me dizzy.
00:21:18Just Leo.
00:21:20Secure the perimeter, Kalen barked to his men, his voice shifting instantly from observation
00:21:25to command.
00:21:27Breaker, get the thermal blankets.
00:21:29Shade, scan the tree line.
00:21:30If the ones who hunted the prince are still out there, they will pay for what they've done.
00:21:35Yes, commander.
00:21:36The voices rang out in unison, sharp and disciplined.
00:21:40Kalen turned and strode toward the lead SUV, carrying me like I was made of glass.
00:21:45The wind whipped at us, screaming through the trees, but in his arms, the cold couldn't
00:21:50reach me.
00:21:51For the first time in two years, I was warm.
00:21:54He reached the vehicle.
00:21:56The back door opened automatically.
00:21:57The interior was a sanctuary of soft leather and blue LED lights.
00:22:02He deposited me gently on the back seat.
00:22:05Stay, he ordered, not unkindly.
00:22:08Before the door could close, a black blur shot past his legs.
00:22:12Leo scrambled up on the seat, instantly curling his body around my legs, acting as a living
00:22:18anchor.
00:22:19He licked my hand, his rough tongue scraping against my frozen skin, his eyes asking,
00:22:24Are you okay?
00:22:25Kalen watched this interaction for a heartbeat, his jaw tightening.
00:22:30Then he climbed into the front passenger seat, while the man named Breaker slid behind the
00:22:34wheel.
00:22:35Go, Kalen commanded.
00:22:37Protocol 7.
00:22:38We return to the Citadel immediately.
00:22:41The engine roared, a deep, guttural sound that promised violence to anyone in its path.
00:22:47The SUV lurched forward, tires tearing into the snow, spinning us around and launching
00:22:53us away from the rotting cabin that had been my prison.
00:22:56I watched out the tented window as my home disappeared.
00:23:00The smoke from the chimney was still rising, the only evidence that I had existed there.
00:23:05I felt a pang of loss.
00:23:07It was a hovel, yes, but it was my hovel.
00:23:10It was where I had saved him.
00:23:12Here.
00:23:13I turned.
00:23:14Kalen had twisted in his seat.
00:23:16He was holding a silver thermos and a foil-wrapped bar.
00:23:20Drink.
00:23:21Eat.
00:23:21Slowly, he instructed.
00:23:23Your body is in ketosis.
00:23:25If you eat too fast, you will reject it.
00:23:27I took the thermos with trembling hands.
00:23:30The warmth of the metal seeped into my fingers, stinging them as the circulation returned.
00:23:35I unscrewed the cap.
00:23:37The smell of rich, savory bone broth filled the cabin.
00:23:41My stomach cramped in anticipation.
00:23:44I took a sip.
00:23:44It was glorious.
00:23:47It was salty, fatty, and hot.
00:23:50I moaned involuntarily, a ragged sound that made Leo's ears perk up.
00:23:55The bar is high-protein nutrient paste, Kalen explained, his eyes scanning me over the back
00:24:00of the seat.
00:24:01He had put his sunglasses back on, masking his expression, but I could feel his gaze dissecting
00:24:07me.
00:24:08Me use it for field ops.
00:24:09It tastes like chalk, but it will keep you alive.
00:24:12I took a bite.
00:24:13He was right.
00:24:14It tasted like sweetened sawdust, but to me, it tasted like survival.
00:24:19I ate in silence for a few miles, the landscape blurring past in a wash of white and gray.
00:24:25The silence in the car was heavy, filled with unspoken questions.
00:24:30Leo rested his head on my thigh, his breathing steady, his presence a comforting weight.
00:24:35How?
00:24:36How?
00:24:37Kalen's voice broke the silence, soft but demanding.
00:24:41I swallowed a mouthful of paste.
00:24:43How?
00:24:44What?
00:24:45The prince went missing three weeks ago, Kalen said, terming fully to face me now.
00:24:50There was an ambush near the northern pass.
00:24:53Assassins.
00:24:54Professional ones.
00:24:55His guards were slaughtered.
00:24:56We found blood.
00:24:57So much blood.
00:24:59We assumed he had been taken or killed.
00:25:01The river was frozen over.
00:25:03We thought he'd gone under the ice.
00:25:05I shivered, remembering the state Leo had been in.
00:25:09He was under a tree, I whispered, about two miles from the pass.
00:25:13He was...
00:25:14He was dying, starving, freezing.
00:25:17And you found him.
00:25:19I was checking my snares, I said, looking down at my ragged hands.
00:25:24I heard him crying.
00:25:25He was just a puppy then.
00:25:27He was so small.
00:25:28He is the genetic prime, Kalen said, looking at the sleeping wolf.
00:25:33His growth rate is accelerated in times of stress.
00:25:36It's a defense mechanism.
00:25:37But to heal, he needed fuel.
00:25:40He looked at me.
00:25:41His gaze dropped to my wrists, where the bones were prominent beneath the skin.
00:25:46He looked at the hollows of my cheeks.
00:25:48You gave him your food, Kalen stated.
00:25:51It wasn't a question.
00:25:53It was a realization that seemed to horrify him.
00:25:56He needed it more, I defended myself weakly.
00:25:59He was growing.
00:26:00I...
00:26:01I'm used to not eating much.
00:26:03You starved yourself, Kalen said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low timbre.
00:26:09You, a rejected Omega with no wolf, no status, and no resources, you starved yourself to keep
00:26:17the air of the obsidian bloodline alive?
00:26:19I didn't know he was an heir, I snapped, a spark of my old defiance flaring up.
00:26:25I just knew he was alone and hurt, and I know what that feels like.
00:26:30The car went silent again.
00:26:32Breaker, the driver, glanced at me in the rearview mirror.
00:26:35His eyes were wide, respectful.
00:26:38Who are you, Alara?
00:26:39And why is a wolf of your resilience living in a condemned shack on the edge of the Blackwood
00:26:45Territory?
00:26:46I looked out the window.
00:26:48We were passing the boundary markers now, the massive totem poles that marked the edge
00:26:52of Alpha Vance's land.
00:26:54I flinched instinctively, waiting for the border patrol to scream, for the sirens to wail,
00:26:59but the black SUV tore past them without slowing down.
