Chapter 10

Split Loyalties (Darius’ POV)

Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A deep, burning throb in my ribs and a sharp sting slicing through my side. My eyes flew open, and the scent of blood and pine needles hit me hard.

The forest canopy swayed above me, sunlight stabbing through in shards. I tried to move, but my body didn’t respond the way I wanted.

“Alpha, don’t—” a voice said, rough and urgent. Arms caught me just before I could fall sideways.

I blinked and focused. Caleb. His brow was furrowed, lips tight. Behind him, a few more pack members stood in a loose circle, their expressions ranging from concern to something colder. Judgment.

“How long?” I rasped, my throat dry as sand.

“Six hours. We followed your scent as soon as we felt the break in the link,” Caleb said. “Found you bleeding out deep in the woods. You’re lucky to be alive.”

I cursed under my breath. “Where is she?”

Caleb hesitated. That pause told me everything I didn’t want to hear.

“Gone. Kael took her.”My claws extended without warning. The rage tore through me, wiping away the pain for a moment. “He took her?”

Caleb nodded, and this time his eyes didn’t hide the storm inside them. “Some of the pack say she went willingly.”

That’s a lie.” I pushed off him, nearly staggering again. “She was hurt and Kael took her.”

“You were the one who let your guard down. You were supposed to protect her.” That voice didn’t come from Caleb.It was Mira.

Her arms were folded across her chest, and the disgust in her tone sliced deeper than any wound I’d taken from Astrid’s wolves.

“She is important to us,” she said. “And you weren’t strong enough to stop him.”

I locked eyes with her. “You think I don’t know that?”

The others exchanged looks, shifting uneasily. Pack tension was like a crack in the ice—you could ignore it for a while, but sooner or later, someone would fall through.

“Don’t just stand there,” I barked. “Track them. He can’t have gotten far.”“We tried. Kael’s scent vanishes past the northern ridge. He’s masking it somehow,” Caleb said.“Try harder.”

A low growl echoed among the trees. Mira took a step forward, her eyes glowing gold. “We are trying, Darius. But half of the warriors think you’ve already failed. That maybe you were never meant to lead.”

My hands curled into fists. “Anyone who questions my leadership can challenge me the proper way.”“That’s not what they want,” she said. “They just want you to get her.”So did I.

But the more I stayed here, battered and bleeding, the more a sinking dread built in my gut.What if Alice didn’t want to come back?I turned away before they could read it on my face. “Send scouts in three directions. Caleb, take the east ridge. I want reports every hour. Mira, stay here and keep the others in line.”“And if they don’t stay in line?”

I glanced at her over my shoulder. “Remind them who I am.”

She didn’t argue. Just nodded, her face hardening into something unreadable.

The walk back to the camp was a blur of pain and fury. My ribs throbbed with each step, but I welcomed the sting. It kept me grounded. Alive. I needed to be both if I had any hope of getting her back.Inside my cabin, I collapsed into the chair near the hearth and ripped open my blood-soaked shirt. The gash across my side looked worse than I thought. Astrid’s wolves had nearly gutted me.

“She meant to kill me,” I muttered to no one.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Enter,” I growled.

Luca stepped in, young and eager, his eyes wide with barely contained worry. “Alpha, I brought this.”He handed me a steaming bowl of healing broth and a thick cloth.“Thanks,” I said, more gruffly than I meant to. He didn’t flinch.“She… she really went with him?”I didn’t answer right away.

I stared into the fire and saw her face. The panic in her eyes when she looked at me that last time. The way Kael had carried her away while threatening me to stay away.

“She’s not herself,” I said finally. “She’s scared. He’s using that.”“Some think he’s her true mate.”

I shot him a look so sharp, he took a step back.

“She is mine,” I said.But even I heard the doubt under my words.

After Luca left, I sat in silence for what felt like hours. Every time I closed my eyes, memories slammed into me. Of our connection.

How she trusted me to protect her. How she faced me and Kael without fear. How I started to crave her more than I needed her power .

Now, I was losing her.

No—I had already lost her.I stood abruptly, ignoring the ache in my bones, and stalked to the war room.Inside, the map spread across the table stared back like a silent enemy. I slammed my palm against it.“She’s out there. And she’s in danger,” I muttered.My beta arrived within minutes. “Updates?” I asked before he could speak.“Still nothing. Kael’s too good.”

“I want every tracker we have out there by dawn. No excuses.”

“What if she doesn’t want to come back?”

The question wasn’t a challenge. It was quiet, but it cut deep.

“I don’t care,” I said, voice low. “He can’t have her.”

I paused, then ran a hand through my hair.

“She matters. To this pack. To me.”The beta nodded and left.

Alone again, I wondered what the right move to make right now would be. The immortal wolf had laid claim on Alice. But I won't let him have her. The night air was colder than usual, thick with tension as I stepped outside. Torches flickered in the wind. Warriors moved in tight groups, whispering. Planning.

They looked to me for guidance.I gave them orders.I barked commands.

But none of it filled the emptiness I felt from my failure.

“Find her,” I whispered to the wind.

Later, when the others were asleep or pretending to be, I stood at the edge of the forest and stared out at the dark.

“She’s mine,” I whispered.

Not because of some bond or prophecy. Not because I was Alpha.Because I wanted her.

Because I’d die before letting her fall into Kael’s darkness.

I didn’t know if she would choose me. If she would even believe me after I had let her down.

But I knew one thing.I wasn’t giving up.Not now.

Not ever.

I clenched my fists and turned back to camp.The war had just begun.And even if the whole pack turned against me, I’d stand alone to bring her home.As I stepped into the shadows of my cabin, I made a vow.“I’ll win her trust back,” I murmured. “I’ll win her back.”

The wind shifted.

A faint howl rose in the distance, cold and haunting.I froze.Not just any howl.Astrid’s wolves.

They were on the move.

And I had a feeling they weren’t just hunting Alice anymore.

They were coming for all of us.