The heavy oak doors of my council hall shattered inward, and my husband walked through the wreckage with another woman on his arm.

"Get out," Liam barked at my guards.

The two men stationed near the windows flinched. They looked at me for permission. I gave them a curt nod, and they scrambled out of the room, dragging the broken doors shut as best they could.

I set down my pen. A year of marriage had taught me that Liam only smiled like that when he was about to take something from me.

"You break down the doors of the Rostova hall for a tantrum?" I asked.

Liam marched down the center of the room. He dragged Selene by the hand. She wore a crimson slip dress so sheer it left absolutely nothing to the imagination, her bare shoulders shivering in the drafty hall.

"This isn't a tantrum, Elara," Liam shot back. "This is business."

He slammed a thick stack of papers onto the center of the long oak table. The loud smack echoed against the high vaulted ceiling.

"What is this?" I asked, staring at the bold print on the top page.

"A territory transfer agreement," he said. "The eastern borders. Sign them over to my pack."

Selene giggled, leaning her weight against his side. The cloying stench of her cheap rose perfume hit the back of my throat. It clung to Liam’s clothes, masking his natural pine scent entirely.

My stomach cramped. A sharp wave of nausea twisted through my gut.

"You brought your mistress into my hall to demand my ancestral home?" I asked, keeping my voice dangerously flat.

"Watch your tone," Liam warned. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking near his ear. "Selene needs a safe haven for her wolves. Your eastern lands are sitting empty."

"They are a sanctuary," I corrected. "Not a playground for strays."

"Hey!" Selene whined, pouting her lips. "Liam, she’s calling my family strays."

"Quiet, Selene," Liam muttered. He stroked her hip to soothe her, right in front of me. He turned his glare back to my face. "I am your Alpha. I am your husband. You will sign the paper."

Every instinct screamed at me to back away from the sickening smell of their combined sweat and that synthetic rose garbage. I locked my knees. My spine snapped straight. I curled my fingers inward, digging my nails so hard into my palms that crescent moons carved right into the flesh.

"Those lands belong to the Rostova bloodline," I told him. "My father died defending those borders. You have no claim to them."

"We are mated," Liam sneered. "What is yours is mine. That was the deal when our packs merged."

"The deal was a partnership," I fired back. "Not a dictatorship. And certainly not an invitation to move your bed warmer into my territory."

Liam took a step forward, his chest puffing out. "Do not disrespect her. Selene has given me the loyalty you refuse to offer."

"Loyalty?" I scoffed. "Is that what they call it now?"

"I don't care about your definitions," he said. "Selene's pack lost their territory in the western fires. She needs a place to rebuild."

"Then give her your own lands," I suggested. "The southern valleys are beautiful this time of year."

Liam slammed his fist on the oak table, rattling the inkwells. "Those are hunting grounds for my elite guard! I won't give them up."

"But you expect me to give up my sanctuary?" I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "You really are out of your mind."

Selene stepped forward, trailing her fingers across the polished wood. "Why are you being so selfish, Elara? You have a whole castle. We just want a little piece of the forest."

"Do not speak to me," I snapped.

Selene shrank back behind Liam, burying her face in his shoulder. "She scares me."

Liam wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "You will not threaten her."

"I didn't threaten her," I said. "I gave her a command. One she should follow if she wants to keep her tongue."

"Enough!" Liam roared. "I am done playing these games with you, Elara. You have humiliated me enough with your cold attitude and your constant defiance. Sign the damn transfer."

"No."

"You don't have a choice."

"I always have a choice."

I reached into the deep pocket of my wool trench coat. My fingers brushed the crisp parchment I had prepared three days ago. I pulled the folded document free and stepped around the oak table.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked. His eyes dropped to the paper in my hand.

I closed the distance between us. I slapped the heavy parchment flat against his chest.

"Take it," I ordered.

He caught the document before it fluttered to the floor. "What is this nonsense?"

"Read the heading, Liam."

He unfolded the pages. His eyes scanned the top line. The arrogance melted off his face, replaced by a sudden, rigid stillness. His breathing turned shallow.

Selene peeked over his arm. "Divorce agreement? What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what it says," I told her, my voice eerily calm. "I already stamped it with my family seal. He just needs to sign on the dotted line, and you can keep him."

Liam’s hands shook. The paper rattled between his fingers. He stared at my signature at the bottom, then looked up at me.

"You think this is a joke?" he growled.