00:27:03I failed the ascension, I said, the old shame burning my throat.
00:27:07Two years ago, my wolf never came.
00:27:11I'm spiritless, a dud.
00:27:13Alpha Vance, he said I was a waste of resources.
00:27:16He wanted to exile me, but the elders said it was bad luck to banish a pack-born child,
00:27:21so they put me in the shack.
00:27:22Out of sight, out of mind.
00:27:25Spiritless, Cailin repeated, testing the word.
00:27:28He looked at Leo.
00:27:29And yet, the Alpha Prince, the most powerful wolf spirit of this generation, chose you as
00:27:35their anchor.
00:27:37Anchor?
00:27:37Look at him, Cailin gestured.
00:27:40I looked down.
00:27:41Leo was deep asleep, twitching as he dreamed, but his paw was hooked into the pocket of my
00:27:46coat.
00:27:47A young Alpha, especially a Prime, is volatile, Cailin explained.
00:27:51They're pure instinct, rage, and power.
00:27:54Without an anchor, someone to ground them, they can go feral.
00:27:58They burn themselves out.
00:28:00He is calm because you are here.
00:28:02His wolf recognizes something in you that your own pack was too blind to see.
00:28:06My heart fluttered.
00:28:08My heart fluttered.
00:28:09Something in me.
00:28:10Where are we going?
00:28:11I asked, changing the subject.
00:28:14The hope was too painful to hold on to.
00:28:17The Obsidian Citadel, Cailin said.
00:28:20It is the stronghold of the High Council.
00:28:23It is neutral ground.
00:28:24No pack law applies there.
00:28:27Only council law.
00:28:28And then what?
00:28:30I asked, my voice trembling.
00:28:32Once you have him safe, what happens to me?
00:28:37Cailin paused.
00:28:38He took off his sunglasses, his golden eyes locked onto mine, fierce and unyielding.
00:28:45You saved the future king, he said firmly.
00:28:49You are under my protection now, Alara.
00:28:51The Obsidian Unit pays its debts.
00:28:54I wanted to believe him.
00:28:56God, I wanted to believe him.
00:28:59But I knew how the world worked.
00:29:01Powerful men made promises, and omegas paid the price.
00:29:06Hours passed.
00:29:07The landscape changed from the dense, suffocating forests of the Blackwood Territory to open highways,
00:29:13and then to a winding mountain road that climbed higher and higher into the peaks.
00:29:19The sun began to set, painting the snow in shades of violet and blood orange.
00:29:24Approaching the citadel, Breaker announced.
00:29:28I sat up, craning my neck.
00:29:30It was massive.
00:29:32Built directly into the side of a granite mountain, the citadel looked like a fortress from a myth.
00:29:38Towering walls of black stone, reinforced with steel and energy barriers that shimmered faintly in the twilight.
00:29:45Spotlights swept the sky.
00:29:48As we approached the main gates, they began to open, colossal slabs of metal groaning as they parted.
00:29:56We drove inside.
00:29:57The interior was a bustling military base.
00:30:01Wolves in tactical gear drilled in the courtyards.
00:30:04Mechanics worked on armored vehicles.
00:30:06It was a city of warriors.
00:30:08The SUV pulled up to a sleek, glass-fronted building marked with a red cross.
00:30:14Medical, Kalen said as the car stopped.
00:30:17We need to get him checked.
00:30:19And you?
00:30:20I'm fine, I said automatically.
00:30:23You are malnourished, hypothermic, and in shock, Kalen countered as he opened my door.
00:30:29You are not fine.
00:30:31He reached in to help me, but a low growl stopped him.
00:30:36Leo was awake.
00:30:37He stood over me, hackles raised, staring at Kalen.
00:30:42Leo, it's okay.
00:30:43I soothed, stroking his back.
00:30:46He's helping.
00:30:47Leo looked at me, then back at Kalen.
00:30:50He chuffed, a sound of reluctant agreement, and hopped out of the car, staying glued to my leg.
00:30:57I stepped out.
00:30:58The air here was thinner, crisp, and clean.
00:31:02A team of doctors and nurses in white scrubs rushed out to meet us.
00:31:06They had a gurney.
00:31:07For the prince, one of them shouted, rushing toward Leo.
00:31:11Leo snapped his jaws, a vicious sound that made the medical team scramble backward.
00:31:17Do not touch him, Kalen roared.
00:31:20He's agitated.
00:31:21Give him space.
00:31:23Kalen looked at me.
00:31:24You have to lead him, Ilara.
00:31:26He won't go with them.
00:31:28He'll only go with you.
00:31:30I nodded, swallowing my fear.
00:31:32I was a nobody walking into the heart of the most powerful military organization in the world, leading a prince.
00:31:39Come on, Leo.
00:31:41Let's go get checked out.
00:31:43I walked toward the glass doors.
00:31:45Leo trotted beside me, his head high, daring anyone to approach us.
00:31:51Inside, the lights were blindingly bright.
00:31:53The smell of antiseptics stung my nose.
00:31:56They led us to a private trauma room, large, sterile, filled with beeping machines.
00:32:02Sit here, a doctor said, pointing to a bed.
00:32:06She was an older woman with silver hair and kind eyes.
00:32:09I am Dr. Aris.
00:32:11I'm going to take care of you.
00:32:13I sat on the edge of the bed.
00:32:15Leo jumped up instantly, curling up at the foot of the bed, watching the door.
00:32:20Kalen stood in the corner, arms crossed, his golden eyes glowing, slits of a liege.
00:32:27Shirt off, please, Dr. Aris said gently.
00:32:30I need to check your heart and lungs.
00:32:33I froze.
00:32:35I wore layers for a reason, not just for the cold, but to hide the evidence.
00:32:41I...
00:32:42Can't I just keep it on?
00:32:45I whispered.
00:32:46Ilara, Kalen said, his voice dropping an octave, let her work.
00:32:52Trembling, my hands shaking so bad I could barely work the zipper,
00:32:56I removed my heavy coat, then the flannel shirt, then the thin thermal undershirt.
00:33:03I sat there in my bra.
00:33:05The room went deadly silent.
00:33:08It wasn't just the starvation, the ribs counting like ladder rungs, the hip bones jutting out.
00:33:15It was the evidence of two years of torment at the hands of the Blackwood pack.
