Kendrick's POV
I don't sleep.
Can't sleep.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her—Emma with Mira in her arms, looking at my daughter like she's precious. Like she's worth protecting.
The way I should have been able to look at her for four years but couldn't.
My wolf paces inside me, restless and agitated. He wants to go to Emma's room. Wants to check on her. Wants to claim her.
No. I shut him down hard. We are NOT doing this again.
Elena died four years ago. Died because I couldn't protect her. Because I was too late, too weak, too focused on pack business to notice she was bleeding internally until it was too late.
I buried my mate and my heart with her.
I don't get a second chance. I don't deserve one.
But my wolf doesn't care about logic. He only knows what he feels—MATE. The bond is there, golden and bright, stronger than what I had with Elena.
Which is wrong. So completely wrong.
I loved Elena. We weren't fated mates—those are rare—but we chose each other. Built something real. She gave me Mira.
And now the Moon Goddess expects me to just... move on? Accept Emma as my mate? Forget four years of grief?
No.
I get out of bed at dawn, throw on clothes, and head downstairs. Marcus is already in the kitchen drinking coffee.
"Alpha." He takes one look at my face and winces. "Rough night?"
"Is the prisoner still talking?"
"Like a waterfall." Marcus pours me coffee without asking. "Declan personally ordered the hit. Paid fifty thousand to make sure Emma didn't survive. Josie sent follow-up texts threatening to fire anyone who let her live."
My wolf snarls. Those aren't just criminals. They're dead wolves walking.
"Get statements from all three warriors. Record everything. I want evidence so solid that Declan can't lie his way out." I drink the coffee in one burning gulp. "Then contact the neutral council. File formal charges."
"That'll start a war." Marcus says it carefully. "Silverpine won't let their Alpha go down without a fight."
"Let them fight." I set down the cup too hard. It cracks. "I'm done watching weak Alphas break pack law and get away with it."
Marcus studies me. "This isn't just about justice, is it?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you've ignored Declan Thorne's corruption for years. Suddenly you're ready to burn his territory down." Marcus crosses his arms. "What changed?"
Emma. Emma changed everything.
But I'm not admitting that out loud.
"He tried to murder someone under my protection," I say coldly. "That's enough."
"Uh huh." Marcus doesn't believe me. "And the fact that this someone is your daughter's soul-mother? And possibly your second-chance mate? That has nothing to do with it?"
I glare at him. "Watch it."
"Someone has to say it." Marcus doesn't back down—that's why he's my Beta. "You've been dead inside for four years, Kendrick. Walking, breathing, but dead. Now there's a woman upstairs who makes Mira happy, who survived an assassination attempt, who looks at you like you're not a monster." He pauses. "Don't throw that away because you're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"You're terrified." Marcus grins. "And it's good to see. Means you're still alive in there."
Before I can respond, footsteps sound on the stairs. Light, careful footsteps.
Emma appears in the doorway, and my wolf slams against my chest.
She looks terrible—bruises darkening on her face, moving stiffly from the cracked ribs, exhaustion in every line of her body.
She looks beautiful.
"Sorry," she says quietly. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was looking for water."
"Sit." The command comes out harsher than I intended. "You shouldn't be walking around."
She flinches slightly, and I remember—her ex-husband used to order her around. Used his Alpha voice to control her.
I gentle my tone. "Please. Sit. You're injured."
Emma hesitates, then carefully lowers herself into a chair. "Thank you."
Marcus grabs her water and some pain medication. "How's the pain? Scale of one to ten?"
"Eight." She takes the pills gratefully. "But I've had worse."
"Childbirth?" Marcus guesses.
"And the beating I took trying to protect Declan from an assassination attempt." Emma's laugh is bitter. "Threw myself between him and a silver blade. Nearly died. He visited me in the hospital once. Said I 'did my duty.'"
My hands clench into fists. That bastard.
"You should have let the blade hit him," Marcus mutters.
Emma smiles slightly. "Yeah. I'm starting to think so too."
Silence falls. I can feel her eyes on me, but I don't look at her. Can't look at her. If I do, my wolf will push for things I'm not ready to give.
"Is Mira awake?" Emma asks softly.
"Not yet. She usually sleeps until eight."
"Can I... can I be there when she wakes up?" The hope in her voice breaks something in me. "I don't want her to be scared if I'm gone."
