ROWAN

The road to the Rite Altar wound through ancient forest, older than any kingdom, older even than the laws that ruled us.

Pines rose like sentinels on either side of the narrow trail, their trunks black against the falling snow. The air smelled of frost and iron and something older, power that had seeped into the earth long before men had learned to walk on two legs.

My escort rode in silence behind me. Twenty warriors, all hand-picked, all loyal or so I told myself. In the Northern Territories, loyalty had a shelf life measured in fear and gold.

The only sound was the crunch of hooves and the distant call of wolves echoing through the mountains.

Tessa guided her horse alongside mine, her hood drawn low against the wind. “You’re brooding again,” she said after a while.

“I’m thinking,” I muttered.

“Same thing with you.” She shot me a sidelong look. “Still planning to refuse every omega they parade in front of you?”

“Every single one.”

She huffed, steam curling from her lips. “You do realize Malric won’t let you leave unmated this time. He’s cornering you, Ramon.”

“I’ve faced worse corners.”

“Not from him.”

She wasn’t wrong. Malric had spent centuries weaving webs, alliances, debts, blood promises. No one crossed him and survived intact. But I’d built my life on surviving things I shouldn’t.

The forest thinned at last, and the trees opened into a wide clearing. From the hilltop, the Rite Altar came into view.

Stone pillars carved with ancient runes circled a space large enough to hold five hundred wolves. Bonfires blazed at its center, painting the snow in molten gold.

Beyond them, tents and banners filled the valley, each sigil representing an Alpha house. The air itself thrummed with dominance and expectation.

“Lovely party,” Tessa muttered.

“Can’t wait to leave.”

I dismounted, handing my reins to a stable hand who looked one glance away from bolting. The air vibrated beneath my skin, sharp and electric.

Every step closer to the Altar made it worse. My wolf stirred uneasily, pacing inside me, hackles raised.

Something was wrong.

Tessa noticed. “You’re pale. You all right?”

“Fine.” The lie rasped in my throat. “Just hate crowds.”

She snorted. “You’d burn down the world to avoid small talk.”

“Not untrue.”

Elder Malric was waiting at the ceremonial entrance, draped in white and gold. His smile was all polished civility, the kind that hid poison underneath. “Alpha Draven,” he greeted. “How punctual of you. A rare occurrence.”

“I aim to surprise.”

He chuckled, but his gaze sharpened. “The moon rises soon. Try to behave tonight. The Council has invested much in arranging this Rite.”

“I’m sure they have.”

He gestured grandly toward the gathering. “Mingle. Meet your potential matches. The goddess may yet bless you with reason.”

I said nothing.

The bonfires crackled as I moved through the crowd. Every Alpha was here, Northern, Eastern, Southern, and the distant Shadow Clans from the far wastes.

The air was thick with dominance, layered scents of fur, perfume, and ambition. Everywhere I looked were smiles that didn’t reach my eyes.

The omegas stood in a separate enclosure, veiled and cloaked in ceremonial white. Pretty, delicate, trained to bow and smile and lower their eyes. The Council liked to pretend this was sacred tradition, but it reeked of livestock display.

Their fear hit me first, sharp beneath the layers of rose oil. None of them wanted this. None of them looked at us as potential mates. Only as hunters.

My wolf prowled inside me, restless. Wrong.

I scanned the line of omegas. Soft faces, trembling hands, and eyes that flicked anywhere but toward mine. Nothing. No spark. No pull. Just silence.

“See anything you like?” Alpha Kade’s voice drawled at my shoulder. I didn’t bother hiding my irritation.

“Didn’t hear you approach.”

He smirked. “You weren’t meant to. You’re the Council’s favorite spectacle tonight, ‘the unbonded beast.’ I had to see it for myself.”

“Enjoy the view.”

“Careful, Draven. Malric’s been laying snares. Whatever game he’s playing, it’s bigger than forcing you into a bond.” His eyes flicked toward the elders’ dais. “He’s setting you up for something.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Kade’s grin turned sly. “Still, I’d pay to see the day you fall. Would make great entertainment.”

Before I could answer, a commotion erupted near the forest’s edge. Shouts. A crash. I turned just as several guards surrounded a small cart, their weapons drawn. A tangle of voices cut through the noise.

“wrong village”

“not on the registry”

“just a healer’s assistant”

The scent hit me first. Sharp, clean and wild.

My wolf slammed against my control, snarling. The pull in my chest yanked hard enough to steal my breath.

There.

I was moving before I even realized it, pushing through the crowd. The Alphas instinctively gave way, dominance clearing a path without words.

Through the ring of guards, I saw a cloaked figure standing beside the overturned cart. Small. Slight. Trying to step back from the confrontation.

“I told you, there’s been a mistake,” the voice said. Male. Young. “I’m just delivering medicine!”

One of the guards grabbed his arm roughly. The cloak slipped back and hazel eyes met mine.

Time stopped.

Everything, the noise, the cold, the breath in my lungs, collapsed into that single instant. The bond struck like lightning. I felt it snap through me, fierce and alive, burning every nerve.

The crowd gasped as visible light, silver and gold coiled between us, spiraling up from where our eyes met.

The world narrowed to one impossible truth.

Mine.