Theron's POV
I found her exactly where I knew she'd be—scrubbing dishes in the empty kitchen like her life depended on it.
Keira Ashford, rightful Alpha of Silverpine, reduced to washing plates at midnight because she was too stubborn to ask for help.
She hadn't heard me enter. Her hands moved fast, almost angry, attacking the dishes like they'd personally offended her. The brown contact lenses were gone now, revealing those fierce amber eyes I'd recognized at dinner.
Beautiful. Powerful. And completely wasted on hiding.
"You know," I said from the doorway, "most wolves planning to overthrow their enemies don't stop to clean the kitchen first."
She whirled around, a knife appearing in her hand so fast I almost missed it. Combat instincts. Just as I'd suspected.
"You." Her voice was flat. "What do you want?"
"Answers." I stepped into the kitchen, closing the door behind me. "Starting with how long you thought you could fool everyone, Keira Ashford."
She went absolutely still. For three heartbeats, she looked like she might run. Then her chin lifted, and I saw the Alpha she'd been born to be.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't insult my intelligence." I leaned against the counter, deliberately casual. "Kira Stone. Keira Ashford. You didn't even change your name properly. Three years ago, the Alpha heir of Silverpine vanished after her father's convenient death. Three years ago, a mysterious omega appeared seeking work. The timing is almost poetic."
"Lots of wolves have similar names."
"True. But most wolves don't suppress True Alpha power with wolfsbane. Most wolves don't move like trained warriors while pretending to be clumsy servants. And most wolves—" I let my eyes glow gold, "—aren't my fated mate."
The knife trembled in her hand. "The mate bond doesn't prove anything."
"It proves the Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor." I smiled without warmth. "Pairing the rightful Alpha of Silverpine with the King of Shadowcrest—her pack's greatest enemy. Almost like she's forcing us to choose between hate and fate."
"I choose hate." But her voice wavered.
"Liar." I pushed off the counter, moving closer. "You felt it at dinner. That pull. That need. The mate bond doesn't care about pack politics or old grudges. It just is."
"Then I'll reject it." She raised the knife. "Stay back."
"You won't reject it. You're too smart for that." I stopped just out of reach, though we both knew the knife was pointless. "You need me, Keira. Whether you want to admit it or not."
"I need nothing from you."
"Really? How's your evidence gathering going? Do you have enough proof yet to take to the Wolf Council?" I watched her expression shift. "Or are you still waiting, hoping, stalling because deep down you know what you've collected isn't enough?"
Her jaw clenched. "How do you—"
"I'm the Alpha King of Shadowcrest. I make it my business to know everything." I counted on my fingers. "Helena poisoned your mother, making it look like an accident. Then she poisoned your father a year later with heart-stop toxin she bought from a rogue trader. She falsified documents naming Marcus as heir. She bribed half the Council elders. And she's been slowly feeding you wolfsbane for three years to keep your True Alpha power suppressed so nobody recognizes you."
Keira's face went pale. "You... you know all of that?"
"I've known for two years. My spies are very thorough." I met her shocked gaze. "The question isn't what I know. It's what I'm going to do about it."
"Are you going to expose me?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Expose you? No. I'm going to make you an offer."
"I don't want anything from you."
"You haven't heard the offer yet." I stepped closer, watching her hold her ground despite the knife shaking in her grip. Brave. My mate was incredibly brave. "Here's the situation: Marcus is planning to mate-bond with Cassandra next month. Once that bond is sealed, it will legitimize his claim through her bloodline connection to your father. The Council won't overturn his position without starting a civil war."
"I know that," she bit out.
"Then you know you're running out of time. Your evidence isn't complete. You have no allies. No army. No way to challenge them publicly without getting killed." I let that sink in. "But I have all of those things."
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"Silverpine under Shadowcrest's control. Revenge for my father and brother, who were murdered by rogues your father's council hired. And you—" I held her gaze, "—my fated mate, the True Alpha of Silverpine, the most interesting wolf I've met in fourteen years."
"You want to use me."
"I want to help you. There's a difference." I laid out my terms. "I claim you publicly as my mate. You get my protection, my resources, my army. Together, we expose Helena and Marcus, reclaim your pack, and bring them to justice. In exchange, Silverpine becomes a vassal territory of Shadowcrest. You rule as Alpha, but you answer to me."
"Never." The word was pure venom. "I'll die before I hand my pack to you."
