Blood and Earth
The training grounds of the Shadow Pack were located on a massive, flat expanse of land carved directly into the side of the mountain, surrounded by towering black pines.
The crisp autumn air was sharp and cold, but I didn't feel it. I was sitting on a wooden bench at the edge of the clearing, wrapped tightly in one of Killian's heavy, dark wool cloaks. The scent of winter storms and cedar completely enveloped me.
Fifty yards away, standing in the center of the dirt arena, were the two most dangerous creatures in my world.
Killian had stripped off his shirt, leaving him in only dark tactical cargo pants and heavy boots. The midday sun highlighted the thick, brutal network of scars and tribal ink covering his massive chest and back. He looked every inch the lethal warlord he was bred to be.
But his tone was incredibly, impossibly gentle.
"Don't hold your breath, Leo," Killian instructed, kneeling in the dirt so he was perfectly eye-level with our four-year-old son. "When you feel the heat in your chest, you don't trap it. You have to let it flow down through your boots and into the earth."
Leo frowned in deep concentration. He was wearing miniature training gear, his small hands balled into fists at his sides.
"Like a volcano?" Leo asked, his striking grey eyes wide.
"Exactly like a volcano," Killian smiled, a genuine, breathtaking expression that made my heart do a violent flip. "Show me."
Leo closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, his tiny chest expanding. I held my breath, gripping the edge of the wooden bench.
A second later, Leo's eyes snapped open. The irises flared with that blinding, terrifying ring of Alpha gold.
But this time, there was no explosive shockwave. There was no shattered glass.
Instead, a low, heavy vibration hummed through the ground beneath my feet. The loose dirt and autumn leaves surrounding Leo's boots suddenly hovered a few inches in the air, suspended by pure, controlled kinetic magic.
"Hold it," Killian praised, his voice a low, vibrating rumble of absolute pride. "Control the beast, Leo. Do not let the beast control you."
Leo held the levitating leaves for three agonizing seconds before he finally gasped for air. The gold vanished from his eyes, and the leaves dropped harmlessly back to the dirt.
"I did it!" Leo cheered, throwing his small arms straight up in the air.
Killian let out a booming, rich laugh. He didn't offer a stern nod of approval; the Supreme Alpha reached out, grabbed his son by the waist, and hoisted him high into the air, spinning him around while Leo shrieked with pure, unadulterated joy.
I watched them, a massive lump forming in my throat.
For four years, I had convinced myself that I was protecting Leo from a monster. But looking at Killian now—sweaty, smiling, and looking at our son as if he were the most precious treasure in the universe—the last remnants of the wall I had built around my heart completely crumbled.
I wasn't a hostage anymore. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
"Enjoying the view, human?"
A sharp, mocking voice completely shattered my peaceful revelation.
I turned my head. Standing a few feet away was a tall, strikingly beautiful female werewolf with sleek blonde hair and cold, yellow eyes. She was flanked by two other female wolves, all of them looking at me with undisguised contempt.
I recognized her from the dining hall. Her name was Vivienne. She was Beta Silas's younger sister.
"The view is perfectly fine," I replied calmly, refusing to shrink back into the heavy cloak.
"You got lucky this morning," Vivienne sneered, taking a step closer, her yellow eyes flashing.
"You think because the pup has golden eyes, that makes you one of us?
You're a genetic fluke. The Alpha will get bored of a fragile human soon enough.
When he does, you won't have his protection to hide behind. "
My heart hammered against my ribs. A year ago, I would have dropped my gaze and walked away.
But I wasn't that scared, pregnant girl running through the woods anymore. I was a mother who had survived for four years on her own, and I had a King backing my every move.
I slowly stood up from the wooden bench. I was much shorter than Vivienne, but I didn't let it show. I squared my shoulders, looking her dead in her glowing yellow eyes.
"Are you lost, Vivienne?" I asked, my voice completely flat and devoid of fear.
Vivienne blinked, clearly thrown off by my lack of submission. "Excuse me?"
"I asked if you were lost," I repeated, taking a single, deliberate step toward her.
"Because surely you didn't walk all the way over here just to insult the Luna of your pack.
That would be incredibly stupid, especially considering your brother is currently scrubbing the dungeons because he forgot his place. "
Vivienne's jaw dropped. A low, warning growl rumbled in her throat.
"Careful," I whispered, lowering my voice so only she could hear.
"If you growl at me, the Alpha over there won't just make you scrub the floors.
He will rip your vocal cords out. So, I suggest you take your friends and go for a very long run in the woods before I decide I don't like the way you are looking at my son. "
For five agonizing seconds, we stared each other down.
Vivienne's wolf wanted to attack, but her survival instincts completely overrode her pride. She swallowed hard, the color draining from her beautiful face. She broke eye contact, lowering her head in a stiff, resentful bow.
"Yes, Luna," Vivienne gritted out through clenched teeth. She turned on her heel and practically sprinted away toward the packhouse, her two friends hurrying after her.
I let out a long, shaky exhale, my knees trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash.
"You didn't need to threaten her, you know."
I jumped, spinning around.
Killian was standing right behind me. I hadn't even heard him approach. His massive, bare chest was heaving slightly from the training, his skin glistening with sweat in the autumn sun.
"You heard that?" I breathed, my cheeks flushing deeply.
"I have werewolf hearing, Clara. I hear everything you say within a mile radius," Killian smirked, stepping closer until the heat of his body radiated against mine.
His glowing grey eyes were dark with intense, overwhelming approval.
"I was a second away from tearing her head off for speaking to you.
But my inner wolf told me to wait. He wanted to see his mate bare her fangs. "
Killian reached out, his rough knuckles gently trailing down my cheek.
"You were magnificent," he whispered, his voice vibrating with absolute worship. "You didn't need my protection. You handled her like a true Queen."
"She was annoying me," I muttered, looking down at his chest, completely flustered by the raw devotion in his gaze.
Killian let out a dark chuckle. He hooked a finger under my chin, tilting my head back up. He didn't care that there were dozens of warriors training in the distance. He leaned down and captured my lips in a slow, deep, breathtaking kiss that tasted of mint and raw power.
When he pulled back, I was completely breathless, my hands resting instinctively against his hard abs.
"Mommy! Did you see my volcano?!" Leo yelled, running over and aggressively hugging my legs.
"I saw it, baby," I laughed, kneeling down to hug him tightly. "You were amazing."
"I'm hungry," Leo announced, looking up at Killian. "Can we have pancakes?"
"You can have whatever you want, little prince," Killian smiled, ruffling Leo's hair.
The Alpha turned his head to look back toward the packhouse, intending to lead us inside. But as his eyes locked onto the massive stone fortress, his smile completely vanished.
His entire massive frame went rigid. The playful, loving father disappeared in a microsecond, instantly replaced by the terrifying, feral King.
"Killian?" I asked, my stomach plummeting as I saw his fangs extend. "What is it?"
"Get behind me," Killian ordered, his voice a low, demonic snarl as he pushed me and Leo firmly behind his broad back.
I looked toward the packhouse.
Marching out of the heavy oak doors, flanked by fifty heavily armed, rogue-looking wolves wearing no pack colors, was a man I recognized instantly.
Beta Silas.
He hadn't just escaped the dungeons. He had brought an army inside the gates.