18: THE WOLF'S RECKONING

KAEL – POV

I watched her from the fire ring.

Not as a mate.

As a witness.

She had become the voice they tried to erase. And still, she chose not to rule. She chose to build.

The crown she wore now was not bone.

It was legacy.

And I would walk beside it until my last breath.

Because when the fires came again, and they would, she wouldn't burn alone. She'd ignite everything.

Some men were born to rule.

I wasn't.

I was born to guard.

And not the crown.

The wolf who wore it.

Ayla had changed. Not just risen. Not just been chosen. She had redefined what it meant to lead—not by dominance, not by the bond, but by truth.

And it terrified every Alpha who'd ever used fear as a leash.

I spent the morning inspecting the ridge.

The eastern rise looked clear, but the scent markers were too fresh.

Not ours.

Not rogues.

Hunters.