"You'll die anyway if you stay here." My patience frayed. "Helena already suspects something. One of her spies noticed me paying too much attention to you at dinner. How long do you think it'll take before she orders a thorough background check on 'Kira Stone'? Before she realizes the timing of your arrival? Before she finds your hidden evidence?"
"I've been careful—"
"Not careful enough. Cassandra already suspects. I could smell her recognition at dinner when she looked at you." I moved closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes. "You have days, maybe hours, before everything falls apart. So here's your choice: accept my help and live to fight another day, or cling to your pride and die as a servant in your own pack house."
"Why should I trust you?" Her amber eyes blazed. "Your kingdom and mine have been enemies for fourteen years. Your family and mine—"
"Were destroyed by the same people," I interrupted. "The poison Helena used to kill your father? She got it from a Shadowcrest traitor. Someone in my territory has been helping her for years, someone who also helped arrange the rogue attack that murdered my father and brother. We have a common enemy, Keira. We can destroy each other over old grudges, or we can work together and destroy the wolves who actually deserve it."
She was wavering. I could see it in her eyes—the desperate need to trust someone warring with three years of surviving alone.
"I don't—" she started.
The kitchen door swung open.
We both froze.
Cassandra Vale stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock. She looked at me, then at Keira, then back again. And I watched as recognition dawned on her face—really dawned, not just suspicion but absolute certainty.
"Keira?" Cassandra's voice was barely a whisper. "Oh my Goddess. It really is you."
Keira's face went white. "Cassandra, wait—"
But Cassandra was already backing away, her hand reaching for something at her belt. A communication stone. One word to Helena and this entire plan would explode.
"Don't," I commanded, putting Alpha power into my voice.
Cassandra hesitated, caught between my command and her loyalty to Helena. Her hand shook on the stone.
"Please," Keira said softly. "Cass, please. We were friends once. You know Helena murdered my parents. You know Marcus doesn't deserve—"
"I'm sorry," Cassandra whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Keira. But I can't— I've come too far to turn back now."
She activated the stone.
"Security breach in the kitchen," she said quickly. "The Ashford heir is alive. I repeat, Keira Ashford is alive and—"
I moved.
The stone shattered in Cassandra's hand before she could finish. She stumbled back with a cry of pain.
"Run!" I grabbed Keira's arm. "NOW!"
"My evidence—"
"Is worthless if you're dead!" I dragged her toward the kitchen's back exit. Behind us, I heard shouting. Wolves mobilizing. Helena's voice screaming orders.
Keira pulled free of my grip. "I can't just leave—"
"You can and you will." I threw open the door. Dante and Aria were already there with horses, exactly as planned. Because I'd known this would happen. I'd known Cassandra was too loyal to Helena to keep quiet.
"What's happening?" Aria demanded.
"Change of plans. We're leaving. Now." I turned to Keira. "Last chance, little Alpha. Come with me or die here. Choose."
Keira looked back at the pack house—her home, her territory, three years of work about to be destroyed. Anguish twisted her features.
"I swear on my life," I said quietly, "I will help you get it all back. But first, you have to survive."
The sound of running wolves grew louder. Marcus's voice roared through the night: "FIND HER! FIND KEIRA AND KILL HER!"
Keira's expression hardened into something fierce and desperate. "Fine. But if you betray me, Theron Nightfang, I'll make sure we both die."
"Noted." I lifted her onto a horse despite her protest. "Aria, ride with her. Dante, cover our rear. We make for the Shadowcrest border. Anyone who tries to stop us dies."
"With pleasure," Dante growled, his wolf already pushing to the surface.
I mounted my own horse as wolves burst from the pack house. Helena stood on the steps, her face a mask of cold fury.
"STOP THEM!" she screamed. "KILL THE TRAITOR!"
But we were already riding, crashing through the gardens toward the forest. Arrows whistled past us. Wolves shifted and gave chase.
Keira clung to Aria, her face set with determination and terror. She'd just lost everything—again—and placed her life in the hands of a mate she didn't trust.
But as we crossed into the forest, racing toward freedom, I felt the mate bond sing between us.
She'd chosen me. Maybe not from love. Maybe not from trust.
But she'd chosen life. Chosen to fight.
And that was enough.
For now.
Behind us, Marcus's howl of rage echoed through the night—a promise that this wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.