The towering figure stepped out of the shadows.
Heavy boots crushed the shattered oak and broken glass scattered across the threshold. The crunching sound echoed off the high vaulted ceilings, sharp and unforgiving.
Alpha King Cassian.
I recognized the sharp line of his jaw instantly. The suffocating weight of his aura rolled into the room ahead of him. He didn't just command the space. He owned the oxygen inside it.
"Who are you?" Selene squealed.
She pressed her back flat against the stone pillar, her eyes wide with terror. She pulled her sheer crimson dress tighter around herself, trembling violently.
Cassian ignored her. He walked straight down the center of the hall, his dark coat sweeping the floor.
Liam groaned. He clutched his ruined ribs and tried to push himself up. "This is my territory. State your business."
Cassian didn't break his stride. He stepped over Liam’s outstretched leg as if sidestepping a dead rat.
"Hey!" Liam barked. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the flagstones. "I am talking to you! I am the Alpha here!"
"You are a stain on the floor," Cassian replied.
His voice was a low, gravelly rumble. It vibrated through the soles of my shoes.
"I demand respect!" Liam yelled.
"Be quiet."
Liam choked on his next word. The sheer force of the King's command clamped his jaw shut. Liam’s eyes bulged, but no sound came out.
Cassian stopped two feet in front of me.
He towered over my frame, blocking out the chandelier light. He smelled of ozone and cold iron, a stark contrast to the synthetic rose perfume polluting the room.
"Elara Rostova," he said.
"King Cassian," I replied.
I kept my chin high. My fingers still hummed with leftover ice magic, but I forced my hands to uncurl. I refused to show fear.
"You make a mess of your council halls."
"The trash invited itself in," I shot back. "I was just taking it out."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I saw the display."
"Then you know I don't need an audience."
"You need a lot more than that," he murmured.
"I handle my own fights."
"Clearly," Cassian noted. He cast a brief glance at Liam's broken form. "But a white wolf awakening changes the board."
"I am not a piece on your board."
"Everyone is on the board, Elara."
"Not me. I just took back my freedom."
"Freedom is a myth for a white wolf," he said. "You are a target now."
"Let them come."
"Brave," he said. "But foolish."
"She is my mate!" Liam spat. The silencing command had faded enough for him to force the words out. He struggled to his knees. "The goddess paired us!"
Cassian didn't look at him. "The goddess makes mistakes. I correct them."
"The council will hear of this!" Liam threatened. "You cannot just walk into my hall and steal my wife!"
"This hall belongs to the Rostova bloodline," Cassian reminded him. "You are merely a guest who overstayed his welcome."
"I built this alliance!" Liam yelled.
"You married a woman to steal her land," Cassian corrected. "And you failed."
"She used forbidden magic!" Liam pointed a shaking finger at me. "She attacked her Alpha!"
"She defended herself," Cassian countered. "Against a weak male."
Liam’s face turned purple. "I am Alpha Thorne!"
"You are nothing," Cassian said softly.
He turned his full attention back to me. He reached inside his heavy wool trench coat.
I tensed. I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, ready to summon the frost again.
"Stand down, little wolf," Cassian instructed.
He withdrew his hand. Between his long fingers rested a jagged piece of black stone. Intricate silver filigree wrapped around the dark edges.
My stomach dropped. "The obsidian fang."
"The royal crest," Cassian confirmed. "A mark of absolute sanctuary."
"You give those to pack leaders who swear fealty," I said, eyeing the badge.
"I give them to whoever I choose."
"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.
"Because a white wolf does not belong to a pathetic excuse for an Alpha."
"She handed me divorce papers!" Liam shouted. "She is crazy!"
"She is free," Cassian corrected. "The bond is dead."
"We merged our packs!" Liam argued. "The eastern borders are mine!"
"Nothing is yours," Cassian replied. "You lost your claim the moment you raised a hand to her."
Cassian took a step closer. The heat radiating from his chest clashed violently with the winter chill lingering on my skin.
"Hold still," he ordered.
I froze.
Cassian leaned in. He positioned the obsidian fang over the lapel of my coat.
"I didn't ask for your protection," I whispered.
"You didn't have to," he replied. His voice dropped to a register meant only for my ears.
His knuckles grazed the fabric as he pushed the silver pin through the thick wool. The proximity was overwhelming. His aura pressed against mine, testing the boundaries of my newly awakened power.
"This makes me your property," I challenged quietly.
"This makes you untouchable," he countered.
He secured the clasp. As he pulled his hand away, his rough thumb dragged across my bare collarbone.
His thumb lingered for a fraction of a second. The calluses on his skin scraped against my flesh.
A jolt shot straight down my spine, sharp enough to make my breath catch.
My entire body went rigid. The frost in my veins evaporated instantly. A sudden, scorching heat replaced the ice, pooling deep in my stomach. The lingering adrenaline from the fight vanished.
All I could focus on was the rough texture of his skin. The burning trail his touch left behind.
I had never felt anything like it. Not with Liam. Not with anyone.
I stared up at him. My lips parted.
His dark eyes locked onto mine. He noticed the shift. A muscle in his jaw flexed. The air between us thickened, heavy with an unspoken tension that had nothing to do with magic or territory.
"That is my woman!" Liam roared.
The sound of scraping metal tore through the hall.
I ripped my gaze away from Cassian.
Liam was on his feet. He held a silver hunting dagger, the blade gleaming under the dim chandelier light. His face twisted into a mask of pure, unhinged rage.
"Liam, stop!" Selene screamed.
He ignored her. He shoved off the stone pillar, charging directly at Cassian’s unprotected back.
