I barely had time to breathe before Owain swept me off my feet.
Not romantically.
Not gracefully.
More like a desperate alpha grabbing the one thing he refused to lose.
"Owain—!"
"I'm taking you somewhere safer," he said, voice raw.
Yllas snapped, "This camp is the safest place in wolf territory—"
"Not for her," Owain snarled over his shoulder. "Not with every wolf scented and ready to tear in here."
Outside the tent, dozens of wolves paced, snarled, or howled low in agitation.
Some fully shifted, teeth bared.
Some half-shifted, claws scraping the dirt.
Every eye glowed with a mixture of fear and instinct.
And all of it aimed at me.
The mark pulsed.
I winced.
Owain tightened his hold immediately. "I've got you."
"You can't take her deeper," Yllas growled. "It's dangerous."
Owain shot him with a glare that could have split the stone.
"It's more dangerous if she stays out here with YOU."
Yllas' jaw flexed, wings twitching. "I will not allow you to isolate her."
"You can't stop me."
"I can."
Gerrin wedged his staff between them. "Enough. Both of you."
"Agreed," Helion muttered. "We get it — wolf loves her, dragon wants her, elf understands her, I look fantastic in the sunlight. Move along."
Owain snapped, "No one asked you."
Helion smirked. "No one needs to."
Owain turned and stalked out of the tent, carrying me in his arms.
I clutched his shoulders. "Owain, slow down—"
"No," he whispered. "We're going now."
Fenr Vale reacted to me before I saw it.
The scents of pine and frost swept over us as Owain carried me through the camp.
Wolves stopped mid-conversation the moment they saw me.
Their ears flattened.
Their lips curled.
Low growls rumbled through their chests.
Some bowed their heads, confused.
Others radiated hostility.
They all smelled the mark.
My chest tightened.
"Owain… they're afraid."
Owain growled. "Good. Fear keeps them away."
"Afraid of ME," I whispered.
He looked down sharply.
"Kanah. None of this is your fault."
A wolf with dark fur stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"She carries the Beast King's mark."
Owain bared his teeth. "BACK. OFF."
"She shouldn't be here—"
Owain dropped into a half-crouch, snarling.
"Take one more step toward her and I'll rip your throat out."
The wolf stopped instantly.
Yllas landed behind us — literally landed — wings kicking up dust.
"That's ENOUGH," Yllas thundered. "Your pack is reacting like feral cubs."
"It's instinct," Owain snapped. "Something you know nothing about."
"Wrong," Yllas hissed. "I know exactly what instinct is."
He stepped forward.
Owain's aura exploded, pushing me behind him as he shifted further — ears, claws, fangs.
The air hummed with static.
Gerrin slid between them again, exhausted.
"Stop. Wolf territory teeters on the edge of riot. You two will set the entire Vale on fire."
Helion added, "And we don't want that. I mean, unless it's entertaining. But not today."
Owain didn't look away from Yllas.
"Kanah comes with me," he said flatly.
"No," Yllas countered. "She stays where the Spire's energy can reach her."
"Owain," Gerrin said softly, "she does need magical stability—"
"She needs safety," Owain barked.
"And you can't provide that alone," Yllas said.
Owain froze, trembling.
And then—
He walked away without answering.
No one dared stop him.
The Deep Wolf Path
Owain carried me into the forest — darker, colder, quieter.
The trees grew thicker.
Roots bent like twisted ribs.
Snow dusted the ground although it hadn't snowed.
"Owain," I said softly, "you don't have to take me so far."
"I do," he said.
"Why?"
"Because only high-ranked wolves can enter this path. And no one—NO ONE—will touch you there."
His tone sent a shiver down my spine.
We reached an ancient stone gate hidden between roots — barely visible in the shadows.
Owain pushed it open with his shoulder.
The inside was a cavern of frost-lit stone and soft moss, glowing faintly.
Wolf territory, sacred and sealed.
The air felt old.
Owain lowered me onto a bed of fur and blankets that seemed too soft for someone as shaken as him.
He knelt in front of me, breath trembling.
"I should've stayed with you in the Spire," he whispered. "I should've protected you from him."
"You did," I whispered.
"Not enough."
He pressed his forehead to my knee.
"You almost died."
I touched his hair gently. "Owain…"
He looked up, eyes burning.
"Kanah… I love you."
My breath hitched.
"Owain—"
"No. Don't stop me. I love you."
He swallowed hard.
"And I know you don't have to say it back. I know you haven't chosen anyone yet. But I'm not letting you fight him alone. I'm not letting him take you."
He moved closer, hesitating.
"Can I… hold you?"
My heart twisted painfully.
"Yes."
He pulled me into his arms, head buried in my shoulder, breath shaking uncontrollably.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered.
I held him tighter.
"Owain. I'm here."
