Page 42 of Bite the Power
"That's quite fascinating," Eli murmured, his scientific mind clearly engaged. "I've been walking these paths for five years and never noticed half of what you're pointing out."
Kaidan's chest swelled with possessive pride.That's my mate,his bear preened.Smart and beautiful and mine.
They crested a small ridge, and the research station came into view below—the large insulated building looked tiny against the vast white expanse. Lingering smoke still curled from the damaged sections, a stark reminder of Magnus's escalating tactics against humans.
"There," Tessa said, pointing toward a series of fault lines that radiated out from the station like spokes on a wheel. "IfMagnus is creating artificial tremors, those would be the logical placement points for sonic devices."
Torben, a grizzled clan member with a long scar across his jaw, hefted his pack with new determination. "Then that's where we plant our cameras."
"And our traps," Astrid added, her blonde braid whipping in the wind. "Let's see how Magnus likes a taste of his own medicine."
Kaidan felt the shift in his team's dynamic—they were no longer just tolerating Tessa's presence, they were actively seeking her input. The realization sent a thrill through him.
Maybe someday they will acknowledge her as their queen as well.
"Bjorn, take Torben and Leif to the eastern fault lines," Kaidan commanded, falling naturally into his king role. "Elora, take Eli and Astrid to cover the western approach. Tessa and I will handle the primary stress points near the station."
As they spread out across his terrain, Kaidan caught himself moving in perfect sync with Tessa. She would gesture toward a promising location, and he would already be adjusting course toward it. When she paused to examine ice formations, he automatically positioned himself to shield her from the worst of the wind.
"You're adapting to this environment remarkably well," he said, admiration coloring his voice as she knelt to examine suspicious scrape marks in the ice.
"It helps having such an excellent guide," she replied, glancing up at him with a smile that made his bear rumble with satisfaction.
She belongs in my kingdom,he thought, watching her work with practiced ease.She belongs with me as my queen.
The way his clan members had responded to her—actually listening to her suggestions and following her lead when it cameto terrain navigation—had filled him with a hope he hadn't dared feel before now. If they could accept her expertise, maybe they could accept her as their queen.
"Found something," Tessa announced, brushing snow away from what looked like a small metal device embedded in the ice. "Sonic resonator, military grade. This would definitely create artificial tremors."
Kaidan's jaw tightened as fury blazed through his chest. "That sneaky bastard."
"Let's put a camera here," she said, pointing to a concealed position that would capture anyone approaching the device. "And we should set up a proximity alarm about thirty meters back."
As they worked together to install the equipment, Kaidan marveled at how naturally they moved as a duo. Tessa's scientific precision complemented his tactical instincts perfectly, creating a partnership that felt as inevitable as breathing.
This is what it means to have a true mate,he realized.Not just desire, but trust and equality.
When Kaidan finished securing the camera, the wind shifted—soft at first, then sharper, carrying a strange metallic tang that raised the hairs on his neck. His bear stirred uneasily beneath his skin, but when Tessa looked up at him with that determined smile, the tension in his chest eased slightly.
He reached out, his gloved hand brushing hers, grounding them both against the frozen wild. Around them, the Arctic stretched silent and endless as if the land itself was holding its breath. For a fleeting heartbeat, it felt like the world had stilled just for them. Then, a loud rumble echoed through the frozen air—a warning that the momentary peace between them was as fragile as the ice beneath their feet.
NINETEEN
TESSA
Tessa's scientific mind immediately cataloged the loud rumbling sound, her body tensing as alarm bells shrieked through her consciousness. This wasn't the groan of glaciers shifting in the distance or natural tremors. No, this was something far more sinister—the deep, resonating boom of an explosion rocking the land itself.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered, though she could see from Kaidan's suddenly rigid posture that his enhanced shifter senses had picked up the disturbance.
His light blue eyes scanned the horizon with predatory intensity, every line of his powerful frame radiating alertness. "That was an explosion. A big one."
Fear coiled in her stomach as she calculated their position relative to the research station—roughly two miles away, situated in a valley surrounded by towering mountain peaks laden with unstable snow. If Magnus and his goons had just detonated charges on a fault line...
"Avalanche," she breathed, the word barely audible above the wind. "If they triggered a major fault line, the vibrations could destabilize the entire slope system."
Kaidan's nostrils flared as if he could scent the danger in the Arctic air. His polar bear instincts were clearly sending the same warning bells as her own primal survival mechanisms.
As if their shared thoughts had triggered fate itself, another rumble sounded in the distance—not the loud crack of an explosion this time but the sustained, growing roar of thousands of tons of snow and ice beginning their deadly descent toward the valley floor.