"I think it’s an eviction," I replied. "You want land for her? Go find it somewhere else. You are no longer entitled to mine."

"I am Alpha Thorne!" he shouted, his voice vibrating through the floorboards.

"You are a coward."

Liam lunged.

He ripped the divorce agreement in half, then again, shredding the thick parchment into pieces. The scraps rained down over the stone floor, covering the space between our boots.

"Liam!" Selene shrieked, jumping out of the way.

Before I could react, his hand shot out. His massive fingers wrapped around my throat. The force of his charge lifted me off my feet, driving me backward until my spine slammed into the freezing stone wall.

"You do not embarrass me," he snarled. His face hovered mere inches from mine.

My fingers clawed at his wrist. "Get your hands off me."

"You dare hand me divorce papers?" he shouted, his grip tightening. "You dare deny me what is rightfully mine?"

The air in the room grew heavy. A crushing weight pressed down on my chest, making the edges of my vision blur. He was tapping into his Alpha aura, weaponizing it against me.

"Sign the land over," Liam ordered, his voice echoing with unnatural power.

I choked, fighting for air, but I managed to spit out one word.

"Never."

His eyes flashed pure gold. The pressure in the room doubled, threatening to snap my neck.

"Submit to me, Elara," Liam ordered. His grip dug deeper into my neck, cutting off my air. "Give me the eastern borders."

I dropped my arms to my sides. I stopped clawing at his wrist.

"Are you listening?" he shouted, shaking me. "Answer your Alpha!"

"You are no Alpha of mine," I choked out. "You never were."

"I am your husband!" he roared. "I own you!"

I closed my eyes.

Deep in my chest, a dormant pulse thumped. A year of suppressing my ancient white wolf bloodline ended in a single heartbeat.

"Look at me!" Liam demanded. "Open your eyes and yield!"

I ignored him. Frost coated my veins, chilling the blood rushing to my head. The dormant power snapped awake, roaring through my limbs with the force of a winter storm.

"Get away from her, Liam!" Selene cried out from the corner. "Her skin is turning white!"

"Shut up, Selene," Liam snapped. "She is just playing tricks."

"This is no trick," I whispered.

The energy detonated. A shockwave of pure, freezing force erupted from my center.

It slammed directly into Liam's chest. His fingers ripped away from my throat. The blast launched him backward through the air.

He flew across the room and crashed spine-first into the stone load-bearing pillar three meters away.

A sickening crack echoed through the hall.

He slumped to the floor, hacking violently. Bright red blood splattered over the gray flagstones.

"Liam!" Selene shrieked.

She scrambled across the room, dropping to her knees beside him.

"Do not touch me," he rasped, shoving her hands away. He clutched his ribs, his face twisted in agony.

I stayed right where I was. My chest heaved. Rapid breaths tore through my throat as the initial surge of the awakening settled. The freezing power coursed under my skin, sharp and exhilarating.

"What did you do to him?" Selene yelled. Her voice pitched into a hysterical squeal.

"I defended myself," I said.

"You are a monster! Look at him, he is bleeding!"

"He put his hands on a Rostova," I replied.

I let a cold, hollow smile stretch across my face. The burning tension in my shoulders melted away. My tight muscles finally relaxed.

"He is lucky he still has his head," I added.

Liam spat another mouthful of blood onto the floor. He stared up at me, his eyes wide with shock.

"A white wolf," Liam muttered, staring at my hands. "The legends said your bloodline died out."

"The legends were wrong," I said.

"You made me believe you were weak," he accused. "You played the submissive wife."

"I played the survivor," I corrected. "My father warned me about your greed. He told me to hide my wolf until I was ready to rule."

"I am the ruler here!" Liam roared. He struggled to push himself up against the pillar, groaning.

"Look around," I gestured to the shattered doors and the blood on the floor. "Does this look like your kingdom?"

"I gave you protection!" he yelled, wincing as his ribs shifted.

"You gave me a cage," I shot back. "And you moved your mistress into the room next door. Now, I am done."

"The council will hear about this," Selene threatened. She wrapped her arms around Liam's shoulders despite his earlier protests. "You attacked your own husband. They will strip you of your title."

"Let them try," I said. "Pick up those torn papers, Liam. Tape them back together. Sign them."

"I will never give you a divorce," he growled. He wiped a crimson smear from his chin. "You belong to me. Your power belongs to me."

"Try to take it, then," I challenged. "Stand up and claim what is yours."

