Kael's POV
The bear warlord's challenge hung in the air like poison.
My wolf exploded inside me, demanding I shift and rip out his throat. Nobody claimed what was mine. NOBODY.
But I forced myself to stay human. To think. Because charging in with rage would get Lyra killed, and my wolf would never forgive me.
"Thorne Ironhide," I said coldly, recognizing him. The Bear Clan's most brutal warrior. "You're a long way from the mountains."
Thorne smiled, showing teeth. "I go where profit leads. And a Beastcaller is the biggest profit in fifty years." His eyes locked on Lyra, predatory and hungry. "She'll bond with whoever proves strongest. That's the old law. So let's settle this like our ancestors did—trial by combat."
"No," Lyra said, her voice shaking but determined. "I'm not a prize in some barbaric fighting tournament."
"You don't get a choice, little human," Thorne said. "This is how the Beastworld works. The strongest male wins. The weak die. That's nature."
Riven laughed, dark and dangerous. "How predictable. The bear wants to solve everything with violence." He looked at Lyra with those ancient crimson eyes. "I could burn them all to ash before they took three steps. Say the word, Beastcaller, and I'll end this."
"More violence?" Lyra's honey eyes blazed with anger despite her fear. "That's your solution? Just kill everyone who gets in your way?"
"It's worked for three hundred years," Riven said simply.
I stepped between Lyra and both of them, my wolf riding just beneath my skin. The bond mark burned on my wrist, screaming at me to protect her. "She's already bonded to me. The rest of you have no claim."
"One bond means nothing," Thorne growled. "Beastcallers can hold four, five, even six bonds. Your little wolf mark doesn't make her yours exclusively."
He was right. I hated that he was right.
"Then we do this properly," I said through gritted teeth. "Through the Council of Alphas. Let the Elders from all territories decide—"
"The Elders will take weeks to gather," Riven interrupted. "By then, every predator in Feralys will be here trying to claim her. How many more villages burn? How many more of your pack die while we wait for old men to debate?"
Lyra's hand suddenly grabbed my arm. I felt her trembling. "Kael," she whispered. "What if... what if I choose?"
All three of us turned to stare at her.
"What?" Thorne barked.
"You said I'm valuable because I can bond with multiple males, right?" Lyra's voice got stronger as she spoke. "So what if instead of you fighting over me, I decide who I bond with? On my terms. My choice."
"Beastcallers don't get to choose," Thorne said. "They bond with whoever claims them first—"
"That's the OLD way," Lyra cut him off, and I felt a flash of pride despite everything. This human girl had more spine than most wolves. "But I'm from a different world. And in my world, women aren't property. We choose our own partners. So here's my offer: I'll consider bonding with whoever proves they deserve it. Not through violence. Through showing me they're worth trusting."
Silence.
Then Riven started laughing. Really laughing, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You want us to court you? Like some human fairytale?"
"I want you to treat me like a person instead of a weapon," Lyra shot back. "Is that so impossible?"
Thorne looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "This is insane."
"This is brilliant," Riven said, his eyes gleaming with something that might have been respect. "She's proposing a competition, but one where she holds all the power. Clever little Beastcaller. Very clever."
My wolf was snarling with possessive rage. Let her choose? Let these predators COURT her? Every instinct screamed to grab her and run, to hide her somewhere they'd never find her.
But the human part of me—the part that remembered my mother teaching me that strength wasn't just about fighting—understood what Lyra was doing.
She was taking control of a situation where she had none. Turning herself from prey into the hunter.
It was either stupid or genius, and I wasn't sure which.
"Fine," I said, though the word tasted like ash. "She chooses. But she stays in my territory under my protection until she decides. Anyone who tries to take her by force answers to me."
"Agreed," Riven said immediately. "I'll stay in your territory and prove myself worthy. This should be... entertaining."
Thorne studied Lyra for a long moment, his bear sizing her up. Finally, he nodded. "I accept. But know this, little human—I've never lost a competition. You'll choose me in the end. They all do."
The arrogance in his voice made my wolf want to tear him apart.
"We'll see," Lyra said quietly.
Thorne turned to his bear warriors. "Stand down. We're staying." Then he looked at me with cold eyes. "But wolf—your territory better have room for all of us. Because I'm not leaving until she wears my mark."
My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. "Set up camp at the eastern border. Stay away from the village."
The bears melted back into the forest, massive and dangerous.
Riven bowed mockingly to Lyra. "Until later, Beastcaller. I look forward to proving myself." He shifted into his dragon form in a blast of heat and smoke, launching into the sky with his warriors following.
Then it was just Lyra and me, standing in the ruins of my burning village.
She was shaking so badly she could barely stand. The bravery she'd shown moments ago was cracking, revealing the terrified girl underneath.
"Did I just make everything worse?" she whispered.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But you bought us time. That's something."
"Your pack hates me. Your village is burning because of me. And now there are dragons and bears camped at your borders." Her voice broke. "Maybe I should just leave. Find another territory far away—"
"No." The word came out harsher than I meant. My wolf surged forward, panicked at the thought of her leaving. "You're not going anywhere. The bond won't let me let you go, and even if it did..." I stopped, surprised by what I was about to say.
"Even if it did?" she prompted.
"You didn't deserve what happened to you," I said quietly. "Being betrayed. Thrown away. Hunted. You deserve better than that. And until you're safe, you're staying here. With me."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Why are you being kind to me? You hate humans."
"I do," I admitted. "Or I thought I did. But you..." I touched the bond mark on my wrist, feeling it pulse with warmth. "You're not them. You're just a girl who got dealt a terrible hand. And I'm an Alpha. Protecting those who can't protect themselves is what I do."
She looked at me like I'd given her something precious. "Thank you."
Before I could respond, Zara came running up, her face pale with fear.
"Kael," she gasped. "We have a problem. A big one."
"What now?"
"The Fox Clan just sent a messenger." Zara's eyes were wide with panic. "Their ambassador is on his way here. Finn Silvertongue."
I went cold. "The spy?"
"The manipulator," Zara corrected. "If the foxes are sending him, it means they're playing a different game than the bears and dragons. They don't want to claim her through strength." She looked at Lyra with something like pity. "They want to claim her through deception. And Finn Silvertongue has never failed to get what he wants."
Lyra's face went white. "What does that mean?"
"It means," I said grimly, "that you're about to meet the most dangerous kind of predator. The kind that makes you trust him before he destroys you."
A fox's laugh echoed from the forest, melodic and terrifying.
"Too late," a smooth voice called out. "I'm already here."
A man stepped from the shadows—golden-auburn hair, amber eyes, and a smile that promised both pleasure and pain.
Finn Silvertongue had arrived.
And he was looking at Lyra like she was the answer to every question he'd ever asked.