Chapter thirty eight

The decision to leave was made the second Kai stumbled back into the barracks, his body still vibrating with the weight of his encounter with Orion. The others were waiting for him, their expressions grim, tension thick in the dimly lit space. Kieran stood immediately, his golden eyes scanning Kai for any visible injuries, but Kai barely registered the movement. His mind was still reeling, his pulse hammering from the encounter, from the pull he had felt in that tent.

Orion had let him go.

That was what terrified him most.

Anna stepped forward, her face pale. “Kai.” Her voice was tight, filled with something unspoken.

Kai shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “We need to go. Now.”

Rhett’s smirk was gone, replaced with sharp focus. “Yeah, no shit. You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Kai exhaled harshly. “Worse.” He turned to Kieran, jaw clenched. “Orion knew we were coming. He knew I’d walk into that tent. He knew exactly what to say.”

Kieran’s expression darkened. “Then we can’t wait any longer.”

Anna hesitated. “We still don’t have enough—”

Kai cut her off. “He let me go, Anna. Do you understand what that means? He doesn’t see us as a threat. He’s playing with us.”

Anna’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded.

Rhett exhaled, cracking his knuckles. “Alright then, time to blow this place to hell.”

The plan came together quickly. They needed to move before Orion changed his mind, before he decided to close the noose around them completely. Kieran and Rhett had already scouted an escape route earlier, slipping between the reinforced tents to uncover weak points in the camp’s perimeter. There were guards, of course, but if they timed it right, they could slip past the outer patrols and vanish into the night.

The problem was Anna.

Her connection to Orion had only gotten stronger since they arrived, the mark on her arm darkening like a brand burned into her skin. She had fought against it, had tried to suppress it, but something about being in the camp—being near Orion—was making it worse.

She was struggling.

And Kai could feel it.

They waited until the camp settled into its midnight rhythm, the fires dimming, the patrols changing shifts. Most of the soldiers were either sleeping or preparing for tomorrow’s training. It was the only window they would get.

They moved swiftly, slipping out of the barracks with practiced ease. Kieran took the lead, his steps soundless even on the packed dirt, his golden eyes cutting through the darkness. Rhett followed closely behind, his usual grin absent as he kept watch for movement. Anna stayed near Kai, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeve, hiding the mark that had started glowing faintly beneath her skin.

Kai’s stomach twisted. “Anna.”

“I’m fine,” she whispered, though her voice shook.

He didn’t believe her.

They made it to the perimeter without incident, moving between the shadows of supply tents and wooden barricades. The escape was going smoother than Kai had anticipated, which only made the unease curling in his gut worse.

It was too easy.

They reached the treeline, the thick forest stretching out in front of them like an open promise of freedom. Kieran turned back, nodding once. “Now.”

Then Anna collapsed.

Kai caught her before she hit the ground, his heart lurching as her body convulsed in his arms.

Her mark was glowing, the lines burning against her skin like molten fire. Her breath hitched, her eyes snapping open wide—except they weren’t hers.

They were red.

Orion’s voice cut through the night, low and taunting. “Leaving so soon?”

Kai’s blood froze.

The camp stirred.

A chorus of howls erupted from behind them, the sound slicing through the silence. The alarm had been raised. Wolves moved in the distance, shadows converging as the camp reacted to the shift in energy.

Orion’s presence surged through Anna, her body writhing in his grasp.

Kai gritted his teeth. “Anna, fight him!”

She gasped, her fingers clenching around his wrists, her whole body trembling as she struggled. “I—I can’t—”

Kieran was beside them in an instant, his hands pressing against Anna’s shoulders. “Yes, you can.” His voice was firm, grounding. “Push him out.”

Anna let out a shattered breath, her body jerking violently as she forced Orion’s presence away. The red faded from her eyes, the glow of her mark dimming—but it was too late.

They had been seen.

Kai hoisted her up, eyes darting to the movement beyond the trees. They had seconds before Orion’s forces reached them.

Rhett growled under his breath. “No more sneaking. We run.”

They ran.

The forest was thick, branches tearing at their clothes, the ground uneven beneath their feet. They pushed forward, sprinting between the trees, hearts hammering as the sound of pursuit followed close behind.

Kai could hear them—wolves, shifting, closing the distance.

A snarl ripped through the night as a dark shape lunged at them from the side. Kieran spun mid-stride, catching the wolf mid-air and slamming it to the ground. He didn’t stop moving. Didn’t pause.

They were still too close to the camp, still within Orion’s reach.

A howl split the air, sharp and commanding.

Kai knew that howl.

Orion was calling his wolves.

The presence in the air thickened, a pulse of energy rippling through the trees. Kai felt it, the pull tightening around his chest.

He forced himself to keep moving.

Anna was barely holding on, her breathing ragged, her body weakened from the struggle.

Kai refused to lose her.

The trees began to thin, the ground shifting beneath them as the edge of the forest loomed ahead. The moment they broke through the tree line, the scent of their pack hit them like a lifeline.

They were close.

And then—

A shadow slammed into Kai from behind, knocking him off his feet.

He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. A heavy weight pressed down on him, claws digging into his shoulders.

A growl rumbled above him.

Selene.

Her eyes glowed in the dark, lips curled into a wicked smile. “Almost made it,” she mused. “Pity.”

Kai snarled, twisting beneath her grip, fighting to break free. But Selene was strong, her weight unrelenting.

Then Kieran was there.

He tackled Selene with full force, sending them both rolling across the ground. Rhett was there a second later, grabbing Kai’s arm and hauling him up.

“Move!” Rhett snapped.

Kai didn’t hesitate.

They crossed the final stretch, breaking into their own territory just as the first wave of their pack’s warriors emerged from the trees.

Orion’s forces skidded to a halt at the border.

Selene stood at the front, her lip curled in frustration.

Kai met her gaze, his chest heaving.

She smirked.

Then, slowly, she and the rest of Orion’s wolves backed away, vanishing into the forest.

For now.

Kai didn’t move, his pulse still thundering.

Lucian stepped forward, his sharp blue eyes scanning over all of them. He took in Anna’s pale face, Kai’s tattered clothes, the lingering presence of Orion’s energy clinging to them.

His jaw tightened. “Report. Now.”

Kai exhaled, steadying himself.

He turned to Lucian, his voice low.

“He’s ready to move.”

Silence fell over the group.

Kai swallowed hard.

“We need to be ready.”