The scent of her was still on his hands.
Theo stood at the high window of his private study, the cold morning mist drifting past the glass in lazy, gray ribbons. He held his palms up to his face, inhaling deeply. Even after hours of sleepless pacing and a cold bath, the sweet, intoxicating fragrance of frozen pine, silver, and her own unique, warm skin still lingered in his pores.
His wolf, Jax, was hummed in quiet, possessive satisfaction, his claws curled contentedly in the dark corners of Theo’s mind.
She trusted us, Jax whispered, his primal voice filled with a deep, quiet pride. She let us touch her. She let us warm her.
"Yes," Theo muttered, a faint smile touching his lips. "She did."
The memory of the night before was burned into his mind. The feel of her delicate, wire-thin body leaning against his chest, the soft gasp she had let out when his heat melted her frost, and the sudden, breathtaking moment when she had leaned in, her lips parting as she looked at him with a raw, beautiful vulnerability.
He had almost broken. He had come so close to wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap, and marking her as his mate. The restraint it had taken to pull back was the hardest thing he had ever done, but looking back, he knew it was the right decision. She had smiled at him when she left. A real, genuine smile that had nothing to do with fear or survival.
He was winning her trust. Slowly, the ice was melting.
A sharp, urgent knock on the study door shattered his thoughts.
"Come," Theo commanded, his voice instantly returning to its normal, deep authority.
The door flew open, and Caleb stepped inside. The Beta’s face was pale, his eyes wide with a mixture of anger and anxiety. He held a crumpled piece of parchment in his hand, his jaw clenched tight.
"Theo," Caleb said, his voice tight. "We have a problem. A big one."
Theo’s eyes narrowed, his body tensing instinctively. "What is it?"
"A Frost Pack escort has just crossed the northern border ravine," Caleb reported, stepping up to the desk. "They came under a white flag of parley, but they didn't stop at the neutral pavilion. They marched straight into our territory. They’re at the gates of the Black Spire right now."
A low, dangerous growl rumbled in Theo’s chest, the temperature in the study dropping instantly. "Who is leading them?"
"Gregory," Caleb spat. "Viktor’s Beta. He has a dozen fully armed mountain warriors with him. He demands an immediate audience with you. He says he has a message from the Alpha of the Frost Pack."
Theo’s mind raced. Gregory. The rat-faced man who had looked at the southern lowlands with such greasy, envious eyes. Why would Viktor send his Beta into the heart of their territory? The treaty had only been signed a few days ago.
"Did they bring Linnea’s belongings?" Theo asked, his voice low.
"No," Caleb shook his head. "They brought nothing but weapons and attitude. Gregory is smug, Theo. He’s acting as if he owns the place. The warriors in the courtyard are nearly ready to tear them apart. I had to station Gwenna’s inner guard between them just to keep the peace."
"I will handle this," Theo growled, his amber eyes flashing with a dangerous, golden light. "Have Gregory and his escort brought to the Great Hall. Do not let them wander the fortress. And Caleb—"
"I know," Caleb said, nodding. "I’ll make sure Linnea stays in the west tower. She doesn't need to see this."
"Good," Theo said, adjusting the heavy leather vest over his chest. "Let’s go see what the coward in the north wants."
He left his study, his heavy boots clanking against the polished basalt of the corridors. As he walked, the pack’s bond pulsed with a collective, restless tension. Every wolf in the Black Spire could feel the presence of the northern intruders, their anger and grief rising like a tide. Theo had to actively project his own calm, dominant energy through the bond to keep his warriors from attacking.
When he entered the Great Hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
Dozens of his senior warriors stood along the walls, their arms crossed over their chests, their amber and brown eyes locked onto the small group of Frost Pack wolves standing in the center of the room.
Gregory stood at the front of his escort. He wore a heavy, dark coat of wolf fur, looking slightly cleaner and better fed than his warriors, though his pale, watery eyes still darted around the basalt hall with a mixture of fear and greedy calculation. The dozen warriors behind him looked haggard and cold, their hands resting habitually on the hilts of their rusted swords.
Theo stepped onto the raised stone dais, his massive frame casting a long, intimidating shadow over the invaders. He did not sit in his carved oak chair. He stood at the edge of the dais, his arms resting at his sides, his amber-gold eyes locking onto Gregory with a chilling, absolute dominance.
"You are a long way from your mountains, Gregory," Theo said, his voice a low, heavy rumble that vibrated through the stone floor. "And you have violated our borders. Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my guard throw you into the deep cisterns."
Gregory swallowed hard, his greasy brow sweating despite the cool mist that drifted through the open doors of the hall. He tried to muster a smug, confident smile, but his scent gave him away—a sharp, oily spike of terror that made Theo’s wolf sneer with contempt.
"I come under a flag of parley, Alpha Marsh," Gregory said, his voice greasy and high-pitched. "I carry the official word of my Alpha, Viktor Frost. We have no desire for war. We simply want our treaty respected."
"The treaty is being respected," Theo said, his voice flat and cold. "The southern valleys are clear of your raiders, and the silver ore shipments are scheduled to begin next month. What else does Viktor want?"
"He wants his daughter," Gregory said.
A sharp, collective growl erupted from the Marsh Pack warriors along the walls. Gwenna stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her broadsword, her eyes narrowed in a lethal glare.
Theo did not move an inch, but his amber eyes darkened until they looked almost black. "Linnea is a protected guest of this pack. She is the guarantor of the peace. That was the agreement your Alpha signed."
