Chapter 8

I couldn’t sleep.

The note sat on the bedside table, its message burned into my mind.

"You are not safe here. Leave before it’s too late."

Someone in Kael’s pack wanted me gone. The question was—who? And more importantly, why now?

The pack had no reason to care about me, much less warn me. Most of them saw me as a disgrace, the rejected mate who had run from her fate. If anything, I expected them to celebrate my suffering, not try to help me.

Unless…

Unless this wasn’t meant as a warning—but a threat.

I needed to find out.

I threw on a dark cloak, pulling the hood up to cover my scent as much as possible. Then, carefully, I pushed the door open, stepping into the dimly lit hallway.

The packhouse was quiet, the lingering scent of embers from the dying hearth filling the air. Most of the warriors had long gone to bed after training. Even Kael had disappeared into his own quarters, leaving me alone.

Or so I thought.

A low voice drifted from the war room near the end of the hall.

I stilled.

Kael.

And he wasn’t alone.

I crept forward, pressing my back against the wall as I neared the open doorway. The room was dark except for a single lantern casting long shadows against the wooden floor.

Kael’s Beta—Ronan—stood near the table, arms crossed, his expression tight.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Ronan muttered.

My breath caught.

They were talking about me.

Kael didn’t respond immediately, his golden eyes fixed on the map spread across the table. His fingers traced the outline of the pack’s borders, where small wooden figures marked potential enemy movements.

“The Northern Clans are moving faster than we anticipated,” Kael said instead, ignoring Ronan’s statement. “They’ve already infiltrated the outer villages. If we don’t act soon, we’ll be at war before the next full moon.”

Ronan exhaled sharply. “And you think keeping her here is the best way to prepare for war? You’ve barely been yourself since she returned.”

Kael’s jaw ticked. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” Ronan challenged. “She weakens you, Kael. Everyone sees it. She’s a distraction.”

I clenched my fists.

A distraction?

Kael’s hand slammed onto the table, rattling the pieces. “She is the mother of my children.”

Ronan didn’t flinch. “She is also the woman you rejected. And you expect everyone to follow you blindly when you can’t even make a decision about her?”

The air in the room grew thick with tension.

Kael exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair before finally meeting Ronan’s gaze. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” Ronan stepped closer. “Because if you ask me, I think you’re afraid.”

I stilled.

Kael’s expression darkened. “Of what?”

Ronan smirked. “Of the fact that you still want her.”

Silence.

A silence so heavy, so suffocating, I thought it would crush me.

Kael didn’t deny it.

He didn’t say anything.

And that… was worse.

I turned sharply, heart pounding, moving before I could even think.

I had heard enough.

I slipped back into the hallway, my pulse racing as I rushed toward my room. I needed to get out of here. Now.

Kael might think he could keep me locked away like a prisoner, but I had spent years surviving on my own. And I wasn’t about to stop now.

I threw open my window, glancing at the trees below. If I timed it right, I could—

A low growl rumbled behind me.

I froze.

The temperature in the room shifted, the very air charged with something primal, something inescapable.

Slowly, I turned.

Kael stood in the doorway.

His golden eyes burned in the dark, his presence like a living storm, swirling and impossible to ignore.

“You were listening,” he said, his voice quiet—too quiet.

I lifted my chin, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Would you rather I pretend I didn’t hear the truth?”

Kael stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey.

“You think that was the truth?” he murmured.

I refused to back down. “I think you’re terrified of what happens if you let yourself want me again.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Don’t test me, Ayla.”

I laughed bitterly. “What’s wrong, Alpha? You don’t like being reminded that you had me and threw me away?”

Kael moved so fast I barely had time to react.

One second, I was standing. The next, my back was against the wall, Kael’s hands braced on either side of me, his body pressing into mine.

I sucked in a breath, my wolf howling inside me, my entire body on fire.

Kael’s golden eyes glowed, his breath uneven.

“Careful, little wolf,” he whispered, his voice low, dangerous.

I swallowed hard, but I refused to let him win.

“Or what?” I challenged. “You’ll reject me again?”

His entire body tensed.

And for one terrifying, intoxicating second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Instead, he pushed away abruptly, his breath sharp, his control barely holding.

"You want to run?" he muttered, not looking at me now.

I hesitated.

Kael’s lips curled into something dark. Cold.

"Fine. Go. Run."

I frowned, confused by the sudden shift.

But then he turned, and his next words sent ice through my veins.

"Just know that the moment you step outside these borders, the Northern Clans will smell you. They will find you. And I won’t be there to stop them."

He didn’t wait for my response.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Leaving me alone with a choice I never wanted to make.