I woke up to sunlight and silence, which was somehow worse than waking up to Kael's absence.
The clock on the nightstand said 9:47 AM. I'd slept for almost twelve hours straight, which meant the heat had finally given me a break or my body had just given up. Either way, I was alone in a bed that smelled like sex and pine smoke, wearing a shirt that wasn't mine, in a tower I couldn't leave.
Great. Living the dream.
I sat up slowly, testing my body for damage. Sore everywhere. The ache between my legs had graduated from uncomfortable to genuinely painful. My neck felt weird where Kael had almost bitten me last night, like the skin there was waiting for something that never came.
The suite was quiet. Too quiet.
I slid out of bed and immediately regretted it when my knees buckled. Had to catch myself on the nightstand, breathing through the weakness. This was what happened when you spent two days doing nothing but fucking and sleeping. Your legs forgot how to work.
"Kael?"
No answer.
The bathroom door was open, the living room empty. I checked the whole suite, which was stupid because it wasn't that big, but I checked anyway. Kitchen untouched. Study door closed. Balcony empty.
He'd left me alone. Again.
I found a note on the kitchen counter, his handwriting sharp and precise like everything else about him.
Emergency council meeting. Back by noon. Don't leave the suite. Don't open the door for anyone. There's food in the fridge. K.
That was it. No explanation of what the emergency was. No acknowledgment of what had happened last night with Celeste. Just orders delivered like I was some kind of pet he needed to leave instructions for.
I crumpled the note and threw it across the room. It bounced off the wall with a pathetically quiet sound that did nothing to satisfy the anger building in my chest.
Two days. I'd been here two days and I'd already lost myself completely. Let him touch me, claim me, mark me with a bond I could feel humming under my skin like a second heartbeat. And for what? So he could leave me locked in a tower while he went off to have meetings about which political bride would best serve his kingdom?
I needed a shower. Needed to wash his scent off my skin, clear my head, figure out what the hell I was going to do for the next five days.
The bathroom was obscene. All marble and glass, shower big enough for six people, tub that could probably fit ten. I turned the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray, letting it beat against my shoulders until my skin turned red.
This was temporary. That's what I needed to remember. Seven days and then I was gone. Back to my suppressants and my quiet life and pretending none of this ever happened.
Except I could still feel him. That thread connecting us, thin but getting stronger. If I concentrated, I could almost sense his mood. Tense. Angry. Frustrated.
I pressed my forehead against the tile and tried to breathe through the realization that Elder Thomas was right. The bond was already too deep. Breaking it was going to hurt like hell.
The water started to cool. I'd been in here too long, pruning like a raisin, avoiding the reality of being awake and alone and stuck. I shut off the shower and grabbed a towel, caught sight of myself in the mirror.
I looked wrecked. Hair tangled, eyes shadowed, bruises blooming purple on my hips where Kael's fingers had gripped too hard. But it was my neck that made me stop.
No bite. But the skin there was darker, like it was bruised from the inside. Like his teeth had left a ghost mark even though he'd pulled away.
I touched it gently and felt heat bloom under my fingers. Felt that bond pull tight.
He'd wanted to mark me. His wolf had been screaming for it. And he'd stopped himself because marking me would make this real, would make me impossible to walk away from.
Good. At least one of us had some self-control.
I found clean clothes in his closet. Everything was too big, but I managed with a pair of sweatpants rolled at the waist and another one of his shirts. It felt weird wearing his clothes. Intimate in a way that had nothing to do with sex.
The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the forest. I stood there for a while, watching wolves move through the trees below. Patrols probably. Or maybe just pack members going about their day, completely unaware that there was an Omega locked in the tower above them causing absolute chaos.
I wondered what they'd think if they knew. If they'd demand Kael hand me over. If they'd understand why he was risking everything for seven days with a stranger.
I didn't understand it myself.
My stomach growled. Right. Food. I was supposed to eat something.
The fridge was stocked like he was feeding an army. Fresh fruit, cheese, bread that looked homemade, some kind of soup in a container. I grabbed an apple and bit into it, the sweetness almost shocking after two days of nothing but water and Kael.
