Chapter 4 Blood Price

The door crashed shut with a bang, plunging the basement into a tense silence. Kael turned, slowly, placing Ember gently behind him.

"You're trespassing," a voice sneered from the shadows above.

Caleb.

Kael's lip curled. "You've got what belongs to me."

The rogue alpha stepped down the stairs, flanked by two burly wolves with knives drawn. Caleb was tall, wiry, eyes sharp with cruelty and confidence. He reeked of smugness and blood.

"She's not yours. She's broken. Useless."

Kael's eyes went gold. His wolf howled inside him, feral, unstoppable.

"Say that again," he growled.

"Why?" Caleb sneered. "You think she's your mate? She can't even shift. You think some worthless runt deserves an Alpha?"

Kael's fist connected with Caleb's jaw so fast he didn't see it coming.

The rogue flew into the far wall, groaning, spitting blood.

Kael was on him in an instant, snarling, eyes wild. "You chained her. You drugged her. You touched what's mine."

The two guards lunged - and were intercepted by Jarek and the enforcers who had followed through the house's upper level. The room filled with growls, blades, and chaos.

Ember watched it unfold, knees weak, body trembling.

Not from fear.

From something older. Stronger.

She looked at Kael - the way he moved like he was born to protect her. The way he fought like the world was on fire and she was the last living ember.

Something cracked deep inside her. Something that had been buried for years.

POV Segment – Ember

He's here. He's real.

My mate.

I can smell him - wild, dark pine and fury. I can feel the way the bond snaps between us, like lightning in my veins. My wolf stirs, pressing forward, no longer afraid. No longer hidden.

He sees me. Not the bruises, not the chains.

Me.

Caleb's words still echo in my ears - broken, useless, runt - but Kael's presence drowns them out. His rage is for me. His hands broke my chains like they were made of thread. His eyes... they don't look away from me like I'm something shameful.

I want to shift. Goddess, I feel it, rising in my bones. My skin prickles. My nails ache.

I'm waking up.

And if Kael is death, then I'll die in his arms before I ever go back to that cage.