KAEL'S POV
The Dragon Lord's shadow fell across Silverwood like a death sentence.
I grabbed Aria's hand and ran. No time to explain. No time to think. Just move.
"Kael, what—" she started.
"Dragons don't come to negotiate," I cut her off. "They come to conquer."
Behind us, Ryder was already organizing his wolves into defensive positions. Males shifted into beast forms, snarling and ready. But I'd seen dragons fight before. Wolves wouldn't be enough.
Nothing would be enough if Thorne Ashenwing wanted something.
And right now, he wanted Aria.
I pulled her into the dense forest, away from the pack house. She stumbled but kept pace, her hand tight in mine. Good. She was learning to trust her instincts.
"Where are we going?" she gasped.
"Somewhere they can't track you easily." I led her deeper into the woods, toward the river. Water would mask her scent. "Stay quiet. Dragons have excellent hearing."
She nodded, pressing her lips together.
We reached the river—fast-moving and cold. I waded in without hesitation. Aria hesitated at the edge.
"I can't swim very well," she admitted quietly.
Of course. Another thing she needed to learn. Another way this world could kill her.
"Hold onto me." I shifted into leopard form, crouching low. "Climb on my back."
She stared. "You want me to ride you?"
I huffed impatiently. No time for modesty.
She climbed on, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my middle. Her body was warm against my fur. The mate bond hummed with satisfaction at her closeness.
Focus. I could admire the feeling later. Right now, I needed to keep her alive.
I swam across the river, powerful strokes carrying us both. The current was strong but I was stronger. My body finally worked the way it should—no weakness, no pain. All thanks to her.
We reached the other side. I shifted back to human, steadying her as she slid off.
"We can't stay in one place," I said. "Dragons will search the entire territory."
"Why do they want me so badly?" Aria's voice shook slightly. "I'm just one person."
"You're not just anything." I started walking, keeping her close. "In the Beastworld, females are rare. One for every hundred males. Most males die without ever having a mate. But you?" I glanced at her. "You're a Lifebringer. You can save dying females. Do you understand what that means?"
"That everyone wants to use me."
"That you have the power to change everything." I stopped walking and faced her. "Every alpha who claims you gains status. Gains hope for their dying females. Gains the strongest possible mate." I hesitated, then added honestly, "Including me."
She looked up at me, those brown eyes searching. "Is that why you're protecting me? Because of the mate bond?"
The question hit harder than I expected. Was it just the bond? Or something more?
"At first, maybe," I admitted. "The bond makes me want to keep you safe. To be near you. But..." I struggled for words. I'd never been good at this. "You stayed when everyone else ran from me. You healed me when I was cursed and dying. You risked yourself for Lyra—a stranger." I took a breath. "The bond chose well. You're worth protecting even without it."
Her cheeks flushed. "You're not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Someone more..." she gestured vaguely, "possessive? Controlling? Every male here talks about claiming me like I'm property."
"They're fools." The words came out harsher than I intended. "You can't own someone worth keeping. You can only hope they choose to stay."
She smiled—soft and real. It transformed her face. "That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."
Romantic? I was just stating facts. But if it made her smile like that...
A roar shattered the moment.
Not a wolf's howl. Not a leopard's growl. The deep, earth-shaking roar of a dragon.
It was close. Too close.
"Run," I said.
We ran.
Branches whipped past. Aria's breathing grew ragged but she didn't slow. I could hear the dragon behind us—massive wings beating air, trees crashing as it landed.
Then a voice—deep, ancient, amused: "Running is pointless, little leopard. I can smell her from here."
I pulled Aria behind a massive tree trunk, pressing a finger to her lips. She nodded, eyes wide.
Thorne Ashenwing landed in the clearing we'd just left. Even in human form, he was terrifying—six and a half feet tall, dark red hair, golden eyes with vertical pupils. Power radiated from him like heat from a forge.
"I'm not here to fight," Thorne called out. "I'm here to talk."
I didn't believe him. Dragons didn't "talk."
