Katerina’s POV

I ran.

Down the hallway. Past startled servants. Past closed doors.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Each beat hurt.

Irina.

That was Irina.

My stepsister. In the palace. Standing there covered in blood.

What the fuck was she doing here?

I burst into my quarters. Slammed the door behind me.

My mate looked up from where he sat on the couch. Dmitri. Tall. Strong. Safe.

"Katerina?" He stood immediately. "What’s wrong?"

I pressed my back against the door. Tried to breathe.

"I saw—" The words stuck. "I just saw—"

"Saw what?" He crossed to me. Hands on my shoulders. "You’re shaking."

"My stepsister." The words tumbled out. "Irina. She’s here. In the palace."

Dmitri’s expression shifted. Concerned. Confused.

"Your stepsister? The one from—"

"Yes." I pushed past him. Started pacing. "From Iron Thorn. From my father’s pack."

My hands went to my stomach. Three months. Just three months along.

Still so vulnerable. Still so new.

"She can’t be here," I said. "She can’t—why would she—"

"Maybe she’s visiting someone?" Dmitri offered. "A friend? A—"

"She doesn’t have friends here." I spun to face him. "She doesn’t know anyone. And she was with the alpha."

That stopped him cold.

"With Nicolas?"

I nodded. Kept pacing.

My mind raced. Tried to make sense of it.

The alpha king. Nicolas. The most dangerous man in the entire territory.

Standing there with Irina. In some private room. Blood everywhere.

What the hell was happening?

"Maybe she works here now?" Dmitri said. "As a servant?"

"No." I shook my head. "No, you don’t understand. The way he was looking at her—"

I stopped. Replayed the scene in my mind.

His posture. The way he’d crouched down beside her. The fury in his eyes.

Not the look you give a servant.

"Oh god." My stomach dropped. "Oh god, what if—"

"What if what?"

"What if they sent her?" The words came out strangled. "What if my father—or Maxim—what if they sent her to find me?"

Dmitri’s jaw tightened. "That doesn’t make sense. How would she even—"

"I don’t know!" My voice rose. "But she’s here. She saw me. And now—"

I pressed my hands against my stomach again. Protective. Desperate.

I’d worked so hard to stay hidden. To disappear.

A year. An entire year of looking over my shoulder. Of jumping at every shadow.

Terrified Maxim would find me. That he’d drag me back.

Back to that life. That future I never wanted.

I’d been his girlfriend for two years. Two years of pretending I loved him.

Because you didn’t say no to Maxim. Not if you valued your life.

He was charming. When he wanted to be. Could make you feel special. Chosen.

But I’d seen the other side. The darkness underneath.

The way he treated people he considered beneath him. The cruelty in his eyes when he thought no one was looking.

I’d been relieved when the mate bond snapped. When I met Dmitri and felt that pull.

That undeniable, unstoppable pull that meant he was mine. Really mine.

Not someone I had to pretend with. Not someone I feared.

Just mine.

I’d left in the middle of the night. Packed one bag. Ran.

Didn’t even tell Irina. Didn’t warn her.

Guilt twisted in my gut.

I pushed it down. Hard.

I’d had to save myself. Had to choose my own happiness.

That’s what anyone would do. Right?

"Katerina." Dmitri’s voice pulled me back. "Even if she is looking for you—which we don’t know—you’re safe here. The alpha wouldn’t let anyone take you."

"You don’t know that." I stopped pacing. Faced him. "You don’t know what Maxim is capable of. What my father might promise. What deals they might make."

"Nicolas doesn’t make deals with people like them."

"Everyone makes deals." I laughed. Short. Bitter. "Especially in our world. Territory for information. Alliances for cooperation."

I moved to the window. Stared out at the palace grounds.

"What if they offer him something he wants?" I said quietly. "What if he decides I’m not worth the trouble?"

Dmitri came up behind me. Wrapped his arms around my waist. Careful of my stomach.

"You’re my mate," he said. "That makes you pack. Nicolas protects pack."

My hand went to my stomach again. To the life growing inside me.

I’d do anything to protect this. To protect us.

Even if that meant—

No. I couldn’t think like that.

But the thought wouldn’t leave. Kept circling. Insistent.

If Irina was here to find me—if she planned to tell Maxim where I was—

My chest tightened.

Irina had never been dangerous. Had always been quiet. Timid.

But desperate people did desperate things.

And if Maxim had sent her—if he’d promised her something, threatened her with something—

She might do anything.

"I can’t go back there," I whispered. "I can’t."