The scent of her tears was a physical poison in Theo’s throat.
He stood at the head table, his fists clenched so tightly on the dark oak wood that his knuckles were stark white. His chest rose and fell in deep, ragged heaves as he watched the heavy oak doors of the Great Hall slam shut behind Linnea’s fleeing form.
The silence in the hall was suffocating. Hundreds of his warriors sat frozen, their eyes darting from the doors to their Alpha, sensing the terrifying, volatile storm of energy radiating from him. The air in the room had grown incredibly hot, the ambient temperature rising with the fury of his inner wolf.
She is dying, Jax roared in his mind, his claws tearing at the boundaries of Theo’s control. The parasite in the north is drinking her blood. WE WILL GO TO THE MOUNTAINS. WE WILL TEAR HIS THROAT OUT.
"Quiet, Jax," Theo growled under his breath, his voice a low, dangerous vibration that made the goblet on the table rattle.
He turned his amber-gold eyes toward Caleb, who was staring at the treaty on the table with a expression of horror and disbelief.
"Did you know?" Theo asked, his voice deceptively quiet, like the calm before a devastating storm.
Caleb shook his head quickly, his face pale. "No, Alpha. I swear to you. The Frost Pack scribes prepared the document. We checked for standard magical traps, but a Life-Tribute... it’s a forgotten blood magic. It requires the voluntary consent of the bloodline head. Only Viktor could have initiated it. We had no way of knowing he would bind his own daughter's life to the peace."
"He is a monster," Gwenna spat, stepping up to the dais. Her hard face was carved with disgust. "To use his own blood as a battery. No wonder the girl looks like a shadow. She’s been feeding him for years, and this treaty just opened the floodgates."
"Can we break it?" Theo demanded, his voice tight. He picked up the scroll, his fingers tracing the twisted runes.
"A blood-bound contract is nearly impossible to break from the outside, Theo," Caleb said, his tone heavy with concern. "If we tear up the treaty, the magical backlash could kill her instantly. If we attack Viktor, he will simply draw more of her life to defend himself. The magic is tied to her physical presence in our territory. As long as she is here, the contract views her as the 'guarantor' and drains her. But if we send her back, Viktor will just lock her in a cellar and use her until she is dust."
Theo’s jaw tightened, the jagged scar on his cheek turning pale. "She is not going back. And she is not going to die."
He rolled up the scroll, his grip so tight the wood of the rollers creaked. "Caleb, gather the elders. Look through the ancient archives. There has to be a loophole, a ritual, something to sever the connection without killing her. Gwenna, double the guards on the mountain passes. If Viktor suspects we know, he might try to accelerate the drain."
"And what about the girl?" Gwenna asked, her eyes softening slightly. "She is terrified, Alpha. She thinks this is all a game we are playing to break her."
"I will handle her," Theo said, his voice dropping to a low, determined whisper.
He left the dais, his heavy boots clanking against the stone floor as he strode out of the Great Hall. The pack members parted before him in absolute silence, sensing the lethal gravity of his mood.
As he walked down the long, winding corridors toward the west tower, the scent of her pine-and-silver was still heavy in the air, but now it was tainted by the sharp, bitter scent of her fear and betrayal. It made his heart ache with a profound, hollow pain. He wanted to run to her, to wrap his arms around her, to let his own Alpha energy coat her like a shield. But he knew that if he pushed too hard, she would only retreat further into her shell of ice.
He reached the door of her room.
He could hear her through the heavy wood. She was not weeping anymore. She was moving around the room, her footsteps quick, erratic, and silent. He could hear her rapid, shallow breathing, her heart drumming a frantic, terrified rhythm.
Theo took a deep, steadying breath, burying his wolf’s possessive instinct deep down. He knocked once, a soft, polite rap.
"Linnea," he called out, keeping his voice low and gentle. "It is Theo. Let me in."
The footsteps inside froze.
