The rift tore open before anyone could breathe.
A violent slash of darkness cracked across the sky above the grove, widening fast, pulsing with raw power. The wolves flinched. The elders staggered. Even the ground beneath our feet vibrated like it was afraid of what was coming.
Owain pulled me behind him instantly.
"Stay behind me, Kanah."
The warmth of the trial-bond still clung to my chest—glowing, steady, humming like a heartbeat under my ribs. But the moment the rift widened, that connection twisted —hot, tight, painful.
I sucked in a breath and clutched my chest.
Owain spun around. "What's wrong?"
"Something—pulling—"
I gasped as my knees buckled.
Owain caught me before I hit the ground.
Gerrin rushed forward, markings blazing bright. "The Beast King is trying to overwrite the bond—it's too soon. The rune isn't fully attached."
Yllas snarled low, frost spiraling off him in sharp bursts. "He can feel her aura through the bond."
Helion's eyes narrowed. "Not just feel—he's trying to sever it."
Owain's growl shook the grove. "He's not touching a damn thing."
His instincts surged—a fierce, hot wave of territorial energy that rolled across the clearing and smacked into the wolves like a physical force. They dropped to their knees again, instincts bowing to strength.
But the bond helped too.
The rune pulsed brighter, warming under my skin.
Owain tightened his grip around me, voice dropping low in my ear.
"Kanah. Stay with me."
"I'm… trying…"
Pain shot through my chest.
Not burning.
Not crushing.
Splitting.
As if the rune was being pried apart by invisible fingers.
A booming voice—not heard with ears but felt inside my bones—whispered through the rift:
Mine.
I gasped, choking on air.
Owain stiffened.
"What did you hear?" he demanded.
I looked at him, trembling.
"It—spoke."
Helion's voice sharpened. "He contacted her directly."
Gerrin stepped close. "What did he say?"
I swallowed.
It hurt to speak.
"Mine."
Owain's eyes bled into pure gold—no iris, no pupil.
His claws sprouted.
Fangs pressed behind his lips.
"Over my dead fucking body."
Wolves around the grove howled at the sound—some in fear, some in approval, all responding to Owain's unfiltered territorial surge.
Yllas stepped beside him, frost spiraling thickly. "We must close the rift."
Gerrin nodded. "If not, she'll be pulled into resonance again."
Helion's tone was clipped. "Then move."
Owain didn't move.
He gently cupped my jaw, turning me to face him.
"Kanah. Look at me."
My vision blurred. "I—I'm sorry—"
"No," he said firmly. "You did nothing wrong."
"I'm scared."
His voice dropped, rough and fierce.
"I know. But I'm here. I'm not letting him take you."
The rune responded to him again—this time surging outward with a bright flash.
The pain eased.
Slightly.
The rift flickered, shadows rippling.
Gerrin's eyes widened. "Owain—your presence stabilizes the rune. You need to stay connected."
Yllas scoffed. "Connected how?"
"Emotionally," Gerrin snapped.
Helion smirked. "And physically."
Owain didn't even look at them.
He raised my chin and pressed his forehead to mine.
Exactly like before.
Exactly like the grove wanted.
My body tensed—then relaxed as the pain lightened.
I whispered, "Owain… what's happening?"
He exhaled shakily. "I'm protecting you. That's all you need to know."
Owain's father shouted over the noise, "Close the rift!"
Yllas lunged forward, unleashing a burst of ice toward the tear.
Gerrin slammed both palms onto the ground, sending mana threads spiraling upward.
Helion flicked into the shadows, reappearing behind an elder who nearly collapsed under the pressure, steadying them long enough to project a shielding aura.
Owain held me tighter, anchoring me.
The three Highborn poured magic into the sky.
The rift resisted—pushing back with violent, clawing darkness.
I whimpered.
The rune jerked painfully.
Owain growled louder.
Gerrin shouted, "Kanah—push back!"
"I—I can't!"
"Yes, you can." Owain's voice was fire. "Match my breath. Match my heartbeat."
I pressed a hand to his chest—feeling the heavy, powerful thundering beneath my palm.
He inhaled slowly.
I followed.
He exhaled.
I did too.
The rune steadied.
He leaned even closer, voice husky and fierce.
"That's it. Stay with me. Only me."
In the corner of my eye, I saw Yllas freeze mid-spell.
Helion raised a brow.
Gerrin swallowed hard.
Owain's instincts were showing—undeniably.
And the grove loved it.
The runes flared.
The rift cracked.
The shadows thrashed.
Owain snarled one word—
"Enough."
And the rift shattered.
The sky cleared instantly.
Silence crashed into the grove like a wave.
Then—
The wolves erupted into whispers.
"She closed the rift."
"No—he closed it through her."
"The human's rune bent to the Alpha Heir."
"Impossible—"
"Dangerous—"
"Fateful—"
Owain's father stepped forward, face grave.
"The Beast King will try again."
Owain nodded grimly. "Then we stay ahead of him."
Gerrin stood, breathing heavily. "Her rune advanced."
Yllas crossed his arms. "Of course it did."
Helion leaned on a stone pillar, smirking faintly. "She's evolving."
I blinked, still shaking. "Evolving?"
Gerrin knelt in front of me, voice calm. "Your rune just awakened its second stage."
"What does that mean?"
Owain's father answered.
