Chapter 3 Beneath the ice

The snow hadn't let up since dawn. Wind howled through the mountain passes like a beast denied, rattling the glass walls of the mansion. Eva stood at the edge of the hidden room, arms crossed, heart racing as Kael disappeared once more into the shadows of the hall.

She hadn't told him everything. Not yet.

Not about the file with her brother's name.

Kian Silas-missing for three years. She'd been told he'd died in a rogue ambush. But here, in Kael's archive of exiles and rescued wolves, his name had appeared with a note:

"Last seen: Northern border. Status: Alive. Location: Unknown."

Her hands had trembled. She'd shoved the paper into her cloak, heart pounding. If Kael was protecting rogues... was it possible her brother was still out there? Alive?

She had to find out. But first, she had to survive here.

The next morning, the guards followed her wherever she went.

They didn't stop her from moving-Kael's order, she assumed-but their eyes were sharp, always watching. She kept her movements simple. Breakfast in the dining hall. A quiet walk through the west wing. No questions. No sudden shifts.

Until she saw the girl.

Slipping through the servant hallway, Eva caught a glimpse of a young Omega-barefoot, bruised, moving like a shadow. Their eyes met for half a second before the girl vanished.

Eva stopped, heart sinking.

She'd been that girl once.

Later that day, Eva cornered one of the younger guards-one who looked nervous every time Kael entered a room.

"What happens to the Omegas here?" she asked softly.

He hesitated, swallowing. "They're given work. Protection. Better than the other territories."

"Why are they scared, then?"

"Because of us," he admitted. "Because we still look like soldiers."

Eva didn't push further. But the thought clung to her like frostbite.

---

That night, she returned to the hidden room with Kael's key in her pocket and the paper about her brother pressed to her chest.

She almost didn't hear him come in.

Kael leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "You were searching again."

"Would you prefer I do nothing?"

"I'd prefer you stop hiding things."

Her breath hitched.

"You're too quiet," he added. "I don't trust quiet wolves."

She turned, facing him fully. "Then what do you want from me? Obedience? Loyalty? You married me to bind the packs, not because you care if I trust you."

His jaw flexed, but he didn't respond.

"I found my brother's name," she said, voice shaking. "In your files."

Now he was quiet.

"You knew?" she asked. "You knew he might be alive?"

"I didn't know," Kael said. "I suspected. We lost contact with a refugee group near the border three winters ago. Your brother was with them. I've searched."

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"You were sent to spy on me," he said simply. "Forgive me if I didn't offer you my secrets."

Silence stretched between them like a crack in ice.

But this time, it wasn't cold.

It was sharp. Real.

Eva turned her back to him, blinking fast. "If I find him... I'm leaving."

"I know," Kael said.

And for the first time, he sounded like he regretted something.

---

Two days passed. No new leads. The vault mystery remained unsolved.

But something changed in the air.

That evening, Kael summoned her-not to question her, not to accuse-but to join him.

He waited for her by the edge of the training courtyard, cloak wrapped tight against the wind.

"We train," he said simply.

Eva frowned. "Now?"

"You want to prove yourself? Start here."

She didn't argue. She shed her cloak, stepping into the open ring of snow-dusted stone. Her feet were cold, her limbs tense. Kael circled her like a storm on legs.

"Fight me."

She blinked. "You'll break me."

He smiled faintly. "Try."

She did.

She struck fast-aiming low, using her agility to dodge the power in his strikes. Kael didn't go easy on her, but he didn't try to hurt her either. He pushed. Tested.

And for a moment-just a moment-she kept up.

Then he disarmed her, sweeping her legs from beneath her in a single, elegant movement. She hit the ground with a groan.

His shadow loomed above her, breath curling in the cold.

"Why are you really here, Eva?" he asked.

She met his gaze.

"To survive."

He offered a hand.

And this time-she took it.

---

Later, long after midnight, another alarm echoed through the halls.

But this one was different.

This one wasn't about the vault.

This one was about the border.

Kael stormed into the war room, shirt half-buttoned, eyes burning.

"Attack?" he asked.

"No," his Beta said. "A message."

Kael opened the scroll delivered by a hawk-marked with the seal of Alpha Roen.

Eva's heart nearly stopped when she saw the words.

"Return the girl. Or the war begins."

Kael's hands curled into fists.

"Let him come," he said.

But Eva's heart raced with something colder than fear.

Because she knew Roen. She knew he wouldn't wait.

He was already coming.

And this time, he wouldn't just take her back.

He'd burn everything to the ground to do it.