THE ALPHA'S HIDDEN DAUGHTER

Snow soaked with blood.

Aurora stumbled backward, her breath ragged, the sting of icy wind biting her skin. The air was thick with the scent of burnt fur, steel, and death. Screams echoed in the trees, followed by vicious snarls. Wolves-rogues and patrols-were tearing each other apart beneath the pale winter moon.

She hadn't meant to be here. She had only gone hunting, hoping to find a rabbit or two. But the moment she heard the fighting, something inside her told her to run toward it-not away.

And now here she was. Standing in the middle of a battlefield.

Something moved near a fallen pine. Her ears caught the groan. Not a rogue. Not a monster. Something... different.

She crept forward, heart pounding.

A body.

A man.

His uniform was torn, his chest rising and falling in shallow, painful heaves. His dark hair was matted with blood. His wolf hadn't shifted. That meant he was strong, high-ranking-maybe even royal. The silver crest of the Silverfang Pack glinted on his armor.

Aurora froze.

He was the enemy.

The son of the Alpha who destroyed her birth pack.

She should run.

But then he coughed-a wet, broken sound-and rolled onto his back, blood spilling from a gash across his ribs. His eyes fluttered.

Still alive.

Still human.

"Help..." he rasped.

Aurora's legs refused to move.

This was Kael. She recognized him from rogue whispers-heir to the Silverfang throne. Trained to kill. Ruthless. He had led patrols that burned rogue camps to the ground. Some said he didn't flinch while wolves begged for mercy.

He was everything she should hate.

But he was dying. Alone. And something deep in her chest tightened-something that felt like... recognition. A magnetic pull she couldn't explain.

Mate.

The word whispered through her bones.

Aurora shook her head hard. "No. No, no, no."

Not him.

Anyone but him.

Kael's fingers twitched, grasping at the snow. "Is... someone there?"

She should walk away. Let him die.

But she couldn't. Goddess help her, she couldn't.

Kneeling beside him, she pressed her hands to his wound. Warm blood oozed through her fingers.

"You're going to bleed out," she muttered.

"Go," he croaked. "The rogues... they'll be back."

"I'm not afraid of them."

That surprised him. His eyes-storm gray and burning-met hers. "Who are you?"

Aurora hesitated. "No one."

He half-smiled. "Pretty name."

Her face burned. "You talk too much for someone dying."

She closed her eyes, let her breath steady, and focused. Her palms tingled. The magic inside her-usually quiet, trembling-rushed forward like a tidal wave.

Golden light burst from her hands.

Kael jerked, gasping. "What-"

"Shut up."

The wound began to close. Slowly. Painfully. But it was working.

"I'm dreaming," he murmured. "Or I'm dead already."

"No," she said, her voice tight. "You're very much alive, unfortunately."

A howl echoed nearby. Close.

Aurora's eyes snapped open. Patrol wolves. They were coming back.

If they found her here-healing their prince-she was dead.

Kael's breathing had evened, but he was still too weak to move. She grabbed a sharp rock and dragged it across her palm, smearing her blood over the wound she had just closed.

She whispered a cloaking spell her guardian taught her-a rogue trick-and staggered to her feet.

"I hope you survive," she whispered. "But if you tell anyone you saw me... don't."

He blinked slowly. "Wait... What's your name?"

She was already gone.

Later That Night – Rogue Territory

Aurora crashed through the trees, her legs aching, breath ragged. When she finally stumbled into the clearing where the rogues had made camp, Tamsin was waiting.

"Where the hell have you been?" the older wolf growled, arms crossed.

"I got lost," Aurora lied.

Tamsin didn't believe her. She sniffed the air, eyes narrowing. "You smell like Silverfang."

Aurora's stomach twisted. "It was a patrol. I hid."

Tamsin stepped forward, grabbing her wrist. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Aurora snapped, pulling free. "Let me go."

"You were supposed to stay close. You think because you have healing gifts, you're untouchable? If they find out what you are-"

"I know."

Tamsin stared at her. "Then start acting like it. You want to die like your mother?"

Aurora flinched. "Don't."

"Then stop making me watch you walk into death."

Meanwhile – Silverfang Packlands

Kael lay in his tent, feverish and shaking.

He should be dead.

The healers said the wound should've killed him. That it was too deep, too poisoned.

But he remembered her. The girl with soft hands, fire in her eyes, and magic in her touch.

He remembered her scent.

His wolf had recognized her.

Mate.

But who was she?

And why did she run?

Two Days Later – Whisper Ridge

Aurora sat on a cliff, legs dangling over the edge, the wind tugging at her hair. Below, rogue children played, throwing snowballs. She envied them-their freedom, their ignorance.

She hadn't told anyone about Kael. Not even her guardian.

But the mate bond wouldn't stop whispering. Her dreams were haunted by gray eyes and blood.

She was cursed. How could the Moon Goddess tie her to him?

"Thinking again?" Finn's voice cut through the wind.

Aurora turned. The Beta-in-training flopped down beside her, grinning. He was always grinning.

"You look like you're about to jump."

"Tempting."

"Don't. I'm too lazy to fish you out."

Aurora chuckled despite herself.

Finn leaned back on his elbows. "You know... if you ever wanna talk, I'm a great listener."

"Also a terrible liar."

He gave her a mock-wounded look. "I'm offended. Deeply."

She looked back at the trees. "Do you believe in fate, Finn?"

He shrugged. "Sure. Why?"

She didn't answer.

Because if fate was real... then she had just saved the life of her enemy.

And worse...

She might be falling in love with him.