Page 18

EIGHTEEN

HELENA

V ictor steered his silver luxury SUV down a deserted gravel road surrounded by an endless canopy of trees. Helena’s heart pounded erratically as they drove farther and farther down the road away from civilization.

The trees parted suddenly, revealing a clearing dominated by an ancient barn. The structure looked like something out of a horror movie—weathered wood gone silver with age and portions of the roof sagging dangerously. Helena’s stomach dropped as she counted four vehicles parked haphazardly near the entrance.

“Your restaurant staff thinks you’ve taken a much-needed vacation,” Victor said conversationally as he parked. “Amazing what people will believe when you wave enough money at them.”

The engine died, and with it, Helena’s last hope of an easy escape. Victor circled the vehicle and opened her door with a mockery of chivalry. His fingers closed around her upper arm—not painfully tight, but firm enough to make his intentions clear.

“I suggest you behave,” he murmured, his breath uncomfortably hot against her ear. “My associates aren’t as patient as I am.”

The barn’s massive doors groaned as Victor pushed them open. Helena blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. What she’d expected to be an empty, decrepit space had been transformed into some kind of makeshift headquarters. Generator-powered lights hung from the rafters, illuminating a space filled with high-end camping furniture, equipment, and about a dozen people who fell silent as they entered.

“The Luna has arrived,” Victor announced, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

A cheer went up from the assembled group—all men, Helena noted with growing unease. They varied in age and appearance but shared the same hungry look in their eyes that Victor had. None appeared armed, but their muscular builds and confident stances suggested they didn’t need weapons to be dangerous.

“Sit,” Victor commanded, guiding Helena to a folding chair in the center of the room. “Make yourself comfortable. We have much to discuss.”

Helena complied, her mind racing as she assessed her situation. She wasn’t restrained, which meant she could still use her powers if necessary. The heat simmered within her, ready to be called forth. But to what end? She had no idea where they were, how many more of Victor’s people might be lurking nearby, or what would happen if she failed in an escape attempt.

If she set this place on fire, could she control the flames or would they spread into a forest inferno that would torch thousands of acres and destroy communities in the process? How many lives would be lost because of her?

Sol, she thought desperately, closing her eyes for a moment. If you can hear me, if this mate bond is real... I need you.

She felt foolish immediately. Was she really trying to send telepathic messages to a man she’d walked away from an hour ago? A man whose existence had upended her entire life in the span of days?

And yet, she couldn’t deny the connection she had felt with Sol. That pull, that inexplicable rightness when they were together. Something stirred in response to her silent plea—not an answer, exactly, but a warmth that couldn’t be attributed to her fire powers.

“Something you’d like to share?” Victor asked, noticing her wistful expression.

Helena straightened, meeting his gaze directly. “Just wondering how long you think you can keep the Luna of the Sunflare pack captive before her alpha comes looking.”

Victor’s smile was cold. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

One of the men approached with a bottle of water, offering it to Helena with a slight bow. She hesitated, then accepted it, using the opportunity to scan the room more thoroughly. Two exits—the main doors they’d entered through, and a smaller one at the back. At least fifteen feet of open space in all directions around her chair. If she needed to make a move, she’d be exposed from every angle.

“Don’t worry about poison,” Victor said, misinterpreting her hesitation. “You’re far more valuable to us alive.”

“Valuable how?” Helena asked, twisting the cap off the water bottle but not drinking.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Victor let out a hollow laugh.

A chill ran down Helena’s spine. Sol, she thought again, more urgently. Please... find me.

Victor paced in deliberate circles around Helena’s chair, his polished shoes clicking against the wooden floor with each step. Her skin crawled as he moved behind her, just out of sight. The heat inside her chest flared with her growing uncertainty and fear.

“You know, I felt it the moment your powers awakened,” Victor announced, his voice rich with self-satisfaction. “It was like a beacon in the night. Every shifter in the region would have sensed it.” He moved back into her field of vision with a smug smile that made Helena’s fingers clench around the water bottle. “But unlike our dear Prince Sol, I had the resources to act immediately.”

Helena remained silent, watching as Victor spread his arms in a theatrical gesture toward his followers.

“Money opens doors that teeth and claws cannot. I had you located within hours.” He chuckled, clearly enjoying his moment of triumph. “Buying that pitiful restaurant was simply the most efficient way to gain access to you. A chef is nothing without her kitchen, after all.”

