Kael woke slowly, the morning sun brushing against his skin. His chest ached where the blade had entered him, the memory of Liana's hands trembling as she stabbed him still burned into his mind — but he didn't care about the pain.
His eyes went straight to her.
Liana lay beside him, still unconscious, her face soft, innocent… nothing like the darkness that controlled her last night. His throat tightened. He brushed a thumb across her cheek.
"You're safe," he whispered. "I've got you."
As if she heard him, she stirred. Her lashes fluttered, and finally she blinked awake—confusion first, then panic.
She sat up fast.
"Kael—Kael, I hurt you—"
Her voice broke. "I stabbed you."
Kael gently caught her trembling hands.
"You weren't yourself."
Tears filled her eyes.
"But I left the house. I walked outside. I allowed them to get to me."
Kael's grip tightened.
"Liana… why did you leave?"
Her lips parted, fear flickering across her expression.
She swallowed hard.
"They came to my door."
Kael didn't breathe.
"Who?"
She hesitated.
"Two of your pack members. The girl with brown hair… and the tall one with the scar."
Kael's jaw clenched instantly.
He knew exactly who she meant.
"What did they tell you?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.
Liana shook her head as tears slid down her cheeks.
"They said… they said you wanted me."
She looked away, ashamed.
"They said you were waiting outside… that you sent them to bring me because you wanted us to be together."
Kael's power rippled violently.
His aura flared so hard Liana flinched.
"They lied to you," he growled.
She nodded quickly, voice shaking.
"I know. I realized too late. The moment I stepped outside… something dark grabbed my mind. I couldn't think. I couldn't control my body. I felt myself fading and something else taking over."
Her breath hitched.
"And then… I attacked you."
Kael cupped her face gently, forcing her to look at him.
"Liana. You didn't attack me."
His thumb wiped a tear.
"The darkness did. You were a puppet."
"But I listened to them…" she whispered brokenly. "I believed them."
"You trusted them because they wore my crest," Kael said softly. "Because they used my name. They tricked you. That's not your fault."
The door opened.
Aren walked in, face dark, eyes full of unspoken anger.
Kael stiffened.
"What did you find?"
Aren inhaled deeply.
"They admitted it," he said. "The two wolves. They confessed they went to her door. They lied to her face… and lured her outside."
Liana's stomach twisted.
Aren continued, voice thick with shame and fury:
"They said they wanted her out of the picture because she's 'not one of us' and 'doesn't deserve you.' They wanted to humiliate her… but the darkness reached her first."
Kael's aura exploded with lethal rage.
Liana grabbed his hand quickly, shaking her head.
"Kael… please. Don't hurt them because of me."
Kael didn't even blink.
"That's not why I'm angry."
Aren added quietly,
"The darkness was waiting. As if it knew she would step out. As if someone planned it."
Liana's breath froze.
Kael pulled her close, his forehead resting gently against hers.
In a low, protective whisper he said:
"Whatever darkness touched you… whatever manipulated you…
I will burn it out of existence."
Her breath trembled as she closed her eyes.
"And Liana…"
She looked into his eyes.
"Next time someone knocks… you open the door only if it's me."
A small, broken smile touched her lips.
"Okay."
Kael brushed a kiss onto her forehead — soft, lingering, full of a promise.
Aren stepped back silently, watching the two of them with a look that said everything:
War is coming.
And Liana is at the center of it.