The air in the Dead Forest became heavy and hot. The smell of Thorne's scent—forest pine and musk—filled the space, clashing with the rot of the woods. He looked at me with a look I had never seen before. It wasn't the look of a man who loved me; it was the look of a man who had found a lost treasure and would kill anyone who touched it.
"Elara," Thorne said, his voice dropping to a low, seductive purr. "Don't listen to these outcasts. They want to use you. They want to use our child. Come back to me. I'll build you a palace. I'll make everyone who laughed at you kneel at your feet."
"You already made me kneel, Thorne," I said, my voice as cold as the ice-dragons. "You did it the night you rejected me. You don't want me. You just want the power I'm carrying."
Thorne's face twisted. The "regret" disappeared, replaced by the raw, dominant fury of an Alpha. "It doesn't matter what I want! That child is the future of the Blackwood Pack. I will not let it be raised in the mud by a shadow-freak and a scavenger!"
With a roar, Thorne shifted fully. He became the massive grey wolf, a beast of pure muscle and rage. He lunged, not at me, but at Silas. He knew Silas was the only thing standing between him and his "prize."
"Silas, watch out!" I screamed.
Silas met him halfway. Even weakened, the Shadow King was a terror. He didn't shift into a wolf; he became a silhouette of darkness, his claws elongated and glowing with purple light. The two collided with a sound like a car crash. They tumbled through the black trees, tearing through the bark and the mist.
Nyx, the rogue woman, didn't move to help. She notched another silver arrow, her eyes darting between the fight and me.
"Make a choice, Princess," she hissed. "The Alpha will chain you. The Shadow King will die for you. But if you want to be free, you have to be the one to end this."
I watched Silas. He was bleeding. Thorne's jaws snapped shut inches from Silas's throat. Thorne was heavier, fueled by the obsession of the bloodline. He was winning.
No, I thought. I am not a prize. My child is not a tool.
I felt the heat in my palms again. But this time, it wasn't just the Silver Flame. It was the golden light of the child. I closed my eyes and reached inward, touching that tiny, fierce heartbeat.
"Thorne! Look at me!" I yelled.
The giant grey wolf pinned Silas to the ground and turned his head toward me, his muzzle dripping with Silas's blood.
I didn't blast him. I did something much worse for an Alpha. I used the "Command."
"I am the White Queen," I whispered, and my voice sounded like it came from the mountains themselves. "And I command you to bow."
A massive wave of golden energy erupted from me. It didn't burn the trees; it simply pressed down on everything with the weight of a thousand years of royalty.
Thorne's legs buckled. He struggled, his muscles bulging as he tried to resist. No one had ever commanded him before. He was an Alpha; he was born to lead. But my blood was the blood of the Gods.
Slowly, painfully, the great grey wolf was forced onto his belly. His head was pressed into the black dirt. He let out a pained whimper, his golden eyes wide with shock and humiliation.
Silas scrambled away, coughing and clutching his side. He looked at me with awe. Even Nyx lowered her bow, her face pale.
"You... you commanded an Alpha," Silas breathed.
I walked toward Thorne. He was still pinned to the ground by my will. I looked down at him, feeling no pity.
"Go back to your pack, Thorne," I said. "Tell them the girl you rejected is dead. Tell them a Queen has taken her place. If you ever follow us again, I won't just make you bow. I will take your wolf away forever."
I released the pressure. Thorne stayed on the ground for a long time, gasping for air. When he finally stood up, he didn't shift back. He looked at me, a deep, dark hatred simmering in his eyes. He realized he couldn't force me anymore.
He let out one final, haunting howl—a howl of loss and a promise of revenge—and vanished into the mist, heading back toward the West.
I felt my legs go weak. The golden light faded, and I started to fall.
Silas caught me before I hit the ground. He pulled me against his chest, his heart beating fast. "I've got you. I've got you, Elara."
"Is he gone?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"For now," Silas said, kissing the top of my head. "But we have to move. The Command you just used... it was like a flare in the night. The King of the North will have felt it. He knows exactly where we are now."
Nyx stepped forward, her eyes greedy. "The girl needs a place to hide that isn't on any map. I know a cave system deeper in the Dead Forest. It's protected by ancient salt. Not even the King's magic can peer inside."
"Lead the way," Silas said, though he didn't trust her.
As we walked deeper into the darkness, the air grew colder. We reached a narrow opening in a cliffside. Inside, the walls were white with salt, and it felt strangely peaceful.
Silas laid me down on a bed of dry moss. He sat beside me, his hand resting on my stomach. The baby kicked, and Silas's eyes softened.
"We're safe for tonight," he whispered.
But as I drifted off to sleep, I felt a cold shiver. I looked at the entrance of the cave. A small, white raven was sitting there, watching us. It had eyes that looked like ice.
The bird tilted its head and spoke in the voice of the King of the North.
"The child belongs to the frost, little wolf. Enjoy your sleep... it will be your last."
The bird shattered into a thousand pieces of ice.