Leo's fingers stopped an inch from my collarbone. A pulse of pure energy radiated from my chest, invisible but heavy. It slammed directly into his sternum.
He stumbled backward, his boots scraping loudly against the rough concrete floor. His back hit the stone wall with a heavy thud, knocking a framed picture of his grandfather off the shelf. Glass shattered across the floor.
"What did you just do?" he demanded, rubbing his chest.
"I said, do not touch me," I told him, keeping my voice flat.
"You do not have an aura," he stammered, staring at his palms as if they had betrayed him. "You are just a kitchen servant. An Omega. Omegas do not repel Alphas."
"I am a lot of things you never bothered to learn about, Leo."
"What did you just do to me?" he demanded again, taking a step forward.
I did not back away. I held my ground, letting the residual energy hum beneath my skin. "I warned you. Keep your hands off me."
"Mia, wait. Where are you going?"
"Away from you."
"The guards will stop you!" he shouted, pushing himself off the wall. "You cannot leave the territory without my permission! I am the Alpha of the Blazetooth Pack!"
"Your title means nothing to me."
"You are throwing away a good life because of your pride!" he argued, stepping over the broken glass but keeping his distance. "Do you know what happens to rogues out there in the winter? You will freeze. Lucas will freeze."
"I would rather freeze than spend another second in this basement."
"Be reasonable, Mia. I can move you out of the basement. I will give you a room on the second floor. A guest room."
"A guest room?" I laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "So I can be closer to your bedroom? So Jasmin can hear you visiting me while she carries your heir?"
"I can make you the head maid," Leo offered, his tone turning desperate. "You will not have to scrub pots anymore. You will manage the staff. You will have a salary. You can buy Lucas new clothes."
"You think you can buy my loyalty with a maid's uniform?"
"I am offering you a compromise!"
"I do not compromise on my dignity."
"I will not let you take my son."
"He stopped being your son the night you decided Jasmin's father was more important than your own family."
"I am doing this for the pack!"
"And I am leaving for my son."
I grabbed Lucas's small hand and walked right past him. Leo did not reach for me again. He just stood there, staring at the empty space I left behind, completely paralyzed by the sudden shift in power.
We climbed the narrow wooden stairs and pushed through the heavy side door. The wind howled immediately, whipping freezing snow against my face. The temperature had dropped significantly since the sun went down.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel path ahead.
"Hide," I whispered, shoving Lucas behind a stack of empty wooden crates near the kitchen exit.
Two Blazetooth guards stumbled past, laughing loudly. They clutched half-empty bottles of cheap ale.
"Did you see the size of that diamond?" the first guard slurred. "Alpha Leo really went all out for the new Luna."
"She deserves it," the second guard hiccuped. "Much better than that quiet Omega he used to keep around. What was her name? Maya?"
"Who cares? She is probably scrubbing the toilets right now."
They laughed again, their voices fading into the blizzard.
I grabbed Lucas's hand and pulled him out from behind the crates. "Keep quiet and walk fast," I instructed.
Lucas shivered, pressing his small body closer to my leg.
"Are we there yet, Mommy?" he mumbled, his teeth chattering.
"Almost, sweetie," I said, pulling his thin sweater tighter around his neck. "Just to the dead oak tree."
"My toes hurt."
"I know. Keep walking. Just a few more steps."
"Is Daddy coming with us?"
"No."
"Is he staying with the new auntie?"
"Yes. He is staying with her."
"Did he like her crown better than my drawings?"
My chest tightened. "His choices have nothing to do with you, Lucas. He just wanted different things."
"I want to go home."
"We are going home. A real home."
The tree stood at the very edge of the Blazetooth boundary line, its bare branches clawing at the dark sky. No guards patrolled this far out, especially not during Jasmin's coronation feast. They were all too busy drinking to their new Luna in the warm packhouse.
We reached the massive trunk. The bark felt rough and frozen under my bare fingers.
"What are we doing?" Lucas asked, wiping snow from his eyelashes.
