HIS SAVAGE VOW

The First Line

*Chapter 4: The First Line*

Kade walked me out himself. No one stopped him.

The Packhouse felt smaller with him beside me. Like the walls were closing in, or maybe it was just him taking up all the air in the room.

“Earn it?” he said once we hit the front steps. The night air was cold, sharp against my skin. “You want me to court you like a human?”

“I want you to see me as a person,” I said. My voice was steady, but my hands were shaking. “Not a title. Not a womb. A person.”

Kade studied me. His eyes were darker than usual, tracking every movement I made.

“That’s harder,” he said finally.

“I know.”

He stepped close. Cedar and smoke. The scent hit me like a punch to the chest. Five years and I still remembered it. Hated that I remembered it.

“You’re still running,” he said.

“Not this time.” I held his gaze. “This time, you’re chasing. And I’m not making it easy.”

His grin was all wolf. Slow, dangerous, pleased.

“Good. I was bored.”

A car door slammed down the street.

Both of us went still.

Two men in black stepped out of a matte black SUV parked at the curb. Damon Vance’s enforcers. I recognized the silver V on their jackets.

“Looks like we’ve got a problem,” Kade murmured. His hand brushed my lower back, a warning and a promise all at once.

My hand slipped to my pocket. Scalpel. Old habit.

“Stay behind me,” Kade said.

“No,” I said. “We stand together. Or I walk.”

Kade looked at me for a long second. Something shifted in his eyes. Respect, maybe.

Then he nodded.

The men stopped ten feet away. The lead one was tall, scar across his jaw, eyes like dead fish.

“Alpha Blackwood,” he said, voice flat. “Lord Vance requests your mate’s return. The contract stands.”

Selene stepped forward, past Kade.

“There is no contract,” I said. “Not anymore.”

The man sneered. “Little wolf doesn’t know her place.”

Big mistake.

I let my wolf surface. Just enough.

Gold bled into my vision, sharp and hot. My canines ached, pushing against my gums.

The men froze.

“I’m not little,” I said quietly. “And I don’t have a place. I make one.”

Kade’s pride hit me through the bond. Hot, sudden, addictive.

The men exchanged uneasy glances.

“Lord Vance won’t be pleased,” the lead said. But his voice wasn’t as sure now.

“Tell Damon he can come say it to my face,” I said. “If he’s got the guts.”

The men didn’t answer. They got back in the car and drove off, tires squealing on the wet road.

As the sound faded, I exhaled. My hands shook. Adrenaline crash was a b***h.

“You could’ve gotten hurt,” Kade said.

“I didn’t,” I said. “And I won’t hide again.”

Kade pulled me against him, one arm tight around my waist. His chest was solid, warm, and infuriatingly safe.

“Good,” he murmured against my hair. “Because I’m not letting you go.”

For a second, I let myself lean into him. Just a second.

The bond hummed, quiet and warm. Like coming home after years in the cold.

Then I pulled back.

“Don’t get used to it,” I said.

Kade just smiled. Slow and infuriating.

“I don’t plan to.”

We stood there for a moment, the night quiet around us.

“Why did you come alone?” I asked suddenly. “No backup. No enforcers.”

Kade’s jaw tightened.

“Because if you’d said no, I didn’t want anyone else to see it.”

The honesty knocked the wind out of me.

“You’re an i***t,” I said.

“Yeah,” he said. “But I’m your idiot.”

I rolled my eyes, but my heart did something stupid and traitorous in my chest.

A phone buzzed. Kade pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and cursed under his breath.

“Damon’s moving,” he said. “He’s calling an emergency pack meeting. He’s going to try and take you through the Council.”

“Let him try,” I said.

Kade’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re not going alone.”

“I’m not a child, Kade.”

“No,” he said. “You’re my mate. And I don’t leave my mate unprotected.”

There it was again. That word.

Mate.

It felt different this time. Less like a chain, more like a choice.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Kade took a step back, giving me space.

“Go home, Selene. Get some sleep. I’ll handle Damon.”

“Like hell you will,” I said. “This is my fight too.”

His mouth quirked up at one corner.

“Stubborn.”

“Learn to deal with it.”

He nodded once, sharp and decisive.

“Tomorrow. 7 PM. My place. We’ll talk strategy.”

“My place,” I countered. “Neutral ground.”

Kade’s eyes flashed.

“Fine. Your place.”

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me.

“Selene.”

I looked back.

“Don’t run this time,” he said quietly.

I didn’t promise. I couldn’t.

But I didn’t run either.

I got in my car and drove home.

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