"Yes, she is the guarantor," Gregory agreed, his oily smile returning. He took a slow step forward, reaching into his heavy coat and pulling out a small, sealed iron cylinder. "But a guarantor is only useful if they are... active. My Alpha has noticed a distinct lack of energy flowing through the blood-bond. The treaty is not feeding him, Alpha Marsh."
Theo’s jaw tightened, the jagged scar on his cheek turning stark white. He knew exactly what Gregory was talking about. Because he had grounded Linnea's magic in the Obsidian Sanctuary, her energy was no longer pooling and draining. The siphon was being blocked by her own newly unlocked power and Theo's healing resonance. Viktor was starving because his daughter was finally healing.
"The treaty is legal, Gregory," Theo said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, velvety whisper. "If your Alpha is feeling weak, perhaps he should eat more of the food he hoards from his people. His health is none of my concern."
"It is your concern if it violates the terms of our survival," Gregory snapped, a flash of desperate arrogance in his eyes. He unscrewed the top of the iron cylinder, pulling out a small, dark red scroll sealed with the black wax of the Frost Pack. "My Alpha has sent an ultimatum. Linnea must immediately activate the siphon treaty. She must submit fully to the blood-bond and let the energy flow back to the north."
"And if she refuses?" Theo asked, his voice deceptively soft.
"Then the treaty is null and void," Gregory declared, his voice carrying over the quiet hall. "And the Frost Pack will launch a full-scale assault on your eastern borders. We have five hundred warriors waiting at the frozen ravine, Alpha Marsh. They are starving, they are desperate, and they have nothing left to lose. If you do not deliver the girl's full vitality to my Alpha within three days, we will burn your border villages to the ground and paint your valleys with the blood of your people."
The Great Hall erupted.
Dozens of Marsh warriors drew their swords, the metallic ring of steel echoing off the high basalt ceiling. Gwenna lunged forward, her blade half-drawn, her face carved with a absolute, murderous rage.
"Let me take his head, Alpha!" Gwenna roared. "Let me send him back to Viktor in a box!"
The Frost Pack escort quickly drew their own rusted swords, backing into a tight defensive circle around Gregory, their faces pale, their bodies trembling as they realized they were completely outnumbered.
"Hold!" Theo’s roar silenced the entire hall.
The command was so powerful it made the heavy iron chandeliers shake. The Marsh warriors froze, their blades remaining in their hands, but their eyes locked onto their Alpha, waiting for the word to strike.
Theo took a slow step down from the dais, his heavy boots clanking against the stone. He walked directly toward Gregory, his massive frame radiating a lethal, volatile energy that made the air in the room feel hot and suffocating. Gregory’s smug smile evaporated, his face turning pale as he took a hasty step back, his boots slipping on the polished stone.
Theo stopped just inches from the northern Beta. He towered over him, his amber-gold eyes glowing with a primal, predatory intensity that made Gregory’s inner wolf cower in terror.
"You think you can threaten my pack, Gregory?" Theo growled, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that sent a shiver of pure fear through the invaders. "You think you can walk into my home and demand I hand over a innocent woman to be tortured and killed by a coward?"
"She... she is Viktor’s daughter!" Gregory stammered, his hands shaking as he held out the red scroll. "She belongs to the Frost Pack! It is her duty to sustain her Alpha!"
"She belongs to no one," Theo spat, his voice dropping to a chilling, quiet whisper. "And she will never return to the north. Tell Viktor that if he steps one foot across the border ravine, I will lead my warriors into his mountains myself. I will not cede the valleys. I will take his fortress, I will free his starving people, and I will personally tear his throat out."
He snatched the red scroll from Gregory’s trembling hand, his grip so tight the dark parchment crumpled in his fist.
"You have one hour to clear out of my territory, Gregory," Theo said, his voice flat and absolute. "If I see you or your men on my land after the sun passes the meridian, I will feed your flesh to the swamp reptiles. Move."
Gregory did not hesitate. He turned on his heel, his face white, and bolted toward the heavy double doors of the hall. His escort followed close behind, their rusted swords clattering as they ran, their boots squeaking against the polished basalt.
The doors slammed shut behind them, leaving the Great Hall in a heavy, angry silence.
Theo stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving as he fought to control the roaring fury of his inner wolf. He looked down at the crumpled red scroll in his hand, his knuckles turning white.
"Theo," Caleb said softly, stepping up beside him. "The eastern border villages are vulnerable. If Viktor is truly desperate enough to launch a full-scale attack, we don't have enough sentries stationed there to protect everyone."
"I know," Theo said, his voice tight. "Gather the captains, Caleb. We need to reinforce the eastern ravine immediately. But do not let the word of this threat spread to the rest of the pack. I do not want panic."
"And Linnea?" Caleb asked, his eyes serious. "She has to know, Theo. Her father is threatening to start a war because she is healing."
Theo closed his eyes, his heart aching with a profound, heavy sorrow. He had spent the last few days trying to show her that she was safe, trying to melt the ice around her heart and give her a life of peace. And now, her father was using her survival as a weapon to destroy his pack.
If she found out, she would blame herself. She would think her presence was a curse to the Marsh Pack, and she would try to return to the north to save his people.
"I will tell her," Theo said quietly. "But I will do it myself. Go, Caleb. Prepare the defenses."
As Caleb hurried away to gather the captains, Theo stood alone in the Great Hall, his gaze fixed on the heavy wooden doors. The faint, beautiful scent of frozen pine and silver still lingered in his nose, a constant, painful reminder of the fragile peace they had built.
He had three days to save his pack, and to protect his mate from the monster who had created her.
He would burn the entire north to the ground before he let Viktor touch her again.