Chapter 45
**Dorian's pov.**
I rode like a storm—wild, unthinking, raw. The wind clawed at my face, the reins burned in my fists, and still, it wasn’t fast enough. My heartbeat pounded louder than hooves against the ground. I had left her. My mate. With *him*.
Tiberius.
The name tasted like ash.
“Dorian!” Cassian’s voice finally pierced the haze, his horse catching up alongside mine. “Hey—can you slow the fuck down? I get that you’re messed up right now, but we need a plan.”
I didn’t look at him. “Messed up?” My voice cracked like a whip. “You don’t have the slightest godsdamn idea how hard this is. I *left* her. My mate. I handed her over to *him*.”
Cassian’s temper, worn raw from days of tension, snapped. “As if you cared when you *had* her.”
My reins jerked as I pulled my horse to a dead stop. I turned sharply, fury rolling off me in waves.
“What did you just say?”
Cassian sighed, already regretting it. “I said the truth, brother. You didn’t fight for her when it mattered. You avoided the bond. You were ready to
*reject* her.”
His words hit like a blade to the gut—but I didn’t respond. My jaw clenched, and I spun my horse back toward the path, urging him faster.
Let the silence speak.
Night fell like a blade. The sun bled over the horizon and vanished, leaving only shadows behind. We stopped near a stream, and the fire we built felt weak against the cold between us.
Still, I mind-linked Cassian.
*“We need a plan.”*
He replied immediately.
*“Which is what I said before your little tantrum. Are you ready to listen now?”*
I ignored the jab.
Cassian approached, laying a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll figure this out. Her wolf awakened, Dorian. That’s a *good* thing. She can’t be a Hunter—not truly—if she has a wolf inside her. Just… give her time.”
I stared into the flames. “Alaric’s men. We start with them. We find out what they know, and then we end them. No more watching from the sidelines.”
Cassian nodded grimly. “There were three of them. Now there are two.”
Right.
The first one had been too eager to attack.
Too eager to *eliminate* Freya.
Something wasn’t right.
“Bring them here,” I said aloud.
Cassian gestured. “Hey. You two. Join us. Long day.”
The two Alaric soldiers exchanged glances. Tall, sharp-eyed, every inch of them trained killers. Alaric didn’t send anyone less than his best. That alone told me Freya mattered more than we realized.
They sat down, posture stiff.
One of them leaned forward, his voice cutting the air. “Why did you let her go, Prince? We could’ve won. Taken her. Returned triumphant.”
I kept my face still. “I didn’t think it was worth sacrificing my men for one girl of questionable origin. The trap was set too well. We wouldn’t have made it out.”
He sneered. “The legendary Alpha Prince… afraid?”
Cassian growled, stepping forward. “Watch your tone, or you’ll lose more than your tongue.”
The soldier shrugged. “I already lost one of my men. I would’ve given the other to complete the mission.”
I smiled thinly. “Speaking of the mission—tell me. Why does Alaric care so much about one eighteen-year-old girl? What threat does she pose to the mighty king?”
He stared at me flatly. “I don’t ask why. I carry out orders. And until today, I never failed him.”
Mindlink. **Dorian:** *“Handle the other one. I’ve got this one.”*
**Cassian:** *“On it.”*
I rose slowly, walking behind the soldier. I let my claws slip from my fingers, pressing one just under his ribs.
He tensed.
“Last chance,” I murmured. “What does Alaric want with Freya?”
He chuckled. “He has *plans*, prince. None of them merciful.”
I dug in deeper, hot blood sliding along my claws.
“If you tell me what they are,” I said, voice cold, “I’ll give you five minutes head start before the hunt begins.”
He laughed. “Didn’t think you had mercy in you.”
I leaned closer. “Try me.”
He tilted his head back. “Alright then. A gift before I die.”
He turned, and his smile was mad. “Your *father* is involved. That bond of yours? She’ll never be free. She’ll die in chains, screaming your name until her throat is raw. But you’ll never find her again. You don’t even know what you’re fighting. You’re so lost, little prince.”
My control shattered.
In one motion, my claws ripped upward—through ribs, through bone—until I held his heart in my hand. Still beating. Still warm.
Cassian struck at the same time, silencing the other.
Blood soaked the ground.
A stillness fell over the camp, broken only by ragged breathing.
A few soldiers approached, alarmed, weapons drawn. Cassian raised a hand.
“They tried to flee. We couldn’t risk them making it to the kingdom.”
They bought it. Barely. Later, by the dying fire, Cassian sat beside me.
“Did you learn anything?” he asked quietly.
I stared into the embers. The fire reflected in my eyes, but it couldn’t warm me.
“She was right,” I said.
Cassian blinked. “About what?”
I clenched my fists. “Freya isn’t safe in the kingdom. Not with Alaric. Not with my father.”
Cassian said nothing for a while. Then, “Then we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
I didn’t reply.
My thoughts were with her. With *them*. Back in that forest, in Tiberius’s camp, where she was—where she
*chose* to be.
The bond hadn’t broken. I still felt her.
But it was quiet now. Like the string between us had gone slack.
A storm was coming. I could feel it in my bones.
And this time, I wasn’t sure which side I’d end up on.