THE ROGUE ALPHA’S FORSAKEN MATE

Chapter 8

Kael did not sleep that night.

He sat on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed, staring at the floor without seeing it. Ilsa's words circled through his mind, over and over, refusing to leave him alone. You've been half-alive. She's not asking you to save her. She's asking you to stand beside her. He pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to block out the thoughts, but they were already inside him, buried deep and rising to the surface.

He thought about his father. He thought about the night Thornwood fell, the screams, the fire, the moment he found his father's body among the ruins. He had spent three years convincing himself that staying alone was the only way to keep people safe. But Ilsa was right. He had been running. Running from the grief, from the guilt, from the fear of losing anyone else.

And now Nova was out there, walking back to a pack that would hand her over to Garrett Voss in two weeks if Kael didn't do something.

He stood abruptly and walked to the window. The settlement was quiet, the fires burned low, and the sky was still dark. Somewhere beyond the trees, Nova was sleeping in her father's house, or perhaps she wasn't sleeping at all. He could feel her faintly through the bond, a quiet presence at the edge of his awareness. She was anxious. She was probably lying awake wondering if she had made a mistake coming to him.

Kael's jaw tightened. She hadn't made a mistake. He had.

He turned away from the window and sat back down. By the time the first light of dawn crept through the trees, he had made his decision.

He rose, pulled on his boots, and walked outside. A few of his people were already awake, moving quietly through the settlement. They nodded when they saw him, and he returned the gesture, but he didn't stop to speak. He walked to the largest of the houses, the one they used for meetings, and found Ilsa already inside. She was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, as though she had been waiting for him.

"You're going," she said.

It wasn't a question.

Kael stopped in the doorway. "How did you know?"

Ilsa looked at him over the rim of her cup. "Because I've known you since you were a child, and I've never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at that girl."

Kael said nothing. He walked to the table and sat down across from her.

"I'm leaving this morning," he said. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Take as long as you need. We'll manage."

"I need you to keep watch on the eastern border. If Voss moves, I want to know."

Ilsa nodded. "I'll send word if anything changes."

Kael hesitated. Then he said, "If I don't come back—"

"Don't." Ilsa's voice was sharp. "Don't you dare talk like that. You're coming back."

Kael looked at her. For a moment, he was not a fallen Alpha or a leader of survivors. He was just a man who had lost too much and was terrified of losing more.

"I failed them," he said quietly. "I failed Thornwood. I failed my father. I can't fail her too."

Ilsa reached across the table and placed her hand over his. "You didn't fail Thornwood. You survived it. There's a difference. And that girl? She doesn't need you to be perfect. She just needs you to show up."

Kael held her gaze for a long moment. Then he nodded.

He stood and walked to the door. Before he left, he turned back one last time.

"Thank you," he said.

Ilsa smiled faintly. "Go. Before you change your mind."

He left the meeting house and walked through the settlement one last time. A few wolves watched him pass, curiosity in their eyes, but no one stopped him. They had learned long ago not to question him. He reached the treeline and stopped, looking back at the place he had built over three years, the place that had become his home, the place he was leaving for a woman he barely knew.

Then he turned and walked into the forest.

The journey to Ashford territory would take most of the day if he moved quickly. He kept a steady pace, his mind turning over what he would say when he arrived. He didn't know how the elders would react to a fallen Alpha walking into their territory. He didn't know if Nova's father would listen to him or have him thrown out. He didn't even know if Nova would want to see him after he had sent her away.

But he knew he couldn't let her face Garrett alone.

He walked for hours, the forest passing by in a blur of green and shadow. His wolf was restless but not agitated, as though it knew where they were going and approved. Kael didn't fight it. He had spent three years fighting his wolf, fighting the bond, fighting everything that reminded him he was still alive. He was tired of fighting.

By late afternoon, the trees began to thin, and he caught the first traces of pack territory. Scents he didn't recognize, markers on the trees, the faint sound of voices in the distance. He slowed his pace, suddenly aware of how exposed he was. He was a stranger here, an outsider, and outsiders were not welcome in Ashford lands.

He stopped at the edge of the territory and stood still. The bond pulsed warmly in his chest, stronger now that he was close to her. She was nearby. He could feel her.

Then he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned to find three wolves emerging from the trees, their expressions hard, their postures alert. Patrolling guards, sent to investigate the stranger at their border.

"State your business," one of them said.

Kael met his gaze without flinching. "I'm here to see Nova Ashford."

The guards exchanged glances.

"Who are you?" the same wolf asked.

Kael hesitated for only a moment.

"Tell her it's Kael," he said. "She'll know who I am."