The casual way he dismissed her career—her passion—sent a surge of heat coursing through Helena’s veins. The water in the plastic bottle began to warm between her fingers.

Victor continued, oblivious to her simmering rage. “I had it all planned. I’d introduce myself as your benevolent new boss, earn your trust, and then gently guide you toward understanding your new nature.” His expression soured. “But then that fire erupted. You have remarkable power, my dear, but such poor control.”

Helena felt her cheeks flush with anger as Victor spoke of her as though she were a misbehaving child.

“I didn’t anticipate Sol finding you so quickly. That was... unfortunate.” Victor’s face hardened momentarily before his self-satisfied smile returned. “But not insurmountable. You see, I know Sol’s weakness—he’s arrogant enough to believe that simply being your ‘fated mate’ entitles him to your loyalty.”

The water in the bottle began to bubble. Helena set it down carefully on the floor, trying to control the fury building inside her.

“But I knew better.” Victor stooped to her eye level, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “I knew that appealing to your sense of duty—your attachment to that little restaurant and the people who depend on you—would be more effective than any mystical bond.”

He straightened, smoothing his expensive suit jacket. “And here you are. Just as I planned. Your devotion to your career made you so wonderfully predictable.”

Every word he spoke was like gasoline on the fire building inside Helena. She had spent years building her reputation in that kitchen. Years perfecting her craft, leading her team, and creating a place that felt like home. And this man had bought it on a whim and manipulated her connection to it, all to use her for some power play against Sol.

“You really thought all this through, didn’t you?” Helena finally spoke, her voice dangerously soft.

Victor’s smile widened, mistaking her question for begrudging admiration rather than the gathering storm it was.

“I always do. Sol may have his pack and his royal heritage, but I have vision.” Victor turned to face his followers. “In the end, the game goes to the player with the better strategy.”

Helena closed her eyes for a split second, swallowing the inferno that threatened to engulf her. The heat pulsed through her veins like molten lava, begging for release, but she knew that unleashing it now would be catastrophic. Thirteen against one weren’t odds she liked.

Breathe. Just breathe. She let the air fill her lungs slowly, imagining the oxygen cooling the fire inside her rather than feeding it.

When she opened her eyes again, Victor was watching her with undisguised fascination. His gaze made her skin crawl, but she forced herself to meet it steadily.

“What exactly do you want with me, Victor?” Helena asked, proud of how level her voice sounded. “You’ve taken some excessive measures to get me here.”

Victor’s lips curved up into a smile that never reached his eyes. “They’re not excessive at all when you consider what I stand to gain.” He clasped his hands behind his back, resuming his slow circle around her chair. “You, my dear, are the key to everything I’ve wanted for centuries.”

“Which is?”

“The complete and utter destruction of Sol Cadoret and his pathetic reign over the Sunflare pack.” The venom in his voice made Helena flinch involuntarily. “He has no right to that power. No right to that castle. And certainly no right to you.”

Helena’s heart stuttered suddenly. The memory of Sol’s touch, Sol’s scent, and Sol’s voice washed over her unexpectedly.

“I’m going to use you—your beautiful, devastating fire—to burn him to the ground,” Victor continued, oblivious to her reaction. “I’ll march you right into that castle, and you’ll unleash your flames on their precious alpha.”

His followers murmured their approval, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“And after Sol’s charred corpse lies at my feet, those wolves will have a choice,” Victor leaned in close, his breath hot on her cheek. “Accept me as their new alpha or join their former leader in death.”

The image Victor painted sickened her—Sol’s strong body lifeless, his green eyes forever closed, and his warm touch forever lost. Something fierce and primal rose in her chest, different from the fire. This wasn’t her power, this was something ancient. Something that roared at the very thought of Sol being harmed.

I love him.

The realization hit her with stunning clarity, washing over her like a tidal wave. It wasn’t just physical attraction or the brief intimacy they had shared. It was deeper and more fundamental —as though recognizing Sol inside her blood and awakening something that had been dormant inside her all along.

This is the mate bond.

“You’re very quiet,” Victor observed, eyeing her with suspicion.

Helena looked up at him, seeing him clearly now for what he was—not just a kidnapper or an arrogant businessman, but an existential threat to the man she loved. To the pack, she hadn’t realized she already considered hers.

“I’m just processing,” she replied carefully. “This is a lot.”

“You’ll have a little more time to adjust to the idea,” Victor waved dismissively.

