"I'm not working with you."
Kade followed me down the street, keeping pace easily despite my best efforts to lose him. "You don't have a choice."
"I always have a choice." I cut through the parking lot of a closed hardware store, heading toward the motel sign flickering in the distance. "And my choice is staying as far away from you as possible."
"Even if it gets you killed?"
I whirled on him. "Especially then. At least I'll die on my own terms instead of trusting the son of a murderer."
The words hit him like a physical blow. Good. I wanted him to hurt. Wanted him to feel even a fraction of what I'd felt that night twelve years ago, hiding in a tree while his father's wolves tore my family apart.
"I know what he did." Kade's voice was quiet. Dangerous. "I know he killed your pack. I know he burned the bodies and carved symbols into the trees to mark it. I know because I found his records after he died. Every kill. Every order. Every pack he destroyed."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
"It's supposed to make you understand that I'm not him." He moved closer, and the bond pulled tight between us. "I've spent eight years trying to undo his damage. Trying to be better. Trying to make Shadowpine something other than a pack built on blood and fear."
"How noble." I started walking again. "Doesn't change what happened."
"No, it doesn't." He grabbed my arm, spinning me around. The second his skin touched mine, another vision slammed into me.
Kade, younger, maybe twenty-one. Standing in an office that reeked of blood and whiskey. Papers spread across a desk. His face going white as he read. Horror. Rage. Grief. Then fire. The papers burning. The office burning. Everything burning.
I jerked back, gasping.
"Stop doing that." My voice shook.
"Stop doing what?"
"Making me see things. Making me feel what you felt."
Kade's eyes widened. "You're having visions. Right now. About me."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." He stepped closer, and I backed up until I hit a parked car. "You're a Seer. That's why my father wanted your pack dead. That's why someone's hunting you now. And that's why we need to work together, because whatever's coming, you can't face it alone."
"Watch me."
"Sera—"
"Don't." I held up a hand. "Don't say my name like you know me. Like we're friends. Like this bond means something."
"It does mean something."
"To you, maybe. To me, it's just another chain I need to break."
Pain flashed across his face, raw and real. Through the bond, I felt it echo in my own chest. His hurt becoming mine. My anger becoming his. The connection growing stronger with every passing second.
I hated it.
"One week." Kade's voice was rough. "Stay one week. Let me help you figure out who sent that message. Let me keep you safe until we catch whoever's killing people on my land. Then if you still want to leave, I won't stop you."
"You couldn't stop me anyway."
"Probably not." A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "But I'd try. The bond wouldn't let me do anything else."
The honesty in his words stripped something raw in my chest. I looked away, unable to hold his gaze.
"Fine. One week. But we're not friends. We're not partners. And we're definitely not mates."
"Whatever you say."
"I mean it, Kade."
"I know." He pulled back, giving me space. "The motel's two blocks that way. Hayes already checked you in. Room twelve."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I own the motel." At my expression, he added, "I own half the town. Comes with being alpha."
Of course he did.
I started walking. Made it three steps before his voice stopped me.
"Sera?" When I looked back, his expression was serious. Scared. "Be careful. Whoever sent that message, they're watching. And I have a feeling the next three days are going to get a lot worse before they get better."
"Comforting."
"Just the truth."
I walked away before the bond could convince me to stay.
The motel was exactly as depressing as I'd expected. Peeling paint. Flickering sign. A parking lot that had seen better decades. Morris's rental car was already there, which meant he'd beaten me back.
Room twelve was at the end of the row. I unlocked it with shaking hands and immediately locked it behind me. The room smelled like cheap air freshener and older regrets. Floral wallpaper that should have been illegal. A bed that sagged in the middle. A bathroom with rust stains in the sink.
Perfect.
I dropped my bag and went straight to the window. Pulled back the curtain just enough to see the parking lot. Empty except for Morris's car and a pickup truck that had probably been there since the eighties.
My phone buzzed. Mira again.
Seriously, are you okay? You've been weird for days.
I stared at the message. What could I possibly say? That I'd found my fated mate and he was the one person in the world I should hate? That someone was hunting me because of abilities I'd spent twelve years pretending didn't exist? That in three days, during a blood moon, something terrible was going to happen and I had no idea how to stop it?
I typed: Long case. Lot of pressure. Talk soon.
Her response was immediate: You better. Love you.
Love you too.
I set the phone down and went to splash water on my face. The mirror showed dark circles under my eyes. Hair that needed washing. A woman who looked like she was running on fumes and desperation.
Accurate.
A knock at the door made me freeze.
