Chapter 25
CADE
The moment I hear my name called, I know I’m not going to like what I’m about to see, but that doesn’t stop me from shoving Elias out of my way as he tries to calm me down first.
“Bram isn’t likely here to make trouble,” he says, right at my heels. “Remember, he’s still on the council, Cade. This isn’t the time to murder first and ask questions later.”
I don’t bother to respond, but I do give Elias a pointed look when we step outside and find a dead body on the ground. I guess I’m not the only one who likes to choke the life out of people.
On second thought, with the amount of blood I’m seeing, he clawed the life out.
Bram Stone stands there, hardened face and defiant brown eyes, his arms crossed and body unmoving like he’s been carved out of stubbornness and bad decisions. The dark red flannel and ripped jeans both look two sizes too small for him, but he doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.
And at his feet lies Calder Rivers.
What’s left of him, anyway?
The former council member’s body is twisted at an unnatural angle, skin pale against his blood-stained clothes. The sight pulls a low growl from my chest before I can stop it.
Bram doesn’t flinch.
“So,” he says mildly, like we’re discussing weather patterns instead of a corpse. “You gonna invite me in, Westin? Or are we doing this right here with the ladies watching from above?”
I don’t move aside.
“This is my territory,” I say evenly. Though NightShade isn’t technically part of any pack. “You showed up unannounced with a dead council member. Start talking.”
A corner of his mouth lifts. Not a smile. More like amusement sharpened by irritation. “Straight to business. Guess the rumors were wrong.”
“About what?”
“That you’d gone soft,” Bram replies. “Or possibly better. Feral.”
I sense my pack moving in. I didn’t call for them, but I shouldn’t be surprised.
They’d have smelled the blood, and this is what they’re here for.
They line the perimeter behind Bram, and I don’t stop them from inching closer.
Instead, I let the silence stretch, let him know I’m not here, acting alone.
Except it doesn’t seem to bother him in the least.
“You abandoned your people,” he continues, undeterred. “Walked away from your seat on the council. Let us begin to rot, risking the packs as a whole. Funny thing is, after all I heard about your father and then you, I never pegged you for a coward who would hide.”
My wolf snarls, pacing under my skin, but I keep my voice level because we don’t owe this man an explanation. I’ve already given one to the pack here and sent word to the others back home. They’re the only ones who deserve more from me.
Not the council and not Bram.
“How about we talk about why you dragged Calder’s body halfway across the region instead of taking it to your pack?”
Bram’s eyes flick down to the corpse, then back up to me. Something sharp flashes there—recognition, maybe. Or annoyance that I didn’t take the bait.
“Because he’s a gift for you,” he says with a smirk that makes me take a step closer.
“I might have ripped his throat out, but that wasn’t what killed him, and something tells me you know a little about that.
I’d like to hear your side of the story.
” He kicks Calder. “This is my offering in exchange.”
I tried to tell you that he wasn’t in trouble, Elias says through our pack link as he stands on my left. I’ve told the pack to stand down.
Just because he isn’t here to fight us at the moment doesn’t mean he’s not trouble, I counter while also addressing Bram again.
“So, you want to know why I didn’t take my place on the council?” I ask him.
He shakes his head slowly. “No, I want to know why someone decided that killing your mate…”
That earns him my full attention, but before he can finish, the front door opens behind me.
I don’t turn right away. I don’t need to. I feel Rowan the second she steps outside—the shift in the air, the way my wolf stills like the world just snapped into alignment.
Bram notices her too.
He straightens slightly, gaze sliding past me to where she stands on the steps, sunlight catching in her hair. Whatever he expected to see, it isn’t this. Not fragile. Not monstrous. Just…Rowan.
He nods once, respectful in a way that surprises me.
“As I was saying,” Bram says plainly. “I want to know why I was supposed to want her dead and why someone tried to go so far as to control my mind to get me on board with the whole ‘murder the Ashmark’ plan.”
Rowan joins me on the right and takes my hand, her fingers warm and steady against mine. She stands tall at my side, shoulders squared, chin lifted like she belongs here, because she does.
My wolf bristles instantly. Another alpha this close to her is a problem on instinct alone. But when Rowan speaks, I know better than to stop her.
“Because they’re afraid of who I am,” she says lightly, a sweet smile curving her mouth. Though there’s steel beneath it. “Care to find out if they’re right to be scared?”
Pride swells sharp and dangerous in my chest.
Bram chuckles, low and amused. “Oh, sweetheart. I welcome the challenge. But I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
The word snaps something feral inside me.
Don’t do it, Elias warns, and is promptly ignored.
I release Rowan and step forward in one smooth motion, gripping the front of his shirt and hauling him close enough that he can no doubt feel my breath on his face. “Call her anything other than Rowan again,” I growl, “and you’ll find out what a real challenge looks like.”
Bram doesn’t flinch.
Our gazes lock, alpha against alpha, pressure rolling between us like a storm front. His presence is strong, solid and seasoned, but it doesn’t eclipse mine. Not even close. I hold my ground, making sure he understands exactly what it means that I’m standing here now.
I left once.
I won’t again.
A beat passes.
Then Bram’s mouth quirks. “Fair enough.”
I let him go and step back, reclaiming my place at Rowan’s side without breaking eye contact. “Taren is still here, but she’s resting. If you want to come inside—”
“No.” Rowan cuts in before I can finish.
I glance at her, but she doesn’t look at me. Her attention is fixed on Bram. “Not until he’s free of Malrik’s influence.”
Liz moves closer, stopping just behind us, her presence a silent threat. “How do you know that?”
Rowan doesn’t hesitate. “Because I know Malrik.”
