Chapter 5

Thorne’s POV

She stared back at me, unmoving, but I could feel the pull between us. The wild, uncontrollable urge to claim her, to make her mine, was almost overwhelming. My wolf howled inside me, desperate to close the distance between us.

I took a step forward, and that’s when I saw him.

A younger wolf lay beneath her, injured and barely conscious. Her body shielded his, protectively but not defensive. The scent told me what I needed to know, they were members of my pack. But another detail struck me. The air around them, the quiet deference… Servants.

How could this be? My mate, my fated mate, was a lowly servant?

Her golden eyes didn’t waver as I approached. I caught the faint tremor in her injured leg, but she held herself with remarkable composure, her gaze meeting mine without hesitation. Her voice reached me then, soft but steady, cutting through the haze of the bond.

‘I can’t carry him, and my leg is injured.’

The words weren’t a plea. They were calm and apologetic, as if she expected nothing from me.

My wolf growled in frustration, but I spoke instead, my tone sharp and cold. ‘So what do you want me to do? Carry him for you?’

Her eyes narrowed, her composure slipping for a fraction of a second. ’At least show some compassion!’ she snapped firmly. ‘Two of your wolves are injured, and you’re just going to leave us here defenseless? What kind of Alpha are you?’

I saw red, about to respond, but she cut me off, her words laced with quiet fury. ’Oh, wait, I know. The kind that traffics innocent people and turns them into slaves.’

Her accusation hit me like a blow.

Before I could respond, I was cut off again, this time by Darius.

’Alpha, we need to move,’ he said, with urgency in his tone. ‘There are rogues in the area. We can’t stay here.’

I ignored him, my eyes locked on hers as I took slow steps toward her, the rage evident in my gaze. She was watching me closely, her attempt to look brave failing. I berated her, forcing her to understand how far down the ladder she was from me.

A rogue’s howl pierced the air, sending a shiver through the clearing.

‘Alpha,‘ Darius urged, his tone low and tense. ‘What’s the call?’

Another howl, closer this time.

I clenched my jaw, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. I turned to her, my tone low and steady. ‘Can you walk?’

She moved as if to respond, but the clearing erupted into chaos before she could answer. A rogue wolf lunged out of the shadows, its snarling jaws aimed directly at her throat.

Without a thought, I darted in the way of the wolf’s attack, bearing the force of its weight as it crashed into me and Ember. Her wolf flew from the blunt impact, rolling to a stop at the roots of a tree. Sparing a glance in her direction, I saw Darius deftly drag the unconscious pup away from us. Then, I turned my attention to the rogue making another lunge for my flank.

My fur bristled at the audacity, such confidence to attack an Alpha on his own territory. Without hesitation, I leapt for him, my claws aching to draw blood as I aimed for his face, but he dodged and snarled, red eyes locked onto my form. I heard another growl to my left and turned to see Darius circling a second rogue that had appeared while I was fighting the first, leaving Ember and the pup unprotected.

Sensing my distraction, the first rogue sank his fangs into my side, shaking his head viciously to inflict maximum damage. His neck was exposed, and I returned the favor, seizing him by the nape in a bone crushing bite. He released me, his muzzle dark with my blood as he thrashed, desperate to escape my hold. I bit down harder and heard a satisfying crunch. The rogue went limp.

Just then, one of my guards in his wolf form burst into the clearing, rushing toward Darius to assist him. The second rogue, seeing his fallen partner and the shifting odds, snarled viciously at Darius. But before Darius could attack again, the rogue turned and disappeared nto the woods, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Darius and the guard moved to give chase, but I stopped them.

‘Leave him,’ I commanded through the link.

I walked toward Ember’s wolf. She cowered, shaken, and averted her gaze.

‘The threat has passed,’ I said with irritation. ‘Take the pup back to camp.’

‘Th… thank you, Alpha,’ she said, her voice weak through the link. It made my wolf ache to comfort her, to lick her wounds, but I had wounds of my own to tend to.

‘Escort them to the campgrounds, carry the pup, and then report back to the pack house immediately,’ I ordered the guard. He nodded and briskly walked toward the pup, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck.

I watched them leave, Ember limping behind the guard as they disappeared into the bushes.

’Mate,’ my wolf growled after her, but I ignored him.