Kaelen's POV.
The ravine was a graveyard for the shadow wolves.
My breath came in shallow, jagged hitches, but the weakness of the prince's body was being overridden by the sheer momentum of my soul. It's like I could feel the ancient Alpha core burning through the Omega nerves, hardening them.
"The wolves were just the first wave," I said, wiping a streak of sweat from my brow.
Fenrir stood beside me, his sword resting on his shoulder. "The Shadow Wolves were Jaxon's pride. He's going to be devastated when he sees what you did to them."
"He won't have time to be devastated," I said. "Look."
Six figures detached themselves from the shadows of the upper ridge. They weren't animals. They were assassins. These were the Queen Mother's personal guard.
"Assassins," Fenrir spat. "They really did empty the capital for this."
"Go to the command tent, Fenrir," I said, stepping forward. "Jaxon is waiting to slide a knife into your back while you're distracted. I'll handle these."
Fenrir let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "You're an Omega with a bleeding arm and two short-swords. You think you can take six Imperial assassins?"
"I don't think. I know," I said. "Now go. If you lose the army, the strategy won't matter."
"I'm not leaving you alone with them," Fenrir said.
"You're not leaving me. You're trusting me. There's a difference."
I looked him in the eye. "Go."
Fenrir hesitated for a heartbeat, his jaw tight. Then he turned and sprinted up the path toward the main camp.
The lead assassin stepped forward, his blade held in a tight grip. "The Queen Mother sends her regards, little rabbit."
"Tell her I'm busy," I said.
The first two lunged simultaneously. I didn't move until they were in my guard. I dropped low, sweeping the legs of the one on the left while driving my right-hand blade through the throat of the one on the right.
That was easy.
One down.
The second assassin scrambled to his feet, but I was faster. I drove my heel into his solar plexus, and as he bent over, I hammered the pommel of my sword into the base of his skull and he collapsed into the dirt.
Two down.
The remaining four slowed down. They probably realized I wasn't the trembling boy Silas had described.
"Who are you?" the leader demanded.
"The man who is going to make you regret your career choice," I said.
I didn't wait for them to charge. I went on the offensive. I used their weight against them, parrying a heavy strike and guiding the blade into the chest of the man standing next to him.
Three down.
I spun, my cloak flared out, and I slashed the hamstrings of the fourth. As he fell, I finished him with a clean thrust to the heart.
Four down.
The last two hesitated. They looked at the pile of bodies and then at me. I was covered in blood.
"Run," I said. "And tell Silas I'm coming for him."
They didn't run.
They died, or I killed them. It took less than a minute.
I stood in the center of the ravine, my chest heaving. The adrenaline was the only thing keeping Linus's heart from stopping.
I heard the sound of a large group approaching with heavy boots, and the clank of armor.
Fenrir returned, but he wasn't alone.
Behind him were thirty Imperial guards, and in the center of the group, held by his hair, was Silas. Jaxon was nowhere in sight.
"The General is dead," Fenrir said. "He tried to strike when I entered the tent. I took his head myself."
He stopped when he saw the six assassins lying at my feet. The guards behind him gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"You did this?" Fenrir asked.
"They were in my way," I said.
I walked toward the group, my eyes fixed on Silas. He was trembling so hard his teeth were chattering. His silk robes were torn, and his face was bruised.
"Linus... please," Silas whimpered. "It wasn't my idea. The Queen Mother... she forced me..."
"Shut up, Silas," I said. I stopped in front of him. "You gave the poison to a boy who trusted you. You sold your soul for a chance to sit on a throne that was never yours. And tonight, you sent monsters to do what you were too cowardly to do yourself."
"I was doing it for us!" Silas cried. "We could have been powerful!"
"There is no 'us'," I said. I looked at Fenrir. "What is the penalty for treason in the Iron Fang Empire?"
"Death," Fenrir said. "By public execution."
"No," I said. I reached out and grabbed Silas by the throat, mimicking the way Fenrir had held me at the border. "He doesn't get a public stage. He gets the shadows."
I leaned in, whispering into Silas's ear so only he could hear. "I'm not Linus. I'm Kaelen of the Black Ridge. And in my time, we fed traitors to the crows while they were still screaming."
Silas's eyes went wide. He let out a choked sound of pure terror. I let go of his throat and looked at the guards. "Take him away. Put him in the darkest hole you have. I'll deal with him when the sun rises."
The guards moved instantly.
Fenrir stepped toward me. He looked at the blood on my hands, then at my face.
"You're a legend, Linus. The men saw this. The court will hear of it by dawn. You just broke the power of the Queen Mother's faction without saying a single word."
"I'm tired, Fenrir," I said.
"You're a weapon," he said, his voice filled with pride.
I looked at him, and the frustration of the night boiled over. I didn't care that he was the Emperor. I didn't care that his guards were watching. I wound up and punched him squarely in the jaw.
The guards drew their breath in a collective hiss. Fenrir's head snapped to the side. He didn't fall, but he staggered back a step. He touched his lip, feeling the blood.
"What was that for?" he growled.
"For letting it get this far," I said. "For hesitating."
Fenrir stared at me for a long beat. Then, he laughed.
He stepped back into my space, his presence overwhelming.
"You're the only person in this world who would dare to strike me," he said.
"Get used to it," I replied.
Fenrir grabbed my waist and pulled me flush against him. In front of the remaining generals, in front of the soldiers, and in front of the cowering Silas, he crashed his mouth onto mine.
It wasn't a soft kiss. It was an explosion.
He kissed me like he was trying to swallow my soul, his tongue demanding and hungry. I didn't pull away. I gripped his armor, my fingers digging into the leather, returning the fire with everything I had.
He pulled back, his forehead resting against mine. His breath was ragged. "I'm never letting you go. Do you understand? You're not a peace offering anymore. You're the Empire's heart."
I looked past him at the soldiers. They were all bowing. Not just to him. To me.
"The court is going to hate this," I whispered.
"Let them," Fenrir said, his eyes burning with a dangerous light. "If they want you, they have to go through me. And after tonight, they know what happens when you fight a King."