Chapter 4

Keira’s pov

I turned around slowly, my back sliding against the door as I scanned the room.

It was massive.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I walked over to the nearest window. I unlatched the iron latch and pushed it open.

The freezing mountain wind hit me like a wall, whipping cold air across my face. I leaned out, looking down.

A stone cliff dropped hundreds of feet straight into the jagged rocks below with no ledge.

"Shit," I whispered, pulling back inside and slamming the window shut.

Escape wasn't going down, the only way out was through that door.

I began pacing the floor, my brain working fast. My stepfather had spent three years trying to break my spirit after he murdered my parents, but I hadn't let him. I wasn't about to let a feral Lycan King keep me in a cage, no matter what kind of crazy mate bond he thought we had.

Calla.

My chest tightened as I thought of my sister hiding in that dark cellar back in the valley. She had three days of dried meat before she'd be forced to leave her hiding spot to search for food on her own.

I didn't have time to sit around and wait for Lucian to decide what to do with me.

I walked over to the washstand in the corner. A porcelain pitcher filled with water sat beside a clean stack of linen towels and a bar of scented soap. I glanced down at my hands, caked in dried mud and black grease from the wagon.

Lucian’s words rang in my ears. You're going to eat. You're going to wash that filth off your skin.

I poured water into the basin, scrubbed my hands, and splashed cold water over my face. The grease came away, taking the disguise with it. I wiped my skin dry with a towel, staring at my reflection in the small brass mirror above the stand.

Pale skin, dark eyebrows, and bright blue eyes looked back at me. Without the dirt, my female features were obvious.

I reached for my neck, pulling open the collar of my shirt to inspect the linen bindings tightly wrapped around my chest. They were still held firmly in place, but if Lucian meant what he said, if he intended to present me to his council, those bindings wouldn't last five minutes.

The heavy iron lock clicked.

I snapped my head toward the door, my posture going rigid.

The heavy oak door swung open, and Lucian stepped into the room.

He’d changed out of his blood-stained clothes into a fitted black leather coat that made his broad shoulders look even wider. His dark hair was still slightly damp, brushed back from his face, emphasizing his sharp jawline and the lethal, darkness of his eyes.

He didn't say a word. He just closed the door behind him, locking it again from the inside.

I stepped back until my spine hit the edge of the washstand, my hands gripping the porcelain bowl behind me.

Lucian’s eyes swept over me, starting at my boots and moving up over my wet face. When his gaze landed on my clean skin, a faint, satisfied smirk touched his lips.

"Better," he said, his deep baritone filling the room.

"You're making a mistake," I said, keeping my voice firm as I stood my ground. "Your grand lords hate humans. If you force me out there in front of your council, they'll kill me."

Lucian took a slow, deliberate step forward. He didn't rush. He moved like a predator that knew his prey had nowhere left to run.

"They won't touch you," he said softly. "The council understands power and they understand what happens to a feral King when his mate is threatened."

"I'm not your mate!" I snapped, my temper flaring through the fear. "I'm a human! I don't have a wolf! I don't have a bond!"

Lucian stopped three feet away from me. The heat radiating off him was overwhelming, thick with the scent of dark amber and winter pine.

"You don't need a wolf to be my mate, Caelen," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low growl that vibrated straight through my floorboards. "My beast chose you the second you stepped into that courtyard. Your blood, your scent, your soul, they belong to me."

"My soul belongs to myself," I bit out, glaring straight into his eyes. "And my name isn't Caelen. Caelen is the boy I pretended to be so your trackers wouldn't haul my sister off to a breeding house."

Lucian stilled. The slight smirk left his face, his dark eyes narrowing sharply.

"Your sister," he repeated.

"Her name is Calla," I said, stepping closer to him, ignoring the danger. "She's sixteen. She's hiding in an abandoned cellar three miles past the border ridge because your soldiers swept through our village like animals. She has no food, no protection, and no idea where I am."

Lucian stared at me, his jaw clenching as he processed my words.

"If you want me to stay in this room without fighting you every single second of the day," I continued, my voice shaking with raw emotion, "you send your guards to get her. Right now."

Silence stretched between us. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering orange light across his harsh features.

For a second, I thought he was going to refuse. I thought he was going to laugh in my face and tell me slaves didn't make demands.

Instead, Lucian turned toward the door. He raised a heavy fist and knocked twice against the wood.

The iron lock turned, and Lord Kaelen stepped into the doorway, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His gray-yellow eyes darted past Lucian to land directly on me. His lip curled in disgust when he saw my clean face.

"Your Majesty," Kaelen said stiffly. "The council is waiting—"

"Take a squad of trackers," Lucian interrupted, his voice dropping an octave into pure Alpha authority. "Go to the valley three miles past the southern ridge. Search the abandoned cellars."

Kaelen blinked, startled. "Search for what?"

"A girl," Lucian growled, his eyes flashing dangerous gold. "Her name is Calla. Bring her back to the fortress safely. If a single hair on her head is harmed, I'll take your head."

Kaelen’s jaw dropped. He looked at Lucian, then looked back at me, his gray eyes burning with pure fury.

"You're ordering an elite border sweep... for a human stray?" Kaelen hissed.

Lucian stepped right into Kaelen's space, looming over the scarred lord until Kaelen had to tilt his head up.

"I gave you an order, Lord Kaelen," Lucian whispered, the threat clear and lethal. "Execute it."

Kaelen’s hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He glared at me one last time, a dark promise of vengeance written across his face, before bowing his head slightly toward Lucian.

"As you command, Your Majesty," Kaelen gritted out.

He turned on his heel and strode down the corridor, his heavy boots echoing off the stone walls.

Lucian closed the door and turned back to face me, throwing the brass bolt into place.

I stood by the washstand, my chest heaving, stunned that he had actually given the order.

"She'll be here before midnight," Lucian said, walking slowly back toward me. "Now you owe me a name."

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling slightly as I looked at the most dangerous male in the realm.

"Keira," I said softly, meeting his gaze. "My parents called me Keira."

Lucian stopped right in front of me. He reached out, his long, warm fingers gently cupping the side of my face. His thumb brushed over my cheekbone, sending a sudden, intense shiver down my spine.