Nora's POV
The arrow never reaches Kael.
He moves faster than anything human, twisting sideways while keeping me cradled against his chest. The arrow meant for his heart slams into the wall behind us.
Dane doesn't hesitate. He shifts partially—just his claws and teeth extending—and launches himself at the shadows behind Lyanna.
The house erupts into chaos.
More arrows fly from the darkness. Assassins pour out from hiding spots—five, six, maybe seven wolves I don't recognize. They're not Silverclaw or Nightshade. They're something else entirely.
Ironridge! Dane snarls, ripping out an attacker's throat. Roderick sent assassins!
Alpha Roderick Greystone. The rival alpha who wants both packs destroyed.
Kael sets me down behind an overturned table, his body shielding mine. Stay here.
Then he shifts.
I've never seen an alpha shift before. It's terrifying and beautiful—bones cracking, fur exploding across skin, humanity replaced by pure predator. Within seconds, a massive silver wolf stands where Kael was, his eyes still blazing with intelligence and rage.
Dane shifts on the other side of the room, his wolf identical but somehow different. Where Kael's wolf is winter storm, Dane's is summer lightning.
They move together like they've done this a thousand times before.
Kael goes low, tearing into an assassin's legs. Dane goes high, ripping out the throat. They don't need words—they anticipate each other's movements perfectly, covering weaknesses, amplifying strengths.
They're devastating.
The fight lasts maybe three minutes. When it's over, seven Ironridge assassins lie dead on Lyanna's floor, and both alpha wolves stand panting, covered in blood that isn't theirs.
My stepmother is pressed against the wall, her face white with terror. My stepsisters huddle behind her, crying real tears for once.
The twins shift back to human form, and I quickly look away—they're naked and covered in blood, and I don't know where to look that won't make things weird.
Dane laughs, the sound dark and amused. Shy, little mate?
Someone get them clothes, Kael barks. Guards appear from outside—I didn't even know they were there—carrying extra clothing.
Once dressed, both alphas turn their attention to Lyanna.
She straightens, trying to regain control. You can't just barge into my home—
Your home? Dane's laugh is vicious. You mean the house you've been living in using the stipend meant for Nora's care? The money you've been stealing for twenty years?
Lyanna's face goes pale.
Did you think we wouldn't investigate? Kael's voice is ice-cold. The second that bond activated, we had our people pull every record. Every transaction. Every lie.
I have parental rights— Lyanna tries.
You lost those when you laid hands on OUR mate, Dane interrupts smoothly. When you starved her. Beat her. Locked her in an attic like she was garbage.
Through the bonds, I feel their rage, barely contained, ready to explode. They want to kill her. Both of them. The only thing stopping them is me.
Don't, I whisper. She's not worth it.
Kael's jaw clenches. Dane's fists tighten. But they listen.
Get your things, Kael orders me. You have sixty seconds.
I look around the house that's been my prison for twenty years. At the attic where I slept on a thin mattress. At the kitchen where I worked like a slave. At the stepfamily who made every day a living hell.
I don't have anything worth taking.
The truth of it hangs in the air. Twenty years, and I own nothing. No clothes that aren't borrowed or torn. No possessions they haven't destroyed. Nothing.
Dane's hand finds mine, his touch gentle despite the violence still humming under his skin. Then we leave. Now.
Lyanna finds her voice as we head for the door. You'll regret this! When those alphas tire of you, when they realize how worthless you are, you'll come crawling back! And I won't take you in! You'll die alone in the gutter where you belong!
I stop walking.
For twenty years, I've listened to her insults. Believed them. Let them shape how I see myself.
But something shifts inside me. Maybe it's the twin bonds giving me strength. Maybe it's finally being free. Maybe I'm just tired of being afraid.
I turn and look her in the eyes.
I survived you, I say quietly. I can survive anything.
Then I walk out without looking back.
My stepsisters' fake tears follow us into the night. Lyanna's screamed threats fade behind us.
I don't care. I'm done.
Outside, two vehicles wait under the moonlight—sleek black cars with different pack emblems. Nightshade wolves stand by one. Silverclaw wolves guard the other.
Both alphas walk me toward the cars, and I realize they're going to fight over this too.
She rides with me, they say in perfect unison.
Then they glare at each other.
Nightshade has better security, Kael argues.
Silverclaw has medical supplies, Dane counters. She needs a healer.
She needs protection.
She needs CARE.
Their voices rise. Wolves from both packs tense, hands moving toward weapons. The fragile truce is cracking.
I'm so tired. Tired of being fought over. Tired of being treated like property even by wolves who claim I'm their mate.
I'll walk, I say quietly.
Both alphas freeze.
What? Kael asks.
I said I'll walk. If you two can't agree on which car I ride in, I'll walk to wherever we're going.
Dane blinks. Then laughs, genuine, surprised laughter that transforms his whole face. She's serious.
Kael's lip twitches. Not quite a smile, but close. Stubborn.
Agreed, Dane says, still grinning.
They look at each other, and something passes between them. Understanding, maybe. Or respect.
Compromise, Kael says finally. She rides with neutral pack guards. We both follow.
Dane nods. Acceptable.
A third vehicle pulls up—guards wearing no pack emblems, neutral wolves who answer only to the Council. They open the door for me.
I climb in, relieved to have space from both alphas. Mira slides in beside me from the other side.
I'm coming with you, she announces. You need someone sane around all this alpha nonsense.
Through the window, I watch Kael get into the Nightshade vehicle. Dane climbs into the Silverclaw car. Both engines start simultaneously.
We drive into the forest, headlights cutting through darkness.
My body aches. My back throbs where the belt broke skin. I'm exhausted and terrified and have no idea what happens next.
Where are we going? I ask the neutral guard driving.
The Bonding House, he answers. Neutral territory where both alphas can court you properly.
My stomach drops. Court me?
The guard's eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, and there's pity in them.
Fight for you, he corrects gently. You've got twenty-three days left to choose which alpha you want. They're going to use every single one to convince you they're the right choice.
Through the twin bonds, I feel both alphas' determination. Both their hunger. Both their absolute refusal to lose.
May the Moon Goddess help you, girl, the guard adds quietly. You're about to be caught between two apex predators who've hated each other for twenty years. And they both want the same thing.
What's that? I whisper.
You.
The forest grows darker as we drive deeper. Through the bonds, I feel Kael's possessive fury. I feel Dane's calculating desire.
And I realize something terrifying:
They didn't save me from Lyanna because they love me. They saved me because I belong to them. Because the bond makes me theirs.
Property by a different name.
The Bonding House appears through the trees—a massive mansion lit by torches, isolated and beautiful and absolutely inescapable.
My new prison.
Just prettier than the last one.