00:33:19I hunched my shoulders, trying to hide, burning with shame.
00:33:24I know it's ugly, I whispered.
00:33:28I heard a sound from the corner, a sound like grinding stone.
00:33:33I looked up.
00:33:34Kalen wasn't looking at me with disgust.
00:33:37He was looking at my skin with an expression of pure, unadulterated fury.
00:33:42His hands were clenched into fists so tight his leather gloves were straining,
00:33:47his golden eyes glowing, slits of a wolf.
00:33:50Who did this?
00:33:53His voice was a snarl, barely human.
00:33:56It doesn't matter, I stammered.
00:33:58It was just punishment for being useless.
00:34:02Punishment.
00:34:04Kalen took a step forward, the air around him rippling with heat.
00:34:08This is not punishment.
00:34:10This is torture.
00:34:11This is a violation of the covenant.
00:34:14He looked at Dr. Aris.
00:34:15Document everything, every scar, every bruise, every ounce of weight she has lost.
00:34:22Yes, Commander, the doctor said, her voice grim as she began snapping photos with the tablet.
00:34:29Why?
00:34:30I asked, tears pricking my eyes.
00:34:33Why does it matter?
00:34:35Kalen walked to the side of the bed.
00:34:37He reached out, his hand hovering over a particularly nasty scar on my shoulder, but he didn't touch it, as if afraid he would hurt me further.
00:34:48Because, Kalen said, his voice trembling with controlled rage, you saved our king, and in doing so, you have made your enemies my enemies.
00:34:59Suddenly, the door to the trauma room burst open.
00:35:04Breaker stood there, looking breathless.
00:35:06Commander, he panted.
00:35:08We have a problem.
00:35:10Kalen turned, his mask of command sliding back into place.
00:35:14Report?
00:35:16We just received a transmission, Breaker said, holding up a data pad.
00:35:20It's from the Blackwood Territory, from Alpha Vance.
00:35:24My blood turned to ice.
00:35:27Vance.
00:35:27What does he want?
00:35:29Kalen demanded.
00:35:31He claims we have abducted a member of his pack, Breaker said, his eyes flicking to me with sympathy.
00:35:38He says Alara Vance is a fugitive who stole valuable pack resources and fled.
00:35:44He is demanding her immediate return.
00:35:48Breaker paused, swallowing hard.
00:35:50And he says if we do not return her within the hour, he will consider it an act of war.
00:35:59Kalen looked at the data pad.
00:36:01Then he looked at me, shrinking back against the pillows, terrified.
00:36:05Then he looked at Leo, who was now standing on the bed, growling low in his throat, sensing the threat.
00:36:13Kalen slowly smiled.
00:36:14It wasn't a nice smile.
00:36:17It was the smile of a predator who had just been given permission to hunt.
00:36:22He took the data pad from Breaker.
00:36:24Tell Alpha Vance, Kalen said, his voice cold as the grave, that if he wants her, he can come to the gates of the Citadel.
00:36:33He looked at me, his eyes burning with a promise of violence.
00:36:37Tell him the commander of the Obsidian unit is waiting for him, and tell him to bring a shovel.
00:36:45A shovel, sir?
00:36:46Breaker asked, confused.
00:36:48Yes, Kalen growled, so we can bury him.
00:36:52The silence that followed Kalen's declaration was absolute, a vacuum where the air had been sucked out of the room,
00:37:00leaving only the sharp tang of adrenaline and the hum of the medical machinery.
00:37:04Bring a shovel.
00:37:07The words echoed in my mind, bouncing off the terrified corners of my consciousness.
00:37:13I stared at Kalen, this giant of a man, this weapon forged in flesh and blood,
00:37:19and I felt a fresh wave of nausea that had nothing to do with starvation.
00:37:24You can't, I whispered, the words scraping against my raw throat.
00:37:30You can't start a war for me.
00:37:32I'm, I'm nobody.
00:37:34I'm a defect.
00:37:36Alpha Vance, he won't stop.
00:37:38He's petty and he's cruel, and if you challenge him over a rejected Omega,
00:37:44he'll burn everything down just to prove a point.
00:37:48Kalen turned slowly from the door, the data pad still clutched in his gloved hand.
00:37:54The rage that had been radiating off him moments ago had cooled into something far more terrifying,
00:38:00a calculated, icy resolve.
00:38:03He walked back to the bedside, his boots making no sound on the sterile white floor.
00:38:08You are under the impression that this is a negotiation, Alara, he said,
00:38:13his voice low and smooth, like velvet wrapped around a razor blade.
00:38:18It is not.
00:38:20You are also under the impression that Vance is the predator here.
00:38:24He is not.
00:38:25He placed the data pad on the side table and leaned in, his hands bracing on the bedrails,
00:38:31boxing me in.
00:38:32But for the first time in my life, being cornered by a male didn't make me want to curl into a ball.
00:38:39It made me feel shielded.
00:38:41Vance is a regional alpha.
00:38:44He rules a few hundred square miles of forest and a pack of mid-tier wolves.
00:38:50I command the obsidian unit.
00:38:52We answer only to the high council.
00:38:55We are the sword that keeps the darkness at bay.
00:38:58If Vance wants to bring a war to my doorstep because I am protecting the woman who saved the air,
00:39:05then I will not just burn his pack down.
00:39:08I will erase it from history.
00:39:11I stared at him, my breath catching.
00:39:15But he doesn't know, I realized, my eyes widening.
00:39:19He doesn't know about Leo.
00:39:21He thinks I just ran off with a stray.
00:39:23Exactly, Cailin said, a dark satisfaction curling the corner of his mouth.
00:39:30He is walking into a lion's den, thinking he is chasing a mouse.
00:39:35And by the time he realizes his mistake, it will be too late.
00:39:39He straightened up and looked at Dr. Aris, who had been standing frozen by the counter,
00:39:44holding a tray of instruments.
00:39:46Finish your work, doctor, Cailin commanded, his tone shifting back to professional detachment.
00:39:52The Omega needs to be stabilized.
00:39:55We may be moving her sooner than I anticipated.
00:39:59Yes, Commander, Aris said, snapping into motion.
00:40:03For the next hour, I was subjected to the most thorough and gentle medical care I had ever experienced.
