The morning sun did not bring warmth to the Northern Reaches; it only illuminated the brutal, frozen jaggedness of the landscape.
I stood in the center of the training arena, sweat dripping down my spine, my breathing heavy but controlled. The air around me was shimmering with heat and static electricity.
Over the past three days, while Xander and his men rotted in the psychological hell of the Whispering Cells, Kaelen had accelerated my training to a punishing degree. There was no more hiding. No more wolfsbane. My body was finally adapting to the massive reservoir of White Wolf energy that had lain dormant for nineteen years.
"Again," Silas called out from the observation balcony, adjusting his spectacles. He was holding a heavy stopwatch and a clipboard, playing the role of a meticulous, slightly terrified academic observing a live bomb.
I closed my eyes, reaching into the vault of my mind. Nyx, my inner wolf, howled in agreement. I didn't just open the valve a fraction this time; I ripped it wide open.
A shockwave of blinding, pure white light erupted from my core. It hit the reinforced stone walls of the arena with the force of a battering ram, leaving deep, scorching burn marks across the ancient runes. The entire mountain trembled faintly.
I slowly reigned the power back in, forcing the blinding light to recede until it was just a faint, ethereal glow beneath my skin. I collapsed onto my knees, panting, every muscle trembling with exhaustion.
"Duration: forty-five seconds," Silas announced, his voice carrying a note of genuine awe. "Energy output has increased by three hundred percent since your arrival, Queen Elena. The structural integrity of the arena is... compromising."
Before I could reply, the heavy iron doors of the arena groaned open.
Kaelen walked in. He was dressed in full, ceremonial Lycan armor—heavy plates of black steel layered over thick leather, a dark fur cape billowing behind him. He looked like the God of War incarnate. His crimson eyes swept over the scorched walls before landing on me, a dark, proud smile curling his lips.
But his expression was tight. The relaxed, mocking demeanor he usually wore was entirely absent.
"Get up, little wolf," he said, tossing a thick, silver-embroidered cloak over my sweaty shoulders. "We have visitors."
My heart skipped a beat. "The Council?"
"Not the full Council," Kaelen corrected, helping me to my feet, his large hand lingering on the small of my back. "They sent their hunting dog. Inquisitor Vance of the Silver Vanguard is currently standing at my gates with a contingent of fifty Paladins. He is demanding entry under the banner of the High Treaty."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my mind racing. "Fifty Paladins? That's not an inquiry. That's an invasion force."
"Vance is an arrogant, self-righteous zealot," Kaelen sneered, leading me out of the arena and toward the spiraling stone stairs of the main keep. "He has likely sensed the magical shockwaves of your power over the last few days, and combined with Xander's disappearance, he smells blood."
"If he realizes what I am..." I started, tightening the cloak around me.
"He won't," Kaelen stated flatly, his voice brokering no argument. "You have learned to project power, Elena. Now you must learn to wear it like armor. You are not a terrified Omega hiding a secret. You are the chosen Mate of the Lycan King. Let him sense your strength, but blind him with arrogance. Let him think the power he feels is merely a reflection of my own."
We reached the massive antechamber leading to the Great Hall. Silas was waiting there, holding a small wooden box. Inside was a heavy, intricate necklace wrought from black iron and adorned with a single, massive blood-red ruby.
"A glamour, My Queen," Silas explained quickly, stepping forward to clasp it around my neck. "It will not hide your aura entirely—nothing can do that anymore—but it will refract it. To a lesser wolf, your white energy will register as the dark, dominant aura of a Lycan."
The ruby felt heavy against my collarbone, pulsing with a strange, chilling magic. I looked up at Kaelen, my eyes flashing with a cold, determined light.
"I won't cower, Kaelen," I promised him. "I'm done running from Alphas."
"I know," Kaelen murmured, leaning down to press a hard, claiming kiss against my forehead. "Show them the monster they created, Elena."
The massive doors to the Great Hall swung open.
The scene was entirely different from when Xander had arrived. This time, Kaelen's full court was assembled. Hundreds of massive, terrifying Lycan warriors lined the pillars, their red eyes glowing in the gloom. The air was suffocatingly thick with predatory tension.
Standing in the center of the hall, looking entirely out of place in his gleaming silver armor and pristine white cape, was Inquisitor Vance. He was an older Alpha, his face scarred and weather-beaten, his eyes sharp and calculating. He didn't flinch at the display of Lycan power, holding his chin high with the obnoxious confidence of a man who believed the law made him immortal.
As Kaelen and I walked to the Throne of Ash, a deadly silence fell over the room.
Vance's sharp eyes immediately locked onto me. I could see the confusion ripple across his face. He expected to see Kaelen alone, or perhaps with a terrified hostage. He did not expect to see a woman standing perfectly at the King's side, radiating a terrifying, suffocating aura that almost rivaled Kaelen's own.
"King Kaelen," Vance announced, his voice echoing loudly, devoid of any respectful titles. "I come as the Voice of the High Council. We have lost contact with Alpha Xander of Blackclaw, last tracked to your borders. Furthermore, our seers have detected massive, unregistered magical anomalies originating from the Shadowkeep."
Vance pointed a gloved finger directly at me, his eyes narrowing with deep suspicion.
"I am here to search your dungeons, King. And I demand to know the identity and the bloodline of the woman standing beside you."
I didn't wait for Kaelen to speak. I took a half-step forward, looking down at the Inquisitor with eyes as cold as the northern ice.
"You demand nothing in this hall, dog of the Council," I said, my voice echoing with a chilling, imperious authority that made even Kaelen's Lycans stiffen in surprise. "If you wish to know my name, you will drop to your knees and beg for the privilege to hear it."