Page 5 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf (Cursed Kingdoms)

D awn had barely touched the horizon when Rowan felt Alder's alarm spike through their strengthened mate bond. The connection yanked her from sleep, his urgency becoming her own. She was dressed and running before his howl even sounded, their shared emotions amplifying her own sense of dread.

The River Valley wolf lay dead in the pack house infirmary, skin already cooling beneath her probing fingers. No obvious cause of death—no wounds beyond his original injuries, no sign of struggle. Just the lingering traces of... something. Something that made her magic recoil even as it tried to identify the signature.

"His ring's missing," she said, examining the corpse. "He was wearing an alpha-mate's ring when we brought him in." The silver band had been ornate, marked with River Valley's pack symbols—marking him as someone important in his pack's hierarchy. Her magic detected residual energy where it had been forcibly removed.

"Could he have lost it during the attack?" Alder's power pressed close to hers, their newly consummated bond making it impossible not to share his mix of anger and concern. His emotions colored her own investigation, making it harder to maintain professional detachment.

"No." Rowan's magic probed deeper, finding traces of... she couldn't quite grasp it. Like trying to hold smoke or capture the memory of a scent. "This feels wrong. The magical signature is—" She broke off, frustrated. "It's familiar somehow, but distorted."

"Convenient, isn't it?" James stood in the doorway, other pack members crowding behind him. Their scents carried fear and suspicion. "He indicated a Red Hood and now he’s dead."

"Watch yourself," Alder growled, but Rowan felt his own flicker of doubt through their bond. The timing was suspicious, even to him.

Serenity pushed through the gathering crowd, her beta authority creating a small bubble of space. "We need to contact River Valley. Tell them what happened before they discover it themselves."

"And start a war?" Danny's sister Erica challenged from where she stood with the younger wolves. "They'll blame us. They already think we're killing their people."

The argument escalated, pack members taking sides. Accusations flew—about the death, about Rowan's presence, about Alder's judgment in taking a Red Hood mate. Through their bond, Rowan felt Alder's struggle to maintain order warring with his instinct to defend her. His anger and frustration beat against her shields like storm waves.

She touched his arm, grounding them both. Their essences intertwined automatically, strength flowing between them. "I'll examine the body properly," she said. "My magic might find something we're missing."

"Of course you'll examine it." James's words dripped venom. "Just like Red Hoods examined the Alpha's mother? We all know how that ended."

Alder's fury crashed through their bond like lightning. Before he could respond, Rowan stepped forward. "Yes. I'll examine him. Because unlike the Red Hoods who killed Alder's mother, I actually care about finding the truth. And right now, that truth is that someone wanted this wolf silenced before he could tell us what he saw."

Her magic flared, illuminating the corpse with sparkling lights. "Someone with access to the infirmary. Someone who knew enough about Red Hoods to frame us. Someone who took a trophy, just like the killer's been doing all along."

The pack's reaction rippled through the room—surprise, reluctant respect, lingering suspicion. But it was Alder's pride and love flooding their bond that made her magic sing.

Later, in the privacy of Alder's quarters, that pride took physical form. His kiss claimed her mouth as his power wrapped around her, the mate bond humming between them like a plucked string. Every touch resonated through their connection, amplifying sensation until she couldn't tell where her pleasure ended and his began.

"Felt you," he murmured against her neck, teeth grazing the spot where he'd marked her as his mate. "All morning. Your determination. Your strength. The way you faced them down."

"The bond's stronger." She gasped as his mouth found sensitive flesh. "After last night... after completing the mating..."

"After claiming you properly." His wolf rose close to the surface, possessive and proud. Through their bond she felt his primal satisfaction, his need to mark and protect and possess. "My mate. My witch."

Their magic tangled as clothes disappeared, power crackling between them like lightning. She felt his pleasure as if it were her own, knew he experienced her passion just as intensely. His emotions crashed through her as her magic sparked through him. When he finally slid inside her, their powers merged completely—wolf and witch, alpha and hunter, two halves of a whole.

Each thrust sent echoes of sensation bouncing between them through the bond. His pleasure fed hers fed his in an endless loop until they shattered together, magic and power exploding outward in a wave that rattled the windows.

Afterward, lying tangled in sheets that smelled of both of them, Rowan traced the mate mark on his shoulder. The connection between them pulsed, carrying contentment and lingering desire. She could feel his wolf still prowling close to the surface, satisfied but watchful.

"I need to contact my Order," she said reluctantly. "About the missing cloaks. We need to know if this is connected to the killings."

His arm tightened around her, and through their bond came his resignation warring with his desire to keep her close. "What do you need?"

The communication spell required precise setup. Rowan drew the runic circle in salt while Alder gathered the other components—blessed water, sage, witch-fire crystals. The mate bond buzzed as she worked, his power supporting her magic, making the spell stronger than she could have managed alone.

Magic flared as she completed the final sigil. In the crystal's depths, a face appeared—Elspbeth, one of the Order's senior members. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing Alder standing protectively behind Rowan.

