Liam POV
The fear hit me like lightning through the mate bond.
Katie.
I stopped walking instantly.
The forest around me fell silent, but inside my chest everything roared. The feeling wasn't just fear. It was pain, panic, and something sharp enough to make my wolf snarl.
She's in danger.
My wolf surged forward instantly, claws practically scratching against my mind.
Move.
I didn't hesitate.
Bones cracked as I shifted, my body stretching and reshaping as my wolf took control. Fur spread across my skin and power flooded my limbs like fire through my veins.
Then I ran.
The forest blurred around me as I tore through it at full speed. Branches snapped beneath my paws. Leaves scattered through the air behind me.
The mate bond pulled me like an invisible rope.
Every second I ran, the connection between us pulsed.
Fear.
Pain.
And confusion.
Katie didn't understand what was happening.
But I did.
My wolf growled deep in my chest.
Someone hurt her.
The thought alone filled me with a level of rage that felt almost ancient. Something darker stirred beneath my skin, something older than most wolves had ever felt.
The instincts of a Lycan king were not gentle.
They were territorial.
Protective.
And ruthless when someone threatened what was mine.
The wind shifted suddenly.
Her scent hit me first.
Katie.
Relief flickered for half a heartbeat.
Then another scent followed.
Blood.
My muscles tightened.
And beneath it all was another familiar scent.
Marissa.
Rage exploded through me like a wildfire.
A roar ripped from my chest before I could stop it, echoing through the trees and shaking the forest around me.
Ahead, the trees opened into a clearing.
Katie stood several feet away, breathing hard. Dirt covered her clothes and leaves clung to her hair. She looked shaken but she was still standing.
Across from her stood Marissa in wolf form.
Her body was tense, her eyes locked onto Katie like a predator watching prey.
My vision turned red.
No one touches my mate.
I burst into the clearing and planted myself between them.
My paws dug into the earth as a deep warning growl rolled from my chest.
Marissa froze instantly.
Her ears flattened.
Even in wolf form she knew exactly what I was.
Lycan.
King.
The power difference between us was impossible to ignore.
Slowly she shifted back into her human form, breathing unevenly as she stared past me at Katie.
"You shouldn't be here," Marissa snapped.
I didn't move.
Didn't respond.
Behind me I heard Katie shift slightly.
The mate bond pulsed again.
Relief.
Safety.
She felt safer just from me being here.
My wolf quieted slightly at that.
Good.
I shifted back into my human form, the cool night air brushing across my skin.
My gaze never left Marissa.
"What," I said quietly, "do you think you're doing?"
"She attacked me first," Marissa said quickly.
Behind me Katie let out a soft sound of disbelief.
The mate bond carried the truth to me instantly.
Fear.
Shock.
And the clear understanding that Marissa was lying.
My jaw tightened.
"Try again," I said calmly.
Marissa hesitated.
"You think I can't smell what happened here?" I continued.
Her silence confirmed it.
"You chased her through the forest."
I stepped forward slowly.
"You injured her."
Marissa's anger flared again.
"She stole everything from me!" she shouted.
Her voice echoed loudly through the trees.
"You chose her! Do you even realize what that makes her?"
Her hand shot toward Katie accusingly.
"Queen!"
Her eyes burned with fury.
"She'll outrank everyone in this pack! Even me!"
My expression remained calm.
But inside, my wolf was far from calm.
"Nothing that belongs to me was ever yours," I said.
Marissa's face twisted with rage.
"And Ashton won't stop defending her!" she snapped.
"He's my mate!..... MINE... but he loves her."
Her voice trembles.
My gaze shifted slightly.
Only then did I notice movement at the edge of the clearing.
Ashton stepped out from the trees.
His eyes went straight to Katie.
Relief crossed his face before he hid it.
Then his expression hardened.
"Marissa," he said sharply.
But Marissa only laughed bitterly.
"Of course you'd show up now."
Her eyes flicked between him and Katie.
"You wish she was your mate, don't you?"
Silence fell across the clearing like a dropped stone.
Katie's eyes widened.
Ashton went completely still.
Even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
For a moment I watched him carefully.
The Beta's son was good at hiding his emotions.
But not good enough.
There was pain there.
Real pain.
But he said nothing.
Instead he straightened his shoulders.
"Katie is the King's mate," he said firmly.
"And that's the only thing that matters."
His voice was steady.
But his scent carried something else.
Resignation.
Marissa saw it too.
Her expression darkened.
"You ruined everything," she whispered to Katie.
That was enough.
I stepped forward.
"You're done," I said coldly.
Marissa's mouth snapped shut instantly.
"Return to the pack house."
My voice lowered.
"That is not a request."
She hesitated.
So I continued.
"And inform your father, the Alpha, that you will be disciplined for attacking my mate."
My eyes hardened.
"Your future queen."
The words landed heavily in the clearing.
Katie went completely still behind me.
Marissa looked like she wanted to argue.
But the authority in my voice left no room for it.
Finally she shifted back into her wolf form and ran into the forest without another word.
Silence settled over the clearing.
The tension slowly faded from the air.
I turned toward Katie.
The moment our eyes met, the pressure in my chest eased.
The mate bond pulsed softly between us.
"You're hurt," I said quietly.
"I'm okay," she said quickly.
But I stepped closer anyway.
My hand gently lifted her injured leg.
The wound was already healing.
Her wolf was strong.
Stronger than she probably realized.
"Rachel helped," she said softly.
I glanced up.
"You named her already?"
Katie gave a small embarrassed smile.
"She named herself."
A quiet chuckle escaped me before I could stop it.
Typical wolf behaviorc.
Behind us, Ashton cleared his throat.
"I'll deal with Marissa," he said.
I looked toward him.
His expression was unreadable now.
But I understood what he was doing.
Giving us space.
After a moment he turned and disappeared back into the trees.
Leaving just me and Katie alone beneath the moonlight.
For a few seconds neither of us spoke.
The forest was quiet again.
Katie shifted nervously.
"I didn't mean to cause all this," she said softly.
"You didn't," I replied.
"This was inevitable."
She looked up at me.
The moonlight caught in her eyes, making them almost glow.
The mate bond stirred again.
Warm.
Alive.
For a moment I simply studied her.
The girl who had somehow become the center of my world.
"You came really fast," she said quietly.
I gave a small smile.
"The bond helps."
Katie blinked.
"You felt that I was in danger?"
"Yes."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"That's… kind of amazing."
"It is," I agreed.
And also terrifying.
Because now that the bond existed, her pain would always reach me.
Her fear.
Her happiness.
Everything.
But I didn't say that out loud.
Instead I offered her my hand.
"Come on," I said.
"We should head back."
Katie hesitated.
Then she placed her hand in mine.
The moment our fingers touched, the mate bond flared warmly between us.
And for the first time since the chase began, the forest finally felt calm again.