"You're not going anywhere." The words come out too possessive. "The bond means you stay close. Doctor's orders."
"Right. The bond." Emma looks down at her hands. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted. Having a stranger forced into your life because of divine magic—"
"You're not a stranger to Mira." I cut her off. "She chose you. That's enough."
What I don't say: My wolf chose you too. And that terrifies me more than any enemy I've ever faced.
Marcus's phone buzzes. He checks it and his expression darkens. "We have a problem."
"What now?"
"Declan just filed a missing person's report. Claims Emma kidnapped herself to frame him." Marcus shows me his phone. "He's demanding the neutral council search all pack territories for her."
Emma's face goes white. "He knows I'm alive?"
"He suspects. The warriors never reported back. Their phones went dark. He's putting pieces together." Marcus looks grim. "If the council forces us to reveal you're here—"
"They won't find her." I stand up. "Emma is officially dead. We have a burned car, blood evidence, everything. As far as anyone knows, she died in that crash."
"But the body—"
"A rogue we found near the border. Similar build." I've already thought this through. "Helena can make it work. Enough damage that DNA testing is inconclusive."
Emma stares at me. "You'd fake my death?"
"I'd protect my pack member." I meet her eyes finally. "You're under my protection now. That means Declan doesn't get to touch you. Ever."
Something flickers in her hazel eyes. Gratitude. Relief. And something else I can't name.
The mate bond hums between us, wanting, pulling, demanding.
I look away first.
"Marcus, contact Helena. Make the arrangements." I move toward the door. "I need to run patrol."
"Alpha—" Marcus starts.
"Now." I need to get out of here before I do something stupid.
I'm almost to the door when Emma speaks.
"Thank you." Her voice is soft but steady. "For saving me. For protecting me. For giving me a reason to keep living."
I pause, hand on the doorframe. Don't turn around.
"Thank Mira. She's the one who needs you." My voice comes out rough. "I'm just making sure she gets what she needs."
I leave before she can respond.
Outside, I shift into my wolf form and run. Fast and hard through the forest, trying to outrun the feelings clawing at my chest.
But I can't outrun the truth.
Four years ago, I failed to save Elena. Failed to protect my mate.
Now the Moon Goddess has given me another chance. Another mate. Another woman to fail.
Except Emma isn't weak like Elena was. Emma survived betrayal, assassination, losing her child, and she's still standing. Still fighting.
Emma is a survivor.
And my wolf wants her with a hunger that scares me.
I'm mid-run when Marcus's voice comes through the pack link.
Alpha. Get back here. NOW.
The panic in his voice makes me freeze.
What's wrong?
It's Mira. She woke up and Emma wasn't there. She's having a complete breakdown. Won't let anyone near her. She's hurting herself.
My blood runs cold.
On my way.
I run faster than I've ever run before. Three minutes back to the house. I burst through the door in human form, pulling on pants someone left by the entrance.
Mira's screams echo through the house. Heart-wrenching, terrified screams.
I take the stairs three at a time.
Her room is chaos. Furniture knocked over. Toys everywhere. Dr. Helena and two nurses backed against the wall.
And Mira—my tiny daughter—is in the center, clawing at her own arms, screaming one word over and over.
"MUMMY! MUMMY! MUMMY!"
Blood runs down her arms where her nails have broken skin.
"Mira, baby, it's okay—" I start toward her.
She doesn't even see me. Just keeps screaming, keeps hurting herself.
I've seen this before. The episode that put her in the hospital last year. The one where she almost died because she wouldn't calm down.
"Where's Emma?" I roar at Helena.
"In her room! She heard the screaming but her ribs—she can barely walk—"
"Get her. NOW."
A nurse runs.
I try to get close to Mira, but she lashes out. Bites my hand when I try to hold her. My daughter doesn't recognize me. Lost in whatever nightmare has her.
"Mummy's gone. She left. She promised but she LEFT." Mira sobs, rocking. "Everyone leaves. Everyone always leaves."
My heart breaks.
"She didn't leave, baby. She's right here—"
"LIAR!" Mira screams. "You're a liar! Mummy's gone just like the other Mummy! Everyone GOES AWAY!"
She collapses, still scratching at herself. Blood everywhere.
The door slams open.
Emma stumbles in, clutching her ribs, face twisted with pain. But her eyes are locked on Mira.