That's when I heard voices in the hallway outside.
Male voices. Multiple. Getting closer.
I froze, apple halfway to my mouth, every instinct suddenly screaming danger.
Kael said don't open the door for anyone. Which implied people might try.
The voices stopped right outside. I heard the keycard reader beep. Once. Twice. Three times.
Someone was trying to get in.
"It's not working." Young voice, frustrated.
"Try again." Older, rougher. "Security said it'd work."
"Security lied then, because it's not fucking working."
"Forget the card. Just break it down."
My heart slammed against my ribs. I set the apple down carefully, looking around for anything I could use as a weapon. Kitchen knives. I could grab kitchen knives.
I was halfway across the room when the door crashed open.
Three of them. All big, all Alpha by the way they moved, the way their eyes locked onto me immediately and started to glow.
The one in front was massive. Shaved head, scar across his jaw, smile that made my skin crawl. "There you are."
I backed up. "Get out. You're not supposed to be here."
"Neither are you, sweetheart." He stepped inside, the other two flanking him. "But here we are."
The door swung shut behind them. The lock clicked.
Trapped. I was trapped in here with three Alphas who were looking at me like I was prey.
"The King isn't here," I said, trying to sound calm. Trying not to let them smell my fear. "He'll be back soon. You should leave before—"
"Before what? Before he keeps hoarding you like you're his personal whore?" The one on the left spoke now, younger than the others, brown hair, cold eyes. "Omegas are meant to be shared. That's the law."
"That's not the law." My back hit the kitchen counter. "And I'm not anyone's to share."
The big one laughed. "You've been in the King's bed for two days straight. Your scent is all over this tower. You've got every unmated Alpha in the palace losing their minds, and you think you're not ours to share?"
He took another step forward. I could smell him now. Sweat and aggression and rut starting to build. All three of them were on the edge of losing control.
"You touch me and he'll kill you," I said.
"Maybe. But you'll be ours first."
They moved fast. One second they were across the room, the next they were on me.
I screamed and threw the apple. It hit the big one in the face, which did exactly nothing except make him angrier. His hand caught my wrist, yanked me forward. I felt his other hand fisting in my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat.
"Should've just submitted, Omega. Would've made this easier."
I drove my knee into his groin as hard as I could.
He howled and released me, stumbling back. The other two grabbed me before I could run. One caught my arms, pinning them behind my back. The other pressed against my front, his face buried in my neck, inhaling like he was trying to breathe me in.
"Fuck, she smells good. Like honey. Like heat."
"My turn." The big one recovered faster than I expected. His hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to make breathing difficult. "You want to fight? Fine. We like it better when they fight."
Terror turned everything sharp and bright. I thrashed, kicked, tried to bite, but there were three of them and they were so much stronger. The one behind me laughed when I struggled, his breath hot against my ear.
"That's it. Keep moving. Makes it more fun."
The big one's hand moved from my throat to my chest, squeezing hard enough to hurt. "Let's see what the King's been enjoying."
Something inside me broke.
Not fear. Not panic. Something else. Something that rose up from a place I didn't know existed, hot and desperate and absolutely drowning in terror.
It wasn't a word. Wasn't a command. It was pure emotion, raw and overwhelming, flooding out of me like a dam breaking.
Fear. My fear. So intense it was almost physical.
All three of them staggered back like I'd shoved them.
The big one made a choking sound, his hand flying to his chest. The one who'd been holding me from behind actually whimpered, releasing me completely. The third stumbled sideways, his face going pale.
"What the fuck," one of them gasped. "What is she doing?"
I didn't know. Didn't understand what was happening. But I could feel something pouring out of me, some kind of energy or emotion or power that was making them feel what I felt.
Making them feel my terror.
The big one's eyes were wide, his breathing rapid. "Can't... can't breathe..."
"Make it stop," another one begged. "Please, make it stop."
I couldn't make it stop. Didn't know how I'd started it. Could only stand there shaking while whatever this was poured out of me, drowning them in my fear until they were the ones who looked terrified.
