Chapter 2 Beneath the Frost

The next morning, Eva woke with a start, still dressed in yesterday's clothes, curled up on the wide leather couch of the hidden room. The soft creak of the door opening pulled her from the remnants of uneasy sleep.

Kael entered, not with the commanding stomp of an Alpha, but with quiet steps, like he didn't want to wake her.

Too late.

Their eyes met-his silver gaze unreadable, hers wide with leftover fear and a dash of reluctant curiosity.

"You stayed here all night," he said, not quite a question.

Eva sat up, brushing hair from her face. "I didn't want to sleep in a room I hadn't earned."

His brow furrowed slightly at that. "You don't have to earn safety here."

She almost laughed-sharp and bitter. "It's not safety I'm worried about."

A long silence.

Then Kael glanced around at the scattered documents she'd been reading before sleep took her.

"You know now," he said. "About the refugees."

Eva nodded slowly. "You help wolves that the council cast out... That's why they call you a traitor."

"They don't call me a traitor because I help them," he said quietly. "They call me a traitor because I refuse to obey."

He turned away, his jaw tightening.

Eva hesitated, then asked, "Are you going to tell them I found this place?"

Kael turned his head, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I think... no," she said slowly.

"Good," he said. "Because if word gets out about this room, they'll come. With fire."

He moved closer, stopping just short of touching her. "Do you want to go back, Eva?"

Her heart thudded. "No."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "Then don't give them a reason to drag you back."

---

That afternoon, Eva explored again-this time not as a prisoner or spy, but as a guest trying to understand her new world. The glass corridors still felt too open, too clean. But she noticed things she hadn't before.

A burn mark near the southern window. Claw scratches on the dining table's edge. A painting slightly off-center, hiding a patch of bloodstained wallpaper.

This house wasn't just cold and pristine. It was scarred.

Like him.

---

That night, the full moon hung low, casting pale light through the windows. Eva couldn't sleep again, so she found herself outside on the balcony, staring down the cliffs that wrapped around the mansion.

Footsteps behind her.

Kael didn't say anything at first. Just leaned on the balcony beside her, arms folded.

"I never liked the cold," she admitted.

"You're from the East. You had sunshine," he replied. "And flowers."

"And freedom."

Kael's jaw flexed, but he didn't argue.

After a long pause, Eva turned to him. "Who tried to break into the vault?"

"I don't know yet."

"Could it have been someone from my pack?" she asked, voice small. "Someone Roen sent?"

He studied her a moment. "It's possible. Or maybe it was one of mine."

She frowned. "Why would your own wolves betray you?"

A faint smile. "You'd be surprised how quickly loyalty thins when power is on the table."

Eva hugged herself. "Then why trust me at all?"

Kael looked at her-really looked. "Because you didn't run when you found the truth. You stayed."

---

Later, as she returned to her room, she found a parcel on her bed.

A simple dress. Midnight blue. Soft wool. Warmer than anything she'd brought from the East.

No note.

But she knew who sent it.

She touched the fabric, heart tight in her chest.

---

The next morning, chaos shattered the fragile calm.

A scream echoed from the training grounds. Eva rushed down, her instincts screaming danger. What she saw made her blood run cold.

A young wolf-barely sixteen-was collapsed on the ground, eyes wide with fear, a deep gash down his back.

Kael knelt beside him, barking orders.

"Get the healer! Now!"

Eva dropped beside them, her hands trembling. "What happened?"

The boy gasped, "I-I didn't see them. Just shadows. Red eyes."

Kael's expression darkened. "Another breach. This wasn't a warning. It was a message."

Eva met his gaze. "They're coming for you."

"No," he said grimly. "They're coming for us."

And this time, Eva didn't flinch.

Because she wasn't just the Eastern girl anymore.

She was part of this now.