00:40:09It was disorienting.
00:40:11I was used to indifference at best, cruelty at worst.
00:40:15But Dr. Aris treated me like I was made of porcelain.
00:40:18She cleaned the frostbite on my toes, applying a warming gel that tingled pleasantly.
00:40:24She rubbed a salve that smelled of lavender and aloe into the windburn on my face.
00:40:29She hooked me up to an IV bag that dripped a nutrient-rich cocktail directly into my veins.
00:40:35And then came the cleaning of the scars.
00:40:38I flinched violently when she touched the old, jagged lash marks on my back.
00:40:43It was a reflex, a phantom memory of the whip.
00:40:46Easy, Aris murmured, pausing.
00:40:49I'm not going to hurt you, honey.
00:40:51I'm just documenting.
00:40:53We need proof.
00:40:54It's okay, I gasped, gripping the sheets until my knuckles turned white.
00:40:59Just do it.
00:41:01Leo, who had been watching from the foot of the bed with intense, unblinking focus, let out a low rumble.
00:41:08He crawled up the bed, maneuvering his body until his head was resting on my stomach.
00:41:13He looked up at me, his electric blue eyes soft, and licked my chin.
00:41:18I'm here, he seemed to say.
00:41:20I've got you.
00:41:21I buried my hand in his thick black fur, angering myself to him.
00:41:27The texture of his coat, clean and soft now, was a stark contrast to the matted mess he had been when I found him.
00:41:34We had saved each other.
00:41:36Kalen didn't leave.
00:41:38He stood in the corner of the room, his arms crossed over his massive chest, his back to the wall.
00:41:43He watched every move the doctor made.
00:41:46He watched the IV drip.
00:41:47He watched the way Leo comforted me.
00:41:49He was a statue, a sentinel, a guardian gargoyle in tactical gear.
00:41:55Commander, Dr. Aris sent finally, pulling the sheet up to cover my shoulders.
00:42:00She is stable, but she is critically underweight.
00:42:03Her body has cannibalized most of her muscle mass.
00:42:06She needs rest, warmth, and high-calorie food every two hours.
00:42:10No stress, no exertion.
00:42:13Kalen nodded.
00:42:14She stays here tonight.
00:42:16Secure the floor.
00:42:17No one enters without my direct authorization, not even the council.
00:42:22Understood.
00:42:23Aris left, dimming the lights as she went.
00:42:26The room was bathed in a soft blue glow from the monitors.
00:42:30The silence returned, but it was heavier now.
00:42:33Why?
00:42:34I asked into the semi-darkness.
00:42:37Kalen shifted.
00:42:38Why what?
00:42:39Why do you care?
00:42:41I turned my head to look at him.
00:42:43I get that I saved the prince.
00:42:45I get that you owe me a debt.
00:42:47But the way you looked at my scars, the way you talked to Vance, it feels personal.
00:42:53Kalen walked out of the shadows.
00:42:55He pulled a metal stool over to the side of the bed and sat down.
00:42:58For a man of his size, he moved with an unnerving grace.
00:43:03He took off his gloves, revealing hands that were scarred and calloused.
00:43:07Warrior's hands.
00:43:09The obsidian unit is not just a military force, Alara.
00:43:12We are the keepers of the old laws, the laws that were written before the Pax started fighting
00:43:17over territory and power.
00:43:18And the first law is simple.
00:43:20The strong protect the weak.
00:43:23He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
00:43:26What Vance did to you, what your pack did to you, it is a perversion of what we are.
00:43:34Wolves are apex predators, yes.
00:43:36We are violent.
00:43:38But we are supposed to be loyal.
00:43:40We are supposed to cherish our pack meats.
00:43:43To torture a member of your own pack, especially one who cannot shift, one who is defenseless.
00:43:50He shook his head, a look of profound disgust crossing his features.
00:43:55It is the behavior of a rabid animal, not a wolf.
00:44:01When I saw what they did to you, I didn't just see a victim.
00:44:05I saw a failure of our entire species.
00:44:09And I saw a woman who, despite being treated like garbage for years, still had enough heart
00:44:15left to save a dying stranger.
00:44:18He reached out, his hand hovering near my face again.
00:44:22This time, I didn't flinch.
00:44:24He brushed a stray strand of hair away from my forehead.
00:44:28His fingers were hot, like burning coals.
00:44:31But the touch was incredibly gentle.
00:44:34You are not nobody, Alara, he whispered.
00:44:38You are the strongest wolf I have met in a decade.
00:44:42And you don't even have a spirit.
00:44:43Tears pricked my eyes, hot and fast.
00:44:47I hadn't cried when I was starving.
00:44:50I hadn't cried when the whip hit my back.
00:44:52But being seen, truly seen, broke something open inside me.
00:44:59I'm tired, I confessed, my voice breaking.
00:45:03Sleep, Kaylin ordered softly.
00:45:05I will be right here.
00:45:07Leo is right here.
00:45:09Nothing gets past us.
00:45:10I closed my eyes, and for the first time in two years, I slept without one ear open for the sound of approaching danger.
00:45:21I woke to the sound of sirens.
00:45:24It wasn't the wail of a police car.
00:45:26It was a deep, resonating klaxon that seemed to vibrate through the very foundations of the building.
00:45:33Whoop, whoop, whoop.
00:45:35Red lights were flashing in the hallway, casting long, strobing shadows across the room.
00:45:41I bolted upright, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
00:45:46Leo was already up, standing on the bed, his hackles raised, a deep, continuous growl emanating from his chest.
00:45:54The door burst open.
00:45:55It wasn't the nurse.
00:45:57It was Kaylin.
00:45:58He was fully suited now.
00:45:59He wore a helmet with a tactical visor pushed up, and he was holding a heavy assault rifle that looked like it belonged on a tank.
00:46:07His body armor was bulky, covered in pouches and gear.
00:46:12Up, he commanded, his voice clipping with urgency.
00:46:15We have to move.
00:46:17What is it?
00:46:18I scrambled out of bed, my legs wobbling.
00:46:21I was wearing a thin hospital gown.
00:46:24Is it Vance?
00:46:24Vance has arrived, Kaylin said grimly, tossing a bundle of clothes at me.
00:46:30And he brought friends.
00:46:32I caught the bundle.
