The mine shaft swallowed them whole.
Old timber supports groaned under the weight of earth. Water dripped somewhere deep—slow, steady, like a clock counting down. Moonlight didn't reach here; only the faint glow from Liora's phone screen lit their faces in cold blue.
They'd crawled through a collapsed side entrance—barely wide enough for shoulders. Rocks scraped Kael's back raw. Now they sat in a small chamber, maybe twenty feet in, far enough the engines outside sounded distant. Muffled.
Kael leaned against the damp wall. Breathing shallow. The wolf paced inside him—restless, not angry. Like it knew something he didn't.
Liora sat cross-legged in front of him. Sleeve rolled up. The rune on her forearm pulsed brighter now—silver threads moving under the skin like living veins.
She stared at it. Face blank.
Kael broke the quiet. "How bad does it hurt?"
"Bad enough."
He shifted closer. Knees brushing hers. "Show me again."
She held her arm out. The glow had spread—thin lines creeping toward her elbow, faint but growing.
Kael touched the edge of the rune. Skin hot. Almost feverish.
She flinched—just a twitch.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." Her voice was steady. "We need to break it. Or block it. Before they close the net."
"How?"
She pulled a small knife from her boot. The blade caught the phone light—dull silver, etched with faint runes of its own.
"Blood and intent," she said. "Old pack way. Cut the mark, speak the break. If it works… it severs the tether. If it doesn't…" She shrugged. "It burns deeper. Maybe permanent."
Kael looked at the knife. Then at her.
"You've done this before?"
"No. But I've seen it tried. Once. The wolf didn't survive the night."
Kael exhaled hard. "Great."
She met his eyes. "You don't have to watch."
"I'm not leaving."
She studied him a long moment.
Then nodded.
She handed him the knife. Handle first.
"You do it," she said. "Your bloodline. Your curse. Might carry more weight."
Kael took the blade. Heavy. Cold.
He hesitated.
Liora reached out. Covered his hand with hers.
"Together," she whispered.
He nodded.
She laid her arm across her thigh. Palm up. The rune throbbed—bright, angry.
Kael pressed the tip to the center of the crescent. Skin parted easy. Blood welled fast—dark, almost black.
Liora hissed. Didn't pull away.
He drew the line—slow, straight—following the main curve. Blood followed the blade. The rune flared white-hot.
She gasped. Body jerked.
Kael froze.
"Keep going," she gritted.
He did.
Second curve. Third. The thorns.
Each stroke burned brighter. Smoke rose—thin, acrid. Smelled like burning hair and ozone.
Liora's breathing turned ragged. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She gripped his knee—hard enough to bruise.
Kael felt it too—the pull. Like the rune was reaching into him. Tugging at the wolf. At the silverblood.
He spoke the words she'd taught him—low, rough.
"I break what binds. I sever what claims. By blood and will. No alpha holds her."
The last word left his mouth.
The rune exploded in light.
Not fire. Not heat. Pure silver glare.
Liora screamed—short, sharp. Body arched.
Kael dropped the knife. Grabbed her shoulders. Held her.
The glow collapsed inward—lines shrinking, collapsing into the cut.
Then gone.
Dark.
Just blood and torn skin.
Liora slumped forward. Forehead against his chest. Breathing hard. Shaking.
Kael held her. One hand on her back. The other cradling her head.
"You okay?"
She laughed—weak, breathless. "Ask me tomorrow."
He pulled back just enough to see her face.
Eyes glassy. But clear.
She lifted her arm.
The mark was gone. Just a raw, bleeding line where it had been.
Scar tissue already forming—fast. Too fast.
She looked up at him.
"It worked."
Kael exhaled. Relief hit like a wave.
Then the wolf surged—sudden, violent.
He gasped. Spine bowed. Claws punched out. Fur rippled across his arms—fast, patchy.
Liora's eyes widened.
"Kael—"
He shoved back—hard. Scrambled away. Back against the wall.
Bones cracked. Pain white-hot.
The shift tried to take him—full, unstoppable.
He fought. Teeth gritted. Growled through clenched jaw.
Liora moved fast. Closed the distance. Grabbed his face—both hands.
"Look at me."
He did. Yellow eyes meeting hers.
"Breathe with me. In. Out. You're not turning. Not here. Not now."
He tried. Chest heaved.
She kept holding. Steady. Unafraid.
Slowly—agonizingly—the fur receded. Claws retracted. Bones settled.
He slumped. Exhausted.
She didn't let go.
"Good," she whispered.
Kael leaned into her touch. Just for a second.
Then pulled back. Voice hoarse.
"That was close."
"Yeah."
They sat in silence. Breathing together.
The mine felt smaller. Safer. For once.
Until footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Slow. Deliberate.
Not hunters.
Not pack enforcers.
A single figure stepped into the faint phone light.
Tall. Older. Silver hair braided tight. Face lined with years and scars.
Mara.
Darius's sister. Pack elder.
Eyes cold. Knowing.
She stopped just inside the chamber.
Looked at the blood on the floor. At Liora's arm. At Kael.
"You broke the mark," she said. Voice dry. "Impressive."
Kael pushed to his feet. Unsteady. Stood in front of Liora.
Mara raised a hand. No weapon. Just calm.
"I'm not here to fight."
"Then why?" Kael growled.
Mara's gaze flicked to Liora—then back.
"Because the pack is fracturing. Darius is losing control. Your mother bought you time—more than you know. She's alive. Barely. Chained. Waiting for the next moon."
Kael's heart slammed.
Mara continued. "Hunters are closing. Rivals scent weakness. If Darius claims you fully—if he forces the bond—he'll kill half the pack to keep power. The other half will die when the curse wakes."
She stepped closer.
"I offer an alliance."
Kael laughed—short, bitter. "Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't. But you have no one else."
She reached into her coat. Pulled a small vial—dark liquid inside. Swirled.
"Blood ritual," she said. "Mine. Yours. One drop each. Mixed. Shared. It binds us—not like Darius wants. Equal. Mutual. Breaks the silverblood tether. Or it kills you. Instant. No pain."
She held the vial out.
"Submit to it. Or die trying anyway."
Kael stared at the vial.
Then at Mara.
Then at Liora.
Liora's hand found his—squeezed once.
No words.
Just the question in her eyes.
Kael looked back at Mara.
Heart pounding.
Wolf silent—for once.
Waiting.
He reached out.
Took the vial.
The glass was cold.
And somewhere deeper in the mine, water kept dripping.
Like time running out.