They ran.
Actually turned and fled like I was the monster, like I was the thing they needed to escape. The door slammed behind them hard enough to rattle the frame.
The moment they were gone, whatever I'd been doing cut off like a switch flipped. I collapsed against the counter, my legs giving out completely. My whole body was shaking, cold sweat coating my skin.
What the hell was that?
My hands were trembling so badly I could barely grip the counter edge. No glow this time. No visible sign of what I'd done. Just the memory of that feeling, that wave of emotion that had poured out of me and into them.
I'd made them feel my fear. Somehow projected it directly into their minds until they couldn't tell the difference between their emotions and mine.
The door burst open again and I screamed, pressing back against the counter, that terror rising again, ready to flood out.
But it was Kael.
Kael with his eyes blazing blue, his body vibrating with rage, looking around the suite like he was searching for targets. His gaze landed on me, took in my disheveled state, the way I was shaking.
"What happened." Not a question. A demand.
"Three Alphas broke in." My voice sounded wrong. Too high. "They tried to—they wanted to—"
I couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't say the words out loud.
His face went absolutely blank. That careful control he always wore just vanished, replaced by something primitive and terrifying.
"Where are they."
"They left. I made them leave. I don't know how but I—"
He was moving before I finished speaking, heading for the door. I grabbed his arm without thinking.
"Don't. Kael, don't go. I'm fine. I'm okay."
"You're not okay." He turned to look at me and I actually flinched. His wolf was right there, so close to the surface I could see it in his eyes. "You're shaking. Did they touch you? Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me." His hand cupped my face, thumb brushing over my cheekbone. "I can smell them on you. I can smell your fear. Tell me what they did."
"They grabbed me. Tried to—" I swallowed hard. "But I stopped them. Something happened. I felt this... this wave of fear and it just came out of me. They felt it. All of them. They couldn't handle it and they ran."
Something changed in his expression. Not surprise. Recognition.
"You projected."
"I what?"
"Omegas can project emotions. It's rare. Most never develop it." His thumb traced my jaw. "You made them feel what you were feeling."
"I didn't mean to. I didn't even know I could—"
"It's instinct. Self-defense." He pulled me against his chest, one hand in my hair, the other wrapped around my waist. I could feel him shaking too, his whole body rigid with the effort of controlling his wolf. "I'm going to kill them. Slowly. I'm going to make an example of them that every wolf in this territory will remember."
"You can't. It'll make things worse politically—"
"I don't give a fuck about politics." He pulled back enough to look at me. "They broke into my quarters. They touched what's mine. There's no politics in the world that will save them from what I'm going to do."
What's mine.
The words should have made me angry. Should have made me push him away and remind him I wasn't his property.
Instead they made something warm unfurl in my chest.
"How did they even get in?" I asked. "You have a keycard lock. Security."
His jaw clenched. "Someone helped them. Gave them access. Which means this wasn't random. Someone wanted this to happen."
Before I could respond, the door opened again. A woman this time, tall and broad-shouldered with scars crossing her face, wearing tactical gear that screamed military.
"Your Majesty." She stopped when she saw us, her eyes taking in the way Kael was holding me. "I came as soon as I heard. The Omega, is she—"
"Commander Ashford." Kael's voice was ice. "Three Alphas breached my private quarters while I was at council. Explain to me how that's possible when you're in charge of palace security."
The woman, Ashford, went pale. "Sir, I don't know. The system showed no unauthorized access. No alarms were triggered."
"And yet here we are."
"I take full responsibility. I'll find out who compromised the system and—"
"You'll find the three Alphas who were just here and bring them to the throne room. Alive. Barely." His hand tightened in my hair. "And then you'll find whoever helped them and bring them too."
Ashford's gaze flicked to me, something like sympathy in her eyes. "Are you alright, miss?"
"I'm fine."
"She's not fine." Kael's voice was sharp. "She was attacked in what should have been the safest room in this entire kingdom. No one is fine."