"Blackwood? It's Morris."
I opened the door. Morris stood there with two cups of coffee and a white paper bag that smelled like grease and salvation.
"Figured you hadn't eaten." He handed me a cup. "Diner down the street makes a decent burger. Got you one. Extra pickles, no onions, right?"
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "You remembered."
"I'm a detective. Remembering details is literally my job." He gestured inside. "Can I come in? Want to go over the witness statements before tomorrow."
I stepped aside. Morris settled into the room's only chair while I sat on the edge of the bed, burger in hand. The first bite was heaven. The second reminded me I hadn't eaten since yesterday.
"So." Morris pulled out his notebook. "That was weird earlier. With the alpha."
I kept my expression neutral. "What was weird?"
"The way he looked at you. Like you'd kicked his puppy. And the way you looked at him, like he was the puppy you'd kicked." Morris's eyes were sharp. "You two have history?"
"Never met him before today."
"Huh." He didn't look convinced. "Well, he seemed pretty interested in you. Followed you out of the station. Donnelly said he's never seen the alpha act like that around anyone."
"Maybe he's just protective of his territory."
"Maybe." Morris flipped through his notes. "Or maybe there's something else going on. Something you're not telling me."
My wolf stirred, defensive. "Like what?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." He looked up. "You've been jumpy since we got the assignment. Didn't want to come here. Got pale looking at the crime scene photos. And the way you reacted to Thorne was extreme, even for you."
"I don't like small towns."
"Blackwood. Come on. We've worked together for four years. I know when you're hiding something."
"Then you know when to stop pushing."
The words came out harder than I intended. Morris held up his hands.
"Okay. Okay. Just trying to help." He closed his notebook. "But if something's wrong, if you're in some kind of trouble, you can tell me."
"I know."
Except I couldn't. Couldn't tell him about wolves and packs and mate bonds. Couldn't explain that the alpha he'd met today was supposed to be mine, that fate had decided to tie me to the son of my family's killer. Couldn't admit that I was more scared now than I'd been in twelve years.
Morris stood. "Get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be long. Four witness interviews, plus Donnelly wants us at the latest crime scene."
"The one from yesterday?"
"Yeah. Body's been removed, but he thinks we might find something the local team missed." He headed for the door, then paused. "And Blackwood? Whatever's going on between you and the alpha, be careful. These small-town pack politics can get messy."
He left before I could ask what he meant by pack politics. Before I could ask if he knew more than he was letting on.
I finished my burger in silence, then showered in water that ran lukewarm at best. Changed into sleep clothes. Tried to sleep.
Failed.
The bond wouldn't let me rest. I could feel Kade even from here. A constant pull. A awareness of exactly where he was. Close. Maybe a mile away. Maybe less.
My phone lit up. Unknown number. Different from before.
Meet me. Old lumber mill. North edge of town. Come alone.
I stared at the message. Every instinct screamed trap. But I needed answers. Needed to know who was hunting me and why.
I grabbed my jacket and slipped out the motel room window. Easier than explaining to Morris why I was leaving at midnight. The cold air bit at my exposed skin as I made my way through the silent town.
The lumber mill loomed against the night sky, all rusted metal and broken windows. Abandoned for decades, if the decay was any indication. The perfect place for an ambush.
I approached carefully, every sense on alert. The scent hit me before I saw her. Female. Wolf. But not Shadowpine. Something older. Something that made my wolf whine and press close.
A woman stepped out of the shadows. Mid-thirties. Dark hair. Sharp green eyes that seemed to see straight through me.
"Hello, Sera. I've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Elena." She moved closer, and I noticed she carried herself like someone who'd seen violence and survived it. "I knew your mother."
The words hit like a punch. "That's impossible."
"Is it? Or have you just spent so long running that you forgot there were others who survived?" Elena tilted her head. "I was there the night your pack died. Not in time to save them. But in time to see what your mother did to protect you."
"Stop."
"She hid you. Used her own body to shield you from the flames. Made sure you got out even though it cost her everything." Elena's voice softened. "She was brave. Stubborn. A lot like you."
Tears burned behind my eyes. I shoved them down. "What do you want?"
"To help you. To teach you what your mother never got the chance to teach you." Elena pulled out a photo. Showed it to me.
My mother. Younger than I remembered. Standing next to Elena, both of them smiling.
"The Collector is coming for you." Elena's voice went hard. "In three days. During the blood moon. And unless you learn to control your gift, they're going to take it from you. Painfully. Permanently."
"How do you know this?"
