The vibe did this weird flip the second Liora grabbed his hand. Not just that fuzzy, safe feeling—no, this was something bigger. Electricity, straight-up raw magic, zapped between them. For a second her breath just... paused. The wolf inside her went nuts, howling, clawing, more awake than ever.
So yeah, the bond was real. No mind games, no trickery. Real enough to scare the hell out of her, more than any enemy ever had.
Kael's eyes never left her, his fingers still locked around hers, like he could feel the universe shifting too. Gold eyes glinting under that thin moon, not hungry, not angry—just... knowing. Like he'd seen her, actually seen her, not just the mask.
"You good?" His voice came out all gravelly, like he'd swallowed a thunderstorm.
She yanked her hand back, one wobbly step away. "Hell no. But I'm not going anywhere."
He nodded, a weird little flash of respect in his stare. "Then let me show you what's real."
So they went deeper into the wreckage. Stones all tangled up with roots, old runes etched everywhere—older than anything she'd seen in the Archives. Some shimmered under the moss, heartbeat-sync magic pulsing beneath her skin.
"What is this place?" she blurted.
"The Heart of the Moon," Kael said. "Was sacred. Until the Council trashed it."
She caught a glimpse in the overgrowth—a mural, ancient as hell. Two wolves: one black, one silver, looping around each other. Balanced, perfect.
"The Twin Fates," she murmured.
Kael looked over. "You know the story?"
"Bits and pieces. First shifters, made by the moon, twin spirits to keep rage and logic in check. Alpha bloodlines started there."
He nodded. "One of those lines is mine."
She spun, eyes wide. "Wait, you're royalty?"
He kind of half-laughed. "Not my idea. Blood picked me. I tried to run things different. Council didn't love that."
He crouched, peeling back vines. Another carving—a wolf, chained up, kneeling before some throne.
"The day I ditched their oath, they used this altar to bind me," he said, voice low. "Called me a traitor. Said I was a threat. Truth? They just couldn't control me."
"And the curse?" she asked.
"They called it justice. I call it a knife in the back."
His jaw clenched. "They didn't stop at my power. My pack—any wolf loyal to me—slaughtered. Whole bloodline, erased."
Liora felt ice crawl through her veins.
"They called it a rebellion," he spat.
Kael stood, slow and heavy.
"They painted me a monster. But the real monsters? Velvet seats, silver tongues."
She stared at her hands.
How many times had she done what they asked, never questioning?
"Why me?" she whispered. "Why now?"
He didn't even blink. "Because the bond's real. Your wolf's my blood."
Her heart, already thumping, just about stopped.
"No. That can't be. My records—my mom—"
"Lies," he cut in. "They changed everything to keep you on their leash."
Her brain whirled.
It couldn't be true.
It shouldn't be.
But her gut knew. Her wolf wasn't scared—it was furious.
"I've been killing my own," she whispered, voice barely there.
"You didn't know," Kael said, softer now.
"I should've."
He moved closer, eyes burning. "They trained you not to ask. That's over."
Silence. Heavy, aching.
"So... now what?" she managed.
Kael's jaw set. "Now? We take it all back."
---
They lingered in the ruins till sunrise, plotting in whispers.
Liora soaked up more in those hours than in years of Council lies. Kael, he knew it all—their secrets, their hidden passageways, every dirty little trick. He knew where bodies were buried, literally.
And she? She handed him their blueprint.
Shifts. Weak spots. All the things she was never supposed to share.
The puzzle started to click together.
"You said your wolf was chained," she asked as he scratched a symbol into the floor.
"Was," he said. "Till you."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He glanced up, eyes lit up gold again. "Your touch broke the last chain."
Her chest tightened.
"I—freed you?"
He nodded. "Not just me. Our bond did. That kind of magic? Can't fake it."
She dropped onto a slab of stone, mind spinning.
"They'll come harder, now."
"They already are."
Right then, a howl cut through the trees. Not wild. A warning.
Liora's pulse spiked. "Council signal."
Kael was already moving. "We gotta go, now."
They tore through the woods, Kael ducking into trails she'd never seen. Branches whipped her face, roots tried to trip her, but she kept up.
A silver flare shot up, slicing the sky.
"They're tracking me," she gasped. "Tag on my gear!"
Kael cursed, veered left—down a sharp ravine.
They didn't stop running 'til they hit a river. Kael yanked her in, water cold and fast, and for a heartbeat, she felt free.
"Wade upstream. Throws 'em off the scent," he muttered, voice barely louder than the water.
They slogged through the freezing current—feet numb, teeth chattering. Felt like it went on forever, honestly. Finally, Kael veered off, yanking her behind a jagged slab of rock into this little cave so well-hidden you'd miss it unless you were crawling.
He waited. Listened. When he was sure nobody was tailing them, he finally spoke.
"They think you're running," he said, breath steaming in the cold. "Hunting them? Not on their bingo card."
She pressed herself against the cave wall, shivering so hard her bones hurt. "They'll send Dante next."
Kael's whole jaw went granite. "Your friend?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Warned me. Gave me the scroll. But if they think I flipped? He'll come to tie up loose ends."
He just stared at the cave floor for a while, jaw working.
Then, real quiet: "Would you kill him?"
She didn't say anything.
Didn't need to.
---
Later, when the forest finally shut up for the night and the river was just a silver ribbon, Kael perched at the cave mouth, staring at moonlit water.
Liora shuffled over, pulling her sorry excuse for a cloak tighter, like that'd help.
She sat. "Why didn't you just kill me that first night?"
Kael didn't even blink—just kept watching the river like it had answers.
"Felt it before you even stepped into the clearing," he said, voice rougher now. "That yank in my chest. My wolf woke up the second you hit the ruins."
He finally turned, and damn, those eyes.
"And when I saw your eyes… I knew."
She swallowed, throat tight.
"I should hate you."
"You don't."
"No," she admitted, barely a whisper. "I don't."
And just like that, the air between them crackled. He didn't move closer. Didn't have to.
Because, honestly, even with space between them, something had snapped tight. Thicker than blood. Weird, right?
"I don't know what this is," she breathed, voice shaky. "But I don't think I can walk away."
Kael leaned in, close enough she could feel the heat off him. "Then don't."
And, hell, just like that—her heart finally shut up.
For once, Liora Vale belonged. Not to the Council. Not to the mission. Just… to him.
To whatever this was, even if it broke every damn rule.