Page 22 of Feral Fates
We’ve barely started climbing when I feel it—a sudden shift in the air, a tension that makes the fine hairs on my arms stand on end. Ryker stiffens beside me, his body coiling with instant alertness.
“What is it?” I ask, though part of me already knows. Through our bond, I can sense his wolf’s immediate response, territorial, protective, angry.
“Stay behind me,” he orders, his voice dropping to that dangerous growl that promises violence.
At the top of the stairway stands a woman, tall and lean,with striking white-blonde hair and eyes so pale blue they appear almost silver in the dim light. She’s beautiful in the way of wolves—all predatory grace and deadly efficiency. A jagged scar runs from her right temple down her cheek, disappearing beneath the high collar of her fitted black shirt.
Even from this distance, I can feel the power radiating from her. She’s not just any wolf—she’s an enforcer, maybe even Ryker’s beta.
“Lithia,” Ryker acknowledges her, his tone giving nothing away.
This must be Dane’s sister, one of the two wolves Ryker told me I could trust. The hostility pouring from her suggests Ryker’s confidence may have been misplaced.
Her eyes fix on me with cold intensity. “This is what you bring us?” Her voice is as sharp as broken glass. “A wolf who can’t shift?”
Ryker’s growl vibrates through the stone beneath our feet. “Choose your next words carefully, Lithia.”
“You cannot punish me when I speak truth, Alpha.” She descends three steps, her movements controlled. “The pack whispers. They say you’ve claimed a broken wolf for her parlor tricks. They say you’ve endangered us all for a female who can’t run with us, can’t hunt with us, can’t?—”
“She saved lives tonight,” Ryker cuts her off, his voice deadly quiet. “Her ‘parlor tricks’ prevented an ambush that would have killed half our enforcers.”
Lithia’s lip curls. “There wouldn’t have been any bloodshed if not for her. One lucky vision doesn’t make her worthy of being Alpha Female.”
My breath catches at the challenge in her words. Through our bond, I feel Ryker’s fury building, a storm gathering force.
“She bears my mark,” he says, each word precise and heavy with threat. “That makes her Alpha Female. The matter is settled.”
“Nothing is settled.” Lithia takes another step down, and I notice she’s not wearing shoes, her bare feet silent against the stone. “The laws are clear, even for us. The role of Alpha Female may be granted, but it must also be earned.”
I step out from behind Ryker, ignoring his warning growl. The moment I move forward, something shifts inside me. The world tilts, colors bleeding together. I’ve experienced enough visions to recognize the signs, but this one comes without the usual pain, flowing naturally like water finding its path.
Through our bond, I feel Ryker’s surprise as my gift surges, pulling me under while leaving me strangely conscious. It’s different from before, more controlled, more focused. I remain standing, my eyes meeting Lithia’s defiant gaze, but I’m seeing beyond the present moment.
I see her, younger, barely more than a child. She’s crouched in darkness, covering the mouth of an even smaller boy—Dane. Fae hunters move through the forest above them, silver weapons gleaming in moonlight. They’re hiding. Surviving.
Another flash, Lithia standing before Ryker, her face unmarked by the scar she now bears. “I failed them,” she’s saying, voice breaking. “My family, my responsibility….”
And then, shockingly clear, Lithia throwing herself between a silver blade and Ryker, taking the wound that now marks her face. Saving her alpha without hesitation.
The vision releases me gently, and I feel a little like driftwood being carried to shore. I find myself still standing, still facing Lithia, but with new understanding.
“You bear the scar meant for him,” I say softly.
Lithia freezes, her body rigid. “What did you say?”
“The silver blade,” I continue, the vision’s details crystal clear in my mind. “You stepped between it and Ryker. You weren’t fast enough to stop it completely, but you turned the killing blow into...” I gesture to my own cheek, mirroring the path of her scar.
The hostility in her eyes transforms into wary disbelief. She flicks a glance at Ryker. “You told her?”
Through our bond, I feel Ryker’s mixture of surprise and dawning realization. He steps beside me, no longer shielding me but standing as my equal.
“I told Kitara nothing of your sacrifice. All she knows is that she could trust you.” He glowers. “Are you proving me wrong?”
Without thinking, I lay a hand on his arm, halting his words. “You protect what matters to you,” I tell Lithia. “Your brother when you were children, hidden in a hollow beneath a fallen oak while hunters searched above. Your Alpha, taking the silver that was meant for him.” I take a step toward her. “Now you think you’re protecting your pack from me.”
A low murmur of voices reaches us, and I realize we’ve gathered an audience. Wolves line the upper walkways and lower platforms, drawn by the tension radiating through their pack bond.
A bond I’ve yet to fully establish, but one I crave more than ever.
