The howl from the forest didn't fade. It grew. Louder. Closer.
Kael's head snapped toward the sound. He was already moving before anyone in the hall could react.
"Tarin," he barked. "Lock down the packhouse. No one in, no one out."
Chairs scraped as wolves stood, their voices overlapping in a low, uneasy growl.
I grabbed Liam's hand. "Stay close to me."
Kael was at my side in seconds, his presence filling every inch of space. "You're coming with me."
I shook my head. "No. You're going to the border. I'm staying here with him."
His eyes locked on mine. "Not this time."
The way he said it left no room for argument.
The safe room was hidden behind a false wall in his quarters. Solid steel reinforced with layers of concrete. It smelled faintly of cedar and Kael's scent.
He ushered Liam and me inside, his hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward when I slowed.
"This door stays locked until I open it," he said.
"What's out there?" Liam asked. His voice was small, but his grip on my fingers was tight.
Kael crouched in front of him. "Bad wolves," he said simply. "But they're not going to get in here."
Liam nodded, but his eyes searched Kael's face like he was measuring the truth in his words.
Kael straightened. "I'll be back." His gaze cut to me. "Don't try to leave. Don't open the door for anyone but me or Tarin."
Then he was gone, the heavy lock sliding into place behind him.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. It was hard to tell in the windowless room.
I sat on the bench built into the wall, my hands clasped together, listening for sounds beyond the steel. Sometimes I thought I heard paws hitting the ground. Other times, nothing at all.
Liam sat across from me, legs pulled to his chest. "Mom?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Why do they want us?"
I swallowed. "They don't want us. They just… don't like Kael."
"Because you're his mate?"
The question cut deeper than I wanted to admit. "Something like that."
Before I could say more, a muffled noise came from outside the wall. A faint scrape. A shuffle.
I stood, my body going cold.
The sound came again. Closer.
"Mom?" Liam whispered.
"Stay behind me," I said. My voice was calm, but my pulse was anything but.
I moved toward the far corner where Kael had kept a locked drawer. It took me seconds to pry it open and find a small hunting knife.
The scraping stopped.
Then came a low, guttural voice through the wall. "Elara…"
My stomach knotted.
"Open up," the voice said. "We can make this easy."
It wasn't Kael. It wasn't Tarin.
Liam's eyes widened.
"Go to the back corner," I told him. "Now."
I positioned myself between him and the door, the knife steady in my hand even though my fingers ached from gripping it too tightly.
The voice chuckled. "You're wasting time. We're coming in."
There was a metallic clang. The sound of tools on metal.
I braced myself.
The noise stopped as suddenly as it began.
A deep, familiar growl followed.
Then a loud thud.
More growls. A sharp yelp. Footsteps. And then silence.
The lock clicked. The door swung open to reveal Kael, breathing hard, dirt streaked across his jaw.
He took one look at the knife in my hand and the way Liam clung to the far wall. "You're both okay?"
I nodded, but my voice didn't come right away.
"Say it," he ordered.
"We're okay."
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Two Blackclaw wolves made it past the border. They won't again."
I exhaled slowly, my hands finally loosening around the knife.
Kael's eyes flicked to it, then to me. "You didn't just sit here and wait."
"You told me to keep him safe," I said. "I listened."
Something in his expression shifted, just for a second.
We moved back into his quarters while the rest of the pack swept the grounds. Tarin came to the door, his face grim. "They were scouting. One of them was carrying a map of the packhouse."
Kael took it from him. "They know the layout?"
Tarin nodded. "Including the safe room."
My stomach turned. "So they're going to keep trying."
Kael's gaze was hard. "Which is why you don't leave my side."
I met his eyes. "You mean I don't leave your sight."
His mouth curved, but there was no humor in it. "Same thing."
That night, the air in the packhouse was heavy. No laughter. No easy conversation. Just the quiet tension of people waiting for the next move.
Liam fell asleep quickly, his small body curled under the thick blanket.
I stood by the balcony doors, staring out into the dark forest. The wind moved through the trees, but it sounded like whispers.
Kael came to stand beside me. "They'll try again."
"I know."
"You don't seem scared."
I glanced at him. "I am. But I'm more tired of running than I am of being scared."
He studied me for a long moment. "You've changed."
"Seven years will do that."
His gaze dropped to my mouth before he looked away. "Good. I need a Luna who can fight beside me."
"I'm not your Luna," I said quietly.
"You are," he said, just as quietly. "Whether you say it or not."
We stood there, neither of us looking away, until Tarin's voice came from the hallway.
"Alpha. Scouts found more tracks. Blackclaw is circling the territory."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Lock the gates. Double patrols. No one leaves without my order."
He turned back to me. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we prepare for the long game."
And for the first time since I'd come back, I wondered if I'd walked into something I couldn't walk out of.
Kael knows this isn't a one-time attack, and keeping Liam safe means keeping Elara in his territory for much longer than she planned.