Chapter 6: Six

Karina’s pov

“Wait… what?” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them as I stared at him in confusion, my heart sudenly racing as I tried to Understand if I had truly heard him right or if my mind was just playing tricks on me after everything that had happened

“You heard me,” he said calmly, his voice steady and firm like it wasn’t something he needed to explain further, like it was already decided and there was no changing it

“I don’t understand, why would you say that?” I asked, shaking my head slowly as my fingers tightened around the hospital sheets, my chest rising and falling unevenly. “I’m your enemy”

“You were,” he corrected without hesitation, his eyes not leaving mine. “Now you’re just someone who showed up at my border half-dead”

“That doesn’t change anything,” I said quickly, my voice coming out sharper than I expeted as I sat up a little straighter despite the slight pain in my head. “I’m from the Silverfang pack, rogues and packs don’t mix, everyone knows that”

A faint smirk touched his lips, but his eyes remained cold and unredable, making it hard to tell what he was really thinking

“You’re not acting like someone who still belongs there,” he said, and those words hit me harder than I expected, making my chest tighten painfully as I immediately looked away from him

“I told you,” I muttered more quietly now, my voice losing its earlier sharness as I stared down at my hands. “I don’t belong anywhere”

For a moment, the room fell silent, the kind of silence that felt heavy and suffocating, like it was pressing down on me from all sides, and then I heard his footsteps as he began to move closer, slow and steady, each step making my heart beat faster.

“You’re wrong,” he said, stopping beside the bed, his presence suddenly overwheming, making it hard to even breathe properly

I hesitated before looking up at him, my eyes meeting his as I felt something strange stir deep inside me, something my wolf hadn’t done in a long time

“You just haven’t decided where you belong yet,” he added, his voice lower now but still just as firm

“And you think that place is here, with rogues?” I asked, my brows furrwing slightly as confusion mixed with disbelief

“I don’t think,” he replied simply. “I know”

There was something about the way he said it, something so certain and unshaken that it made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t understand, like a small part of me wanted to believe him even though I knew I shouldn’t

“You don’t even know me,” I said, my voice softer now but still filled with doubt

“I know enough,” he responded, his gaze briefly dropping to the bandage around my head before returning to my eyes. “You survived a week unconscious, most wouldn’t, you ran through feral territory and didn’t die, that alone tells me you’re stronger than you think”

A bitter laugh left my lips as I shook my head slowly

“You don’t know anything about me,” I said, my voice almost breaking as I tried to hold myself together,“Strength isn’t something I’ve ever had”

“That’s where you’re wrong again,” he said, his tone softening just slightly, though it still carried that same edge that made it impossible to ignore him

“You were weak where you came from because they made you believe you were, that doesn’t mean it’s true,” he continued, and this time I froze completely, his words sinking deep into me in a way that made it hard to breathe

Memories rushed through my mind all at once, the whispers, the mockin, the way they looked at me like I was nothing, like I didn’t matter, like I was just someone to be pushed aside

My fingers curled tightly into fists as I tried to push those memories away

“I was their Luna,” I said slowly, my voice low and heavy. “And still… I meant nothing”

He didn’t respond immediately, instead he pulled the chair closer and sat down, leaning forward slightly as his eyes stayed on me, watching me like he was trying to understand something deeper

“That’s their failure, not yours,” he said finally, and for a moment I didn’t know what to say because there was no pity in his voice, no mockery, just something steady and real that made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t explain

“You don’t get it,” I whispered, my eyes dropping again as fear crept back in. “If anyone finds out I’m here, your pack will be in danger”

“My pack is always in danger,” he said bluntly, like it was nothing new to him.a

“That’s not what I mean,” I said quickly, shaking my head as my voice rose slightly. “If the Silverfang finds out—”

“They won’t,” he cut in, his tone firm and final, sending a small shiver dow my spine

“And even if they do, I don’t run from threats,” he added, his eyes locking onto mine again, and this time there was something darker in them, something dangerous

“You’re making a mistake,” I muttered, though my voice lacked conviction

“Maybe,” he said with a small shrug. “But it’s my mistake to make”

I stared at him, completely confused, my thoughts spinning as I tried to understand why he was doing this, why he would take such a risk for someone like me

“You can stay here until you recover,” he continued, standing up from the chair as he stepped back slightly. “After that, you can choose”

“Choose?” I repeated, my brows knitting together

“Yes,” he said, turning slightly toward the door before pausing. “You can leave, or you can stay and become one of us”

One of them

A rogue

The word echoed in my mind, bringing with it everything I had ever been taught to fear, everything I had been warned about since I was young

“What if I say no?” I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper

“Then you leave,” he replied simply. “No one will stop you.

I blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer

“That’s it?” I asked, my voice filled with disbelief.

“That’s it”

“You’re just going to let me walk away like that?” I pressed, suspicion creeping into my tone

He glanced back at me over his shoulder, his expression unreadable

“If you were a threat, you wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he said, and a chill ran down my spine at how certain he sounded

“And if I stay?” I asked, my voice softer now, almost hesitant

This time he turned fully to face me again, his eyes darkening slightly

“Then you train, you fight, you earn your place,” he said slowly, each word sinking deep into me

“And you stop being weak,” he added, and instead of feeling offended, I felt something else, something heavier, because deep down I knew he was right

Silence filled the room once more as my mind raced, torn between leaving and going back to nothing or staying and becoming something I had never imagined

He reached for the door handle, then paused again

“One more thing,” he said without turning

I held my breath, waiting

“No one here will care who you used to be, only who you decide to become,” he said, and then he walked out, leaving me alone with those words echoing loudly in my mind

I sat there staring at the empty doorway, my heart still racing as his voice replayed over and over again in my head, my fingers tightening around the sheets as a strange feeling settled deep inside me.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like I actually had a choice, and somehow that scared me more than anything else.

But it made me anticipate my transformation, this time I’ll get stronger and exact my revenge on those that made me feel small

“Just wait and see chase, I’ll bring you to your knees soon “ I mutter