They followed Selene," Kael growled, instantly on high alert, his Alpha instincts overriding his internal trauma. "She sent them for you and the child. This is her final attempt to secure the throne."
The shadows came alive. A dozen rogues, their eyes glowing red and hungry in the storm, encircled the clearing, moving with a chilling, predatory focus. This was not a random ambush; this was a targeted hit orchestrated by the new Queen.
"Get behind me, Aria!" Kael roared, shifting instantly. His transformation was violent—bones snapping, muscle swelling, black fur tearing through his clothes. The magnificent black Alpha wolf slammed into the ground, a blur of muscle and fury.
The fight was immediate, savage, and terrifyingly one-sided. Kael was a machine of death, tearing, ripping, and crushing the rogues with effortless power, his roars of rage deafening. But there were too many, and they were coordinated, aiming not for Kael's defeat, but for my vulnerability.
Two rogues lunged at me. My wolf, fierce with the need to protect the life growing inside me, surged. I lifted my hands, and a burst of uncontrolled, instinctual healer's magic—a power I hadn't known I possessed, amplified by the mate bond—exploded from my palms, throwing one rogue back, its fur smoking.
But the second was faster, darker, and completely focused. Its teeth clamped down hard on my left shoulder, the pain searing.
I screamed, a sound of agony and fear.
"ARIA!" Kael's roar was agonizing, a sound of absolute terror and betrayal. He broke the rogue's back in a single motion, but his momentary delay allowed three others to swarm him, distracting him from the central threat.
A rogue charged my stomach, its jaws snapping close to my belly. I twisted, the pain from the shoulder bite and the strain on my body making me gasp.
Kael, seeing the danger, snapped entirely. He abandoned any pretense of defense and became a whirlwind of blood and black fur, unleashing a primal fury that tore through the remaining rogues. They fell lifelessly until the last one collapsed with a terrified whimper. The clearing fell silent, except for the heavy rain and Kael's ragged, guttural breaths.
He shifted back, staggering, ignoring the deep, bleeding cuts across his chest, and ran to me. His hands instantly went to my shoulder, then settled on my belly, checking the source of his terror.
"The baby?" he choked out, fear overwhelming the Alpha's customary control.
I guided his hand to the faint warmth. The rapid, fragile thrum was still there. "Still strong. She failed."
Relief flooded his face, quickly replaced by lethal fury. "She did this. Selene sent them. She will not stop until we are either dead or outside her reach."
He scooped me into his arms and carried me deeper into the woods until we reached a small, abandoned hunting cabin. He gently laid me on the damp, worn bed and began tending my wounds with surprising tenderness, his focus intense and protective.
"We're leaving the Dominion," he vowed, his voice firm. "Now. Before her soldiers arrive. I have lost my kingdom, but I have gained my family. That is the only pack that matters."
Suddenly, the door exploded inward.
Selene's soldiers, wearing the Raventhorn crest, flooded the small room, their armor gleaming in the faint lamplight. Standing before them was the Queen herself, a chilling, triumphant smile on her face.
"Take the girl," Selene commanded, her voice calm and cold. "And kill the child."
Kael roared, shifting instantly into his Alpha form, but he was too late. Silver-tipped spears shot out, pinning his massive wolf body to the floor. He howled in pain as the silver seared his skin.
A soldier grabbed and held me as Selene approached. She pressed a sharp, cold dagger against my pregnant belly.
"Don't you dare," I gasped, struggling against the soldier's iron grip.
"Why not?" Selene sneered, triumphant. "You lose everything, Kael. Your crown. Your mate. Your heir. I win." She raised the dagger, aiming for my abdomen.
Kael thrashed against the silver, a sound of pure, helpless anguish ripping from his throat.
As Selene plunged the dagger forward, my wolf screamed, the pain and the threat fueling my untapped power. Pure, white, uncontrolled magic burst from me, amplified by the terror for my child. The shockwave blasted the soldier off me and flung Selene into the wall. The dagger skittered across the floor. The baby's heartbeat pulsed faintly—still there.
I stood shaking, hands glowing with raw, untamed power. Selene stared at me, her face pale with shock and fear. "You… you have forbidden power."
"Touch my child again," I warned, trembling with fury, "and I will show you how much power is forbidden to the queen."
Chaos erupted. Soldiers rushed me. Kael, breaking free of the spears despite his wounds, stumbled toward me. Selene screamed for her remaining men to subdue me.
"We have to run, Aria!" Kael yelled, blood streaking down his skin.
But Selene lunged for the fallen dagger. "I will never stop! Your child will never sit on any throne!"
Kael surged forward, intercepting her. He caught her wrist just as she swung. The dagger sliced into his palm, but he didn't flinch. He wrenched the weapon away and gripped her throat.
"I warned you," he growled, the threat of murder shaking his voice. "You forced my hand. You chose war."
"Kael, let her go," I whispered, stepping closer, needing to pull him back from the edge of killing her. "We need to leave her here, alive. We need to go toward freedom, not vengeance."
With an effort that cost him every ounce of control, he loosened his grip. Selene crashed to the floor, gasping.
"Touch my mate again," Kael told her, his voice low, lethal, and final, shielding me with his body, "and I will destroy you. This is your only warning."