"The girl needs training," Thorne continued, walking slowly through the trees. "I can smell her fear. She doesn't know how to shift properly. Doesn't know how to control her power. She's a weapon with no training—dangerous to herself and everyone around her."
Aria's hand gripped my arm. He was right. She'd almost killed herself healing Lyra. Almost lost control during her first shift attempt.
"I can teach her," Thorne said. "I'm over a century old. I've seen three Lifebringers in my lifetime. I know what she is. What she'll become." He stopped, looking directly at our hiding spot. "I also know you can't protect her, Snowpaw. You're strong, but you're not alpha-strong. Tomorrow's gathering will prove it."
Rage burned through me. "I'll die trying."
"I know. That's the problem." Thorne's golden eyes were unreadable. "She'll watch you die, then be claimed by whoever's left standing. Is that what you want for your mate?"
Aria stood up before I could stop her. "What do you want?"
"Smart girl. Direct questions." Thorne smiled slightly. "I want to propose an alliance. You come to Crimson Peaks—my territory. I teach you to control your power. In exchange, you heal the females in my clan."
"And what does Kael get?" Aria asked.
Thorne's eyebrows rose. "She negotiates for her mate. Interesting." He looked at me. "You get to come with her. Live in my territory. Learn from my warriors. Become strong enough to challenge any alpha in the Beastworld."
It was a good offer. Too good.
"What's the catch?" I asked.
"The catch is simple." Thorne's expression went cold. "If you refuse, I'll take her by force. I have fifty dragons surrounding this forest. Ryder's wolves are outnumbered five to one. I'm offering you a choice, but make no mistake—the girl comes with me either way."
Aria's face went pale. "You're threatening war."
"I'm preventing it. If I don't claim you now, every clan will fight for you tomorrow. Thousands will die. The territory will be soaked in blood." He stepped closer. "I'm offering you protection, training, and time to figure out what you want. That's more than anyone else will give you."
"He's right," I said quietly. It hurt to admit, but it was true. "Tomorrow's gathering will be a bloodbath."
"So what, I just go with him?" Aria's voice rose. "Trust a dragon who just threatened to kidnap me?"
"Yes," Thorne said simply. "Because unlike the others, I'm being honest about what I am. I'm a predator. I want your power secured in my clan. But I won't force myself on you. I won't breed you like livestock. I'll teach you to survive long enough to make your own choices."
Aria looked at me, conflict written all over her face. "What should I do?"
This was my moment to be noble. To tell her to go, to learn, to become strong enough to protect herself. Even if it meant watching her leave with another male.
But the mate bond screamed at me to refuse. To fight. To keep her close no matter the cost.
I took her hand. "It's your choice. I'll follow wherever you go."
She squeezed my hand. Looked at Thorne. "I have conditions."
"Of course you do." Thorne's lips quirked.
"Kael stays with me. Always. No separating us." She lifted her chin. "And you don't touch me without permission. Not for healing, not for training, nothing."
"Agreed."
"And if I don't like it, we leave. No arguments."
Thorne considered. "You can leave... if you can defeat me in combat first."
"That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, little Lifebringer. But it's better than the alternative." His golden eyes glowed. "So. Do we have a deal?"
Before Aria could answer, the forest exploded with wolf howls.
Ryder burst through the trees in human form, bleeding from multiple wounds. "Thorne! Your dragons just attacked my pack house!"
"What?" Thorne's face darkened. "I gave no such order."
"Tell that to my dead wolves!" Ryder snarled.
Then I smelled it. Smoke. Fire. Burning fur and flesh.
And underneath it all—a scent I hadn't smelled in years. Cold. Ancient. Wrong.
"That's not dragon fire," I said slowly. "That's—"
"Shadow Beasts," Thorne finished, his voice grim. "Someone opened a rift to the Dead Lands."
Aria looked between us. "What are Shadow Beasts?"
"Things that should stay buried," I said.
A scream pierced the air. Female. Young.
"Lyra," Aria breathed. She pulled her hand from mine and ran.
"Aria, NO!" I chased after her.
But she was already gone, running toward the smoke and fire and monsters, toward a girl she barely knew.
Because that's who she was. She saved people.
Even when it killed her.