00:46:33It was a black tactical jumpsuit, small enough to fit me, and heavy combat boots.
00:46:38Put these on.
00:46:39Now.
00:46:40I didn't argue.
00:46:42I shed the gown and pulled on the jumpsuit.
00:46:44It was made of a thick, synthetic material that hugged my emaciated frame, but felt protective.
00:46:50I shoved my seat into the boots and laced them tight.
00:46:52He breached the outer perimeter?
00:46:55I asked, panic rising.
00:46:57No, Kaylin said, checking the magazine of his rifle.
00:47:01He is at the main gate, but he has invoked the right of challenge.
00:47:05He has surrounded the citadel with three hundred wolves.
00:47:08He has called in favors from the Southern Alliance.
00:47:11He is claiming we stole his property and murdered his patrol.
00:47:16Three hundred?
00:47:17I gasped.
00:47:18Against how many are you?
00:47:20Kaylin looked at me, a dry, humorless smile touching his lips.
00:47:25There are fifty obsidian wolves in the citadel right now.
00:47:29Fifty?
00:47:30You're outlumbered six to one.
00:47:33Ilara, Kaylin said, stepping forward and gripping my shoulders.
00:47:37One obsidian wolf is worth ten of Vance's mutts.
00:47:40We are not worried about losing.
00:47:42We are worried about containment.
00:47:43If this turns into a bloodbath, the council will intervene.
00:47:48We need to end this before it begins.
00:47:51He looked at Leo.
00:47:52And we need to keep the prince out of sight.
00:47:55If Vance sees him, if he realizes he had the air and let him almost die, he will attack
00:48:01out of pure desperation.
00:48:03He will try to kill everything in this building to bury the secret.
00:48:06So what do we do?
00:48:09We go to the command deck, Kaylin said.
00:48:11I need you to see this.
00:48:13I need you to understand that you are safe.
00:48:16He turned to the door.
00:48:17Breaker?
00:48:18Shade?
00:48:18Form up.
00:48:19Two armored wolves appeared in the doorway, weapons raised.
00:48:23Secure the package, Kaylin ordered.
00:48:25We moved.
00:48:26We ran through the corridors of the citadel.
00:48:29The facility was in full combat mode.
00:48:31Blast doors were sealing.
00:48:33Soldiers were sprinting toward the armory.
00:48:35The air was thick with the scent of ozone and aggression.
00:48:39Leo stayed glued to my side, matching my pace perfectly.
00:48:42Despite his size, he moved like a shadow, silent and lethal.
00:48:47We reached a central elevator.
00:48:48Kaylin scanned his retina, and the doors slid open.
00:48:51We shot upward, the pressure popping my ears.
00:48:54When the doors opened, we stepped onto the command deck.
00:48:57It was a circular room with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the
00:49:02mountain outside.
00:49:03Monitors lined the walls, displaying tactical maps, thermal feeds, and communication logs.
00:49:09Status, Kaylin barked as he strode toward the main console.
00:49:13A female officer looked up, her face pale but determined.
00:49:16Hostiles are holding position at the 500-yard line, Commander.
00:49:20They have heavy vehicles.
00:49:21They have set up a perimeter.
00:49:22Vance is demanding to speak with you directly.
00:49:25Kaylin walked to the window.
00:49:27I followed him, drawn by a morbid curiosity.
00:49:30It was night, but the snow reflected the floodlights from the citadel walls.
00:49:34Down below, on the winding road leading to the gate, was an army.
00:49:38Hundreds of wolves, some in human form, holding rifles and torches, others in wolf form, massive
00:49:44shapes prowling the snow.
00:49:46Vehicles were parked in a blockade formation, and in the front, standing in the glare of
00:49:51the spotlights, was a man in a long fur coat, Alpha Vance.
00:49:56Seeing him, even from this distance, made my blood run cold.
00:50:00I remembered his hands on me.
00:50:02I remembered his laugh as he ordered me to the shack.
00:50:05He looks confident, Kaylin noted, his voice devoid of fear.
00:50:10He's arrogant.
00:50:11He thinks numbers mean power.
00:50:13He is about to learn a very painful lesson in quality over quantity.
00:50:19He tapped his earpiece.
00:50:20Connect me to the external speakers.
00:50:22Connected, Commander.
00:50:24Kaylin didn't yell.
00:50:25He didn't need to.
00:50:26He spoke into his comms unit, and his voice boomed out over the valley, amplified by the
00:50:31citadel's PA system.
00:50:33It rolled down the mountain like thunder.
00:50:36Alpha Vance?
00:50:37Down below, the figure looked up.
00:50:40You are trespassing on council soil.
00:50:42You have exactly five minutes to turn your forces around and leave, or I will consider
00:50:47this an act of insurrection.
00:50:50Vance's voice crackled over the radio frequency, fed into the room speakers.
00:50:54I don't care about your soil, Commander.
00:50:57You have something of mine.
00:50:59You have the runt, and you have the rogues she was harboring.
00:51:02Hand them over, and we leave.
00:51:04Refuse, and we burn you out.
00:51:07Kaylin looked at me.
00:51:08He really wants you back.
00:51:10I wants to silence me, I said, hugging my arms around me.
00:51:14He knows I know too much about how he runs things.
00:51:17If the council audits him, he's finished.
00:51:20Kaylin turned back to the window.
00:51:21There is no runt here.
00:51:24There is only a citizen under the protection of the obsidian unit.
00:51:28And as for the rogue, Kaylin paused.
00:51:31He looked down at Leo, who was standing with his front paws on the glass, growling at the
00:51:36army below.
00:51:37You have no idea what you have done, Vance.
00:51:40Go home before you die.
00:51:43Open fire, Vance screamed over the radio.
00:51:47The night erupted.
00:51:48Flashes of light sparked from the tree line as bullets pinged harmlessly against the energy
00:51:54shields of the citadel.
00:51:55It was a futile gesture, but it was a declaration of war.
00:52:00Shields holding at 98%, the officer reported calmly.
00:52:04Kaylin sighed.
00:52:05It was a sound of profound disappointment.
00:52:08He reached up and secured his helmet, locking the visor into place.
00:52:12The golden eyes disappeared behind black glass.
00:52:16Breaker, hold the bridge, Kaylin ordered.