Bram’s grin sharpens, but his gaze returns to me with something like respect.
“Your mate’s intuitive,” he says. “And she’s right.
That bastard’s still swimming around in there.
” He exhales through his nose. “I’d love to say I haven’t fallen victim to his antics, but after what I’ve seen him do to others, I can’t be certain. ”
I turn back to Rowan, concern tightening my chest. “Are you sure it isn’t too soon after Taren? What happened earlier…”
I swore earlier that she was never doing this again, but I knew the words were a lie even then. I can’t hold her back from what she was meant for. Even when I hate it.
Still, I won’t let her put herself at risk if I see any doubt in her eyes.
“Taren was my first,” she says calmly. “And she was near death. He’s not.” She meets my stare, unwavering. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”
She said the same thing earlier. The same fire burns in her gaze now.
My mate doesn’t bend, she doesn’t retreat, and no matter how much my instincts scream to shield her, I know better than to cage what was never meant to be contained.
I knew her path was going to be complicated from the beginning, and the moment I saw her eyes held a connection to all the packs, it told me all I needed to know.
Rowan isn’t what’s going to tear us apart.
She’s what’s going to keep us whole.
And I need to find a way to be okay with her doing that.
“So, are we going to do this?” Bram asks cockily. “I can handle whatever the Ashmark needs to do.”
I deeply wish otherwise right about now.
Rowan doesn’t hesitate. “If you’re ready, then I am.”
She steps out of my space, and Elias grips my shoulder as she goes toward Bram, moving like she’s crossing a line she’s already measured a hundred times.
Calm and focused. That might be the most terrifying part for me.
Even though I understand the truth of it, I hate more than anything that this is what she’s made for, that she has to take on the darkness for the good of others.
She deserves so much better than that fate.
“Stand still,” she says with a bravado I can only respect.
Liz moves to stand next to me, eagerly watching what’s to come. “She’s going to change the world.”
I’m already fully aware.
Bram arches a brow. “Right out here? No private room? No magical runes? No dramatic warning about my soul unraveling?”
“Who says I give warnings?” she replies pleasantly. “There are always risks. You’re welcome to crawl back to the forest you came from if you’re worried.”
I smirk before I can stop myself. She’s becoming more like an alpha’s luna without even realizing it. Her strength is intoxicating.
“That’s our girl,” Liz whispers.
Bram exhales and nods once. “Fine. Do your worst, Rowan.”
I don’t like the way he says her name, then looks at me. I don’t like that he’s standing so close to my mate when my instincts are screaming to put myself between them. But Rowan meets my eyes briefly—just long enough to tell me she’s got this.
So, I force myself to stay still, watching every movement as Rowan lifts her hand and places it flat against Bram’s chest.
At first, nothing happens, not like the instant connection when she was healing Taren, but then the air changes.
I feel it before anything else. A pressure shift, like the world is taking a careful step back. The space around Rowan tightens, pulling inward instead of bursting out. The ground beneath our feet hums low and steady, not angry or wild but controlled.
Bram stiffens, and his jaw clenches as his breath stutters once, then evens out again, like he’s forcing himself through something thick and cold. I watch his pupils dilate, his shoulders tense as if he’s bracing against a weight only he can feel.
Rowan’s expression doesn’t change.
Her power doesn’t lash out. It draws in.
I don’t see magic leave him the way I expect. Her veins don’t turn black like before, and she doesn’t make a noise. There’s no visible thread, no dramatic siphoning.
It’s subtler than that this time. Like frost melting under the sun, like a shadow being peeled away layer by layer until there’s nothing left to cling to.
Bram exhales sharply. “Ah. There it is,” he mutters. “That buzzing. Gods, I hate that.”
Rowan’s fingers flex once against his chest.
The hum coming from her deepens then fades. Her shoulders tighten, and I take a step forward but force myself to stop. I have to let her do this. Not only for her, but for us.
Bram sways, just barely, catching himself before he stumbles. His eyes are clear, focus sharpening as he looks at Rowan like he’s seeing her for the first time without something whispering in his head.
“Well,” he says hoarsely. “That was deeply uncomfortable.”
“It was supposed to be.” Rowan pulls her hand back and takes a step away. “You’re welcome.”
He snorts, then smirks. “You know, touching an alpha like that usually only happens behind closed doors.”
My wolf surges forward, and Elias tries to hold me back again, but I’m already moving when Rowan reaches back and presses her hand to my chest.
Just one touch, steady and firm, and I stop instantly.
Not because I can’t move, but because I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want to take this moment where she shows her strength away from her. For not really knowing what she’s doing, her instincts seem to be spot on.
I look down at her, pulse hammering, and she meets my gaze with absolute certainty. No doubt. Just truth.
“I’m yours,” she says quietly. Not for Bram. Not for anyone else. Just for me. “Always.”
The rage bleeds out of me like it was never mine to begin with, leaving only the steady certainty of her hand against my chest and the bond humming low and sure between us.
Bram watches the exchange with open amusement, but wisely keeps his mouth shut.
Rowan catches my eye again and smiles, soft and knowing, mouthing thank you when I finally step back.
What she doesn’t know is that I’ll repay Bram for this moment eventually.
Because, at some point, Rowan won’t be standing between us, and when that happens, I’m fairly certain my fist is going to meet his nose at least once.
Still, there’s a larger truth settling into place.
Another council member has now seen what Rowan can do and what she chooses to do with that power. The more of them who understand that her gift isn’t a threat but a safeguard, the better it is for all of us.
While I might be the one who intends to keep her safe, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have hundreds of wolves standing between us and the rest of the world.