A long, tense silence followed. Then, her voice came through the wood, cold and sharp as an icicle. "Go away, Alpha. I have locked the door. You gave me your word I would have sanctuary here. Or was that another lie?"
Theo closed his eyes, his forehead resting against the cool wood of the door. "It was not a lie, Linnea. You are safe. But we need to talk. I want to help you."
"I do not need your help," she spat. "I need you to leave me alone."
Theo knew he could easily shatter the oak door with a single kick. He could carry her to the hot springs himself, force her to eat, force her to accept his protection. But that would make him the monster she believed him to be. He had to be patient.
"I will leave you tonight," Theo said quietly. "But tomorrow morning, Gwenna will bring you to the inner gardens. The thermal springs will help soothe the physical pain of the drain. Please, Linnea. For your own survival."
He did not wait for her answer. He turned and walked away, his heart heavy.
The next morning, the mist lay thick over the southern valleys, a soft, white blanket that kept the humid air cool and sweet.
Theo stood at the edge of the inner grotto, his arms crossed over his chest. The grotto was a hidden sanctuary built deep within the basalt walls of the fortress. It was a massive cavern, open to the sky through a wide, natural stone archway. Giant, prehistoric ferns and lush, vibrant tropical flowers clung to the dark stone walls, watered by the constant, gentle spray of a warm waterfall.
In the center of the grotto lay the thermal pool—a deep, crystal-clear basin of mineral-rich water, heated by the volcanic veins deep beneath the mountain. Steam rose from the surface in lazy, elegant ribbons, carrying the clean, soothing scent of sulfur and lavender.
Theo heard the soft rustle of skirts and the light, hesitant footsteps of Linnea approaching.
He turned slowly, keeping his body relaxed and unthreatening.
Linnea stood at the entrance of the grotto, escorted by Gwenna. She had changed out of the green velvet gown, wearing instead a simpler, soft cream-colored tunic and trousers that Gwenna had provided. The clothes were practical, but they still showed her wire-thin frame, her collarbones sharp against her pale skin. Her ash-brown hair was woven into a loose braid that fell over her shoulder.
She looked incredibly fragile, like a delicate piece of frost-glass that would shatter at the slightest touch. Yet, her grey-green eyes were bright with a fierce, burning defiance.
Gwenna gave Theo a brief nod and stepped back, leaving them alone in the steaming grotto.
Linnea did not step closer to the pool. She stood near the entrance, her hand pressed flat against her chest where her mother’s locket lay hidden beneath her tunic. She looked at the steaming water, then at Theo, her expression carved from cold stone.
"Gwenna said you ordered me to come here," Linnea said, her voice tight. "Is this where you perform your psychological interrogations, Alpha? Or do you just want to watch me dissolve in your boiling mud?"
Theo felt a pang of quiet pain, but he did not let it show. He took a slow step forward, keeping his hands visible at his sides.
"The water is not boiling, Linnea," he said, his voice a low, soothing rumble. "It is warm, mineral-rich, and healing. The Life-Tribute contract is a physical drain on your body. It makes your muscles ache, your joints stiffen, and your skin dry. The heat of this pool will soothe the physical pain and help your body resist the drain. It will give you back some of your strength."
"And why do you care about my strength?" Linnea asked, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. She took a step back, her eyes darting around the cavern as if searching for guards. "If I am strong, I am a threat to you. If I am weak, I am an easy hostage to control. Why are you trying to heal me?"
"Because I want you to live," Theo spoke, his amber eyes holding hers with a fierce, quiet intensity. "Because you are not my enemy, Linnea. You are a victim of your father’s greed, and I will not let him destroy you."
Linnea let out a short, bitter laugh, a sound that made his inner wolf whine with sadness. "A victim. How convenient for you. You play the role of the noble savior so perfectly, Alpha. You give me a beautiful room, you give me fine clothes, you show me a horrible contract, and now you offer me your healing waters."