Ashford straightened. "It won't happen again. I swear it."
"No. It won't." Kael's smile was cold. "Because from now on, she doesn't leave my sight. And anyone who comes within ten feet of her without my permission answers to me personally."
More people arrived. An older man in healer's robes who Kael introduced as Dr. Chen. A younger guy who looked vaguely familiar until I realized he had Iris's eyes. Her brother.
Dr. Chen examined me with gentle hands and a kind voice, asking questions I barely heard. Was I hurt? Had they broken any skin? Did I feel dizzy, nauseous, disoriented?
No. No. Yes, but that might have been shock.
"She manifested," Kael said while Dr. Chen checked my pupils. "Emotional projection. Made them feel her fear."
The doctor's eyebrows rose. "Already? Most Omegas don't develop that until after several heat cycles. And even then it's rare."
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"It means your Omega nature is stronger than average. The heat is bringing out abilities that might have stayed dormant otherwise." He stepped back, satisfied I wasn't physically damaged. "You'll need to learn control. Right now it's pure instinct, triggered by extreme stress. Without training, you could accidentally project onto anyone around you when you're frightened or emotional."
"Can she hurt someone with it?" Kael asked.
"Not directly. She can make them feel what she feels, but she can't control their actions or force them to do anything. It's influence, not command." Dr. Chen looked at me. "But extreme emotions can be... incapacitating. If you projected pure terror onto someone, they might panic, freeze, run. Their own instincts take over."
That's what had happened. I'd been so scared I'd made them scared. Made them feel my terror until their own survival instincts kicked in and they fled.
"Can anyone teach her control?" Kael's hand found the small of my back, a gesture so natural I almost didn't notice it.
"That's... complicated. There aren't many Omegas left who develop these abilities. And the ones who do usually keep it secret." Dr. Chen hesitated. "There are old texts. Records from before the Wars. I could research, see if there's anything useful."
"Do it."
More voices in the hallway. Kael tensed, moving slightly in front of me like a shield. The door opened and two people entered.
The first was a man around Kael's age, tall and lean with the same sharp features. Had to be related. His eyes found me immediately and widened.
"Moon above. It's true."
"Garrett." Kael's voice held warning. "Not now."
"Not now? Cousin, the entire palace is in chaos. Three Alphas just ran screaming from your quarters claiming an Omega used some kind of power on them. Half the council thinks you've lost your mind and the other half wants to lock her up for everyone's safety."
"Let them try."
The second person was a woman. Dark skin, silver streaks in her black hair, carrying herself with the easy confidence of someone who'd never questioned her place in the world. Her eyes were kind when they settled on me.
"You must be Aria." She had an accent I couldn't place, something musical. "I'm Naima. Alpha of Silvermist Pack."
An Alpha. A female Alpha. I'd heard they existed but never met one.
She crossed to me, ignoring Kael's warning growl, and looked me over with a critical eye. "Did they hurt you?"
"No. I stopped them before—"
"Good." She nodded once. "In my pack, we have laws about this. Any wolf who touches an Omega without consent loses their hands. Then their life. I assume Kael will be equally thorough."
"More so," Kael said darkly.
Naima's smile was sharp. "Good. Though I have to say, emotional projection is an impressive defense. Most Omegas I've known could barely influence their own packmates, let alone send three grown Alphas running."
"You've known other Omegas?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"A few. Before the Wars, my pack had several. We protected them, valued them as pack healers and mediators. Their ability to sense and influence emotions made them invaluable." Her expression softened. "Then the other packs decided they were too dangerous to be allowed freedom. Took them, bred them, controlled them. We lost ours defending them."
The way she said it made something ache in my chest.
"That's a lovely history lesson," Garrett interrupted. "But right now we have a more immediate problem. Marcus Kane is downstairs with half the council demanding an emergency session. About her." He jerked his chin at me. "They want to discuss the Omega situation."
My stomach dropped. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Naima said carefully, "that they want to remove you from Kael's protection and place you under council authority. Which in practice means auctioning you to whichever Alpha offers the best political alliance."
