"Do not move."
The command rolled down from the ridge like a blade.
Every wolf in the square froze.
Zoraide did not.
She had already shifted back. Already pulled on torn fabric. Already crushed bitterroot leaves between her palms and dragged them along her throat.
The sharp scent coated her skin.
Muted.
Contained.
Safe.
Beside her, the other Alaric stood rigid.
His jaw ticked. His scent spiked with something dark and furious.
The man on the ridge began to walk down.
Slow.
Controlled.
Each step deliberate.
His elite scouts followed in perfect formation.
No panic. No rush.
Authority wrapped around him like armor.
He reached the bottom of the slope and stopped a few paces away.
Up close, the resemblance was terrifying.
Same gold eyes.
Same sharp jaw.
Same height.
But this one felt colder.
Sharper.
His gaze moved over the ruined square. Over the dead rogues. Over Fenris's body.
Then it landed on her.
The mate bond detonated.
Zoraide inhaled sharply.
For a split second, before the herbs fully settled, her true scent slipped free.
Power.
Storm.
Command.
His eyes flared gold.
He took one step forward.
Then stopped abruptly.
Confusion flickered across his face.
He inhaled again.
All he got was bitterroot.
His brows drew together.
"That is impossible," he murmured.
The Alaric beside her stepped forward. "You are not welcome here."
The man in dark armor did not look at him.
"Silence."
The word carried weight.
The scouts behind him lowered their heads slightly.
Even the wind seemed to obey.
Zoraide crossed her arms. "If you are here to gawk, you are late. The rogues are dead."
His gaze snapped back to her.
"Who killed Fenris?"
"I did."
A beat of silence.
He studied her from head to toe.
"You?"
She lifted her chin. "Does that offend you?"
His nostrils flared.
He stepped closer.
The mate bond tightened like a chain pulled too hard.
His scent slammed into her. Ice. Steel. Dominance sharpened to a blade.
It pushed against her herbal mask, searching.
He leaned in.
Inhaled at her throat.
Her heart kicked.
He stiffened.
"No," he whispered.
His hand shot out and gripped her jaw, tilting her face upward.
The other Alaric growled.
"Take your hand off her."
The armored Alpha finally glanced at him.
Slow.
Cold.
"Explain why you wear my face."
The tension snapped like lightning.
Zoraide looked between them.
"Someone should answer that," she said dryly.
The Alaric at her side clenched his fists.
"He is my twin."
A murmur ran through the village.
The armored Alpha did not deny it.
"Half brother," he corrected calmly. "Bastard blood."
Gold eyes flashed on both faces.
Zoraide raised a brow. "Family reunion later. What do you want?"
The King's grip on her jaw tightened slightly.
"You."
The word was soft.
Dangerous.
Her pulse jumped.
"I am a healer."
His gaze darkened.
"You are lying."
She smiled faintly. "About what?"
He leaned closer again.
His nose brushed her temple.
He inhaled deeply.
Only bitterness.
Herbs.
Nothing else.
His expression shifted from hunger to irritation.
"You confuse me," he said.
"I am sure that is not a common experience for you."
One of his scouts stepped forward. "My King, the Council horns approach."
"I hear them," he replied without looking away from her.
The twin beside her stepped closer, protective.
"She stays here."
The King finally turned his full attention on him.
"On what authority?"
"Crescent Fang."
A cold smile curved the King's mouth.
"You forget who commands Crescent Fang."
The words landed like a strike.
The twin's scent flared with anger.
"You abandoned the valley."
"I elevated it."
Their eyes locked.
Zoraide stepped back, creating distance.
She needed space.
Needed air.
The King's gaze followed her movement instantly.
Possessive.
Calculating.
"You masked yourself quickly," he said.
She blinked once. "I bathe in herbs. It is good for the skin."
His eyes flashed.
"You do not smell like an Omega."
Her stomach tightened.
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It is not."
The twin stepped in front of her slightly.
"She is pack."
The King's voice dropped lower.
"She killed Fenris."
"She defended us."
"That is not Omega behavior."
Zoraide tilted her head.
"Perhaps your understanding of Omegas is flawed."
A few wolves in the crowd coughed nervously.
The King's jaw flexed.
"You stood under a Command Voice earlier."
The twin went still.
Zoraide's pulse spiked.
He had felt it.
Of course he had.
"I felt something," he continued. "Power that did not belong to a rogue."
His gaze sharpened.
"It did not belong to him."
Silence.
The mate bond pulsed painfully between them.
He stepped even closer.
Close enough that her back brushed the stone well.
"You were at the center of it," he said quietly.
"And you were not," she replied.
His hand lifted again.
This time he wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
Heat shot up her arm.
The bond roared.
His pupils dilated.
For one second, the herbal mask thinned.
He caught it.
Storm.
Silver.
Command.
His breath hitched.
Then the bitterness swallowed it again.
He released her abruptly as if burned.
"What are you?" he demanded.
"A healer."
His eyes flashed gold so bright several wolves stepped back.
"Do not insult me."
She met his gaze steadily.
"Do not threaten me."
The square went silent again.
The twin looked between them, tension crackling.
The King's scouts shifted uneasily.
The King spoke softly.
"You will come with me."
"No."
It came out without hesitation.
His expression did not change.
"You misunderstand."
"I do not think I do."
He gestured to the ruined gate.
"To the blood."
"To the Council horns growing closer."
His eyes hardened.
"They will not care what you pretend to be."
"I am not pretending."
His hand dropped to the hilt of his blade.
Not drawing.
Just resting there.
The message was clear.
"You are an anomaly," he said. "And anomalies destabilize kingdoms."
"And you fear that?" she asked.
"I eliminate that."
The twin snarled. "You will not touch her."
The King ignored him.
He looked only at Zoraide.
The mate bond pulsed again.
Heavy.
Electric.
His voice lowered.
"You feel it too."
She did not answer.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
Then back to her eyes.
"It is not coincidence."
"It is inconvenient," she corrected.
Something dangerous flickered across his face.
"Careful."
"Or what?"
A long pause.
Then he stepped back.
He turned slightly toward his men.
"Prepare to move."
Zoraide's stomach dropped.
"I said no."
He looked over his shoulder at her.
"And I said you misunderstand."
The twin moved to stand fully at her side.
"She stays."
The King's expression cooled completely.
"Very well."
He lifted his hand slightly.
His scouts moved instantly.
Torches were drawn.
Flames sparked to life.
Gasps rippled through the villagers.
"You would not," the twin said, voice low and lethal.
The King's eyes never left Zoraide.
"I would."
He tilted his head.
"You are coming with me, Healer."
The torches lifted higher.
Smoke curled into the night air.
"Or my men burn this village."