KAYE'S POV

I woke up to the sound of shouting.

My eyes snapped open. The room was dark. For a second I could not remember where I was. Then I heard it again. Voices outside. Angry voices.

I got out of bed and went to the tiny window. Down below, wolves were gathering in the yard. Torches lit up the darkness. I could see Ethan standing in the center, his face hard. Lucas was beside him.

Something was wrong.

The bond pulsed in my chest. I could feel Ethan's tension. His anger. Whatever was happening, it was bad.

I pressed closer to the window, trying to hear. The glass was thick and the voices were muffled. But I caught a few words. "Border." "Rogues." "Attack."

My stomach dropped. Rogues were attacking the territory.

Just like the night my pack died.

I stepped back from the window, my heart pounding. This was not my problem. I was a prisoner here. Whatever happened to the Blackwater Pack was not my concern.

But the bond would not let me ignore it. Through the connection, I felt Ethan's fear. Not for himself. For his pack. For Carly. For everyone who depended on him.

I sat back down on the bed and wrapped my arms around myself. It was going to be a long night.

***************************************

An hour passed. Then two. The shouting outside died down. I heard wolves running. Shifting. The sound of paws hitting the ground as they raced toward the border.

And through it all, I felt Ethan. He was out there. Fighting. The bond let me feel flashes of what he was feeling. Adrenaline. Pain. Determination.

He was hurt.

Not badly. But hurt enough that my wolf whimpered and clawed at me to do something.

There is nothing we can do, I told her. We are locked in a room three floors up. Even if we wanted to help, we could not.

But my wolf did not care about logic. She only cared that our mate was in danger.

I paced the tiny room, unable to sit still. Every time I felt a spike of pain through the bond, I flinched. Every time I felt his exhaustion, I wanted to scream.

This was torture. Feeling everything he felt but being powerless to help.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the bond shifted. The pain faded. Ethan was coming back. He was alive.

Relief flooded through me so strong I had to sit down. I hated that I cared. Hated that the bond made me worry about someone who wanted me to suffer.

But I could not help it.

****************************************

The sun was rising when I heard footsteps in the hallway. They stopped outside my door. I held my breath, waiting.

A knock.

"Kaye," Lucas's voice said through the door. "Are you awake?"

I opened the door. Lucas stood there looking exhausted. His clothes were torn and bloody. There was a cut above his eyebrow that was still healing.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Rogues attacked the southern border," Lucas said. "We drove them off, but it was close. Too close."

"Is everyone okay?"

"We lost two wolves. Five more are injured." Lucas rubbed his face. "It could have been worse."

"And Ethan?"

Lucas looked at me carefully. "He is fine. Some cuts and bruises. Nothing serious."

I nodded, trying not to show how relieved I was. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you felt it," Lucas said. "Through the bond. You knew he was in danger."

I did not deny it. There was no point.

"The Alpha wants to see you," Lucas said. "In his office. Now."

My stomach twisted. "Why?"

"I do not know. But you should go." Lucas stepped back. "I will walk with you."

I followed him down the stairs. The packhouse was chaos. Wolves running back and forth. Someone was crying in one of the rooms. The smell of blood was everywhere.

We reached Ethan's office. Lucas knocked once and opened the door.

Ethan was standing by the window, staring out at the forest. He had changed clothes, but I could see bandages on his arms. His hair was wet like he had just showered. When he turned to look at me, his gray eyes were cold.

"Leave us," he said to Lucas.

Lucas hesitated. Then he nodded and closed the door behind him.

I stood there, not sure what to do. The bond hummed between us. I could feel his exhaustion. His pain. And underneath it all, something else. Something that felt like concern.

But when he spoke, his voice was hard. "Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About the attack." Ethan walked closer. "Did you know rogues were going to hit the border tonight?"

I stared at him. "How would I know that? I have been locked in a room for the last two days."

"You are Moonstone," he said. "Maybe you have connections I do not know about. Maybe you sent a signal to someone before we brought you here."

"I did not—" I stopped. Took a breath. "I did not know about any attack. I have been alone for six years. I do not have connections. I do not have anyone."

