"I changed my mind," Casteel admitted desperately, the words tasting like ash. "Doran nearly killed you today because of me. Of course I have doubts. Iloveyou. But—"
"And you think your absence would make me stronger?" Nero's voice rose in horror. "You think I'd be a better leader, a better savior, with half my soul torn away?"
Casteel stared at him, stunned by the raw emotion in Nero's words. Through their bond came waves of love so fierce,it bordered on desperation. "No. I promise, not now." He scrambled to explain his fear, what was in his heart and took a step toward Nero, unable to stand the pain, the utter agony he could feel from Nero. He’d been wrong, so wrong. But he'd realized it. He knew they were soul mates. Stronger together. Fiercer together. He wasn't less. He wasvital.
Nero scoffed, bitterness chilling his gaze. "And is it freeing knowing we're no longer life-dependent? Knowing you'll no longer be saddled with an old man?"
Before Casteel could respond, silver light erupted around Nero's form. The transformation was instant and violent—human flesh dissolving into the massive silver wolf that embodied all his pain and fury. Without a backward glance, the wolf bolted into the forest, crashing through underbrush with desperate speed.
"Nero!" Casteel's cry echoed through the trees, but the wolf was already gone, leaving only broken branches and the lingering scent of wild magic.
Panic clawed at Casteel's chest as he plunged after his mate, stumbling over roots and low-hanging branches in the darkness. Through their bond came only fragments—flashes of anguish, the wolf's need to run, to escape the pain of almost losing the one thing that mattered most.
"Nero, please!" Casteel called into the night, his voice breaking. "Come back!"
He ran blindly through the forest, following the wolf's trail by instinct more than sight. Branches tore at his clothes and face, but he pressed on, driven by the terrible knowledge that he had wounded his mate more deeply than any physical blade could manage. He kept yelling Nero’s name. didn’t care who heard. Didn’t—
A figure stepped from behind a massive oak tree directly into his path. Casteel skidded to a halt, his hand instinctivelyreaching for the knife at his side before recognition stopped him cold.
"Captain Aldric?" Casteel gasped, staring at the familiar face of Doran's former guard captain. But something was wrong—Aldric wore civilian clothes, rough traveling gear instead of his pristine silver armor.
"Easy, lad," Aldric said, raising his hands peacefully. "I'm not here to fight."
Casteel's grip remained tight on his weapon. "Then why are you here?" and how on earth did he find them?
"I was headed towards Morven's camp. I have friends who know the escape routes and I want to join the rebellion," Aldric admitted, his weathered face grim. "Once I saw what they were doing to both of you, I'd had enough." He gestured to his plain clothing. "I'm done with Doran's madness. The things I've seen, the orders I've been given..." He shook his head.
"You expect me to believe that?" Casteel demanded, though desperation made him want to trust anyone who might help him find Nero. "You've served Doran for years."
"I've served thekingdom," Aldric corrected. "There's a difference, though it took me too long to see it." His eyes held a sincerity that seemed genuine.
Casteel felt Nero's presence growing more distant, the wolf running deeper into the mountains with each passing moment. The need to find his mate warred with caution.
"I heard your wolf run past," Aldric continued. "But too quickly for me to stop him."
Casteel shot a desperate glance toward the trail.
"I know these mountains," Aldric offered, gesturing toward the moonlit peaks. "My family comes from these parts. If your wolf is heading north, he'll hit the Widow's Ravine—a dead end. I can help you cut him off at the pass." He paused. “I helped you before.”
Casteel nodded, frustration clawing at him. It was true Aldric had helped them, and there was no way he could find Nero fast enough without some help.
"Why should I trust you?" Casteel demanded, even as he felt Nero slipping farther away.
"Because I have nothing left to lose," he said simply. "And because your wolf is heading straight for a Silver Guard patrol camped at the northern ridge."
Fear lanced through Casteel's heart. "How do you know that?"
"Because I ordered them there before I deserted," Aldric admitted. "Standard search pattern—we've been combing these mountains for days. If your wolf continues northeast, he'll run directly into thirty of Doran's most loyal soldiers, and he's distracted. He didn't seem in any state of mind to heed any warnings his wolf gives him."
Fear clutched at Casteel's heart. But each moment spent deliberating was another moment Nero moved closer to danger.
"I hated the rebellion for a long time," Aldric admitted. "As far as I was concerned, they murdered my family." He shook his head. "Then two nights ago, Doran ordered a massacre at Thornfield Village—children were burned alive because their parents didn't reveal your location, when they wouldn't even know it. That's when I knew I couldn't continue."
"Show me where he is," Casteel decided, praying he wasn't making a fatal mistake.
Aldric nodded once, then turned and began moving through the forest with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he was going. He moved almost silently, despite the darkness, finding paths through the underbrush that Casteel would have missed entirely.
"The wolf," Aldric said as they climbed a steep slope, "he's not what Doran expected."