00:52:18I'm going out.
00:52:20Alone, sir?
00:52:21Breaker asked, though he didn't sound surprised.
00:52:24I need to make a statement, Kaylin said.
00:52:27He turned to me.
00:52:28The black visor reflected my terrified face.
00:52:31Watch, Ilara, his synthesized voice said.
00:52:35Watch and see what real power looks like.
00:52:38Watch me break them for you.
00:52:40He turned and walked toward the airlock.
00:52:43Wait, I cried out, stepping forward.
00:52:45He paused.
00:52:47Don't, don't kill him, I said, my voice trembling.
00:52:51Kaylin tilted his head.
00:52:53Why?
00:52:53After everything he did to you?
00:52:56Because, I said, swallowing hard.
00:52:58If you kill him, he becomes a martyr.
00:53:01If you kill him, his pack will hate us forever.
00:53:04I don't want death, Kaylin.
00:53:05I want, I want justice.
00:53:08Kaylin stood there for a long moment.
00:53:11Justice, he repeated.
00:53:13A harder path, but for you, very well.
00:53:17The airlock hissed open.
00:53:19He stepped inside.
00:53:20The door sealed.
00:53:21I ran back to the window.
00:53:23A moment later, a small side door at the base of the massive citadel gates opened.
00:53:29A single figure walked out into the snow.
00:53:32One man, alone, walking toward an army of 300.
00:53:37He didn't run.
00:53:38He didn't hide.
00:53:39He walked with a slow, predatory stride, his black armor absorbing the light.
00:53:45The shooting stopped.
00:53:46The wolves down below seemed confused.
00:53:49They had expected a battalion.
00:53:51They got one man.
00:53:52Vance stepped forward, shouting something I couldn't hear.
00:53:56Kaylin stopped about 50 yards away from the front line.
00:53:59Then, he began to shift.
00:54:01It wasn't like the shifting I had seen in the Blackwood Pack.
00:54:05The bone-breaking, screaming transformation.
00:54:08This was fluid.
00:54:10It was like shadow becoming solid.
00:54:12One moment, a man stood there.
00:54:14The next, a monster replaced him.
00:54:17A wolf.
00:54:18But not a normal wolf.
00:54:19He was massive, easily twice the size of a normal timber wolf.
00:54:24His fur was obsidian black, absorbing the light.
00:54:27His claws were like scythes.
00:54:29And his eyes, even from this distance, two burning gold orbs cut through the darkness.
00:54:35He threw his head back and let out a howl.
00:54:38It wasn't a howl of mourning.
00:54:40It was a howl of war.
00:54:42A sound so deep, so primal, that the glass of the window I was touching vibrated against my fingertips.
00:54:49Down below, the 300 wolves of the Blackwood Pack flinched.
00:54:53Some whimpered.
00:54:54The obsidian commander had taken the field.
00:54:57And then, from behind me, a smaller, higher-pitched howl joined in.
00:55:02I turned.
00:55:04Leo was howling at the glass, calling out to Kalen, lending his voice to the song of destruction.
00:55:10I looked back down.
00:55:11The giant black wolf lowered his head and charged.
00:55:15It was like watching a meteor strike the earth.
00:55:18From my vantage point in the command deck, hundreds of feet above the frozen valley,
00:55:23the impact was silent, sealed behind inches of reinforced glass.
00:55:29But I felt it.
00:55:30I felt the vibration travel up through the steel bones of the citadel and rattle my teeth.
00:55:37Kalen didn't slow down.
00:55:39He didn't hesitate.
00:55:40He was a black thunderbolt tearing across the white canvas of the snow.
00:55:45The front line of Vance's army, a wall of 30 snarling wolves, braced for the impact.
00:55:51They were strong wolves, well-fed enforcers who had terrorized the borderlands for years.
00:55:58They were used to intimidation.
00:56:00They were used to being the biggest things in the forest.
00:56:03But Kalen was an obsidian.
00:56:05He was something else entirely.
00:56:08He hit the center of their line with the force of a freight train.
00:56:12Bodies flew.
00:56:13I watched, breath caught in my throat, as full-grown wolves were tossed into the air like ragdolls.
00:56:20Kalen didn't stop to fight them.
00:56:23He ran through them.
00:56:24His momentum was unstoppable.
00:56:26He was a blur of teeth and shadow, a spinning vortex of violence that shattered their formation in seconds.
00:56:34He's breached the first line, Breaker announced calmly from the console,
00:56:38though his eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and admiration.
00:56:43Target is Alpha Vance.
00:56:44Down below, panic began to ripple through the blackwood rinks.
00:56:49You could see it in the way the formation crumbled.
00:56:52Wolves were scrambling backward, tripping over each other to get away from the black monster in their mist.
00:56:59The disciplined Vance had drilled into them evaporated the moment they realized they were fighting a ghost story come to life.
00:57:06He's going to get hurt, I whispered, pressing my hands against the cold glass.
00:57:12There are too many of them.
00:57:14Look closer, Lara.
00:57:16Leo, no, the prince, chuffed softly.
00:57:20I looked down at him.
00:57:21He was standing on his hind legs, paws on the windowsill, his tail wagging slowly, rhythmically.
00:57:28He wasn't afraid.
00:57:29He was proud.
00:57:31I looked back down.
00:57:32Kalen was surrounded now.
00:57:34A circle of 50 wolves had closed in, attacking from all sides.
00:57:39It looked like a death trap.
00:57:41But Kalen moved with a liquidity that defied physics.
00:57:44He ducked under a leaping wolf, his jaws snapping shut on the attacker's leg, throwing him into another enemy.
00:57:52He spun, his massive tail sweeping three wolves off their feet.
00:57:56He was fighting in 360 degrees, a master of chaotic geometry.
00:58:02He wasn't just surviving.
00:58:04He was dismantling them.
00:58:06And he was doing it without killing.
00:58:08I realized it with a jolt.
00:58:10He was snapping bones, yes, he was crushing spirits.
00:58:15He was knocking them unconscious.
00:58:17But he wasn't ripping throats.
00:58:19He wasn't disemboweling.
00:58:20He was keeping his promise to me.
00:58:23He was delivering justice, not a massacre.
00:58:26Suddenly, a path cleared.
