"Uncle Garrett?"
Alpha Garrett—my mother's brother. The leader of the Black River Pack. I hadn't seen him for years.
He walked up to my horse and helped me down. Then he pulled me into a tight hug.
"Welcome home, my niece."
I almost collapsed with relief. "Thank you. Thank you for sending help."
"Helena's idea. She never believed Leighton's lies." He glanced at Erica. "Is this your daughter?"
"Yes, Erica."
"She looks like her grandmother." He smiled sadly.
Leighton had reached the border. He stood there in human form, naked and furious. His warriors flanked him.
"Return my wife and daughter," Leighton demanded. "They are mine."
"No," Garrett said simply. "Sophia is Black River blood. She requested sanctuary. I've granted it."
"She's a criminal! A traitor!"
"She's my niece. And these are serious accusations. If you wish to pursue them, you can bring evidence to the Council of Alphas." Garrett's voice was hard. "But you won't take her by force. Not without going through me."
Leighton's face twisted with rage. But even he wasn't stupid enough to attack another alpha's territory with only thirty wolves.
"This isn't over, Sophia!" he shouted across the border. "I'll prove your crimes! And I'll get my daughter back!"
"Erica doesn't want to go back!" I shouted back. "You called her a failure! You tried to poison her!"
"Lies!"
"Then explain the Moonbane stones. Explain why we both nearly died from silver poisoning that came from gifts you gave us!"
The Black River warriors growled at that. Moonbane stones were forbidden by all pack laws.
Leighton's expression flickered. He knew he'd been caught.
"The Council will hear about this," Garrett said coldly. "All of it. Until then, stay off my territory, Leighton. Or I'll consider it an act of war."
Leighton stared at us for a long moment. Then he turned and walked away, his warriors following.
I watched him go, my heart pounding.
It was over. We were safe.
I turned to check on Kael. Ronan had laid him on the ground and was examining the silver burns on his wrists and ankles.
"How is he?" I asked, kneeling beside them.
"Alive. Barely." Ronan looked up at me. "The silver poisoning is severe. He needs a healer. Fast."
"We have healers at the pack house," Garrett said. "It's a hard ride, but we can make it by noon."
"Then let's go."
They loaded Kael onto a wagon—one of several that had been following the warriors. Erica, Clara, and I climbed in beside him.
As we started moving, I took Kael's hand. It was cold. Too cold.
"Hold on," I whispered. "Please hold on. We made it. We're safe."
His fingers twitched slightly. Like he was trying to squeeze my hand but didn't have the strength.
The mate bond between us was weak. So weak I could barely feel it.
"Don't you dare die on me," I said fiercely. "You waited two hundred years to find me. You don't get to leave after three days."
Erica leaned against my shoulder. "He'll be okay, right, Mommy?"
"He has to be." In three short days, Kael had become essential. Not just because of the mate bond. But because of who he was.
Kind. Strong. Protective. Everything Leighton wasn't.
I couldn't lose him. Not now.
"Please," I whispered to the Moon Goddess. "Please save him. I'll do anything."
The wagon bumped along the rough forest road. Hours passed. The sun climbed higher.
Kael's breathing grew. His skin is paler.
"We're almost there!" Garrett called from his horse.
"Hold on!"
Finally, after what felt like forever, we emerged from the forest.
Below us lay the Black River Pack settlement. Dozens of buildings clustered around a central longhouse. It was smaller than the Silver Moon territory but felt warmer somehow. More welcoming.
People came out to see the commotion as we rode in.
I saw familiar faces—wolves I'd grown up with. Some smiled and waved. Others stared in shock.
"Sophia? Is that really you?"
"What happened?"
"Who's that with her?"
Garrett silenced them with a raised hand. "Explanations later. Currently, we need healers. The male has severe silver poisoning."
Several people rushed forward. An elderly woman with kind eyes took charge immediately.
"Bring him to the healing house. Quickly!"
They carried Kael inside a small building that smelled of herbs and medicine. I tried to follow, but the healer stopped me.
"You'll be in the way. Let us work."
"But he's my mate—"
"Which is why you need to trust us. We'll save him if we can. But you look half-dead yourself. When was the last time you ate? Slept?"
I couldn't remember.
"Come," a familiar voice said. "Let them work."
I turned to see a woman in her forties with dark hair streaked with silver. She had my mother's eyes.
"Aunt Helena?"
She smiled. "Hello, Sophia. Welcome home."
She led me and Erica to the pack house. Inside, it was warm and bright. Nothing like the cold palace I'd left behind.
"You'll stay in the guest wing," Helena said. "The rooms are already prepared. And Clara—" she looked at the young servant girl, "—thank you for protecting the child. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish."
Clara bobbed a shy curtsy. "Thank you, Luna."
Helena showed us to a suite of rooms. Two bedrooms connected by a sitting room. There was a bathtub already filled with steaming water and clean clothes laid out on the beds.
"I'll send food up shortly," Helena said. "But first, bathe. Rest. You're safe now."
