Kael's POV
My wolf moved faster than thought.
One second Zara was lunging at the human girl's throat. The next, I had my sister pinned to the ground, my hand around her neck, my wolf snarling through my human vocal cords.
"Stand. Down," I growled.
Zara's eyes flashed with shock and fury. In twenty-nine years as Alpha, I'd never put my hands on her in anger. She was my baby sister. My only family after our parents died.
But my wolf didn't care about family right now.
My wolf only cared about the terrified girl behind me whose bond mark burned on my wrist like a brand.
"Kael," Zara gasped, clawing at my hand. "What are you doing?"
"Protecting what's mine."
The words came out before I could stop them. The entire pack went silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
I released Zara and stood, my body still positioned between her and the human. My wolf was going insane, demanding I shift and show everyone exactly who this female belonged to.
I forced it down. Barely.
"She bonded with you," Zara said, understanding dawning in her eyes. "That's why you're acting crazy. The bond is making you protect her."
"I'm not acting crazy. I'm following pack law." I kept my voice level even though my heart was hammering. "A bond is sacred. Anyone who harms a bonded mate answers to me with their life. You know this, Zara."
"She's human!" Zara snarled, getting to her feet. "The same creatures who murdered our parents! Who hunted us for sport! Who trapped Father in that steel cage and made Mother watch while they—"
"Enough." The word cracked like a whip. I couldn't hear it. Couldn't let myself remember that night twelve years ago. The screams. The blood. The helplessness of being too young and too weak to save them.
Humans took everything from me.
And now I was bonded to one.
The girl—I didn't even know her name—made a small sound behind me. When I glanced back, she was staring at me with those honey-colored eyes full of horror.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry about your parents."
Something twisted in my chest. She sounded like she meant it. Like she actually cared that two wolves she'd never met were butchered by her kind.
I looked away. "Elder Moira. I'm calling a pack council. Now."
Ten minutes later, we stood in the center of the village meeting grounds. The entire pack circled us—over a hundred wolves in human form, all staring at the trembling human girl I'd wrapped in my cloak.
She looked so small. So breakable. How was she supposed to survive here?
Why did I even care?
Elder Moira stepped forward, ancient and wise, her white hair braided with bone beads. She took one look at the human and sucked in a sharp breath.
"Come here, child," Moira said gently.
The girl hesitated, looking at me. Like she was asking permission. Like she trusted me to tell her if it was safe.
I nodded once.
She walked to Moira on shaking legs. The Elder took her wrist, examining the glowing purple mark, then checked my matching one.
"A true bond," Moira breathed. "I never thought I'd see one again." She looked at the girl with something like wonder. "What's your name, child?"
"Lyra," the girl said quietly. "Lyra Kane."
"Lyra Kane," Moira repeated. "Do you know what you are?"
"A Beastcaller?" Lyra's voice was small. "That's what Kael said. But I don't know what it means."
Moira smiled sadly. "It means you have the blood of the ancient ones. The first females who could bond with beastmen, creating ties stronger than steel. Your mother was one, yes?"
Lyra nodded. "She died when I was sixteen. She never told me about any of this."
"She was protecting you," Moira said. "The last Beastcaller was hunted and killed thirty years ago. Powerful males fought wars over her, trying to claim her bonds. She died in the crossfire, and the realm swore never to let it happen again."
"Then why does everyone want to kill me?" Lyra asked.
"Because," Zara cut in, her voice sharp, "a Beastcaller can bond with multiple males. Four, five, even six bonds. Each bond makes both parties stronger. You're a weapon, human. And weapons get used."
Lyra flinched like she'd been slapped.
"She's not a weapon," I said, the words coming out harsher than I intended. "She's a person. And she didn't choose to be here."
"Then send her back through the portal," someone in the crowd yelled.
"The portal closed," I said. "There's no sending her back."
Murmurs rippled through the pack. Fear. Anger. Suspicion.
"If she stays, other territories will come for her," Zara said. "The Dragons. The Bears. The Foxes. They'll all want to claim her bonds. We'll be at war within a week."
"Then let them come," I said coldly. "She's under my protection. Mine. Anyone who wants her goes through me first."
More murmurs. Shocked ones this time.
Moira studied me with those sharp ancient eyes. "Kael. You would risk war with multiple territories for a human you just met?"
Would I?
My wolf screamed YES. Screamed MINE. Screamed PROTECT.
But my human side remembered my parents' bodies. Remembered how humans destroyed everything they touched.
I looked at Lyra. She was crying silently, tears streaming down her dirty face, trying so hard to be brave. She'd been betrayed by someone she trusted. Thrown into a nightmare world. Surrounded by creatures who wanted her dead.
And she was still standing.
"Yes," I said. "I would."
Moira nodded slowly. "Then it's decided. The human stays under Alpha Kael's protection. But mark my words—when the other territories hear about this, blood will spill. The question is how much."
The pack dispersed slowly, casting dark looks at Lyra. Zara stormed off without another word. Only Moira remained, her weathered hand on my shoulder.
"The bond will make you do things you don't understand," she said quietly. "It will make you choose her over your own kind. Over your own judgment. Are you prepared for that?"
"I don't have a choice," I said bitterly. "The bond already made the choice for me."
"There's always a choice, Kael. You just might not like what it costs."
She left me alone with Lyra.
The girl—Lyra—stood there shivering despite the cloak, looking lost and alone and absolutely terrified.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For saving me. Again."
"Don't thank me yet," I said, starting toward my house. "Come on. You need food and sleep. Tomorrow we figure out how to keep you alive."
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, following. "You hate humans. You said—"
"My wolf bonded with you without permission," I interrupted. "That makes you my responsibility. Nothing more."
It was a lie. Even I could hear it.
The bond burned on my wrist, warm and insistent, connecting me to this human girl who had no business being here. Who smelled like fear and flowers. Who looked at me like I was something other than a monster.
I hated it. Hated her for making me feel things I'd buried twelve years ago.
But I'd protect her anyway. Because my wolf would tear me apart from the inside if I didn't.
We reached my house—a simple cabin at the edge of the village. I pushed open the door and gestured for her to enter.
"You'll sleep here tonight," I said. "I'll take the floor."
"I can't ask you to—"
"You're not asking. I'm telling." I grabbed a blanket from the chest. "Get some rest. Things are going to get worse before they get better."
She looked like she wanted to argue, but exhaustion won. She curled up on my bed, still wearing my cloak, and within minutes her breathing evened out.
I sat on the floor, back against the wall, watching her sleep.
This human girl was going to destroy everything. I could feel it in my bones.
And the worst part?
I wasn't sure I cared anymore.
A howl split the night—not from my pack. From the east.
Then another howl from the south.
Then a roar that shook the cabin walls from the west.
The other territories had arrived.
And they weren't here to talk.