00:58:29Vance stood alone near the rear of the formation, near his armored SUV.
00:58:33He was in his human form, holding a high-caliber rifle.
00:58:37I saw the muzzle flash.
00:58:39Bang.
00:58:39I flinched.
00:58:41Kaelin didn't even stumble.
00:58:43The bullet must have grazed his armor-like fur or bounced off the kinetic shielding obsidians
00:58:48naturally generated.
00:58:50He just kept coming.
00:58:52Vance fired again and again, desperation in every shot.
00:58:56Kaelin closed the distance.
00:58:58He slowed down now.
00:58:59He stopped running and started stalking.
00:59:02A slow, terrifying prowl.
00:59:05Vance dropped the rifle.
00:59:06He looked around for his guards.
00:59:07But they were either groaning in the snow or cowering at the edge of the tree line, tails tucked between their legs.
00:59:14No one was going to step between an angry obsidian commander and his target.
00:59:19Vance shifted.
00:59:20Vance shifted.
00:59:20It was a clumsy, panicked transformation.
00:59:23His brown and gray wolf form burst out, snarling, trying to look intimidating.
00:59:29It was pathetic.
00:59:30Compared to Kaelin, Vance looked like a coyote facing a dire wolf.
00:59:34Kaelin stopped five feet away.
00:59:37He towered over Vance.
00:59:39The size difference was comical.
00:59:41Kaelin's shadow completely swallowed the smaller alpha.
00:59:45Audio, I croaked.
00:59:46I want to hear.
00:59:48Breaker tapped a button.
00:59:50The room filled with the sounds of the wind and the heavy, ragged breathing of the defeated pack.
00:59:55And then, Kaelin growled.
00:59:58It wasn't a normal growl.
01:00:00It was the alpha voice.
01:00:01A sound infused with so much dominance, so much ancient power, that even through the speakers, it made my knees buckle.
01:00:10Kaelin.
01:00:11It wasn't a request.
01:00:12It was a physiological command.
01:00:15Vance tried to resist.
01:00:17I could see his muscles locking up, his wolf whimpering as he fought the compulsion.
01:00:22To kneel was to admit total defeat.
01:00:24To kneel was to lose his alpha status.
01:00:28Kaelin took one heavy step forward.
01:00:30He bared his teeth, gold eyes blazing like suns.
01:00:34I said, kneel.
01:00:37Vance collapsed.
01:00:39His front legs gave out, then his back legs.
01:00:41He dropped his belly to the snow, whining high and shrill.
01:00:45He rolled over onto his back, exposing his throat.
01:00:49The ultimate submission.
01:00:51The surrender of a puppy to its master.
01:00:53Silence fell over the valley.
01:00:56Three hundred wolves watched their invincible alpha roll over like a beaten dog.
01:01:01Kaelin placed one massive black paw on Vance's chest.
01:01:05He leaned down, his jaws hovering inches from Vance's exposed throat.
01:01:09He could end it right there.
01:01:11One snap and the black wood pack would be headless.
01:01:14I held my breath.
01:01:16Justice, I thought.
01:01:17Not death.
01:01:19Kaelin didn't bite.
01:01:20Instead, he raised his head to the moonless sky and let out a roar that echoed off the mountainsides.
01:01:26This pack is broken, Kaelin's voice boomed, translated from the wolf tongue by the sheer intent of his spirit.
01:01:35Your alpha is weak.
01:01:38Your cause is unjust.
01:01:40Go home or stay and be judged.
01:01:42The black wood wolves didn't attack.
01:01:45They didn't run.
01:01:46One by one, they lowered their heads.
01:01:49They dropped to their bellies.
01:01:50They were submitting.
01:01:51Not to Vance.
01:01:53To Kaelin.
01:01:54It's over.
01:01:55Breaker let out a breath he must have been holding for ten minutes.
01:01:59By the ancients, he did it alone.
01:02:01I slid down the wall until I hit the floor, burying my face in my hands.
01:02:07The terror of the last two years, the hunger, the cold, the constant fear of being hunted,
01:02:13it all washed out of me in a violent, shaking sob.
01:02:17I felt a wet nose against my cheek.
01:02:20Leo was there, licking my tears away, whining softly.
01:02:24We're safe, I whispered into his fur.
01:02:26We're actually safe.
01:02:28The return to the citadel was a blur of activity.
01:02:31I was ushered down to the main hangar bay to meet him.
01:02:35The heavy blast doors opened, letting in a swirl of snow and freezing air.
01:02:40Kaelin walked in.
01:02:41He was back in human form, wearing a spare cloak someone had thrown over his shoulders.
01:02:46He was covered in sweat and grime.
01:02:49His tactical pants shredded.
01:02:50His chest heaving.
01:02:52Steam rose from his skin into the cold air.
01:02:55He looked exhausted.
01:02:56He looked terrifying.
01:02:58And when he saw me, his eyes softened instantly.
01:03:02He walked straight to me, ignoring the medics who were trying to check him for bullet wounds,
01:03:07ignoring his lieutenants who were asking for orders.
01:03:09He stopped in front of me.
01:03:11The heat coming off him was intense, like standing next to a furnace.
01:03:16Did you see?
01:03:17He asked, his voice rough, raspy from the growling.
01:03:20I saw, I managed to say, looking up at him.
01:03:24You didn't kill him.
01:03:25He is broken, Kaelin said grimly.
01:03:28He will never lead again.
01:03:30His wolves saw him beg.
01:03:32His authority is ash.
01:03:33That is a fate worse than death for a man like him.
01:03:36He reached out, his hand shaking slightly from the adrenaline crash, and cupped my cheek.
01:03:42His thumb brushed away a tear track.
01:03:44You are safe, Alara.
01:03:46No one will ever hunt you again.
01:03:48I swear it on my blood.
01:03:51I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes.
01:03:54I believe you.
01:03:55Then a commotion from the back of the hangar.
01:03:58Make way.
01:03:59Make way for the high elder.
01:04:01The crowd of soldiers parted.
01:04:03An elderly woman walked through.
01:04:05She was small, dressed in simple gray robes, leaning on a cane made of twisted driftwood.
01:04:12But the aura of power around her was suffocating.
01:04:16It was older and deeper than Kaelin's.
01:04:19This was the high elder of the council, the supreme authority of our world.