After she left, Erica and I just stood there for a moment, not quite believing it.
"We're really safe?" Erica asked quietly.
"We're really safe."
She burst into tears. All the fear and stress of the past week came pouring out. I held her while she cried, stroking her hair.
"It's okay, baby. It's all over now."
"But what if Daddy comes after us?"
"He can't. Not here. Uncle Garrett won't let him."
"And Kael? What if he dies?"
"He won't." I said it firmly, like I could make it true by sheer will. "He's too stubborn to die."
After Erica calmed down, we bathed and changed into the clean clothes. Then we ate the food that was brought up—real food, warm and delicious.
By the time we finished, Erica was falling asleep in her chair.
I carried her to bed and tucked her in. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
I stood there for a moment, watching her breathe. My daughter. Safe. Alive.
We'd made it.
I walked to the window and looked out over the pack settlement. In the distance, I could see the healing house.
Please be okay; I sent it through the mate bond. Please.
A faint pulse came back. Weak but there.
He was still fighting.
I closed my eyes and let myself feel the bond. Really feel it. The invisible thread connecting my soul to his.
It was fragile right now. Damaged by the silver poisoning. But it was real.
For two hundred years, Kael had searched for this. For me.
And I'd found it after years of a loveless marriage. After thinking I knew what a mate bond felt like, only to realize I'd been living with a pale imitation.
This—this connection to Kael—was real.
And I wasn't going to lose it.
Three Hours Later
There was a knock on the door.
I opened it to find the elderly healer standing there. Her expression was tired but not sad.
"He's awake," she said. "Asking for you."
I didn't wait for more. I ran.
The healing house was quiet. I followed the healer to a room at the back.
Kael lay in a bed, propped up on pillows. His silver-blue eyes opened when I entered.
"Sophia," he rasped.
I rushed to his bedside and took his hand. "You're okay. Thank the Goddess, you're okay."
"Hard to kill," he managed a weak smile. "Two hundred years of practice."
"Don't joke. You almost died."
"But I didn't." He squeezed my hand. "Because I had something to live for."
The mate bond hummed between us. He was stronger now that he was healing.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"Like I was chain-whipped by silver. But alive." He studied my face. "And you? Erica?"
"Safe. Both of us. Thanks to you."
"Thanks to many people." He shifted slightly, wincing.
"But mostly you. You fought thirty wolves to protect us."
"Of course I did. You're my mate." He said it simply. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I felt tears building. "We barely know each other."
"We have time now. All the time in the world." His thumb traced circles on my palm. "If you want it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" He took a careful breath. "You just escaped an abusive mate. You're probably not ready for another relationship. I understand that. I can wait. However long it takes."
Looking into his ancient eyes, I saw the truth. He would wait. A year. Ten years. A hundred years. However long I needed.
His eyes widened. "Sophia—"
"I know it's fast. I know it seems crazy. But the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes. You're my true mate. And I want this. Want you."
"Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything."
Kael's expression transformed. Joy and wonder and love all mixed.
He pulled me closer—kissed me gently because he was still weak—and then pressed his forehead against mine.
"Then I'm yours," he whispered. "For as long as you'll have me."
"How about forever?"
"Forever works."
He kissed me again and again, softly and full of promise.
The mate bond blazed between us, burning away the last shadows of doubt.
This was right. This was real.
When we finally pulled apart, Kael was smiling. A real, genuine smile that made him look decades younger.
"So what now?" he asked.
"Now we rest. Heal. And then…" I hesitated. "Then we figure out how to deal with Leighton. He won't give up. He'll take this to the Council of Alphas."
"Let him. We have evidence. The Moonbane stones. Witnesses. The truth."
"But he has power. Influence. Money."
"And we have each other." Kael squeezed my hand. "Plus an entire pack backing us. And a two-hundred-year-old warrior who's excellent at long-term planning."
Despite everything, I laughed. "You think we can win?"
"I know we can. Because we have something Leighton will never understand."
"What's that?"
"A real bond. True love. The Moon Goddess's blessing." His eyes held mine. "He fights for power. We fight for family. And family always wins in the end."
Looking at him—this scarred, ancient warrior who'd waited centuries to find me—I believed him.
We would win. Maybe not today. Perhaps not even next month.
But eventually, we would.
Because he was right. We had something Leighton could never take away.
We had each other.
And that was enough.
Two Weeks Later
I stood in the gardens of the Black River pack house, watching Erica play with the other children.
She was laughing. Actually laughing. Something I hadn't seen in months.
Kael came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He was fully healed now, back to his full strength.
"She looks happy," he said.
"She is. For the first time in a long time."
"And you?" He turned me to face him. "Are you happy?"
I looked up at him. At his scarred face and ancient eyes and the small smile that was just for me.
"Yes," I said honestly. "Despite everything. Despite the chaos and the danger and the uncertainty. Yes."
"Good." He kissed my forehead. "Because I plan to keep you happy for the next few centuries."