He didn't move. He just clutched his chest, his breathing ragged.

"That is what I thought," I mocked.

Selene tugged at his sleeve. "Liam, please. My pack can find land somewhere else. I don't want to be near her."

"No," Liam snapped at her. "I made a promise. I am going to keep it."

"How romantic," I deadpanned. "You are willing to die for her real estate."

"I won't die today," he spat.

"That is entirely up to you," I said. "The divorce papers are on the floor. The door is right behind you. Choose wisely."

"You cannot dissolve a mate bond with a piece of paper," Liam sneered.

"Watch me," I replied. "The bond has been dead since the day you brought her into my home."

"You are just jealous," Selene spoke up, her voice trembling. "You are angry because he chose me."

I burst out laughing. The sound bounced off the vaulted ceiling, harsh and entirely devoid of humor.

"Jealous?" I asked, wiping a fake tear from my eye. "Of what? His temper? His inability to win a fair fight?"

"He is a great Alpha!" she defended.

"He is a parasite," I corrected. "And you are welcome to him."

"You bitch," Liam growled, trying to push himself up again. His knees buckled, and he slid back down the pillar.

"Language, Alpha Thorne," I mocked. "You are embarrassing yourself in front of your guest."

"We aren't leaving until she signs the territory transfer," Liam forced out, ignoring my taunt.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" I asked. "I am not giving you the eastern borders."

"Selene needs that land!" he insisted.

"Selene needs a reality check," I retorted. "She is a stray. You are a fool for bringing her here."

"Do not insult her," Liam warned, his voice shaking with effort.

"Or what?" I asked, taking a step forward. "You will throw me against another wall? You will try to choke me again?"

Liam flinched. He actually flinched.

"I would rather freeze this entire castle to the ground than hand over a single blade of grass to either of you," I told him.

"You think you are untouchable now?" Liam sneered. "One burst of magic does not make you a leader."

"It makes me stronger than you," I pointed out. "Which is clearly all that matters in your pack."

"My pack will crush you," he promised.

"Bring them," I said. "Let them see their Alpha bleeding on the floor, begging for land he cannot hold."

"I am not begging!" he shouted. The effort sent him into another coughing fit.

Selene rubbed his back in frantic circles. "Stop talking to her, Liam. She is crazy. Let's just go."

"Get out of my hall," I ordered. "Both of you. Before I decide to finish what I started."

"This isn't over, Elara," Liam warned.

"It is for today," I replied. "Tomorrow I decide whether you keep breathing."

Before Liam could argue further, a rhythmic thudding echoed from the corridor.

Heavy military treads. Synchronized. Marching toward the shattered oak doors.

The sound vibrated through the floorboards, traveling up through the soles of my shoes.

"Did you call your guards?" Liam asked, his voice suddenly tight.

"My guards do not march like that," I said.

"Then who is out there?" Selene asked, shrinking closer to the pillar.

"I don't know," I answered.

The temperature in the room plummeted further, but this time, it wasn't my magic. The oxygen vanished from the air. My lungs seized.

Selene gasped, clutching her throat. "There is no air."

"Quiet," Liam hissed. His eyes darted to the entrance.

The marching stopped.

A massive, towering silhouette stepped into the doorway, completely blocking the hallway light.

The towering figure stepped out of the shadows.

Heavy boots crushed the shattered oak and broken glass scattered across the threshold. The crunching sound echoed off the high vaulted ceilings, sharp and unforgiving.

Alpha King Cassian.

I recognized the sharp line of his jaw instantly. The suffocating weight of his aura rolled into the room ahead of him. He didn't just command the space. He owned the oxygen inside it.

"Who are you?" Selene squealed.

She pressed her back flat against the stone pillar, her eyes wide with terror. She pulled her sheer crimson dress tighter around herself, trembling violently.

Cassian ignored her. He walked straight down the center of the hall, his dark coat sweeping the floor.

Liam groaned. He clutched his ruined ribs and tried to push himself up. "This is my territory. State your business."

Cassian didn't break his stride. He stepped over Liam’s outstretched leg as if sidestepping a dead rat.

"Hey!" Liam barked. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the flagstones. "I am talking to you! I am the Alpha here!"

"You are a stain on the floor," Cassian replied.

His voice was a low, gravelly rumble. It vibrated through the soles of my shoes.

"I demand respect!" Liam yelled.

"Be quiet."

Liam choked on his next word. The sheer force of the King's command clamped his jaw shut. Liam’s eyes bulged, but no sound came out.

