Chapter 5 Ours to protect

Maverick's POV

The scent hit me first-salt and blood in the wind.

Tears. Torn skin. Someone was hurt.

Then a sharp scream tore through the trees.

Not hers. Not Aria's. The pitch was wrong-older, male. And terrified.

My blood ran cold. A rogue scream. One of Thorne's.

Something else was hunting tonight

Without thinking twice, I ran.

Branches clawed at me as my bones cracked and shifted mid-stride, wolf surging forward with a snarl. My paws tore the forest floor and my pulse pounded with every stride.

Ours. She is ours.

And I had let her go. Watched her slip from my grasp after our first encounter in these woods. I'd convinced myself it was better that way-that I couldn't afford to want something so dangerous.

But fate is not so easily denied.

The trees thinned. I burst into a moonlit clearing just as the rogue lunged at her .

Aria.

She fought with a desperation that made my chest ache. Blood streaked her arm, hair wild and tangled , violet eyes burning.

"You don't understand!" the rogue snarled, voice cracked with panic. " It wasn't supposed to happen yet! Alpha Thorne is stirring the wrong nest! Who else knows? "

I barely heard the words. My wolf had already chosen.

One leap, one strike-my claws tore through flesh , silencing him forever.

The body slumped to the ground.

Aria gasped, stumbling backward , her injured arm trembling.

" Why did you kill him? Now we'll never know what he was referring to."

I shifted mid-step, claws retracting , the air thick with the scent of death and fear.

"You're safe , and that's what matters," I said, my voice rough.

"We'll find answers once we're back in my kingdom-let's go."

Her gaze locked on mine , wide with disbelief. "Why... why are you helping me?"

Because I couldn't do otherwise.

Because the moment she touched me days ago, her fingers pressed to my wounds, something ancient had awoken in me-a bond I could neither sever nor ignore.

" You are mine," I said simply.

"No." She shook her head, tears brimming. " I'm not-"

"You felt it." I stepped closer. "That night. So did I."

She tried to back away, legs giving out beneath her.

I caught her before she hit the ground. The contact was electric-fire racing through my veins. My wolf growled in satisfaction.

Ours. Protect her. Claim her.

" I don't want this," she muttered, her voice breaking.

"I didn't ask if you did." My grip tightened. "You can die here. Alone. Or come with me."

She trembled, caught between fear and fury.

"I'd rather die."

Such stubbornness. God , she didn't even know what she was up against.

Before I could say anything else, the air changed. Someone was standing on the edge of the clearing-a white wolf , shining in the moonlight. It didn't look at me, it looked at her. A Shadow Born. It cocked its head, looking at her as if seeing something it had not seen for ages. Then with a wink, it disappeared into the trees.

Cold slid down my spine. The rogue's words echoed back-it wasn't supposed to happen yet.

What the hell was stirring?

I had no answers. Not yet.

But I wouldn't leave her vulnerable. Not again.

Without another word , I carried her over my shoulders. She struggled weakly, but exhaustion was overtaking her.

"Put me down," she rasped.

"You're coming with me."

****

The journey back to the stronghold was a blur. My wolf paced beneath my skin the entire way , restless and protective.

When the iron gates rose before us, the guards' eyes widened.

They would talk. They always did.

But I didn't care.

Inside, the halls buzzed with muted whispers as I carried her through. Courtiers paused mid-step , jaws slack.

The king had returned with a mate. A rogue. A wolfless girl.

Let them whisper. Let them doubt.

Their opinions mattered little. Only she mattered now.

I reached my private chambers and laid her gently on the bed .

She was barely conscious , lips drained, her body trembling.

I stooped down beside her, brushing a clump of blood-covered hair from her cheek.

" You are going to be safe here," I murmured.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Safe?" A bitter laugh escaping her lips. "I'll never be safe."

My throat tightened.

"Not from them. But from everything else-I promise."

She turned her face away. "I don't believe you."

I couldn't blame her.

I rose and summoned my physician. The man worked quickly , tending her wounds as I watched from the shadows, tension coiling tighter in my gut.

When he finished , I dismissed him with a curt nod.

Then I was alone with her once more.

The moon had risen high, casting silver light across her fragile form.

I poured a glass of whiskey, hand shaking slightly.

My reflection in the window stared back-sharp golden eyes, dark hair tousled from the night's chase. A young king, feared across the realms.

But beneath it, doubt festered.

I had spent years building everything a ruler could desire-armies, wealth, dominion. The council bent to my will. The packs feared my name.

All but one thing eluded me-a mate. A queen.

And without her, cracks had begun to form. Rivals whispered. My gamma questioned my authority more openly. The elders eyed me with growing unease.

A king without a queen is a king with a bleeding throat.

And now... fate had delivered her to me. The one wolf who wasn't supposed to be mine.

She was unshifted. Broken. And yet when I touched her , the bond burned hotter than any fire.

I downed the whiskey in one gulp.

****

A sharp knock broke the silence .

"Enter," I barked.

Darius strode in, green eyes gleaming with thinly veiled judgment.

"You brought her here," he said flatly.

"I did."

"Are you certain that's wise?"

I stalked toward him, voice low. "She's mine. The bond is sealed."

Darius's gaze darkened. "She's Crescent Moon's outcast. Thorne won't let this stand."

"Let him try."

"And the council?"

"They'll fall in line."

"Will they?" He arched a brow. "Or will they see a king growing reckless over a rogue girl?"

I snarled, wolf surging beneath my skin. "Speak carefully, Darius."

A long silence. Then he inclined his head.

"Very well. But you know this path leads to war."

"Find out what Thorne is up to, and send scouts to guard the borders." I said with rage.

I already knew this would lead to war.

And gods help me-I didn't care.

Hours passed. I remained by her side , unable to tear myself away.

She slept fitfully, brow furrowed, soft whimpers escaping her lips.

"Mama..." she whispered once, voice cracked with longing.

Pain twisted through me.

You won't be alone anymore, I vowed silently.

But even as I made the promise, unease stirred deeper.

Why had the Shadow Born appeared? Why her?

And what the hell was Thorne stirring?

****

Just before dawn, a scout arrived at my door, face pale.

"My king. We found this-at the outer border."

He handed me a scrap of bloodied cloth.

Wrapped inside was a single, delicate silver chain-a torn piece of a pendant.

One I had seen before.

Around Aria's neck.

I froze.

"How did this come to be outside the walls?"

The scout swallowed. "I... I don't know. There were no tracks. It was simply there."

My grip tightened on the chain.

Someone had already breached my defenses.

And they wanted me to know it.

I strode back to her bedside, heart hammering.

Aria stirred, eyes fluttering open.

I held the chain out to her. "Do you know what this is?"

Her gaze locked on it-and went wide with terror.

"That... that's my mother's," she whispered, voice shaking as her hands searched for the pendant on her neck. "I never take it off."

"Someone wants you frightened," I said quietly. "They're already inside my lands."

Her breath came fast, panic rising.

"Why? Why would they-?"

I met her gaze, voice a low growl.

"That's what we're going to find out."