The Rune Behaved Strangely
It pulsed in slow waves like a heartbeat.
Gold.
Silver.
Blue.
Owain froze when the blue appeared.
"That's the Queen's shadow magic," he whispered, touching my cheek. "Gerrin explained it on the way back."
"What does it mean?"
"That you're… powerful. Older-blooded. Rare. Important."
He exhaled shakily.
"And he wants you even more now."
The mark pulsed silver — sharp, painful.
Owain grabbed my shoulders.
"Kanah—look at me. Stay with me. Don't let him pull you in—"
But the mark flashed stronger.
My body jerked.
My breath ripped from my lungs.
Owain shouted, "KANAH!"
I saw darkness.
Silver.
Fire.
Crown-shaped shadows.
And then—
He appeared.
Not fully.
Not in a physical form.
But in my mind.
Tall.
Crowned with flame.
Silver eyes burning like cold stars.
Little seal.
You cannot run from me.
I froze.
"No—get out—"
Owain's voice echoed somewhere far away.
"Kanah! Fight him!"
The Beast King leaned forward.
You were born to be mine.
Your blood remembers me.
Your power calls to me.
I trembled, powerless to push him back.
Then—
A golden flash cut through the darkness.
A wolf howl tore through the vision.
Owain.
He forced his aura into the bond.
The Beast King hissed.
Wolf.
You overstep.
Owain snarled, "GET OUT OF HER HEAD!"
The Beast King's silver eyes narrowed.
Soon, little wolf.
I will take what is mine.
Even if it breaks her.
The vision shattered.
I collapsed into Owain's arms, gasping.
He held me so tightly my ribs ached.
"I've got you," he whispered over and over. "Come back to me. Please."
I buried my face in his neck, shaking.
"He… he said… he'll take me."
"Not while I'm breathing," Owain growled.
My hands clutched his shoulders.
"Don't ever leave me alone," I whispered without thinking.
Owain froze.
His breath hitched.
Then he pulled me fully into his lap, holding me like he'd never let go.
"Never," he whispered.
"Never, Kanah."
Yllas Found Us
Hours later — or minutes, I wasn't sure — the cavern entrance shook.
Owain stood instantly, shielding me.
"NO," he growled.
A deep, controlled voice echoed.
"Owain. Let me in."
"Get out, dragon."
Yllas' silhouette filled the doorway.
Scales shimmered across his jaw.
His wings scraped the ceiling.
His eyes glowed like molten gold.
"I tracked her because her magic destabilized the Spire."
Owain snarled. "Then leave."
"No."
Yllas stepped closer.
"Owain. If the mark grows stronger, she could lose consciousness permanently."
My pulse spiked.
"Owain…" I whispered. "Let him help."
Owain flinched like I'd stabbed him.
But after a long, shaking breath—
he stepped aside.
Only barely.
Yllas approached me slowly, kneeling in front of me, hands carefully on his knees.
His voice was soft.
Much too soft for a creature that could burn the world.
"Kanah. Look at me."
I did.
He exhaled.
"You survived a mental strike from the Beast King. That alone is impossible."
I swallowed. "Did I… actually fight him off?"
"No," Yllas said quietly.
"Owain forced him out."
Owain stiffened behind me.
Yllas continued, eyes never leaving mine.
"Your body is reacting to multiple claims. The rune is still transforming. You must not be alone when the next surge hits."
"I know," I said softly.
Owain's breath caught in his throat.
Yllas extended a hand.
"Come to the Spire. You'll be safer."
"No," Owain snapped. "She's staying with me."
Yllas' eyes narrowed. "Wolf. You cannot protect her from magic."
"I CAN."
"She needs stability."
"She needs SAFETY."
"She needs BOTH."
They stepped toward each other again.
I stood shakily.
"Owain. Yllas. Stop."
Both froze.
"I'm safe with all of you," I whispered. "But I'm the one who gets to decide where I stay."
Owain stared at me, eyes wide.
Yllas' jaw tensed.
"And right now…" I said quietly, looking between them.
"…I need… both of you."
Owain inhaled sharply.
Yllas blinked.
The cavern thickened with instinct and tension.
Gerrin's voice echoed from outside.
"I told you two this would happen."
Helion added, "Well. At least she's honest."
But deeper in the forest—
something howled.
Not a wolf.
Not a dragon.
Not anything we'd heard before.
Owain tensed.
Yllas' wings lifted.
Gerrin and Helion ran in.
Something massive was approaching.
The ground trembled.
The air darkened.
Helion whispered, "Uh… that's not good."
Gerrin swallowed. "No. It's not."
Owain stepped in front of me.
Yllas stepped to my side.
And the mark burned silver—
while the rune pulsed gold—
and that new blue glow shimmered beneath both.
My breath hitched.
Something was coming for me.
And this time—
it wasn't the Beast King.