"They can't do that."
"They can try." Garrett's expression was grim. "Council has authority over unmated Omegas found in neutral territory. The palace technically qualifies."
"She's not unmated." Kael's hand tightened on my waist. "She's mine."
"Without a bite mark, that's just your claim. They'll argue she's unclaimed and therefore subject to council jurisdiction."
"Then I'll mark her."
The room went silent.
I turned to stare at him. "What?"
His eyes met mine, something unreadable in their depths. "If I mark you, you're permanently under my protection. Council can't touch you. Can't auction you. Can't remove you without declaring war on me directly."
"You said you weren't going to mark me." My voice came out smaller than I intended. "You said seven days and then I leave."
"That was before someone broke into my quarters and tried to assault you."
"So this is just a political move? Protection?"
"Does it matter?"
Yes. It mattered more than anything. Because a mark was permanent. A mark meant mate bond, meant being tied to him forever, meant giving up any chance at freedom.
But it also meant safety. Meant no more running. Meant belonging to someone who would slaughter anyone who tried to hurt me.
"I need to think," I said.
"There's no time to think." Garrett stepped forward. "The council convenes in an hour. They want you present. If Kael doesn't have a mark on you by then—"
"Then what? They take me? Hand me over to the highest bidder?"
"I won't let that happen," Kael said.
"But you can't stop it without starting a war." I pulled away from him, needing space to think. "That's what this comes down to. You mark me and risk civil war with the Kane pack and half the council. Or you don't mark me and I'm at their mercy."
He didn't answer. Didn't need to. The answer was written all over his face.
"There might be another option." Naima spoke carefully. "The council wants stability. They want the eastern alliance. But what they really fear is chaos, unknown variables they can't control."
"Where are you going with this?" Kael asked.
"Right now, Aria is an unknown. An Omega with abilities, no pack, no background they can verify. That makes her dangerous in their eyes." Naima looked at me. "But if you could demonstrate that her abilities are defensive, not aggressive. If you could show the council that she's not a threat to pack stability—"
"She shouldn't have to prove anything to them."
"No, she shouldn't. But we're not talking about what's fair. We're talking about what keeps her alive and free."
The word free hit me hard. Because that's what I'd wanted my whole life. Freedom. And now I was facing a choice between being marked and owned by Kael, or being auctioned and owned by someone else.
Some freedom.
"What would I have to do?" I heard myself ask.
"Aria—" Kael started.
"What would I have to do?" I repeated, looking at Naima.
"Appear before the council. Let them see you're not dangerous. Answer their questions. Show them you're rational, controlled, not some feral Omega who'll destabilize the kingdom."
"I'm not feral."
"They don't know that. All they know is that you appeared out of nowhere, went into heat at the Summit, and now have powers that frightened three Alphas." Naima's expression was sympathetic. "I'm not saying it's right. I'm saying it's reality."
"And if I do this? If I appear before them and play nice?"
"Then maybe they'll agree to let you remain under Kael's protection without requiring a formal mate bond. Give you time to decide what you want instead of forcing a permanent mark."
It was something. Not freedom, but not immediate bondage either.
"One hour," Garrett said quietly. "Whatever we're doing, we need to decide now."
Kael was staring at me, his jaw tight. I could feel his wolf pushing at him, demanding he just mark me and be done with it.
Could feel through our bond how much he hated this, how every instinct was screaming at him to claim me and damn the consequences.
But he was giving me a choice. Actually letting me decide.
"I'll do it," I said. "I'll appear before the council."
"Absolutely not." Kael's voice was flat.
"You're not going anywhere near them."
"It's my choice."
"It's a trap. They'll use it as an opportunity to separate you from me, to place you under council guard—"
"Then come with me. Stand there and make it clear I'm under your protection while I prove I'm not dangerous." I met his eyes.
"Give me a chance to do this without being marked first. Please."
For a long moment he just looked at me. I could see him fighting with himself, Alpha instincts warring with whatever else he was feeling.
