THE ROGUE ALPHA’S FORSAKEN MATE

Chapter 7

Kael watched her until she disappeared into the trees.

He stood there long after she was gone, his feet rooted to the ground, his eyes fixed on the spot where she had turned and walked away from him. His wolf was clawing at him from the inside, furious, desperate, demanding that he go after her. He didn't move. He couldn't.

She had come looking for him. She had followed the bond through unfamiliar territory, walked straight into a settlement full of strangers, and stood in front of him without flinching. She had asked him for help, and he had sent her away.

He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling the mark pulse beneath his palm. It was faint, but it was there, a constant reminder that she was real and that she was out there somewhere, walking back toward a pack that would not protect her.

He turned and walked back into the settlement.

The wolves who had watched Nova arrive were still staring, their faces filled with questions they were too disciplined to ask. Kael ignored them. He kept his head down and his expression hard, and one by one, they looked away. He had spent three years teaching them not to question him, and old habits held.

He made it as far as the small house he called home before someone stopped him.

"Kael."

He stopped but didn't turn around. He already knew who it was. Ilsa had been part of Thornwood longer than he had been alive. She had served his father, and before that, his grandfather. She was the closest thing he had to family, and she had never once been afraid to speak her mind.

"I'm not in the mood," he said.

"I don't care." She walked around him and stood in his path, her arms crossed, her grey eyes sharp. "Who was she?"

"No one."

"Don't lie to me, boy. I've known you since you were small enough to sit on my lap. I know what I saw."

Kael's jaw tightened. "She's no one."

Ilsa studied him for a long moment, and then something shifted in her expression. "She's the one, isn't she? The one you marked."

Kael said nothing.

Ilsa let out a slow breath. "I felt it the moment you came back this morning. The bond. It was faint, but it was there. I was going to ask you about it, but you disappeared before I could. And then she showed up." She shook her head. "You marked a girl and left her, and now she's come looking for you. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I didn't plan it."

"I know you didn't. That's not how the bond works." Ilsa stepped closer, her voice dropping. "But it's done now. And running from it isn't going to make it go away."

Kael looked away.

"Who is she?" Ilsa asked.

"Her name is Nova. She's from the Ashford Pack."

Ilsa frowned. "Ashford. That's Declan Ashford's territory."

"His father's. Declan is the son."

"What does she want from you?"

"She wants me to come forward. To claim the bond formally. The elders gave her two weeks to find the wolf who marked her, or they'll force her to marry someone else."

"Who?"

"Garrett Voss."

Ilsa's expression darkened. "Voss. That name has brought nothing but trouble to this world."

Kael nodded.

"And what did you tell her?"

"I told her I couldn't protect her."

Ilsa was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "You told her the truth. You can't."

Kael's head snapped up. "You're agreeing with me?"

"I'm not agreeing with your decision. I'm agreeing with the fact." Ilsa looked at him with something that might have been sadness. "You lost everything three years ago, Kael. You lost your father, your pack, your home. You've spent every day since then trying to keep what's left of us alive. You've done a good job. Better than most would have. But you've also been running."

"I'm not running."

"Yes, you are. You've been running from the day Thornwood fell. You keep everyone at a distance because you're afraid that if you let yourself care, you'll lose them too. You think protecting yourself is the same as protecting us." She shook her head. "It's not."

Kael's hands clenched at his sides. "I'm not talking about this."

"Then listen." Ilsa stepped even closer, her voice firm. "Your father would not want this for you. He would not want you to live alone for the rest of your life because you're afraid of what might happen. He would want you to fight for something. To build something. To let someone in."

Kael's chest tightened. "My father is dead because of me."

"Your father is dead because Garrett Voss's family is filled with cowards who couldn't face him in battle." Ilsa's voice was sharp. "Don't you dare take responsibility for what they did."

Kael said nothing. He couldn't. The words had hit somewhere deep, somewhere he had kept buried for three years.

Ilsa's voice softened. "That girl came all the way here. She followed the bond through unfamiliar territory. She walked into a settlement full of strangers and stood in front of you without flinching. Do you know how much courage that takes?"

Kael swallowed.

"She's not asking you to save her," Ilsa continued. "She's asking you to stand beside her. There's a difference."

Kael closed his eyes.

"I'm not telling you what to do," Ilsa said. "I'm just telling you what I see. You've spent three years keeping everyone at arm's length. You've built something here, something good. But you've been half-alive. That girl could change that, if you let her."

She turned and walked away, leaving Kael standing alone in the doorway.

He stayed there for a long time, staring at nothing. Then he walked to the edge of the settlement and stopped. The trees stretched out in front of him, dark and quiet. Somewhere beyond them, Nova was walking back to her pack, back to her father, back to the elders who had given her two weeks.

Two weeks.

He could still send her away. He could still stay here, in the life he had built, and let her marry Garrett Voss. He could tell himself it was for the best, that she was better off without him, that she would find a way to survive.

But he knew that was a lie.

He had marked her. The bond was real, whether he wanted it or not. And she had asked for his help.

Kael looked toward the trees for a long moment. Then he turned and walked back toward his house. There was nothing he could do tonight. But tomorrow, he would decide.

Tomorrow, he would figure out what he was going to do about Nova Ashford.