Kael's POV
This was supposed to be simple.
Buy the Ember carrier. Use her gift to legitimize the sanctuary. Present a bonded pair to the Council. Force their hand. Walk away clean.
Simple.
Except now there are hunters closing in from three directions, a true mate bond burning in my chest like a live coal, and the girl I just bought for twelve thousand marks is staring at me like I might be the biggest mistake of her very bad night.
She's not wrong.
Move, I tell my men. North gate. Fast.
Ronan my head of security, scarred face, sardonic smile doesn't ask questions. He just melts into the shadows with two others, scouting ahead. That's why I keep him around. He knows when to shut up and work.
The girl Maren hasn't moved. She's standing in the middle of the alley behind the auction house, chains still fresh on her wrists, listening to those howls get closer.
They're hunting me, she says quietly. Aren't they?
Yes.
Because of the bond.
Partly. I start walking. She doesn't follow. I stop. We can discuss this later. Right now, we run or we fight. I'd prefer running.
Who's hunting us?
Your father's creditors. Council scouts. Probably some territory brokers who think they can steal you and resell you. I tick them off on my fingers. Maybe a few bounty hunters who heard about the Ember carrier and want to try their luck. Take your pick.
Her jaw tightens. That's a lot of people.
You're worth a lot of money.
I'm not worth anything, she snaps. I'm a person.
Something in my chest twists. The bond, probably. It doesn't like hearing her talk about herself like that.
I don't like it either, which is a problem.
You're right, I say. Poor choice of words. But those people out there don't care about the difference. So unless you want to find out what they'll do when they catch you, I suggest you move.
She studies me for a long moment. Those amber eyes like fire trapped in glass cut right through every wall I've built.
You're scared, she says.
Cautious.
No. She steps closer. You're scared. I can feel it through the bond.
Damn it.
I forgot that part. True bonds don't just connect two wolves they let emotions bleed through. Not thoughts, thank the Moon Goddess. But feelings? Those leak across the link like water through cracked stone.
Which means she can feel the cold knot of fear sitting in my gut. The same fear that's lived there since I was twelve years old and watched the Council destroy everything I loved.
What I feel, I say carefully, doesn't matter. What matters is getting you somewhere safe before
An arrow slams into the wall next to my head.
I move without thinking, grabbing Maren and pulling her behind me. Another arrow whistles past. Then another.
Ronan! I shout.
On it! His voice comes from the rooftop. A bowstring twangs. Someone screams.
But more arrows follow. Too many. They're not trying to kill us not yet. They're herding us. Pushing us away from the north gate, toward the old market district where the buildings are too close together for easy escape.
It's a trap.
Change of plans, I mutter.
What plans? Maren hisses. You had plans?
I always have plans.
They're not very good!
Another arrow. This one grazes my shoulder, drawing blood. The bond flares hot and angry and not from my end.
I glance back. Maren's eyes are blazing gold. Literally. The Ember Gift responding to my injury, even though she hasn't touched me.
Don't, I tell her.
Don't what?
Don't try to heal me. Not here. Not now. If they see the Ember activate, they'll know for sure it's you.
They already know!
They suspect. There's a difference. I grab her hand the bond pulses like a heartbeat and pull her into a sprint. Stay close. Don't stop. Don't look back.
We run.
The alley twists like a snake. Left, right, left again. My men are somewhere above us, covering our retreat. I hear fighting steel on steel, snarls, bodies hitting stone.
But more hunters keep coming.
Too many.
Someone planned this. Someone knew I'd be at that auction tonight. Someone knew I'd buy the Ember carrier.
Which means someone sold us out.
We burst into a small courtyard. Dead end. Stone walls on three sides, too high to climb quickly. The only exit is the alley we just came from and it's already filling with wolves.
Eight of them. Armed. Grinning.
Rogue King, the leader says. He's a big man with a crooked nose and a sword that's seen too much use. Heard you paid twelve thousand marks for that girl. That true?
I don't answer.
Must be something special about her. He licks his lips. Maybe we should find out. See if she's worth the price.
The bond in my chest turns into a roaring fire.
I feel Maren tense behind me. Feel her fear spike through the link. Feel her trying to be brave even though she's terrified.
And something in me that's been frozen for eighteen years cracks wide open.
You can try, I say quietly.
The leader laughs. Eight against one? I like those odds.
Eight against me, I correct. The girl doesn't count. She's already won.
Won what?
I smile. It's not a nice smile. A very bad day to be you.
Then I shift.
My wolf is bigger than theirs. Faster. Meaner. I spent eighteen years surviving in the Wilds by being the thing that monsters fear.
The first hunter doesn't even see me coming.
The second tries to run.
The third gets smart and goes for Maren.
Bad choice.
I'm on him before he takes two steps. My jaws close around his throat. He drops like a stone.
The others scatter. Some run. Some fight. It doesn't matter.
I'm not letting anyone touch her.
The bond won't allow it.
When the last hunter falls, I shift back to human form. Blood on my hands. Breathing hard. The courtyard is silent except for the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
Maren is pressed against the wall, eyes wide, staring at me.
You killed them, she whispers.
Yes.
All of them.
They were going to hurt you.
You don't even know me.
I meet her eyes. The bond knows you. That's enough.
She opens her mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. I don't understand you.
Good, I say. That makes two of us.
Ronan drops from the rooftop, landing in a crouch. More coming. Twenty, maybe thirty. Someone's paying serious coin for her.
Who?
Don't know. But they're organized. Professional. He glances at Maren. We need to move. Now.
I nod. The sanctuary?
Only place that's safe.
Which means I'm taking her home. To the one place I swore I'd never bring an outsider. The one place the Council can't find.
Unless she leads them there.
I look at Maren. At this girl I bought on a gamble. This girl who's now bonded to me whether either of us wants it or not.
Can I trust you? I ask.
She blinks. What?
Can. I. Trust. You. I step closer. Because where we're going, if you betray me, you'll kill everyone who lives there. Two hundred wolves who have no one else. No other home. I need to know right now if you're the kind of person who would do that.
Her face hardens. My father just sold me to pay his debts. The people I thought were my pack watched me get dragged onto that stage and didn't say a word. The Council I was supposed to trust let this happen.
She lifts her chin, and I see steel in her eyes.
You want to know if you can trust me? Try this I've got nothing to lose and nowhere else to go. Your sanctuary is the only option I have. So unless you plan to sell me too, then yes. You can trust me.
The bond hums with truth.
She means it.
Good enough. I turn to Ronan. Get us out of here.
Already on it.
We move toward the shadows
And someone screams.
Not from the alley. From inside the auction house.
Then: FIRE! THE WHOLE BUILDING'S ON FIRE!
Maren's face goes white. My father. He was still inside
Not your problem anymore, I say.
He's going to die!
He sold you.
I know! Her voice cracks. But he's still my father!
The bond twists with her pain. With her guilt.
With the horrible realization that even after everything he did, she still cares.
And I understand that feeling better than I want to admit.
I look at Ronan. He shakes his head. Don't do this.
But I'm already moving.
Stay here, I tell Maren.
Where are you
Saving your father. I start toward the burning building. Because apparently, I'm an idiot.
The bond pulses with something that might be gratitude.
Or might be the beginning of something far more dangerous.