Page 5 of Bound to Four Alphas

There was a hum in the air, all encompassing, all engrossing.

And a light calling to him from the south.

Kaelen didn’t hear the words of his panicked advisors, didn’t acknowledge the hands reaching for him, trying to calm him. He whipped around and tore through the palace, his shift already setting in, limbs growing, wings unfurling.

By the time he made it back to the dragon door, his transformation was complete, copper scales shining in the moonlight as he launched himself into the darkness. Several ofhis people, some advisors and one or two soldiers, charged after him, but they were no match for his speed.

“Stay back,” he roared even as he strained himself faster, faster than he had ever gone before, “guard the clan-lands, I’ll return!”

He didn’t bother to check if they’d obeyed him. All of his senses, everything in him, urged him forward. He had to get to that light, that beacon, that glowing lantern in the darkness. He didn’t care about borders, about territory; that could all come later. He just had to reach it.

For hours he flew with single-minded focus, a razor of gold slicing through the night sky.

The beat of wings beside him shocked him out of his reverie and he glanced back to see Iveir and the young alphas falling into line behind him. Had he caught up with their patrol already?

“Your Majesty,” Iveir roared over the wind, “Kaelen! What is it, what’s going on?”

“The magic,” Kaelen managed to spit out, his mind more dragon than man. “The Forest God! It’s back!”

He felt Iveir’s shock, but his friend quickly recovered, straining forward to keep up with him, skimming close to the tops of the trees, “Let me come with you, let me help you!”

“No,” roared Kaelen, “you need to turn back. We’re already in Ronan’s territory, if one of his patrols finds us—”

There was a bellow of pain and fright, and Kaelan reared around to see one of the young alphas disappearing below the tree line, his leg firmly grasped in the slavering jaws of a wolf.

“Anor!” Phane tucked his wings in and barreled down into the trees, ignoring Iveir’s cries of warning.

Kaelen roared in frustration, following the diving dragons down into the trees, the branches scraping at his wings. The boy, Anor, had been dragged to the forest floor by one of the enormous beasts, having dipped too low in the sky and caught by a leaping wolf. They were circling him now, yellow eyes gleaming, growls shuddering through the forest.

“Stop,” yelled Kaelen, landing close to them. “Phane, do not engage!”

One of the wolves leapt forward, jaws snapping, and Kaelen reared up to avoid the swiping paws. “This isn’t an attack, stand down!”

“Listen to him!” A dark wolf leapt from the darkness, chest heaving, larger than the others by a considerable amount. When the gray wolf in front of Kaelan turned and snapped its jaws, the alpha snarled at him and tackled, knocking him down. The other wolves backed away at the yelps of pain from the gray wolf, lowering their heads to the alpha.

To Ronan.

Kaelen breathed a sigh of relief, watching with careful eyes as the wolves released Anor, who leapt to the safety of the group of dragons, Iveir spreading his wings out to protect the young alphas.

“You felt it, too?” Ronan turned to him, yellow eyes flashing.

“Yes.”

Ronan snarled, turning to his packmates, “Let the dragons go, this is bigger than us.”

“But, Alpha—”

“I said release them!” Ronan roared, muscles rippling, head shaking against some imperceptible pain. Kaelenunderstood. He could feel it too, that pull, that agonizing voice inside him telling him to go, to find it, and apparently Ronan could not hold it at bay anymore; with a great snarl he thundered back into the forest, a blur of teeth and rage.

Kaelen stretched out his wings. “Get back to our territory,” he ordered Iveir. And then he launched upwards, continuing his relentless hunt.

Chapter 3 - Selena

The beast—creature—whatever it was had not yet broken the tree line. Selena was openly sobbing now, the waft of sulfur and blood thick on the air, and try as she might, she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face.

The hawk seemed utterly unmoved by her distress.

“Malek! It’s been so long since I’ve heard a word from you.” His voice was delighted, feathers rustling. “You never come by the Marble Halls, why is that?”

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