Every breath hurts.

I sit beside Chloe’s bed, watching Sarah work, feeling like each inhale draws in broken glass. The Kings’ presence fills the small cabin like smoke—heavy, inescapable, making it hard to think. Through our bonds, I feel their constant awareness of me, their wolves prowling at the edges of my consciousness.

Is this how it will be from now on? They claim to offer protection, but all I feel is powerlessness.

“Her fever’s finally breaking,” Sarah murmurs, changing the cloth on Chloe’s forehead. “The herbs are helping slow the visions.”

I study my sister’s face, noting the slight improvement in her color. The violent convulsions have stopped, replaced by occasional tremors as prophecy ripples through her sleeping form. But her heartbeat remains unsteady, each pulse a reminder of how fragile life can be.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask Sarah quietly. “When you were treating me in the Kings’ castle—you knew about female Alphas then, didn’t you?”

The healer measures out another dose of medicine before answering. “Would you have believed me? Trusted anything associated with the Kings?”

“No.” The admission tastes bitter. “But I deserved to know what was happening to me.”

“Yes, you did.” Sarah’s ancient eyes meet mine. “Just like you deserve to know what’s happening now.”

Through the cabin’s window, I catch glimpses of the Kings conferring in the yard. Alaric paces with controlled fury, no doubt planning how to use this situation to his advantage. Lucas leans against a tree with deceptive casualness, though his eyes never leave the cabin. And Kian... Kian stands closest to the door, his massive frame a silent warning against any attempt to flee.

This is temporary, I remind myself. I don't have to accept these bonds. I don't have to let myself be ruled again.

But a small part of me wonders if that's true.

These men aren't just my Alphas—they're the rulers of every pack east of the Great Divide. With one word from them, their packs would march against ours. With one word, Chloe would be taken prisoner. With one word, we would all die.

Instead, they allowed me to live. They gave me a second chance.

“The silver power,” Sarah continues, drawing my attention back. “It’s not just a gift passed down through your bloodline. It’s old magic. The kind that requires balance.”

“So everyone keeps saying.” I can’t quite keep the bitterness from my voice. “Balance. Anchors. Submission to mates I never chose.”

“Is that what you think the mate bonds are about? Submission?” Sarah’s laugh holds no humor. “Oh, child. The Kings aren’t meant to control your power. They’re meant to help you survive it.”

Movement outside catches my attention. Jackson’s guards are expanding their search pattern, moving systematically through the city’s outskirts. Soon they’ll reach this area.

Even without a mate bond, Chloe should be safe under Kian and Lucas' protection. Two Kings are better than none. But the risk is too great. I won’t take the chance.

“We need to move her,” I say, already calculating escape routes. “If Jackson’s men find us—”

“She’s too weak.” Sarah’s voice brooks no argument. “Moving her now could kill her.”

“Staying could kill her too.” My fingers clench around Chloe’s limp hand. “You don’t know what Jackson’s capable of.”

“No?” The healer’s eyes go distant. “I was there, you know. The last time a female Alpha tried to contain the silver power alone. I watched it consume her from within, turning her into something that destroyed everything she loved.”

Ice settles in my stomach. “What happened to her?”

“The same thing that happens to any wolf who tries to carry too much power without proper anchors. She burned out. Took half the northern territories with her.” Sarah’s hands still in their work. “That’s why the mate bonds exist. Why the goddess designed them to require multiple anchors. One wolf alone was never meant to contain this much power.”

As if to emphasize her point, silver energy surges through my veins. I grit my teeth against the sensation—like lightning trying to escape my skin. Through the bonds, I feel the Kings’ immediate response, their power reaching instinctively toward mine.

“They’re getting closer.”

Alaric’s voice makes me jump. He stands in the doorway, his usual cold mask firmly in place. “Jackson’s forces. They’re searching buildings now.”

Sarah straightens. “We need more time. The latest dose of medicine hasn’t fully taken effect.”

“Time is something we don’t have.” I study the approaching search pattern. “There are at least thirty guards out there. Even with the Kings’ help—”

“Forty-seven,” Lucas corrects, appearing silently beside his brother. “Plus whatever reinforcements Jackson can summon quickly. He’s not taking chances this time.”

Kian joins them, filling the remaining space in the doorway. “Let them come. Between the three of us—”

“We can’t risk a large-scale battle,” Alaric interrupts. “Not here. Not with a helpless prophet in the crossfire.”

