The journey to the citadel was a blur of numbing cold and terrifying speed. Kael moved with a silent, relentless stride that devoured the frozen landscape. Elara was held firmly against his chest, the heavy thrum of his heartbeat the only constant in the chaotic elemental storm he commanded. Though she was a human in thin clothing, the proximity to his bulk radiated an intense, focused warmth—a magical barrier against the blizzard that roared around them. He was a furnace wrapped in ice.
She tried to pull away, her clinical mind reeling from the violation of his touch. "You can put me down! I can walk. I am perfectly capable of—"
"Silence, little Conduit." Kael's voice was low, cutting through the wind with chilling finality. "You do not dictate terms in my territory. You have earned your life, but you are now under my Claim. Every breath you draw, every beat of your fragile heart, belongs to the Ice Pack's survival."
The word Claim was not a threat; it was a statement of fact, as unyielding as the permafrost under their feet. It resonated with the instinctual, protective possessiveness of an apex predator. Elara realized she had traded the chaos of the portal for a cage built of ice and duty.
The Ice Citadel rose from the jagged mountainside like a natural extension of the glacier itself. It was not built of stones, but formed by Kael's raw elemental power—a sprawling complex of towers and ramparts shimmering with captured moonlight. The very air here felt pure, the blizzard thinning away from the Alpha's stronghold.
Once inside the main entrance, the scent of pine, meat, and elemental magic overwhelmed her. The space was enormous, vaulted by arches of living ice. Numerous figures, fully shifted into large, powerful gray and white wolves, moved with quiet, disciplined purpose, their arctic eyes watching Elara with intense, unnerving curiosity. They were the Ice Pack, and she was the disruption.
Kael set her down abruptly in what appeared to be a central meeting hall. The floor was covered in rich, thick furs, and a massive fire pit glowed, fueled by magically sustained blue flame.
"Elias!" Kael barked.
A sleek, white-furred wolf immediately shifted, transforming in a painful rush of muscle and bone into the Beta Elara had saved earlier. Elias, though still pale, was steady on his feet. The wound on his chest, where Elara's hand had rested, was now sealed with a fine sheen of ice magic, the toxic green tint fully gone.
"Alpha," Elias responded, bowing his head respectfully to Kael, then turning his clear, grateful blue eyes to Elara.
"The Beta's recovery is your first success," Kael said, dismissing the healing with a wave of his hand. "You will now ensure its permanence. This is your assignment: You will reside in the Guardian Chamber—it is secure. You will tend to the pack members currently afflicted by the Corruption, and you will teach Elias your medical protocols. Under no circumstances will you leave the Citadel walls without my direct escort."
Elara felt the cold certainty of her confinement. "You want me to be a magical medic and a science teacher, all while locked in a freezer?"
Kael stepped closer, forcing her to tilt her head back. His voice dropped to a low, warning growl. "You misunderstand, Conduit. The Shadow Corruption kills. If you are taken, the Ice Pack dies. The only reason you still draw breath is that your purity is necessary. Test my patience, and I will treat you as I treat any liability."
His hand reached out, not to grasp, but to cup the back of her neck with chilling possessiveness. She could feel the faint tremor of his elemental power running through the skin. It wasn't sexual; it was a statement of ownership, claiming her central nervous system as part of his domain.
"You are mine to command," Kael finished, his eyes boring into hers. "Your worth is your skill. Prove it."
Before Elara could voice a furious protest, Kael released her and turned to address Elias. "Elias will be your primary keeper. You will answer all her questions, but you will allow no questions about the world outside these walls. Understand?"
"Understood, Alpha," Elias confirmed, looking uncomfortable but subservient.
Kael departed with the same silent speed he arrived, leaving Elara alone with the Beta she had saved and the intimidating silence of the vast ice hall.
Elara took a deep, shaky breath, fighting the urge to dissolve into terror. She was captive, surrounded by wolves, and commanded by an Alpha who viewed her as a healing machine.
She turned to Elias, focusing on the only thing she could control—the work. "Right. Elias. Let's start with the basics. Where is your nearest source of clean, boiled water, and do you have any fabric that can be sanitized and used as sterile dressing?"
Elias, the stoic warrior, looked utterly perplexed by the concept of "boiling" and "sanitization." "We… we use magic to freeze the water and purify it. And our bandages are usually linen infused with healing mana."
Elara pinched the bridge of her nose. This was going to be a lot harder than treating shock. "No. No magic. We are going to start with fire, heat, and chemistry. Show me the Citadel's kitchen. I need to make some soap."
She was claimed, isolated, and overwhelmed. But she was also a problem solver, and the Beastworld was full of problems.
Elara has established her first demand: separating her Earthly science from the Beastworld's magic. The stage is set for her to start proving her value in the Guardian Chamber.