Chapter 43

Chapter 43


A week had passed since the last rogue wolf sighting at our borders. The patrols reported nothing—no scents, no tracks, no signs whatsoever of the threat that had hung over us for months. The sudden silence unnerved me more than the constant attacks had.

"Still nothing?" I asked Marcus, one of my assigned guards, as he returned from patrol duty.

He shook his head. "The border's clean, Luna. For the seventh consecutive day."

I frowned, staring out at the tree line that marked the boundary of pack territory. "That's... strange."

"Most would call it good news," Tyler, my other guard, remarked.

"It doesn't feel right," I murmured, my instincts screaming that something was off. "Rogues don't just give up, especially after investing so much in their attacks."

Both guards exchanged looks but didn't contradict me. They'd learned to respect my intuition, even when it seemed paranoid.

Back in our quarters, I paced restlessly while Kieran reviewed reports at his desk.

"You're going to wear a path in the floor," he commented without looking up.

"Don't you find it odd?" I couldn't keep the frustration from my voice. "The rogues disappearing completely? After all that effort to get to me?"

Kieran set down his papers with a sigh. "Of course it's odd. That's why I've doubled the patrols and sent scouts beyond our borders."

"And they've found nothing," I countered.

"Which could mean they've given up."

I shook my head vehemently. "No. They're planning something bigger." The memories of the previous attacks flashed through my mind—the coordinated movements, the strategic approach. "The last two attacks weren't random. The rogues were working with human hunters."

Kieran's expression darkened. "An unusual alliance."

"Unprecedented," I corrected. "Rogues hate humans as much as they hate established packs. Yet they coordinated perfectly—the wolves with their raw strength, the humans with their tactical planning and weapons."

I sat on the edge of the desk, closer to him. "And they were specifically targeting me, Kieran. Both times. The rogues distracted the pack while the hunters moved in precisely toward my location."

"I know," he said quietly. "I've been considering the same thing."

"Then why aren't we doing more?" I demanded.

"What would you have me do?" There was no anger in his question, just genuine curiosity. "I've sent scouts in every direction. I've reached out to allied packs for information. I've increased security throughout our territory."

"I just—" My voice caught. "I'm afraid I'm bringing danger to your pack."

Kieran stood, moving to cup my face in his hands. "Our pack, Lena. And whatever's coming, we'll face it together." His thumbs brushed my cheeks gently. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to sink into his certainty and borrow his confidence. But the knot of dread in my stomach only tightened.

"Try not to worry," he said, mistaking my silence for acceptance. "I'll make sure everything is safe."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak without revealing how unconvinced I was.

\---

Sleep eluded me that night. While Kieran's breathing deepened beside me, I stared at the ceiling, my mind racing with possibilities, each more alarming than the last. The clock on the nightstand showed 2:17 AM when I finally gave up, slipping out of bed and into a warm sweater.

I padded silently through the quiet corridors of the pack house. My guards would be changing shifts now—a small window where I could move undetected if I was careful. I needed space to think, away from watchful eyes and well-meaning reassurances.

The night air was crisp against my skin as I stepped onto the grounds. Autumn was arriving early this year, bringing with it a chill that seemed to mirror my unease. I walked without destination, simply letting my feet carry me through the sleeping compound.

Eventually, I found myself at the library—an old stone building that housed centuries of pack knowledge. Perhaps there was something here that could help me understand what was happening.

The door creaked slightly as I pushed it open. Inside, moonlight streamed through tall windows, illuminating rows of books and scrolls. I moved deeper into the library, trailing my fingers along leather-bound spines.

What was I even looking for? Something about rare fur colors, perhaps. My white fur had drawn attention since I was a child, marking me as different even among my own kind. My grandmother had told me stories of our bloodline, of the power and responsibility that came with it. But she had died before telling me everything.

I found a section on wolf genetics and pulled out several promising volumes. Settling into a worn armchair near a window, I began to read.

Hours passed as I sifted through information—most of it familiar, some of it new. My white fur was indeed rare, linked to an ancient bloodline with heightened abilities and strength. But there was something else, something hinted at but never fully explained in the texts before me.

My eyelids grew heavy as the night deepened. The words blurred on the page, and despite my determination, sleep began to claim me. My last conscious thought was that I was missing something important—a crucial piece of the puzzle that would explain why I was being hunted.

In my dreams, I was running through endless forests, pursued by shadowy figures. I couldn't see them, but I could feel their presence closing in. Just as they were about to catch me, strong arms wrapped around me from behind. The touch was so real, so warm that it pulled me from the nightmare.

I blinked, disoriented, to find myself still in the library chair but now enveloped in a familiar embrace. The scent of pine and musk told me who it was before I even looked up.

"My dear Luna," Kieran's voice was soft but held a note of reproach, "shouldn't you be in our bed now? Why are you here?"

The gentleness in his tone contrasted with the intensity in his eyes. He'd found me. Despite my careful planning, despite slipping past the guards, he'd tracked me down.

Irritation flashed through me, clearing the fog of sleep. I straightened in the chair, my face hardening with defiance.

"I couldn't sleep," I said, making no attempt to hide the frustration in my voice. "And apparently I can't have a moment to myself either."

Kieran's gaze fell to the books scattered around me. "Rare fur colors?" he read from an open page. "Is this what's keeping you up at night?"

"I'm trying to understand why they're hunting me," I retorted. "Since no one else seems to have answers."

He crouched beside the chair, bringing himself to my eye level. "By sneaking away from your guards? By putting yourself at risk?"

"I was in the library, not running through the forest," I snapped. "And I'm not a child who needs constant supervision."

"No," he agreed, his voice softening. "You're my mate. And when I woke to find you gone, with no scent trail for the guards to follow..."

The genuine concern in his voice made my anger falter. I hadn't considered how my disappearance might affect him, especially given our current threats.

"I just needed space to think," I said, less defensively. "To find answers."

Kieran reached for one of the books. "And did you? Find answers?"

I shook my head, frustration returning. "Not enough. There's something about my bloodline, something important that everyone seems to know except me."