Chapter 4
I walked out into the blizzard, my medical kit strapped tightly to my back, heading straight for the Silver Moon border.
Just as I passed the narrow gorge at the Rocky Ridge, a frantic howl erupted from the pine forest to my left.
A gray wolf launched itself out of the brush.
The massive weight slammed directly into my side.
The sheer momentum sent me flying through the air.
My body rolled across the hardened, icy snow. My left arm smashed into a jagged rock. The sickening crack of bone snapping echoed in my ears.
Agony shredded my nerves, and my vision went black for a second.
Border guards heard the commotion and sprinted over.
The gray wolf that had hit me shifted back into human form in the snow, clutching her stomach, her face pale.
It was Lila.
Aside from some snow on her clothes, she didn't have a single scratch on her.
The guards carried me to the nearest border healer's tent.
My left arm hung at a grotesque, twisted angle.
The healer was binding my arm with a bone splint, pressing down on my abdomen to check for internal injuries.
"Left arm fractured. Head trauma. Possible internal bleeding."
Just then, frantic footsteps tore through the howling wind outside.
Caden burst into the tent.
His hair was soaked with melted snow. He hadn't even grabbed a cloak. His chest heaved violently.
He didn't spare a single glance at me lying on the animal pelts in the corner. He grabbed the healer who was grinding herbs.
"Where is Lila?! Where is she?! The one who got hit! She's carrying an Alpha pup, she—"
The healer pointed to the partitioned area next door.
"Vice Alpha, Lila is just in shock. The pup is fine. Please calm down..."
"Thank god. Thank god..."
Caden muttered, the rigid tension in his shoulders instantly collapsing.
He paused for two seconds, as if suddenly remembering something, and whipped his head around.
"Where's Elara? How is she?"
The healer wiped the herb sap from his hands.
"Healer Elara's left arm is fractured. She suffered a blow to the head, and I'm still checking for internal bleeding."
A flicker of conflict flashed across Caden's face—so brief it was almost imperceptible.
Right on cue, Lila's panicked sobbing drifted from the partition next door.
Caden hesitated for exactly one second. He let go of the healer, turned, and bolted toward the next room.
I lay on the rough animal pelt, watching him rip open the curtain and pull the crying Lila into his arms.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm right here..."
His low, coaxing whispers bled through the thin fabric.
I closed my eyes.
The shattered bone in my left arm throbbed with blinding pain.
When the healer stepped out to boil the medicine, I used my good right arm to push myself up.
Inside the torn flesh of my wrist, a few faint, blue specks of the shattered bond still lingered.
They pulsed like parasites, desperately trying to maintain the last shred of connection to him.
I pulled the dagger from my waist and drove it into the wound without hesitation.
I dug the glowing specks out, carving away my own flesh and blood to get rid of them.
The final trace of spiritual energy completely severed.
There was nothing left between him and me.
Using one hand, I tightened the straps on my splint and picked up my medical kit.
Ignoring the healer's shocked shout as he walked back in with the bowl of medicine, I pushed past the tent flap and walked back into the blizzard.
Trudging through the knee-deep snow, I gritted my teeth and forced myself toward the Silver Moon Pack's boundary stone.
The agonizing pain in my arm made my legs shake. The blizzard blurred my vision.
Just as my strength gave out and I was about to collapse.
A deep, commanding male voice cut through the howling wind:
"Since he can't even protect his own Omega, from today on, you're mine."