"Calling for a ride," I answered.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out the pure silver badge. The Southern Wolf clan crest caught the faint moonlight. I ran my thumb over the hidden knot in the wood, finding the small, circular groove I had discovered five years ago.
"Is this a magic trick?" Lucas asked, watching my hands closely.
"Something like that."
I pressed the badge into the slot. It clicked. A faint metallic hum vibrated through the bark, dying out almost instantly.
We waited. The wind bit through my thin cotton dress, turning my skin numb. The snow piled up around our cheap canvas shoes.
"Mommy, it is cold," Lucas whimpered.
"I know," I murmured, rubbing his arms vigorously. "They will be here soon."
"Who will be here?"
"People who will treat you like a prince."
"Not like a servant?"
"Never again."
"Do they have a packhouse?" Lucas asked, his teeth chattering.
"They have a castle," I told him.
"A real castle? With knights?"
"With Royal Guards. The strongest wolves in the world."
"Stronger than Daddy?"
"Much stronger than your father."
"Will they be mad that we are small?"
"You are not small, Lucas. You have royal blood in your veins. They will bow to you."
He looked up at me, his wide eyes filled with confusion. He did not understand what royal blood meant, but he squeezed my hand anyway.
Headlights cut through the blizzard. Not one pair, but four. The roar of massive engines drowned out the howling wind.
Four heavy armored off-road vehicles tore through the snow curtain, their matte-black frames absorbing the moonlight. They skidded to a halt just three meters from the boundary line, sending a spray of white powder into the air.
Lucas gasped, hiding behind my legs. "Are those bad guys?"
"No," I said, squeezing his hand. "They are family."
The lead vehicle's heavy door swung open. A thick boot crunched into the deep snow.
Kael stepped out.
He wore pitch-black combat gear, the fabric pulled taut across his broad chest. A gold star medal gleamed on his shoulder, catching the harsh headlights. Three more soldiers stepped out of the vehicles behind him, their hands resting on the hilts of their silver blades.
The second his boots hit the ground, the air pressure shifted. His Lycan aura rolled out in a suffocating wave, so intense the falling snow seemed to freeze in mid-air. The howling wind died down to a faint whisper, overpowered by the sheer force of his presence.
"Mia," Kael said. His voice rumbled, deep and absolute.
"You took your time," I said, my jaw trembling from the cold.
He walked toward us, his gaze sweeping over my faded dress. He took in the frayed hems, the cheap fabric, the bruises on my wrists from hauling heavy pots in the kitchen. His jaw tightened, a dangerous light flashing in his dark eyes.
"You told us never to come looking for you," he replied, stopping right in front of me.
"I changed my mind."
"I can see that."
"Are you going to lecture me, Kael?"
"I am going to burn this entire pack to the ground," he stated, his voice dangerously calm. He glanced at the distant lights of the Blazetooth packhouse. "Their borders are pathetic. We drove right through their outer patrols. They did not even notice us."
"They are busy throwing a party."
"A party for a false Luna," Kael sneered. "I should march up there and rip his throat out for putting you in rags."
"Leave him," I said. "He is not worth the energy."
"He disrespected a Royal."
"He does not know what I am. Nobody here does."
Kael looked down. He finally noticed the shivering boy clinging to my leg. The hard lines of his face softened slightly. He crouched down, ignoring the snow soaking into his combat trousers.
"This is Lucas," I told him.
Kael stared at my son, his glowing eyes scanning the boy's face. "He has your eyes, Princess."
Lucas shrank back. "Are you a monster?"
Kael let out a low, rumbling chuckle. "Only to the people who hurt you, little one. To you, I am Uncle Kael."
"He is freezing, Kael," I interrupted.
"Then let us get you both warm."
"Are we going back to the Southern Kingdom?"
"The King has been waiting for this day for seven years," Kael answered, standing back up. "He never stopped looking at the borders."
"Will he forgive me?"
"He already has."
Kael reached for the heavy clasp at his throat and pulled the thick fabric from his own back.
He dropped to one knee in the snow and draped a Southern Royal cloak embroidered with gold thread over my freezing shoulders.