"I'm here, baby." Emma's voice cuts through the screaming. "I'm right here."
Mira's head snaps up. "Mummy?"
"I promised I wouldn't leave." Emma crosses the room, moving through pain like it's nothing. She drops to her knees in front of Mira. "I'm right here. I'll always be right here."
Mira throws herself into Emma's arms, sobbing. "You left. I woke up and you were gone—"
"I was just downstairs. I'm sorry. I should have been here." Emma holds her tight despite her injuries. "I won't leave your side again. I promise."
"Promise on the moon?" Mira hiccups.
"I promise on the moon, the stars, and everything holy." Emma kisses her forehead. "You're stuck with me now, sweetheart."
Mira's sobs slow. Her breathing evens out.
Emma starts humming that lullaby again. The one that calmed Mira last night.
Within minutes, my daughter is peaceful. Cuddled against Emma like she belongs there.
I stare at them, something fierce and protective and terrifying rising in my chest.
This woman—this broken, hunted, amazing woman—is healing my daughter. In less than twelve hours, she's done what I couldn't do in four years.
Helena steps beside me. "The bond is stronger than I thought. Mira can't handle separation. Not yet."
"What does that mean?"
"It means Emma can't leave her side. Not for weeks. Maybe months." Helena watches them with wonder. "The soul-bond is still forming. Mira's soul is literally reshaping to include Emma. Until it's complete, being apart causes physical pain."
I look at Emma holding my daughter, singing softly despite her cracked ribs and bruised face.
She could have stayed in her room. Could have ignored the screaming.
But she didn't. She came running. Despite the pain. Despite barely knowing this child.
Because that's who Emma is.
"This changes everything," I say quietly.
"Yes, Alpha. It does." Helena smiles. "Whether you're ready or not."
Emma looks up and meets my eyes. Something passes between us—understanding, maybe. Or acknowledgment.
She's not going anywhere.
And neither am I.
The mate bond I've been fighting pulls tighter, and for the first time in four years, I don't push it away.
Maybe Marcus is right.
Maybe I am still alive somewhere deep inside.
And maybe—just maybe—that's not such a terrible thing.
But before I can process that thought, Marcus appears in the doorway, phone in hand, face grave.
"Alpha. You need to see this."
He shows me his screen. A video message. From Declan.
I press play.
Declan's face fills the screen, standing in what looks like Emma's old bedroom. Liam is beside him.
"Emma, I know you're watching this somehow." Declan's smile is cold. "I know you're not dead. I know someone's hiding you."
My wolf snarls.
"So here's my message: Come back. Sign the custody papers. Disappear quietly." He puts his hand on Liam's head. "Or I'll make sure Liam forgets you ever existed. Permanently."
The video cuts to Josie entering the room with a bottle. The same bottle from Marcus's security footage. The potion.
"We've been gentle so far," Josie purrs. "But there are stronger potions. Ones that don't just make him forget. Ones that make him hate."
Liam looks up at the camera, his little face confused.
"Who's Emma?" he asks.
Declan smiles. "Nobody, son. Nobody at all."
The video ends.
Emma gasps. I turn to see her face completely white, trembling.
"They're erasing him," she whispers. "They're erasing me from my son's mind."
And then, impossible as it seems, things get worse.
Because another video comes through.
This one is security footage from the Shadow's Edge border.
It shows a group of wolves. Thirty. Maybe forty.
All wearing Silverpine Pack colors.
All heading straight for us.
Marcus looks at me, grim. "Declan's not waiting for the council. He's coming for her himself."
"Let him come." My wolf surges to the surface, ready for war. "He crosses into my territory, and I'll have legal right to kill him."
"He knows that." Marcus swipes to another image. "That's why he's not coming alone."
The next photo makes my blood run cold.
Five other Alphas. All Declan's allies. All marching with their warriors.
Six packs total.
Coming for one woman.
"This is an act of war," I breathe.
"Yes," Marcus agrees. "But if we fight, Emma gets exposed. The council will force us to hand her over to avoid full-scale territory war."
I look at Emma, still holding Mira. Both of them watching me with wide eyes.
I've faced down rogue armies. I've killed enemies twice my size. I've survived things that would break most Alphas.
But I've never had so much to lose.
"What do we do?" Emma asks quietly.
I meet her eyes, and in that moment, I make my choice.
"We fight."