Chapter 24 Cade #2
“Just let me have you, and I’ll make it worth your while,” Zarik’s voice carried clearly through the window, smooth as poisoned honey. “Once you’re my queen, we can take down your weak mate once and for all. Rule the Ice Mountains the way they were meant to be ruled—with strength and control.”
Bastard. Cade’s muscles coiled as his wolf clawed for release with murderous intent. The urge to crash through that window and tear Zarik’s throat out nearly overwhelmed him.
“Cade doesn’t understand what real leadership requires,” Zarik continued, his tone growing more persuasive. “All that compassion and unity nonsense—it makes a territory weak. Vulnerable. But together, you and I could build something truly powerful.”
Cade fought to keep his breathing steady as Mila’s voice responded, honeyed and considering.
“You know, you might have a point,” she said, and Cade’s heart stopped for a terrifying moment before their bond pulsed with deliberate calm.
Please trust me, her emotions whispered through their connection.
“But if we’re going to do this, you’ll need to untie my hands first. I want to show you exactly how much I want you,” she continued with false desire.
The words made Cade physically ill, but he forced himself to remain still. His clever mate was playing a dangerous game, and he had to trust her instincts.
Through the window, he watched Zarik move closer to the bed where Mila sat bound. The Shadow Moon king’s massive frame blocked most of Cade’s view, but he could see enough to make his wolf snarl with possessive fury.
“Smart girl,” Zarik murmured, and Cade heard the soft sound of rope being cut. “I knew you’d see reason eventually.”
Cade’s vision went red as Zarik leaned in, pressing his face to Mila’s neck. The sight of another male’s lips on his mate’s skin sent waves of primal rage through every fiber of his being. His wolf demanded immediate action—consequences be damned.
But then Mila’s eyes found his through the glass, and she gave the slightest nod toward the back of the cabin. Her expression was steady and determined, completely in control despite the precarious situation.
Moving with predatory silence, Cade circled to the rear of the structure. An old hunting cabin like this would have multiple access points—trappers needed quick escape routes in case of territorial disputes or rogue animal encounters.
His luck held. A window near what appeared to be a storage area stood slightly ajar, its rusted latch more decoration than security. Cade eased it open with painstaking care, every muscle coiled for action.
He slipped inside just as voices from the main room grew more heated.
“That’s it,” Mila was saying, her tone breathless with fabricated want. “But I need you to be completely comfortable. Why don’t you get undressed first?”
Cade crept through the dim storage area, stepping over old hunting gear and moth-eaten blankets. The layout was simple—one main room with a sleeping area, a basic kitchen setup, and this back storage space.
When he reached the doorway separating the rooms, what he saw made his wolf growl silently with rage.
Zarik stood beside the narrow bed in nothing but his boxers, his discarded clothes scattered across the floor.
Mila lay against the pillows in her lace bra and panties, having apparently shed her clothing to sell the illusion.
Her hands were free now, and she was reaching up toward Zarik with what looked like genuine invitation.
The hunting knife Zarik had worn lay forgotten on the floor beside his belt, glinting in the pale afternoon light shining in through the window.
“Come here,” Mila whispered, her voice husky with false promise. “I want to feel how strong you really are.”
Zarik climbed onto the narrow mattress as Mila shifted to accommodate him. The sight of another male positioning himself over his mate sent Cade’s control spiraling toward the breaking point.
Just as Zarik settled his weight above her, Cade moved.
“Sorry to crash your party,” Cade growled, snatching the discarded knife from the floor.
Zarik’s head whipped around, his eyes blazing with fury at the interruption. But instead of backing down, the Shadow Moon king moved with lightning speed, hauling Mila upright and spinning her around so her back pressed against his chest.
One massive hand wrapped around her throat while the other twisted her arms behind her back with bruising force.
“Well, well,” Zarik purred, his grip tightening until Mila’s lips began to take on a bluish tinge. “The weak king comes to rescue his precious human. How touching.”
“Let her go, Zarik,” Cade commanded, but he didn’t dare move closer with Mila’s life literally in the bastard’s hands.
“Or what? You’ll take me down?” Zarik laughed, the sound harsh and grating. “I don’t think so. See, once I learned about your mate’s fascinating ancestral bloodline, I realized she’s worth far more than just a warm body in my bed.”
Cade’s grip tightened on the knife handle. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Her wolf guardian heritage, you fool. Do you have any idea what someone with her abilities could accomplish with the right... guidance?” Zarik’s smile was pure poison.
“Imagine using her natural affinity to lure humans here—not as equals, but as servants. Workers. An entire slave labor force drawn by her ancestral magnetism.”
The sheer evil of it hit Cade like a sickening punch. “You’re insane.”
“I’m a visionary. Your father’s legacy of unity and cooperation is dead, just like the old man.
The future belongs to those strong enough to seize it.
” Zarik’s grip on Mila’s throat tightened further.
“And she’s going to help me build an empire that makes your precious Ice Moon pack look like children playing at being wolves. ”
Cade took a careful step forward, but Zarik immediately responded by increasing the pressure on Mila’s windpipe. Her eyes were wide now, her face growing paler by the second.
“Ah ah ah,” Zarik warned. “One more step and I’ll snap her pretty little neck right here. Is that really how you want your great love story to end?”
The sound of fighting erupted outside—his pack warriors engaging with the rogue wolves Zarik had brought as backup. The distraction was exactly what they needed.
Mila’s eyes met Cade’s, and in that moment, their bond flared with perfect understanding. They moved as one entity, two halves of a unified whole.
Mila drove her heel back into Zarik’s shin while simultaneously jamming her elbows into his ribs with every ounce of strength she possessed. The dual assault made him stagger, his grip loosening just enough for her to break free.
Cade lunged forward, but Zarik was already shifting, his human form exploding into his massive black wolf with supernatural speed. The beast launched itself at Mila with murderous intent, forcing Cade to shift mid-leap to intercept.
The two wolves collided in a thunderous crash of fur and fangs, their combined weight slamming into the cabin’s far wall hard enough to shake the entire structure. Zarik’s black wolf was enormous, but where Cade fought with controlled precision, Zarik attacked with desperate savagery.
“Get him cornered!” Mila shouted, pressing herself against the wall but staying close enough to help. “Don’t let him reach the door!”
She positioned herself to block Zarik’s escape route, showing the same fierce courage that had first captured Cade’s heart. Her presence gave him strength, their bond humming with shared determination.
Zarik’s wolf snapped and clawed with increasing desperation, realizing his grand plans were crumbling around him. But cornered animals were often the most dangerous, and his attacks grew more vicious as his options dwindled.
Finally, with Mila’s strategic positioning and his own superior combat skills, Cade managed to pin Zarik against the cabin’s back wall. The black wolf struggled frantically, but there was nowhere left to run.
Cade’s jaws found Zarik’s throat with lethal precision. One powerful bite, and the threat that had haunted his reign was finally, permanently ended.
As the black wolf’s body went limp, Cade shifted back to human form, breathing hard from the exertion and adrenaline. Mila rushed into his bloodied arms without hesitation, her lips finding his in a kiss that tasted of relief and victory.
“Thank you for saving me,” she whispered against his mouth.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he replied softly. “I’ll never make that mistake again.”
She smiled up at him, her blue eyes bright with forgiveness and love. “I know you won’t. Now let’s go home.”