Chapter 9

The moment Kael left, the room felt too small, too suffocating.

His words still echoed in my mind, a dark warning curling around my ribs like chains.

"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."

It was a threat, but also a dare.

Because Kael knew me. He knew that nothing he said would stop me.

And he was right.

I wasn’t staying.

I wasn’t going to be his prisoner or his responsibility.

He might have dragged me back here, but I still had a choice.

I was going to leave.

The night air was crisp and sharp as I slid out the window, my body moving on pure instinct. I landed silently on the damp earth, crouching low, scanning the area.

Most of the warriors were still stationed near the front gates—Kael had made sure of that. He was expecting me to try the obvious route.

But I wasn’t stupid.

I had spent years surviving on my own, learning to outthink, outmaneuver, and disappear when needed.

The forest at the back of the pack’s territory was my best shot. Dense, dark, and nearly impossible to track scents in if I moved fast enough.

I sprinted.

The cold bit at my skin, but I ignored it, my feet barely making a sound as I dodged between the trees. My wolf stirred inside me, alert, uneasy.

I had made it past the training grounds, past the outer cabins. If I could just reach the river, I could mask my scent and—

A shadow moved ahead of me.

I skidded to a halt, my breath catching in my throat.

Too late.

A dark figure emerged from the trees, moving with predatory grace, blocking my path.

Not Kael.

Someone else.

A warrior, judging by his build. Tall, broad-shouldered, dangerous. His wolf eyes glowed faintly in the dark, trained right on me.

I took a step back.

He smiled. “Going somewhere, little wolf?”

His voice sent warning bells ringing through my body.

I didn’t recognize him, and that was the problem. I had memorized every wolf in Kael’s pack, but this man… he wasn’t one of them.

And that meant only one thing.

He wasn’t Kael’s.

He was theirs.

A spy.

A Northern Clans wolf.

My stomach dropped.

I turned to run, but the second I moved, more shadows appeared, stepping from the trees.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Shit.

A slow chuckle echoed through the darkness.

“You really made this easy for us,” the leader—the first man who spoke—said, stepping closer. His dark hair was cropped short, his face sharpened by cruelty.

I tensed, forcing myself to stay calm. “You were waiting for me.”

His smile widened. “We knew you wouldn’t stay put for long.”

Kael had been right.

I had walked right into their trap.

“You should’ve left well enough alone,” I said, my voice steady. “Kael won’t let you take me.”

The man’s golden eyes gleamed. “Who said we need to take you? We just need to make sure you don’t leave this forest.”

My fingers curled into fists.

They weren’t here to kidnap me.

They were here to kill me.

The first one moved fast.

I barely dodged, twisting to the side as claws sliced through the air where I had just been standing. My wolf snarled inside me, burning to shift, but I couldn’t. Not outnumbered like this.

I grabbed a fallen branch, swinging it hard, cracking it across the closest wolf’s face.

He stumbled back, cursing.

The second came at me from the left—I ducked, ramming my elbow into his ribs before twisting away.

But there were too many.

I felt it before I saw it—the crushing force of a blow slamming into my ribs, knocking the air from my lungs.

I hit the ground hard, gasping, dirt in my mouth, the world spinning.

A boot pressed against my chest, pinning me down.

I fought, but he was stronger.

“You should’ve stayed in your cage, little wolf,” the leader sneered, pressing harder.

My vision blurred.

No.

I had survived too much to die here.

I gathered every ounce of strength left in my body, ready to bite, claw, do anything—

Then the snarling started.

It was deep, violent, full of raw fury.

A flash of dark fur, a blur of golden eyes.

Then—chaos.

Kael.

He hit the first wolf so hard his body snapped sideways, bones shattering on impact.

Before the others could react, Kael shifted mid-air, his massive black wolf ripping through them like they were nothing.

Blood sprayed.

Snarls filled the air.

And then, just as fast as it had started, it was over.

I gasped, struggling to sit up as Kael’s wolf stood over me, chest heaving, his muzzle dripping with blood.

His eyes locked onto mine.

Then, with a shudder, he shifted back.

Kael stood there, breathless, furious, completely naked—but I didn’t have time to care.

He grabbed my face, tilting my chin up, his touch rough, demanding.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he snapped, his voice raw, furious.

I could barely breathe. “I was...”

“You were walking straight into death.”

His grip tightened slightly, his thumbs brushing over my jaw. His entire body was shaking.

Not just from anger.

From fear.

Kael had been scared.

Of losing me.

I swallowed hard, hating the way my heart betrayed me.

“Why do you care?” I whispered.

Kael’s eyes darkened.

And then—he kissed me.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle.

It was furious, punishing, raw.

And I let him.

For one breath, one heartbeat, one moment.

I let myself fall.

Then, just as fast as he kissed me, he pulled away, his breathing ragged.

His gaze burned into mine.

“This,” he growled, voice thick, wild, “changes nothing.”

I laughed bitterly, still gasping for air. “You keep telling yourself that, Alpha.”

His jaw clenched.

Then, without another word, he hauled me into his arms and carried me back.

Back to the pack.

Back to him.

And I knew, without a doubt—Kael wasn’t letting me go again.

No matter how hard I fought.