He looked toward Xander first. "You would tear kingdoms apart for her already."

Then he turned to Alaric. His chest heaved. "You would murder your own blood over her."

Finally, he turned to Nate.

"And you..." Elijah’s expression hardened slightly. "You would burn entire civilizations before admitting she matters to you but thank goddess we’re way last that now."

Nate said nothing.

The silence stretched heavily again.

King Elijah broke it, and spoke quietly. "There was a reason I never placed you over the border authority since the veil dropped." He said to Nate.

Nate’s gaze sharpened instantly.

"There was a reason Torak handled the humans instead."

Nate’s jaw flexed dangerously.

"You mistake restraint for weakness," Elijah continued.

"And you mistake mercy for who you are," Nate shot back immediately.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Nate stepped forward again, calmer now but no less dangerous. "You think humans will stop because we show discipline?"

He gestured toward the report. "They dissected wolves."

Nobody answered.

"They used gas. They learned our patrol routes, and now, they have our healing limitations. Our transformations, and our silver tolerances while we sat here debating whether Aire should breathe another day."

Xander looked away sharply. That part hurt.

Nate’s voice lowered further now. "And now they think we are distracted... or even worse, weak."

Elijah remained quiet.

"They’re right."

The room felt unbearably tense now. Nobody could deny it anymore. The prophecy had consumed everything, and somewhere beyond the borders, humans had noticed.

Nate looked toward Elijah again. "Give me command."

Xander’s head snapped toward him instantly. "No." He condemned.

Nate ignored him. "Let me handle the borders."

"Father," Xander warned sharply.

Nate turned toward him immediately. "You already failed handling it."

Xander moved again.

This time Alaric grabbed him first. "Don’t."

Xander looked ready to rip the chamber apart anyway.

"You think war makes you strong?" he snarled toward Nate. "Torak is doing perfectly fine with my commands."

"No," Nate answered coldly. "Hesitation makes corpses."

Nate stepped back. He looked at all of them with visible disgust now. "At least the humans chose a side."

He turned sharply toward the doors.

"Nate," King Elijah called immediately.

Nate stopped, but he did not turn around.

King Elijah’s voice lowered slightly. "There is a reason I kept you away from human affairs."

Nate’s shoulders tensed.

King Elijah went on. "You do not know where to stop once violence begins."

The chamber went silent again.

Nate finally looked back slightly over his shoulder. His eyes had darkened fully now. "Perhaps that is exactly what this kingdom needs."

He walked out, and the doors slammed violently behind him.

........

Nate did not stop walking until he reached Aire’s door. The corridor outside Aire’s chamber remained heavily guarded now.

The guards straightened immediately the moment they saw him approaching. His expression alone made the atmosphere tighten.

He had asked them to return to their post the moment he discovered they were bold enough to leave their post.

Nate barely acknowledged them before pushing the chamber doors open himself.

He forgot to knock.

The warmth inside the room hit him first. Soft firelight, lavender, and her scent.

Gods.

After the council chamber, after the report, after nearly tearing into Alaric with his bare hands, walking into Aire’s presence felt like stepping out of war briefly.

The doors shut behind him heavily.

Aire looked up instantly from where she sat near the edge of the bed.

The moment their eyes met, the bond surged delightful between them.

Aire straightened immediately.

His emotions hit her all at once. She felt his rage, his fear, the violence running through him, and the afterwards guilt.

She also felt the overwhelming pressure of restraint flowing through him.

It slammed through the bond so hard her chest tightened painfully. "Nate..." she called him.

His breathing sounded rough. He looked like a man holding himself together through force alone.

His black shirt remained partially opened near the collar from earlier. His sleeves were rolled roughly toward his forearms, exposing his veins still tense beneath skin.

His eyes flashed gold, and she could see his wolf was too close tonight. Far too close.

Aire stood immediately. "Nate," she called again, softer this time.

He looked at her properly then, and just like that, some of the violence inside him broke. His golden eye cleared a bit.

His eyes closed briefly the moment he saw concern on her face instead of fear.

That almost destroyed him more.

Aire moved toward him carefully. The closer she got, the more clearly she felt him through the bond now.

Something had happened. Something bad.

"Nate..." Her voice lowered gently. "What happened?"

He exhaled harshly through his nose before dragging a hand through his hair.

"The eastern patrols."

Aire stilled.

Nate looked away briefly like he was trying to control the fury threatening to climb back up his throat.

"The humans are organizing now because we hesitated."

Aire frowned faintly.

"They’ve been studying us."

Her expression shifted immediately.

Nate walked further into the room slowly now. His movements looked controlled but wrong somehow.

"They captured wolves near the borders." His voice lowered dangerously. "Experimented on them."

Aire’s breath caught.

Nate’s jaw flexed sharply. "They used silver dosages, suppression gas, and military camps hidden near the eastern territories."

Aire stared at him quietly.

Nate finally looked at her again.

"And while all this was happening..." his eyes darkened fully now, "...this kingdom and I focused on something else entirely."

The room went silent.

Aire felt every ounce of fury bleeding through him.

It frightened her slightly. Not because she thought he would hurt her, but because she suddenly understood how dangerous Nate truly was when angry.

He paced once before stopping near the fire.

"The council still talks about you like you are the threat."

His voice dripped bitterness now. "They would rather fear prophecy than see what is standing at the borders already."

Aire watched him carefully.

Nate rarely spoke this openly. Especially not to anyone. However, tonight he looked exhausted enough to finally let someone see inside his head.

"I nearly killed Alaric," he admitted suddenly. "Or probably, he nearly killed me."

Aire blinked softly.

Nate laughed again under his breath. He scratched his head. "He threatened me first."

"You threatened him back?"

"I considered removing his spine."

Despite herself, Aire’s mouth twitched faintly.

Nate noticed immediately.

And gods, the tiny reaction softened something inside him instantly. His shoulders loosened slightly for the first time since entering the room.

Aire stepped closer slowly. "You’re overwhelmed."

Nate looked at her sharply. "No," he answered immediately.

Aire gave him a look.

Nate exhaled. "Yes."

The honesty in that answer settled quietly between them.

Aire finally lifted her hand slowly toward his face.

Nate went completely still.

Her palm touched his cheek gently, warm, and soft. The contact alone nearly unraveled him.

Aire felt the tension in his jaw beneath her fingers immediately. "You’re shaking," she whispered softly