Ethan studied my face. "You felt it. Through the bond. You knew I was fighting."

"Yes," I admitted. "I felt it."

"And?"

"And I was scared," I said quietly. "Not for your pack. For you. Because the bond does not care that you hate me. It just cares that you are my mate."

Something flickered in his eyes. Too fast for me to identify. Then it was gone, buried under the coldness again.

"The rogues were organized," Ethan said. "Just like six years ago. They knew exactly where to hit. Where our defenses were weakest. That kind of information does not come from nowhere."

"You think someone is feeding them information."

"I know someone is." Ethan crossed his arms. "The question is who."

"It is not me," I said. "I have been your prisoner. I have not talked to anyone outside this pack."

"Then maybe someone inside the pack is the problem." Ethan walked back to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. "Lucas has been investigating the Council. An extremist group that targets packs they consider weak. Does that sound familiar?"

My heart skipped. "My father mentioned the Council. Once. He said they were dangerous."

"When?"

I tried to remember. "Maybe a year before the fires. He was arguing with one of his advisors about them. The advisor wanted to form an alliance with another pack. My father said no because he did not trust them. He said they had ties to the Council."

"Who was the advisor?"

"His name was Marcus Cole." I closed my eyes, trying to picture him. "He was older. Gray hair. He always smiled but his eyes were cold. My father trusted him. Everyone did."

"Do you know where Cole is now?"

I shook my head. "He died in the fire. Or at least that is what I thought. I never saw his body."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Lucas thinks the Council orchestrated both attacks. Yours and mine. He thinks they wanted our packs to destroy each other."

"Why?"

"Because they believe weak packs contaminate the species," Ethan said. "Your pack formed alliances with humans. Mine traded with other supernatural creatures. To the Council, that makes us weak. Worthy of elimination."

I felt sick. "You think my father knew?"

"I do not know." Ethan looked at me. Really looked at me. "But I am starting to think you were telling the truth. That you are not the enemy."

Hope flared in my chest. "Does that mean you believe me?"

"It means I am considering the possibility," Ethan said carefully. "But that does not change what you are. It does not change the fact that your pack destroyed mine."

"My pack was destroyed too," I said. My voice shook. "I lost everyone. Just like you. And I have been alone for six years, terrified that someone would find me and kill me. So do not tell me I do not understand your pain."

Ethan's jaw tightened. Through the bond, I felt his conflict. He wanted to believe me. But he was scared. Scared that trusting me would make him weak.

"I need information," he said finally. "About the Council. About Marcus Cole. About anyone in your father's pack who might have been involved. Can you give me that?"

"I will try," I said. "But I was just a kid. I did not pay attention to pack politics."

"Then think harder." Ethan walked to the door and opened it. "Because if the Council is behind this, they are not done. They will attack again. And next time, we might not be so lucky."

I walked toward the door. But before I left, I stopped. "Ethan."

He looked at me.

"I felt you fighting tonight," I said quietly. "Through the bond. And I was scared you would die. Not because I care about you. But because the bond does not give me a choice."

His expression did not change. "Then maybe you understand how I feel. Bound to someone I am supposed to hate. Caring about someone I do not want to care about. It is torture, Kaye. For both of us."

"I know," I whispered.

"Good." Ethan looked away. "Then maybe you will stop expecting me to make this easier for you."

I left his office without another word. Lucas was waiting in the hallway.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"He is starting to believe me," I said. "But he still hates me."

"Give him time," Lucas said. "Ethan is stubborn. But he is not stupid. Eventually he will see the truth."

"And what if he does not? What if he decides I am guilty no matter what?"

Lucas did not have an answer for that.

We walked back to the third floor in silence. When we reached my door, Lucas said, "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be harder."

"Why?"

"Because the pack knows about the attack. And they are scared. Scared people look for someone to blame. And you are an easy target."

My stomach sank. "Great."

Lucas gave me a sad smile. "Welcome to Blackwater Territory."

He left. And I went back into my tiny room and locked the door.

Through the bond, I felt Ethan. He was still in his office. Still awake. Still thinking about me.

And despite everything, I could not stop thinking about him either.

This was going to destroy us both.