The rain had stopped, but the air felt heavier.
Lina stood in front of the cabin, the forest quiet around her. Too quiet. The wind didn't move. The birds didn't sing. And something about the stillness made her skin prickle.
Kael noticed it, too.
He emerged from the trees just as the first breeze hit, carrying with it a scent that made his entire body go still. He didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stood there, rigid, his wolf rising to the surface like a silent alarm.
"Kael?" Lina asked gently. "What is it?"
His voice was cold. Sharp. Controlled. "Go inside. Now."
She hesitated. "Is someone here?"
He didn't answer. But the golden glow in his eyes said enough.
Lina backed toward the cabin without arguing. As soon as the door shut behind her, Kael stepped toward the edge of the forest. He breathed in again—low, slow, and lethal.
He knew that scent.
Alpha Ryken.
Lina's "mate."
The one who thought she belonged to him.
Kael's fists clenched at his sides.
He hadn't come close yet, but the scent line told him everything he needed to know—Ryken was searching. Not just wandering through the woods. Tracking.
Kael's jaw tightened as his wolf pushed forward, growling under his skin.
He would not let that bastard step foot on his land.
Inside the cabin, Lina sat near the fire, hands gripping the arms of the chair. She could feel the tension from outside like a storm pressing on the windows.
Then the door opened.
Kael walked in, controlled fury in every line of his face.
"You were right," he said. "They're looking for you."
Her heart dropped. "Who?"
"Your old Alpha."
Lina stood up, her voice trembling. "Ryken?"
Kael gave a single, dark nod.
She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. "He always said he'd find me. No matter where I ran."
Kael's voice dropped lower. "He won't take you. Not from here."
"I can't ask you to fight for me, Kael."
"You didn't."
The fire crackled in the silence that followed. Kael crossed the room slowly, each step heavy with quiet promise.
"I've seen what Alphas like him do," he said. "I've been one."
"But you're not like him."
He looked at her then. Really looked at her. "No," he murmured. "But I wasn't always this way."
Lina stepped closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Why are you helping me?"
He didn't answer right away. Just stared down at her, his stone heart cracking inch by inch.
"I don't know what this is," he admitted. "But I know what it isn't. And I know I won't let him hurt you."
Her breath caught again, and this time she didn't hide it.
She nodded once.
And for the first time since entering the cabin… she reached for him.
Not for protection.
But for him.
And Kael didn't pull away.