01:04:24She walked up to us, her sharp gray eyes scanning the scene.
01:04:29She looked at Kaelin, nodding with approval.
01:04:31She looked at me, her gaze curious.
01:04:33And then she looked at Leo.
01:04:37Leo, who was sitting by my feet, stood up.
01:04:40He didn't cower.
01:04:41He didn't wag his tail.
01:04:42He stood tall, his chest out, his blue eyes meeting the high elder's gaze with equal weight.
01:04:49The high elder gasped.
01:04:51She dropped her cane.
01:04:52Slowly, painfully, the old woman lowered herself to her knees on the concrete floor.
01:04:57My prince, she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
01:05:03We thought, we thought the line was ended.
01:05:07The entire hangar went silent.
01:05:09The medics, the soldiers, the mechanics, everyone dropped to one knee.
01:05:15Kaelin stepped back and bowed his head deeply.
01:05:18I was the only one standing.
01:05:20I looked around, panicked.
01:05:22Should I kneel?
01:05:23This was Leo.
01:05:24My Leo.
01:05:25The puppy who snored when he ate too much.
01:05:28Leo looked at the bowing crowd.
01:05:30Then he looked up at me.
01:05:32He nudged my hand with his wet nose, letting out a sharp bark.
01:05:36Don't you dare bow, he seemed to say.
01:05:39He does not wish for you to kneel, child, the elder said, looking up at me with wonder.
01:05:45He claims you.
01:05:46Claims me?
01:05:47I stammered.
01:05:49Look at his stance, the elder pointed.
01:05:51He is placing himself between you and the world.
01:05:55You are not his subject.
01:05:56You are his... family.
01:05:59You are the savior of the blood.
01:06:02She stood up, helped by an aide.
01:06:04She looked at Kaelin.
01:06:05Commander, you have done well.
01:06:08The recovery of the air is the greatest victory of our time.
01:06:11But who is this?
01:06:13She gestured to me.
01:06:14Kaelin straightened up.
01:06:16He moved to my side, his shoulder brushing mine.
01:06:19A solid wall of support.
01:06:22This is Ilara, Kaelin announced, his voice ringing through the hangar.
01:06:27She is the one who found him.
01:06:29She is the one who starved so he could eat.
01:06:32She is the one who kept him hidden from those who would harm him.
01:06:35She is the sanctuary keeper.
01:06:37Sanctuary keeper, the elder mused.
01:06:40A title not used in centuries.
01:06:43She smiled at me.
01:06:45Welcome to the obsidian citagalli, Laura.
01:06:48You will never know cold again.
01:06:50Epilogue.
01:06:51Six months later.
01:06:53The winter had finally broken.
01:06:55The mountains around the citadel were green, bursting with wildflowers and the sound of rushing water from the melting snow.
01:07:02I sat on the balcony of the commander's private quarters, a mug of hot tea in my hands, watching the sunrise over the peaks.
01:07:11I wasn't thin anymore.
01:07:12My body had filled out, strong and healthy.
01:07:16The scars were still there, faint white lines on my skin, but they didn't hurt anymore.
01:07:21They were just maps of where I had been.
01:07:24Thinking too loud?
01:07:26A deep voice rumbled behind me.
01:07:27Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a hard chest.
01:07:33Kaelin rested his chin on my shoulder, his morning stubble scratching my skin.
01:07:38Just watching the sunrise, I murmured, leaning back into him.
01:07:42It had been a slow dance between us.
01:07:45Months of talking, of healing, of learning to trust that his touch wasn't going to turn into a blow.
01:07:51But now, now he was my anchor, just as I had been Leo's.
01:07:56The council is arriving at noon, Kaelin said, kissing the side of my neck.
01:08:01The coronation preparations are finished.
01:08:04Is he ready?
01:08:05I asked.
01:08:06He was born ready.
01:08:08He's nervous, though.
01:08:09He wants you there, right next to him.
01:08:12I looked down at the courtyard below.
01:08:15A massive black wolf was chasing a ball, playing with two of the younger Obsidian recruits.
01:08:20They were laughing, running, treating him like a normal pup.
01:08:24Leo stopped.
01:08:26He looked up, his electric blue eyes finding me on the balcony instantly.
01:08:31He wagged his tail and let out a happy bark.
01:08:34The prince.
01:08:35The king to be.
01:08:37I thought about the cabin.
01:08:39I thought about the snare.
01:08:40I thought about the moment I almost walked away, almost left him to die in the snow because
01:08:46I was too afraid of my own shadow.
01:08:48I turned in Kaelin's arms, facing him.
01:08:52I ran my hand down the front of his shirt, resting my palm over his heart.
01:08:56It beats steady and strong beneath my fingers.
01:09:00I'm ready, I said.
01:09:01You know, Kaelin said softly, his golden eyes searching mine with that intensity that still
01:09:08made my breath catch.
01:09:09Vance is still in the holding cells.
01:09:11He asks about you sometimes.
01:09:14Does he?
01:09:15He asks why.
01:09:16Why you saved the wolf.
01:09:18Why you didn't run when we came.
01:09:20He doesn't understand it.
01:09:22He never will, I said.
01:09:24He thinks power is about taking, about crushing people until they're small.
01:09:29I looked back at Leo, who was now wrestling with a recruit, holding back his immense strength
01:09:35so he wouldn't hurt the man.
01:09:37He doesn't know that real power, I whispered, is feeding someone else when you're starving.
01:09:43Kaelin smiled, a genuine, rare smile that lit up his harsh features.
01:09:48He leaned down and kissed me, a slow, deep kiss that tasted of coffee and promise.
01:09:55Come on, sanctuary keeper.
01:09:56Your pack is waiting.
01:09:57I took his hand.
01:09:59We walked back inside, leaving the cold memories on the balcony, and stepped into the warmth
01:10:04of the life we had built.
01:10:06The runt was gone.
01:10:08The ghost of the Blackwood was gone.
01:10:10Ilara was home.
01:10:12The ghost of the bankruptcy.
01:10:13The ghost of the Highland Lion King.
01:10:17I'm sorry.
01:10:18The ghost, the Hole Lord let was good.
01:10:19Hang on.
01:10:21Thirty.
01:10:33I'll see you in the next room.
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