Page 44 of Bite the Power
She turned in his arms, studying the fierce protectiveness etched across his rugged features. Even wearing Eli's too-small clothes, Kaidan radiated an alpha dominance that made her pulse quicken. The way he'd shifted into his magnificent polarbear form to save her life—it replayed in her mind like the most incredible dream.
"You saved my life. Again." She reached up to touch his beard. "I can't even begin to think how to repay you for that."
His eyes darkened with unmistakable desire as he leaned closer, his voice lowering to that rough tone that sent heat straight through her core.
"A kiss is good enough for me."
Before she could respond, his mouth captured hers in a kiss that was tender yet demanding, full of the love and trust that pulsed between them through their mate bond. Tessa melted against him, her hands fisting in his borrowed sweater as she kissed him back with equal fervor. This wasn't just passion—this was the soul-deep connection of two people who'd found their perfect match.
God, I love this man,she thought, the realization hitting her with stunning clarity.I'm completely, utterly in love with him.
The research station door burst open with a crash, frigid air rushing in along with their entire team. Elora, Eli, Bjorn, and three clan members—Astrid, Torben, and Leif—stumbled through the entrance, their faces flushed from cold and exertion.
Tessa's first instinct was to pull away from Kaidan, embarrassment flooding her cheeks as she realized they'd been caught in their intimate moment. But Kaidan's arms tightened around her possessively, refusing to let her retreat. His alpha dominance kicked into full gear as he faced his people without an ounce of shame or apology.
Eli's eyes widened behind his wire-rimmed glasses, his scholarly mind clearly struggling to process what he'd just witnessed. "Oh... I... well, this is..."
Astrid, the fierce-looking female shifter, exchanged shocked glances with Torben and Leif. The two male clan members looked like they'd swallowed their tongues, their expressionsranging from confusion to outright disbelief that their king was kissing a human.
Elora raised an amused eyebrow. "Well, I guess it's out in the open now."
Bjorn simply nodded with quiet understanding, his brown eyes showing no surprise whatsoever. "Finally decided to stop pretending, huh?"
Kaidan's jaw set with determination as he faced his people, his arm still wrapped protectively around Tessa's waist. The Alpha king energy radiating from him was so intense that even Tessa felt the urge to submit to his dominance.
"Yes, Tessa is my fated mate," he announced, his voice carrying absolute authority. "I'll be making the official announcement to the council later today. After what happened with that explosion, it's clear Magnus is escalating his threats to the highest level. You will all take measures to protect her now."
Tessa's heart raced at his public declaration. Part of her wanted to protest his high-handed assumption that she needed protecting, but the fierce possessiveness in his voice sent a rush of heat through her that she couldn't deny. This was her mate claiming her in front of his people, and the primal part of her that belonged to him reveled in it.
Elora stepped forward, brushing snow from her pale blonde hair. "Kaidan, maybe we should wait until our cameras capture actual proof that Magnus?—"
"No." Kaidan's voice cut through the air like a blade, his alpha energy spiking to dangerous levels. "Magnus clearly tried to kill both me and Tessa today in that valley. He was following us, watching us, waiting for the perfect moment to trigger those charges. What's next? Do we wait until he actually succeeds in murdering us?"
The raw fury in his voice made Tessa's pulse race with a mixture of arousal and concern. This was Kaidan at his mostprimal, his most dangerous—a polar bear king protecting his mate with lethal intensity.
"I'm not putting up with Magnus's tactics anymore," he continued, his light blue eyes blazing with determination. "I won't allow him to threaten my mate, my kingdom, or me any longer. This ends now."
TWENTY
KAIDAN
The trek back to the palace revealed the true scope of Magnus's calculated assault on Frosthaven. Kaidan's fists clenched as he surveyed the scattered debris littering their path—twisted metal fragments from what appeared to be sophisticated detonation equipment, cables partially buried in fresh snow, and most damning of all, a clear trail of boot prints leading directly from the explosion site toward Magnus's territory.
"That arrogant son of a bitch didn't even try to cover his tracks," Kaidan growled, his alpha energy radiating dangerous levels of fury as he crouched beside a particularly deep set of footprints. The treads were distinctive—military-grade boots that only Magnus and his inner circle wore.
Tessa knelt beside him, her sharp green eyes studying the evidence with laser precision. "This was definitely deliberate and diabolical, Kaidan. Look at the spacing of the debris field." She gestured toward the scattered equipment with her gloved hand. "This was a coordinated setup designed to maximize avalanche potential while maintaining plausible deniability."
Her genius-level brain analyzed the destruction with the same focus she brought to everything, and Kaidan felt a rushof pride mixed with protective fury. His mate was absolutely extraordinary—fearless in the face of danger and sharp enough to see through Magnus's schemes with startling clarity.
"He's beyond escalating," Bjorn observed, his brown eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of lingering threats. "This level of planning suggests he's moving toward his endgame."
Elora picked up a twisted piece of metal, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "The bastard tried to murder you both in broad daylight. That's not just territory disputes anymore—that's treason."
As they continued their journey, Tessa suddenly stopped beside a section of ice that looked deceptively stable to Kaidan's eyes. But his mate's expertise revealed truths hidden beneath the surface.
"This area's been compromised," she announced, pointing to hairline fractures barely visible in the ice. "The explosion created stress fractures that extend much deeper than they appear. Magnus wasn't just trying to kill us—he weakened the foundation of your entire kingdom."
Kaidan's bear stirred aggressively at her words, recognizing the extreme threat to both his mate and his territory. The cunning of Magnus's plan became crystal clear now—destabilize the land itself, then blame Tessa for disturbing ancient fault lines with her investigative research.
