We travel for three days. Moving through wilderness. Avoiding all roads and settlements. Living off the land.Dain's wounds get worse. Infection sets in. On the third night, he dies in his sleep. Marcus and Sera bury him in silence. We cannot even mourn properly. Have to keep moving.Now we are five.On the fourth day, we reach the western territories. Alpha Ronan's lands. Kael says Ronan hates the current king but has been too cautious to move against him."Will he help us?" I ask."Only if we prove we are worth the risk."We send Marcus ahead to arrange a meeting. He returns the next day with news."Ronan agrees to meet. But only Kael and Aria. The rest of us wait outside his territory. If you do not return in two days, we assume you are dead and run.""Comforting," Sera mutters.Kael and I go alone. We walk into Ronan's territory openly. Not hiding. Within an hour, wolves surround us. Twenty warriors. All armed.They lead us to Ronan's compound. It is built into a cliff face. Defensible. Smart.Alpha Ronan waits in a great hall. He is older than Kael. Maybe fifty. Scarred. Strong. His eyes are sharp and calculating."Kael Ashenblade. The Cursed Alpha. I wondered when you would come." He looks at me. "And the abomination. The human who thinks she is wolf.""Careful," Kael warns."Peace. I mean no offense. Just stating facts." Ronan circles us. "You want my help. My warriors. My support. What do I get in return?""A new kingdom. One without the current king's tyranny.""And you on the throne instead? Why is that better for me?""Because I do not care about power. I care about justice. Your territory has been overtaxed for years. Your wolves forced to send tribute to the capital. I would end that. Give each pack autonomy. Real representation." Kael pauses. "But more than that. I would end slavery. Give humans equal rights. Create a kingdom where worth matters more than birth."Ronan laughs. "You are either visionary or insane. Maybe both." He stops circling. "I admire the ideals. But ideals do not win wars. Show me you are strong enough to challenge the King. Then we talk.""What do you want?""Fight me. Here. Now. Single combat. If you win, I pledge my pack. Two hundred warriors. If you lose, I hand you over to the King for the reward.""No," I say. "That is not fair.""Life is not fair, girl." Ronan looks at Kael. "What do you say?"Kael nods once. "I accept."They clear the hall. Wolves gather to watch. Ronan and Kael face each other."Human or wolf form?" Ronan asks."Your choice.""Wolf. More honest that way."They both shift. Ronan is a massive brown wolf. Bigger than most. But Kael is bigger. And faster.They circle. Then Ronan attacks. The fight is brutal. They tear into each other. Blood flies. The hall echoes with snarls and snaps.Ronan is good. Experienced. He fights smart. Uses his weight.But Kael is better. The seal is fully broken now. His true power shows. He is faster than Ronan. Stronger. More precise.The fight lasts maybe three minutes. Kael pins Ronan. Jaws around his throat. One bite and Ronan dies.But Kael does not bite. Just holds. Waiting.Ronan goes still. Submits.Kael releases him. Steps back. Both shift to human form."You won," Ronan says. He is bleeding from multiple wounds but smiling. "You could have killed me. Why did you not?""Because I need allies. Not corpses."Ronan laughs. "Good answer." He clasps Kael's arm. "My pack is yours. Two hundred warriors ready to fight."Relief floods through me. We have an army. A real army.But Ronan's smile fades. "You should know. The King is offering a massive reward for you both. Every bounty hunter and mercenary in the kingdom is looking for you. And he is gathering his forces. Planning something big.""How big?""Reports say five thousand soldiers. Maybe more. He is preparing to wipe out any resistance completely." Ronan looks serious. "You have allies now. But you need more. Much more. Or his army will crush us all.""Then we recruit more packs," Kael says."It will take time. Months maybe. And the King will not wait months.""Then we make him wait. We hit his supply lines. Make him chase us. Slow him down while we build strength."Ronan nods slowly. "Guerrilla war. Smart. Risky. But smart."We spend that night in Ronan's compound. Planning. Mapping out targets. Identifying packs who might join us.I sit outside alone. Looking at the stars. Thinking about everything that has happened. Two weeks ago I was a slave. Now I am a symbol of revolution. A warrior. Someone who matters.It terrifies me.Kael finds me. Sits beside me without speaking. We have gotten good at silence together."Do you think we can win?" I ask finally."I think we have to try.""That is not an answer."He looks at me. "No. I do not know if we can win. The King has resources we cannot match. Experience. Numbers. But we have something he does not.""What?""Hope. People are tired of his rule. They want change. They just needed someone to lead the way. We are that someone now.""I never wanted to lead anything.""Neither did I. But here we are."I lean against him. His arm wraps around me. The bond hums between us. Content."Kael. What happens if we win? If we actually defeat the King?""Then we rebuild. Create the kingdom we talked about. Justice. Equality. Freedom.""And us? What happens to us?"He is quiet for a moment. "What do you want to happen?"I think about it. Really think about it. "I want to be with you. Not because the bond forces us. But because I choose you. Because I love you."He turns me to face him. His silver eyes are soft. "I want the same thing. The bond brought us together. But I choose to stay with you. Every day. That is my choice."He kisses me. Gentle at first. Then deeper. The bond flares hot. Urgent.But I pull back. "Not yet. Not until this is over. I need to know we survive first. That we are together because we want to be. Not because we are running and desperate."He nods. Understanding. "When this is over then. When we have time to breathe.""When we have time to breathe," I agree.A shout from inside interrupts us. We run back to the hall.Marcus is there. Covered in blood. Not his own."They found Sera," he gasps. "The King's hunters. Twenty of them. They have her. Taking her to the capital for public execution. Three days from now."My blood goes cold. Sera saved my life. Protected me. And now she will die because of me."We have to rescue her," I say."It is a trap," Ronan warns. "The King knows you care about her. He is using her as bait.""I do not care. We are not leaving her."Kael looks at me. Then at Ronan. "We need volunteers. Wolves willing to risk their lives to save one of our own.""I will go," Marcus says immediately."And me," Ronan says. Everyone stares at him. He shrugs. "You need fighters. And I want to bloody the King's nose. Call it a test of our partnership."More warriors volunteer. By midnight, we have twenty wolves ready to go.We leave at dawn. Racing toward the capital. Toward Sera. Toward a trap we all know is waiting.But we go anyway. Because leaving her is not an option.Three days. That is all we have.Three days to save her. Or watch her die.And I know. I know deep in my bones. This rescue mission will change everything.One way or another. Everything is about to explode.I just hope we survive the blast.