Cassian stopped two feet in front of me.

He towered over my frame, blocking out the chandelier light. He smelled of ozone and cold iron, a stark contrast to the synthetic rose perfume polluting the room.

"Elara Rostova," he said.

"King Cassian," I replied.

I kept my chin high. My fingers still hummed with leftover ice magic, but I forced my hands to uncurl. I refused to show fear.

"You make a mess of your council halls."

"The trash invited itself in," I shot back. "I was just taking it out."

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I saw the display."

"Then you know I don't need an audience."

"You need a lot more than that," he murmured.

"I handle my own fights."

"Clearly," Cassian noted. He cast a brief glance at Liam's broken form. "But a white wolf awakening changes the board."

"I am not a piece on your board."

"Everyone is on the board, Elara."

"Not me. I just took back my freedom."

"Freedom is a myth for a white wolf," he said. "You are a target now."

"Let them come."

"Brave," he said. "But foolish."

"She is my mate!" Liam spat. The silencing command had faded enough for him to force the words out. He struggled to his knees. "The goddess paired us!"

Cassian didn't look at him. "The goddess makes mistakes. I correct them."

"The council will hear of this!" Liam threatened. "You cannot just walk into my hall and steal my wife!"

"This hall belongs to the Rostova bloodline," Cassian reminded him. "You are merely a guest who overstayed his welcome."

"I built this alliance!" Liam yelled.

"You married a woman to steal her land," Cassian corrected. "And you failed."

"She used forbidden magic!" Liam pointed a shaking finger at me. "She attacked her Alpha!"

"She defended herself," Cassian countered. "Against a weak male."

Liam’s face turned purple. "I am Alpha Thorne!"

"You are nothing," Cassian said softly.

He turned his full attention back to me. He reached inside his heavy wool trench coat.

I tensed. I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, ready to summon the frost again.

"Stand down, little wolf," Cassian instructed.

He withdrew his hand. Between his long fingers rested a jagged piece of black stone. Intricate silver filigree wrapped around the dark edges.

My stomach dropped. "The obsidian fang."

"The royal crest," Cassian confirmed. "A mark of absolute sanctuary."

"You give those to pack leaders who swear fealty," I said, eyeing the badge.

"I give them to whoever I choose."

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.

"Because a white wolf does not belong to a pathetic excuse for an Alpha."

"She handed me divorce papers!" Liam shouted. "She is crazy!"

"She is free," Cassian corrected. "The bond is dead."

"We merged our packs!" Liam argued. "The eastern borders are mine!"

"Nothing is yours," Cassian replied. "You lost your claim the moment you raised a hand to her."

Cassian took a step closer. The heat radiating from his chest clashed violently with the winter chill lingering on my skin.

"Hold still," he ordered.

I froze.

Cassian leaned in. He positioned the obsidian fang over the lapel of my coat.

"I didn't ask for your protection," I whispered.

"You didn't have to," he replied. His voice dropped to a register meant only for my ears.

His knuckles grazed the fabric as he pushed the silver pin through the thick wool. The proximity was overwhelming. His aura pressed against mine, testing the boundaries of my newly awakened power.

"This makes me your property," I challenged quietly.

"This makes you untouchable," he countered.

He secured the clasp. As he pulled his hand away, his rough thumb dragged across my bare collarbone.

His thumb lingered for a fraction of a second. The calluses on his skin scraped against my flesh.

A jolt shot straight down my spine, sharp enough to make my breath catch.

My entire body went rigid. The frost in my veins evaporated instantly. A sudden, scorching heat replaced the ice, pooling deep in my stomach. The lingering adrenaline from the fight vanished.

All I could focus on was the rough texture of his skin. The burning trail his touch left behind.

I had never felt anything like it. Not with Liam. Not with anyone.

I stared up at him. My lips parted.

His dark eyes locked onto mine. He noticed the shift. A muscle in his jaw flexed. The air between us thickened, heavy with an unspoken tension that had nothing to do with magic or territory.

"That is my woman!" Liam roared.

The sound of scraping metal tore through the hall.

I ripped my gaze away from Cassian.

Liam was on his feet. He held a silver hunting dagger, the blade gleaming under the dim chandelier light. His face twisted into a mask of pure, unhinged rage.

"Liam, stop!" Selene screamed.

He ignored her. He shoved off the stone pillar, charging directly at Cassian’s unprotected back.