"Because I've been tracking them for twelve years. Ever since they killed your pack. Ever since they started hunting Seers." She stepped closer. "You're not the first, Sera. But if I can help it, you'll be the last."
"Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't." Elena smiled. "But right now, I'm your best option. Train with me. Learn to use your gift. Or wait for the Collector to come and take it by force."
Before I could respond, another scent hit me. Pine and smoke and fury.
Kade emerged from the darkness, his eyes blazing gold. "Step away from her."
Elena's smile widened. "Hello, Kade. Still playing hero?"
"I said step away."
"Or what? You'll fight me in front of your mate? Show her exactly what kind of violence you're capable of?" Elena looked at me. "Has he told you about the wolves he's killed? The challenges he's won? The blood on his hands?"
"That's enough." Kade moved between us, and the bond screamed in my chest. "Sera, get behind me."
"I'm not going anywhere until I get answers." I looked at Elena. "If you know something about the Collector, tell me. All of it."
"Not here. Not now. Too many ears." Elena pulled out a card, tossed it to me. "Tomorrow. Noon. Old cabin, two miles north. Come alone, or don't come at all."
She shifted. One second, woman. The next, a silver wolf disappearing into the trees.
I stood there, card in hand, trying to process everything.
"You shouldn't have come here." Kade's voice was tight. Controlled. "Especially not alone."
"You followed me."
"The bond told me you were in danger. What was I supposed to do?"
"Let me handle it."
"Handle it?" He spun to face me. "You just met with a wolf who's been on Shadowpine's watch list for years. A wolf who's connected to three different pack massacres. A wolf who might be working with the Collector."
"She said she knew my mother."
"She could be lying."
"Or she could be telling the truth." I held up the card. "Either way, I'm going tomorrow."
"Then I'm coming with you."
"She said come alone."
"I don't care what she said." Kade moved closer, and the bond pulled so tight it hurt. "You're my mate. My responsibility. My—"
"Your what?" I challenged. "Your property? Your problem?"
"My everything!" The words tore out of him, raw and desperate. "Whether you want it or not, whether you accept it or not, you're my everything. And I will not let anyone hurt you. Not Elena. Not the Collector. Not anyone."
The bond thrummed between us, his emotions flooding through. Fear. Desperation. And underneath it all, something that felt dangerously close to love.
I stepped back. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough." His voice dropped. "I know you're scared. I know you're alone. I know you've been running for twelve years because you think that's the only way to survive. And I know that if I let you walk into that cabin tomorrow without me, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it."
"That's not your choice to make."
"Then make it." He held my gaze. "Choose to let me help. Choose to trust me. Choose to stop running, just for one day, and see what happens."
"And if I say no?"
Kade's expression cracked. "Then I'll respect your choice. But I'll hate every second of it."
I looked at him. Really looked. At the desperation in his eyes. The tension in his shoulders. The way his hands clenched like he was physically stopping himself from reaching for me.
The bond pulled. My wolf howled. And some traitorous part of me wanted to say yes.
"Fine." The word cost me. "You can come. But you follow my lead. You don't interfere. And if this goes wrong, you let me handle it."
"Deal."
We stood there in the shadow of the abandoned mill, two people bound by fate and circumstance and something neither of us fully understood.
Finally, Kade said, "Let me walk you back."
"I don't need an escort."
"I know. But I'm offering anyway."
Against my better judgment, I let him. We walked through the silent town side by side, not touching, the bond humming between us like a live wire.
At the motel, Kade stopped. "Tomorrow. Noon. I'll pick you up."
"How do you know where the cabin is?"
His smile was grim. "Because I've been tracking Elena for eight years. I know everywhere she's been. Every person she's contacted. Every secret she's keeping."
"Then you know if she's dangerous."
"I know she's smart. Connected. And very good at manipulating people into doing what she wants." He held my gaze. "So tomorrow, when she tells you things about your mother, about your gift, about what you're capable of, remember that everything she says serves her agenda. Not yours."
"What's her agenda?"
"That's what we're going to find out."
I climbed through my window, locked it behind me, and collapsed onto the bed.
My phone buzzed. The original unknown number.
Tic toc, little Seer. Two days left. Hope you're ready.
I stared at the message, then threw the phone across the room.
Two days until the blood moon. Two days to learn control. Two days to figure out who was hunting me and why.
Two days to decide if I was going to keep running or finally stand and fight.
The bond tugged. Through it, I felt Kade still standing outside my window. Watching. Waiting. Protecting.
I closed my eyes and tried not to feel grateful.
Tried not to feel anything at all.