She took a sharp step toward him, her chest heaving, her eyes flashing with a sudden, wild anger. "You think I am a fool. You think because I grew up in a cold castle, I do not know how the world works. My father taught me that every kindness has a price. He taught me that when someone offers you a gift, they are only preparing to take something far more valuable from you."
"Linnea—"
"No!" she cried out, her voice echoing off the damp stone of the grotto. "Do not speak to me with that soft, gentle voice! It is a tactic. You want to break my resistance. You want me to let my guard down so I will tell you the secret mountain passes of my pack. You want me to help you destroy my people so you can expand your territory. Or worse..."
She stopped, her breath catching as her eyes swept over his massive, scarred body, her gaze lingering on his broad shoulders and the sharp line of his jaw. A sudden, deep flush rose to her pale cheeks, her scent shifting, becoming sweet, hot, and heavy with a sudden, instinctive awareness of him as a male.
"Or worse," she whispered, her voice cracking with a raw, painful vulnerability. "You want a broken, grateful pet. You want a girl who will crawl into your bed willingly because she thinks you are her savior. You want me to love my captor."
The physical tension between them in the steaming grotto was suddenly thick, electric, and suffocating.
Theo stood like a stone pillar, his breath catching in his throat as her sweet, pine-and-silver scent filled his lungs. His wolf, Jax, was clawing at his chest, begging him to step forward, to grab her slender waist, to pull her flush against his hard, warm body, and to show her exactly how much he wanted her—not as a pet, not as a tool, but as his queen, his mate, his equal.
He could feel the heat of his own skin rising, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists to keep from reaching out to her. The raw, primal urge to claim her was nearly overpowering, a fire burning through his veins.
But he held himself back. He forced himself to stay still.
"Is that what you think this is?" Theo growled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, velvety rumble that vibrated through her entire body, making her eyes widen and her breath hitch.
"Yes," Linnea whispered, though she did not step back. She stood her ground, her chin lifted, her eyes searching his face with a desperate, defensive anger. "It is the only thing that makes sense. Why else would you care?"
Theo took a slow, deep breath, forcing his voice to remain calm, though the amber-gold rings in his eyes were glowing with a fierce, primal intensity.
"I care because it is my duty as an Alpha to protect those who cannot protect themselves," he said, his voice quiet but incredibly firm. "And I care because I am not a monster, Linnea. I do not use women as tools, and I do not force myself on those who are hurting. If you think I want a broken pet, you do not know me at all. I want you strong. I want you independent. I want you to look at me and see a man you can trust, not a master."
He stepped up to the edge of the pool, gesturing to the warm, steaming water.
"The springs are yours," he said softly. "You may use them, or you may go back to your room and freeze in your own anger. The choice is yours, Linnea. I will not force you. But do not insult my honor by calling my kindness a tactic."
Linnea stared at him, her pale grey-green eyes wide with a mixture of confusion, anger, and a sudden, deep-seated doubt. She looked at his massive, scarred frame, then at the warm, inviting water of the pool, her body trembling with exhaustion and the physical ache of her father’s magical drain.
For a long moment, the only sound in the grotto was the gentle rushing of the waterfall.
Then, slowly, her jaw tightening, Linnea turned on her heel.
"Keep your springs, Alpha," she said, her voice cold and hollow. "And keep your kindness. I would rather starve in a cell than be broken by your gentle words. At least in a cell, I know who my enemy is."
She marched out of the grotto, her soft cream-colored trousers rustling as she disappeared into the mist, leaving Theo standing alone in the rising steam.
He stood there for a long moment, his chest heaving, his heart aching with a profound, heavy sorrow. He could still hear her frantic, terrified heartbeat retreating down the corridor, a constant, painful reminder of the chasm of trauma that lay between them.
He had the treaty. He had the fortress. He had the strength of a hundred warriors.
But as he stared at the empty, steaming pool, Theo knew that winning her trust would be the hardest battle of his life. And he had no choice but to fight it, even if she hated him every step of the way.