"So the rumors are true," Elspbeth said. "You've taken a wolf mate."

"That's not why I'm calling." Through their bond, Rowan felt Alder's tension at Elspbeth's tone. "I need information about missing cloaks. Someone here is using one to frame the Order for murders."

"Ah." Elspbeth consulted something off to the side of the vision. "We've had three cloaks stolen in the past year. Two from retired members, one from unfortunate circumstances."

"Circumstances?"

"The owner was killed. By a loup garou, we thought, but..." Elspbeth hesitated. "The evidence never quite added up. No signs of moon-madness on the body, but clear wolf marks. Almost like..."

"Like someone was trying to frame a werewolf," Rowan finished. Hope flared. "Can you send me the details? Locations, dates, anything unusual about the thefts?"

"Of course. But be careful. Something about this feels wrong. The timing of the thefts, the way the cloaks were taken—it suggests inside knowledge of our ways."

The crystal darkened as the spell disconnected. Rowan sat back, processing. Three missing cloaks. Three opportunities for someone to impersonate a Red Hood. But why? And what was the connection to Alder's pack?

Her magic stirred uneasily, trying to tell her something just beyond her grasp. Like a scent that triggered memory but vanished before you could place it.

Alder pulled her close, their bond carrying his concern. "What are you thinking?"

"That we're missing something obvious." She turned into his embrace, drawing strength from their connection. "Three cloaks, multiple murders, the River Valley wolf's death. It’s all connected, but I can't see how."

"You'll figure it out." He kissed her temple, his certainty flowing through their bond.

But as his power wrapped around her protectively, Rowan couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time. Something was coming. Something that smelled of old magic and older grudges.

And somewhere in the pack house, a trophy ring glinted in secret hands.

***

T HE PACK MEETING THAT evening crackled with tension. Rowan watched from her place beside Alder as Serenity delivered the news about River Valley's response to their wolf's death.

"They're demanding answers," the beta reported. "And compensation. They say we either hand over the killer, or they'll take territory as payment."

"We don't even know who killed him," Danny protested.

"Don't we?" James's gaze fixed on Rowan. "A Red Hood arrives, and suddenly wolves start dying. Just like before."

Through their bond, Rowan felt Alder's control snap. He surged to his feet, power rolling through the room. "Enough! My mate is not—"

"Your mate?" Marcus stood, others rising with him. "That's the problem, isn't it? You've let your urges cloud your judgment. First you let her investigate us, now you've actually mated her—"

"She's a were-hunter," someone shouted from the back. "She'll destroy us all."

"No, she's trying to help." Erica jumped up, other young wolves following. "You're all too blinded by the past to see—"

"The past?" James snarled. "You mean like when they murdered our Alpha's mother? Or my cousin? Or—"

"I'm leaving." The words cut through the chaos. All eyes turned to Thomas, one of the pack's oldest members. "I won't stay and watch another Red Hood destroy my family. Anyone who remembers the old ways, who wants to preserve what we are can come with me. I'll be gone by morning."

Others stood with him—nearly a third of the pack. Rowan felt each departure like a physical blow through her bond with Alder. His pain crashed through their connection, nearly bringing her to her knees.

"Think about what you're doing," Serenity pleaded. "We're stronger together—"

"We were stronger before her." Thomas's words carried the weight of years. "Choose, Alpha. Your mate or your pack."

The room erupted. Through their bond, Rowan felt Alder's agony as he tried to maintain order. His wolf howled at the threat to both mate and pack. The conflict tore at him, bleeding through their connection until she could hardly breathe through the shared pain.

She slipped out while the arguing continued. Her feet carried her to the garden where she'd first met Mae, where everything had seemed simpler. The mate bond throbbed with Alder's distress, and beneath it, her own growing certainty.

She had to leave.

The thought hurt like silver in her veins, but she couldn't destroy his pack. Couldn't be the reason his family fractured. She could request another Red Hood to investigate, someone without her complicated history with wolves—

"Don't you dare."

She turned to find Alder in the doorway, his eyes wolf-gold with emotion. Through their bond came his fury, his fear, and beneath it all, his absolute certainty.

"I feel what you're thinking," he growled, stalking closer. "Feel you pulling away. Don't."

"Your pack—"

"Needs time." His hands framed her face, grip gentle despite his intensity. "They're scared. Hurt. But you're my mate. My true mate. I feel it in my bones, in my power. Do you really think I could let you go?"

Her magic reached for him instinctively. "I won't be the reason your pack falls apart."

"Then help me hold it together." Through their bond came his love, his trust, his absolute faith in her. "Stay. Fight. Prove them wrong."

She felt the moment her resolve cracked. Her magic surged into him as his power wrapped around her, the mate bond singing with rightness. When he kissed her, she tasted his relief.

"I'll stay," she whispered against his lips. "Until we solve this. But after we solve these murders, if the pack can't accept me..."

"They will." His certainty flooded their bond. "We'll make them see the truth."