Chapter 44

Freya's pov.

The moment my boots hit the grass before Dorian, every instinct in me screamed to turn and run.

Not from fear. From the bond.

It was still there, thrumming between us like a live wire, dragging at my chest, whispering that I belonged at his side. That no matter the choices I’d made, or the lies between us, my place was with him. But I couldn’t listen. I needed clarity. Cold, sharp, rational thought.

But it had vanished. Three meters between us.

That was all. And still, it felt like I was walking off a cliff.

When I stopped, something inside me shifted—snapped, maybe. A stillness took over. I opened my mouth to speak, but it was like I was outside myself, watching a stranger take control.

“Dorian. Cassian.” My voice was ice. “You’ve come all this way. What for?”

Even Tiberius blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that tone. That distance.

Dorian’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “A few days among Hunters and you’ve already picked up their arrogance? Tell me, Freya—are you truly a traitor to your kind? Plotting to destroy your own people?”

His voice held anger, disappointment—but buried within it, there was a flicker of something else. Hope.

He wanted me to deny it. To tell him this was all a mistake.

But I surprised even myself.

“I owe you no answers,” I said flatly. “You never truly believed in me. Why should I expect you to now? So answer me instead—why are you here?”

Cassian stepped forward, his voice a balm in comparison. “Freya, we came to bring you home. To clear your name. I don’t believe you’re a traitor. Someone set you up—we’ll prove it. Together.”

Before I could answer, Tiberius let out a laugh. Low and dry.

“Gods, Cassian. You’re either blind or a fool. But let’s be generous and call it loyalty. Tell me—does your beloved prince know what your king has done? What Alaric has built with his blessed shadow hand?”

Cassian’s expression didn’t change—but his silence was enough.

Tiberius stepped forward, tone like flint. “Maybe you truly believe in justice. But your court has no interest in truth. Our tribunal wants those responsible, not the pawns. Yet innocents will die—defending monsters they don’t even know are monsters.”

Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “Is this the crap you’ve been filling her head with? These delusions?”

“Enough,” I snapped. “Go back to your kingdom. Take your elite with you. There doesn’t need to be bloodshed.”

But Dorian stepped forward—too fast, too close—and grabbed my wrist.

“You’re coming with me, Freya,” he growled. “Whether you want to or not.”

Heat erupted in my chest. I ripped free and stepped back, drawing both daggers.

“Don’t make a mistake, Dorian. I don’t want to hurt you. But I will if I have to. Please—leave. I don’t want anyone harmed.”

His grin was savage. “You really think you can get rid of me that easily?”

Flames erupted from Tiberius’s sword, the signal unmistakable. He turned to me, calm even in chaos.

“You tried,” he said. “That’s more than most ever do. Now go—back to the hill.”

He shoved me behind him just as steel clashed and the air exploded.

Arrows rained like a hymn of death. Elites shifted into wolves mid-charge, massive and merciless. Hunters met them with blades and fire.

I ran.

But one of them—a dark-furred wolf with eyes like steel—leapt for me. I twisted, ducked, daggers flashing. My form was decent, but raw instinct warred with incomplete training. Each step I dodged, each strike I countered, I was buying time—not victory.

I didn’t want to kill him.

Just escape.

I sliced shallowly across his shoulder and slid beneath him as he reeled. And then I saw them.

Tiberius and Dorian.

Locked in a dance of death—swords and claws, fire and fury. They moved too fast to follow, two forces of nature crashing again and again. But Dorian hadn’t shifted.

Why?

Another wolf came. This one faster. Stronger.

He pinned me, claws scraping leather, but before he could strike—steel pierced his side.

Victor. “Don’t get excited,” he grunted, yanking his blade free. “Tiberius said he’d cut my damn head off if you got a scratch.”

I stared at him. Nodded. “Thanks.”

Then the screams. The blood. The bodies.

Dead wolves. Fallen Hunters.

Because of me.

The guilt tore something open inside me. I felt it rise. A sound—deep and raw—rumbled from my chest.

“Enough.” The word wasn’t mine. The air shimmered.

My body didn’t change, not fully. But my eyes—they burned bright gold. My stance shifted, spine straightening. Power radiated off me in waves. My wolf had arrived.Not as a shape. As a presence.

Everyone froze. Even the Elites. Even the Hunters.

Dorian stared at me like I was a goddess and a ghost.

I stepped forward, toward the two men still locked in motion. My voice was not entirely my own.

“Go home, Dorian. Freya isn’t safe in the kingdom.”

His breath caught. “You—” He saw it. The truth. The wolf had taken control.

“You’re my mate. You have to come with me. You need me.”

“No,” she said. “Freya needs answers. Safety. You can’t give her that.”

Dorian’s voice trembled. “And the Hunters can?”

Freya's wolf turned to Tiberius.

“No. But he can. He’ll give her time.”

Dorian blinked. “Time for what?”

Tiberius stepped in, quiet but firm. “To understand what she is. To choose.”

Dorian stalked, pacing like a beast. “Fuck, Freya! What’s happening to you? Why does it feel like I’m losing you to him?”

She faced him.

“You never owned her. You never could. One day, you’ll understand that.”

She paused, then added, “If you truly want her trust, uncover the truth. Find out what Alaric did. Choose your allies wisely.”

she nodded to the Elites behind him.

Dorian’s mouth twitched. “I’ll come back for you,” he whispered.

Then, louder: “Fall back!”

He turned. One last glance. Then mounted his horse and disappeared into the trees.

Silence fell. Freya's wolf turned to Tiberius.

He looked… weary.

“You didn’t want this,” she said softly. “You hoped that part of her wouldn’t awaken. But you’re smarter than most. You’ll give her what she needs. And when the time comes, you’ll know—you did all you could.”

He nodded.

“I understand,” he said quietly. “Now… give her back.”

She nodded—and released the tether.

The world snapped into motion. Air rushed back into my lungs. My knees buckled. Tiberius caught me.

“Tiberius,” I breathed. “What the hell just happened to me?”

He held me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re not alone. We’re going home. And I’ll tell you everything.”

And with his arm wrapped around me, he led me back into the woods.