My wolf snarls at the word ‘helpless,’ but he’s right. Chloe can barely breathe on her own, let alone survive a fight between Alpha-level wolves.

A howl splits the night—the signal that the search is intensifying. Through the window, I see guards beginning to move house to house, their movements more purposeful now.

“They know we’re in the area,” Lucas observes. “Someone must have tracked us.”

Sarah moves with sudden purpose, gathering supplies into a bag. “There’s a cellar. Hidden entrance, well-stocked. We can—”

“No.” The word comes out sharper than intended. “No more hiding. No more running.”

All eyes turn to me as I stand. Silver power responds instantly to my rising emotions, coiling around me like living smoke. Through our bonds, I feel the Kings’ wolves stir in response. Hungry. Hungry for action. For fight.

Something new rises within me. A resolve that digs into my bones, sharpening my gaze. Defying my instinct to protect, to protect, to protect. Because what good is protecting my family if we all wind up in chains?

“We fight,” I continue. “But smart. Strategic.”

Alaric’s eyebrow rises slightly. “You have a plan?”

“Maybe.” I look at each King in turn, measuring their reactions. “But it will only work if you trust me.”

“Trust goes both ways, little Alpha,” Lucas reminds me softly.

Another howl, closer now. We’re running out of time.

I exhale, allowing the impulse to make this decision for me. To stop fighting what I instinctively know is right. To trust my wolf instincts over the human ones that still cling to reason.

Goddess help me, I have a plan.

And it might just be brilliant enough to get us all killed.

Or it could finally save us all.

“The silver power,” I say quickly. “I can use it to mask our presence, but not for long. Not for this many people. I’ll need...”

“Our strength,” Kian finishes. Understanding dawns in his eyes. “Through the mate bonds.”

I nod reluctantly. “I can hide us all, but only if you lend me your power. Your control.”

“And in return?” Alaric’s voice holds a dangerous edge.

“In return, I’ll stop fighting the bonds. At least until Chloe is safe.” The words taste like ash, but they’re necessary. “Do we have a deal?”

The Kings exchange looks, having one of their silent conversations. Finally, Alaric nods. “Show us.”

I close my eyes, reaching for the silver power that’s become as familiar as breathing. But this time, instead of trying to contain it alone, I open myself to the mate bonds. Let their strength flow into me, their centuries of experience helping me shape the power into something useful.

The effect is immediate and overwhelming. Power surges through me like a tidal wave, but instead of drowning in it, I feel anchored. Steady. Their energy mingles with mine, turning the chaotic silver fire into something controlled and deadly.

When I open my eyes, the cabin’s interior is wrapped in shadows that seem to bend reality itself. Sarah gasps softly as our scents fade, our very presence becoming impossible to track. My fingers curl against the sensation of unfamiliar power filling me from within, but I remind myself this isn't permanent. This isn’t a surrender. This is just another mask, another step toward fulfilling my original purpose: saving my pack.

And nothing else matters, in the end.

“Remarkable,” Lucas murmurs. Through our bond, I feel his genuine admiration mixed with calculation. “How long can you maintain it?”

“Long enough.” With their power supporting mine, the drain is manageable. “But we need to move fast. Even with the masking, we’re too exposed here.”

Alaric nods once, already shifting into tactical mode. “Lucas, scout ahead. Find us a clear path to—”

A crash from outside cuts him off. One of Jackson’s guards has kicked in the door of a nearby house, the sound of splintering wood echoing through the night. My heart climbs my throat. We have minutes, maybe less, before we’re found.

“Two houses away,” Kian reports grimly. “Moving fast.”

I look at my sister’s pale face, then back to the Kings. My mates. My anchors. My unwanted allies in this desperate game. They watch me steadily, waiting for orders. Waiting for a lead. But all I feel is fear—for my sister, my pack, everyone. What if this power isn’t enough? What if the masking doesn't work? What if we fail?

If you're going to rule, my father's voice whispers, you have to show no hesitation. You have to always appear strong.

“Well?” I demand. “Are you with me or not?”

Their power surges through our bonds in answer—Alaric’s tactical precision, Kian’s raw strength, Lucas’s subtle control. All of it flowing into me, turning the silver fire in my veins from a burden into a weapon.

“Lead the way, little Alpha,” Lucas says softly. “Show us what you can really do.”

I bare my teeth in what might be a smile or a snarl. “Remember you said that. Because what comes next...” I let silver power flare around us like a storm about to break. “What comes next is going to change everything.”

The hunt is on.

And this time, we’re not the prey.