Finally, he nodded. Once. Sharp. "Fine. But I don't leave your side. Not for a second. And the moment I think you're in danger—"
"You'll do something dramatic and violent. I know."
Naima smiled. "I'll accompany you as well. Neutral party. The council respects Silvermist."
"We have forty-five minutes," Garrett said.
"Aria should probably change into something more... presentable."
I looked down at myself. Kael's oversized shirt and sweatpants. Hair still damp from the shower. No shoes.
Right. Probably not the best outfit for facing down a council of Alphas who wanted to auction me off.
"I don't have any clothes here," I said.
"I'll send someone to fetch appropriate attire." Naima was already moving toward the door. "Nothing too formal. We want them to see you as a person, not a political pawn."
She left. Garrett followed, murmuring something about coordinating with council staff.
Dr. Chen gathered his supplies. "I'll research those texts. See if I can find anything about training emotional projection." He paused at the door. "For what it's worth, you did well. Defending yourself like that. Many Omegas freeze when threatened."
Then he was gone too, and it was just me and Kael and the wreckage of the morning.
"You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "I can mark you right now. End this before it starts."
"And then what? We're bonded forever because of politics and fear? That's not—" I stopped myself. "I need to do this my way. Even if it's risky."
"Your way might get you taken from me."
"Maybe. But at least I'll have tried." I crossed to him, placed my hand on his chest. Could feel his heart pounding under my palm. "Two days ago I was nobody. Just another wolf trying to survive. Now I have abilities I don't understand and a bond I didn't choose and an entire council trying to decide my fate. The least I can do is show up and speak for myself."
His hand covered mine. "You're not nobody. You've never been nobody."
The words hit harder than they should have. I looked up at him, at this Alpha King who'd turned his entire kingdom upside down for seven days with a stranger, and felt something shift in my chest.
This wasn't just politics for him. Wasn't just duty or protection or avoiding war.
He felt it too. This thing between us that was growing stronger every hour, every touch, every shared breath.
"Kael—"
A knock at the door interrupted whatever I'd been about to say. A young woman entered carrying a garment bag, her eyes carefully averted.
"Alpha Naima sent these, your Majesty. For the Omega."
She hung the bag on the bedroom door and fled before either of us could respond.
I looked at the bag, then at Kael, then at the clock. Thirty minutes.
"I should get dressed," I said.
"Aria." He caught my wrist when I started to turn away. "After this. After the council. We're finishing this conversation."
"Which conversation?"
"The one where I tell you exactly why I can't let you go. Politics and duty be damned."
My breath caught. Before I could respond, he pulled me close and kissed me. Not the desperate, hungry kisses from before. This was different. Softer. Like a promise.
When he pulled back, his eyes were serious. "Thirty minutes. Then we face them together."
"Together," I echoed.
He released me and I went to see what Naima had sent.
The garment bag held a simple dress. Deep blue, modest neckline, fell to just below my knees. Professional but not severe. Shoes that actually fit. A brush for my hair.
I changed quickly, trying not to think about what I was walking into. Tried not to think about a room full of Alphas who saw me as either a threat or a commodity. Tried not to think about how this could go wrong in a hundred different ways.
When I emerged from the bedroom, Kael was waiting. He'd changed too, wearing formal clothes that made him look every inch the Alpha King. Dangerous and powerful and absolutely in control.
His eyes swept over me and something softened in his expression. "You look—"
"Presentable?"
"Beautiful."
The word made my cheeks heat. "I thought we were going for non-threatening."
"You could never be non-threatening. Not to me." He offered his arm. "Ready?
No. I wasn't ready. Wasn't ready to face a council of Alphas, wasn't ready to defend my right to exist freely, wasn't ready for any of this.
But I took his arm anyway.
"Let's go prove I'm not dangerous," I said.
The look he gave me was almost amused.
"Sweetheart, you're the most dangerous thing in this entire palace. The question is whether they're smart enough to realize it."
We walked to the door together.
And somewhere in the distance, I heard it again. That howl. Long and lonely and getting closer.
Something was coming.
And I had a feeling the council meeting was just the beginning.