Helena nodded slowly, fighting to keep her expression neutral while her thoughts raced. In the deepest part of her being, something shifted—a sensation like puzzle pieces clicking into place. The initial spark she’d felt with Sol had kindled into something unbreakable. Every fiber of her being now vibrated with the certainty that he was hers, and she was his.

I walked away from him, she thought with a pang of regret. I denied what he knew from the beginning.

Sol had recognized it instantly—the certainty of their bond, the inevitability of their connection. His wolf had known. And now, finally, her human heart had caught up.

Helena’s stomach knotted as Victor paced around the barn, his shoes clicking rhythmically against the wooden floorboards. She had been quietly trying to formulate an escape plan, mentally mapping the exits and tracking the men, when Victor suddenly slammed his fist against a wooden post.

“I’m tired of this waiting game,” he announced, his voice echoing through the barn. “Sol should have found us by now.”

Helena kept her expression neutral, but her heart leaped. Sol was looking for her. The knowledge warmed her from within, separate from her fire powers. The connection thrummed between them, invisible but undeniable.

Victor raked a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair, mussing it slightly. “The beloved Alpha Prince isn’t as clever as his reputation suggests.” His mouth twisted into a sneer. “Too self-absorbed to even track his own Luna properly.”

His followers laughed, a discordant chorus that sent chills through Helena’s body.

“Change of plans,” Victor declared, gesturing dramatically. “We’re not waiting for him to stumble upon us anymore. We’re taking the fight to him tonight.”

Helena’s breath hitched. The timeline was accelerating too quickly. She needed more time.

“But, Victor,” one of the men spoke up, “the castle’s defenses?—“

“Are nothing compared to the power we now possess,” Victor cut him off, pointing at Helena with an unsettling gleam in his eye.

Helena forced herself to remain still, though every instinct screamed at her to run. The fire inside her chest stirred, responding to her fear and anger.

Victor crouched before her chair, bringing his face uncomfortably close to hers. His cologne—expensive but applied too liberally—made her nostrils flare.

“You see, my dear Luna,” he said, the endearment dripping with mockery, “I’ve always preferred the direct approach. Why wait for Sol to come to us when we can surprise him in his own territory?”

His fingers reached out to trace along her jawline. Helena jerked back, her fire surging dangerously close to the surface.

“Don’t touch me,” she warned, her voice low.

Victor’s eyes widened momentarily before his lips curved into a delighted smile. “Oh, there’s that fire. Save it for Sol, won’t you?”

He stood and addressed his followers. “Pack up. We leave in thirty minutes.”

As the men scrambled to follow his orders, Victor turned back to Helena. “I suppose I should tell you your role in all this.”

Helena raised an eyebrow, trying to appear uninterested while her mind raced for solutions. “Let me guess. I’m the bait.”

“So much more than bait.” Victor laughed, the sound hollow and cold. “I’m going to offer Sol a trade—you for his position as alpha.”

Helena couldn’t contain her scoff. “And you think he’ll just agree to that?”

“Of course not,” Victor replied, his tone suggesting she was simple-minded for even asking. “That’s when you come in. When he refuses—and he will refuse—I’ll have you employ your newfound powers.” He made a dramatic gesture with his hands, mimicking an explosion. “One fiery embrace from his Luna, and the mighty Sol Cadoret becomes nothing but ash.”

Helena had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Victor had no idea that her fire couldn’t hurt Sol. He didn’t understand the true nature of their connection. And most importantly, he had no idea that the very bond he was trying to exploit made it impossible. The irony was almost delicious.

“You seem awfully confident,” she said carefully, not wanting to reveal her advantage.

“I’ve waited centuries for this opportunity.” Victor’s eyes gleamed with malice and anticipation. “Sol took everything from me. My rightful place. My dignity. Now I’ll take everything from him, including his precious Luna.”

Something fierce and protective rose in Helena at his words. She might have only known Sol for days, but the bond between them was undeniable and growing stronger by the minute. Even now, miles apart, she could feel him—a steady, warm presence in the back of her mind.

“You’ll never be half the alpha Sol is,” she said quietly.

Victor’s face contorted with rage. “We’ll see about that when he’s burning at your feet.”

The sound of a vehicle arriving came from the front of the room.

“Ah,” Victor smiled, “my insurance policy is here.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I want to make sure you do what I tell you,” Victor sneered.

The front door opened and Tyanna stumbled in with her hands bound.

Everything just changed.