"It means your connection to this world is no longer a mistake. It's a claim."
Owain stiffened.
Yllas breathed in sharply.
"A claim… by the Wolf Moon."
Gerrin cursed softly. "That's impossible."
Helion stepped closer, eyes narrowing as he studied the faint glow under my skin.
"No," he said.
"It's inevitable."
I whispered, "Someone please tell me what this means."
Owain swallowed, eyes locked on mine.
"It means you're bound to Fenr Vale. Temporarily. But powerfully."
"Bound how?"
"By instinct," Gerrin said.
"By aura," Yllas added.
"By the grove," Helion finished.
Owain whispered the part they didn't say.
"By me."
My stomach flipped.
"Bound… to you?"
"For your safety," he said quickly. "For the bond. For the Trials."
The grove shifted again as wolves approached—some whispering reverently, others with suspicion.
But then—
A massive wolf burst from the crowd.
Dark brown fur streaked with scars.
Eyes burning with challenge.
Owain's body went rigid.
"Shit," Helion muttered. "Not him."
Gerrin's expression darkened. "Ronan of the Bloodfang clan."
Yllas crackled with frost. "He smells the bond."
Ronan growled, low and deep, stepping closer with deliberate menace.
He stared at me first—disdain dripping from every inch of his posture.
Then at Owain.
"A human," Ronan spat. "You bonded yourself to a human."
Owain growled back. "It was part of the Trials."
Ronan bared his teeth. "You shame the wolf-blood."
Owain stepped in front of me. "Say that again."
"Gladly." Ronan's voice boomed.
"You chose a weakling. A creature with no instinct. No scent. No legacy."
Owain took a step forward. "She is—"
Ronan cut him off with a roar.
"She is NOT fit to stand beside an Alpha!"
Before Owain could move, the rune burned sharply under my skin.
A flare.
A pulse.
A wave of force.
It shot outward—
Didn't knock him down.
Didn't harm him.
It shoved him back three full steps.
Ronan skidded, eyes wide.
Every wolf gasped.
Even Owain froze.
Gerrin whispered, "The rune just defended you."
Yllas smirked. "She has teeth."
Helion laughed under his breath. "Someone should tell the wolves."
Owain turned to me, gaze stunned. "Kanah… you pushed him."
"I didn't mean to!"
Ronan snarled. "She is DANGEROUS."
Owain stepped in front of me again. "So am I."
Ronan stalked forward. "I challenge your claim!"
The grove erupted in shouts.
Owain growled. "No. Absolutely not."
"It is MY RIGHT!"
"It is NOT," Owain's father boomed.
The crowd silenced.
Owain's father stepped forward, aura so immense it pressed the entire grove low.
"You do not challenge a trial-bond," he said.
"She is unworthy," Ronan hissed.
Owain's father turned slowly.
His gaze landed on me.
Not judgmental.
Not harsh.
Assessing.
When he spoke, the grove fell absolutely silent.
"She held under the strength trial."
Whispers.
"She resisted the instinct trial."
Shock.
"She stabilized a runaway rift."
Gasps.
"She awakened a second-stage rune."
A tremble of fear.
Owain's father looked at Ronan with cold dismissal.
"She is more worthy than you."
Ronan roared in outrage.
Owain snarled, stepping forward. "Touch her and I'll tear out your throat."
Ronan lunged.
Owain met him halfway.
The clash shook the grove—
teeth, claws, snarls, instinct crashing together like lightning.
Helion moved to intercept a second attacker from the Bloodfang side.
Yllas unleashed a cold burst to freeze two others in place.
Gerrin raised a barrier to block stray attacks.
Chaos exploded.
I stumbled back, heart slamming, the rune burning with panic.
Owain shoved Ronan to the ground with a brutal strike.
"Kanah!" he shouted. "Stay with Helion!"
Helion flickered to my side instantly. "Come here, sweetheart. Let the boys play."
"I'm not—"
"Not arguing. Good."
He pulled me aside just as another wolf tried to charge—Yllas froze him mid-strike.
Owain threw Ronan across the grove.
The wolf crashed into a pillar and stayed down.
Owain's father roared.
"ENOUGH!"
Silence slammed into the grove.
Owain stood panting, blood on his knuckles, chest heaving.
He turned to me—rage melting instantly into fear and relief.
He reached for my face.
His thumb brushed my cheek.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
He exhaled slowly.
"Good."
The rune pulsed warmly.
Owain looked at my chest, then my eyes.
And something inside him softened—
like a storm breaking.
Owain's father stepped forward once more.
"The Wolf Moon has recognized her. No rival clan has the right to challenge her trial-bond. Anyone who attempts will face exile—or death."
No one argued.
No one spoke.
The grove was silent.
Owain turned back to me, voice gentler than I had ever heard.
"Kanah… you're safe."
I wasn't sure if it was true.
But with his warmth around me—
with his instincts shielding me—
with the rune humming like it knew him—
I believed it.
For now.
But before the grove could settle…
Gerrin stiffened.
Yllas' frost snapped cold.
Helion stopped smiling.
Owain's father whispered one terrible word.
"Listen."
In the distance—
deep, resonant, echoing—
A howl rose.
Not wolf.
Not mortal.
Ancient.
Wrong.
Feral.
The Beast King's voice.
Calling again.
For me.
Owain stepped in front of me immediately.
"Over my fucking body."