Chapter 73 My Protection
DAHILA’S POV
The forest swallowed us whole.
Each step deeper felt like stepping into a world that didn’t belong to the one we’d just escaped. The air was colder here, heavier, as though it carried secrets it refused to share. Even the light struggled to reach us, thin rays slipping through the dense canopy like they were afraid of what lurked below.
I tightened my hold on the pups.
Libby rested against my shoulder, her small fingers curled into my tunic. Lily walked close at my side, her hand locked in mine, while Liam stayed alert, his gaze constantly shifting, watching everything the way Dagnoth did.
It scared me a little… how quickly he was learning.
“Stay behind me,” Dagnoth said quietly, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. He didn’t look back this time. His focus was entirely ahead, every muscle in his body coiled tight.
“You sense something?” I asked.
A pause.
Then, “We’re not alone.”
My heart skipped.
The forest suddenly felt too quiet.
No birds.
No rustling.
Nothing.
Lily squeezed my hand tighter. “I don’t like it here,” she whispered.
“I know,” I murmured, brushing her hair back gently. “Just stay close, okay?”
Liam stepped a little closer to Dagnoth. “Is it bad people?” he asked.
Dagnoth finally glanced back, his expression softening just a fraction. “Not close,” he said. “But close enough to be careful.”
That didn’t comfort me.
Not even a little.
We kept moving, slower now. More cautious. Every step deliberate.
Then—
A snap.
The sound of a branch breaking somewhere behind us.
I froze.
The pups did too.
Dagnoth turned instantly, his movement sharp, predatory. His eyes darkened, scanning the trees.
“Dagnoth…” I whispered.
“Quiet.”
The word wasn’t harsh, but it carried weight. Authority. Protection.
I pressed the pups closer, my pulse roaring in my ears.
Another sound.
Closer this time.
Liam’s grip on my hand tightened. “They’re here,” he whispered.
Dagnoth stepped in front of us fully now, placing himself between us and the forest behind. His stance shifted, ready.
“Show yourself,” he called, his voice low but commanding.
Silence.
Then a figure stepped out from the trees.
Then another.
And another.
Three men.
Not Kael’s.
I knew it instantly.
They moved differently. Less brute force… more precision. Their eyes were sharp, calculating, and the way they spread out slightly told me everything I needed to know.
Hunters.
My stomach dropped.
Dagnoth’s expression hardened. “I was right,” he muttered. “You’re not his men.”
One of them smirked. “Smart.”
His gaze flicked past Dagnoth… landing on me.
Then the pups.
Something dark lit in his eyes.
“They didn’t tell us the prize came with extras,” he added.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Stay behind me,” Dagnoth said again, quieter this time—but firmer.
I didn’t argue.
Couldn’t.
My body had already gone cold with fear.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
The man tilted his head. “You.”
Of course.
It was always me.
Dagnoth let out a low, dangerous sound. “You don’t get to walk away if you take another step.”
The man laughed softly. “We’re not here to fight you, Lycan.”
“Then leave.”
“We can’t.”
That was all the warning we got.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
But not faster than Dagnoth.
He lunged forward, intercepting the first one before he could even get close. The force of the impact sent them both crashing into the ground, a snarl ripping from Dagnoth’s chest as he struck.
“Run!” he barked.
My instincts screamed to stay.
But the pups—
I grabbed them.
“Come on!” I urged, pulling them with me as we stumbled deeper into the trees.
Behind us, the sounds of the fight exploded.
Grunts.
Crashes.
The unmistakable sound of power colliding.
Lily started crying. “Dahila—”
“It’s okay!” I said quickly, even though it wasn’t. “Just keep moving!”
Liam looked back, panic flashing across his face. “We can’t leave him!”
“He told us to go!”
Libby clung tighter to me, trembling.
We hadn’t gone far when—
A shadow dropped in front of us.
I skidded to a halt.
One of them.
How—
My breath caught.
He smiled slowly. “You really thought you could run?”
I stepped back, pulling the pups behind me.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking but firm. “Don’t come any closer.”
He didn’t listen.
Of course he didn’t.
He stepped forward.
And I realized something terrifying—
Dagnoth wasn’t here.
For the first time since this started…
We were unprotected.
Lily whimpered.
Liam stepped in front of us suddenly, his small body rigid. “Leave her alone!” he shouted.
My heart shattered and swelled at the same time.
“Liam, no—”
The man chuckled. “Brave.”
He reached out—
And then—
A force slammed into him from the side.
He flew.
Literally flew—crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.
I gasped.
Dagnoth.
He stood there, breathing hard, eyes glowing with something wild… something dangerous. There was blood on him—some his, most not.
“You don’t touch them,” he said, his voice no longer calm.
It was lethal.
The man groaned, trying to stand—
Dagnoth didn’t let him.
Within seconds, it was over.
Too fast.
Too brutal.
Too final.
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Dagnoth turned to us immediately, his expression shifting the moment his eyes landed on the pups.
Soft again.
Gentle.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
I shook my head quickly. “No… we’re okay.”
Lily ran to him, throwing her arms around his leg. “You came back,” she sniffled.
Something in his face broke just slightly.
“I told you,” he murmured, resting a hand on her head. “I do not leave.”
Liam looked up at him, awe clear in his eyes. “You’re really strong.”
Dagnoth huffed quietly. “I have to be.”
Libby reached for him next, and for a second, he hesitated… like he wasn’t used to it.
Then he lifted her gently.
Carefully.
Like she was something fragile.
Something precious.
I watched them, my chest tightening.
“You were right,” I said softly. “This isn’t just Kael.”
Dagnoth’s expression darkened again, though his hold on Libby remained gentle.
“No,” he said. “It’s bigger than him.”
“How big?” I asked.
His eyes met mine.
“Big enough that they sent hunters after you,” he replied. “That means you’re more important than you think.”
A chill ran through me.
“I don’t want to be important,” I whispered.
His gaze softened.
“I know,” he said quietly. “But you are.”
A pause.
Then he added, more firmly—
“And now… they know where to find you.”
My heart dropped.
Liam frowned. “Then we hide better,” he said simply.
Dagnoth looked at him… and for the first time, a real smile appeared.
“Exactly,” he said.
He adjusted Libby in his arms, then extended his free hand toward Lily… and then toward me.
“Come,” he said. “We don’t stop now.”
I took his hand, despite the entire sitaue and I felt a jolt vibrate through out my entire body.