Chapter 143 Chapter 143

Chapter 143 Chapter 143
Rose’s POV

We got to the horses—two of them. Kavian quickly helped me get on top of one, his hands firm but trembling with urgency. Laura scrambled up behind me, clutching my waist, and all the while my heart slammed against my ribs in a wild, dizzy adrenaline rush.

“I will be behind you,” he said.

“I love you,” I told him, the words slipping out in a shaky whisper before I could second-guess them. He leaned in, pressing a quick, desperate kiss to my lips.

“I love you too.”
Then sharply—“Go now!”

I started riding, urging the horse forward, and behind us I could hear voices—shouts growing sharper, closer. It felt like they’d already discovered everything—that we were escaping, that Kavian had betrayed them—and the fear that rose in me wasn’t even for myself.

What would they do to him?
He’d said he would be behind us, but I couldn’t see him. The path behind us was swallowed in shadow.
Had they already caught him?
My stomach twisted painfully.

“Rose! Ride faster!” Laura snapped, her voice slicing through my spiraling thoughts. I shook myself back to focus and pushed the horse harder. The wind slapped my face, but every few seconds I still turned my head, searching—checking if we were being chased… or if Kavian was coming.

No one appeared. But the echoes of men shouting still threaded through the trees.

After some distance, our pace naturally slowed. Everything had gone eerily quiet—just tall trees surrounding us, thick bushes brushing the horses’ sides. The silence felt too heavy, too sudden.

“I think we have lost them,” I said, trying to catch my breath even though the horse was doing the work.

“This whole thing doesn’t make any sense. Why would your mates’ people be chasing us?” Laura asked, sounding both angry and breathless.

“Kavian’s mom is very sick,” I said. Laura blinked at me, confused.

“So? How does that explain why they are chasing us?”

“They want me to heal her.”

“Oh.” She paused. “Did you refuse?”

“Of course not. I would love to heal her—I want to heal her. But I don’t think their father wants to take any chances. That’s why he wants me to return with them to their hometown today and had his men keep an eye on me.”

“That’s kidnapping,” Laura snapped. “What kind of father is that? Wife sick or not, he has no right to force you to do anything. You’re his sons’ mate for crying out loud. Speaking of that, why is it only Kavian that offered to help? Where were his brothers? Or are they taking their father’s side?”

I had no answer. Kavian was the only one who seemed worried about what this meant for me. His brothers… they looked too afraid of offending their father to even speak.

I parted my lips to reply, but suddenly—hooves thundered behind us. Men burst from the trees, surrounding us before I could blink. Kavian’s father’s men.

“Fuck!”
We’d been too caught up in our discussion to sense them closing in.

“My lady, you have to return back with us by the order of the Alpha King,” one of the men said.

And just like that, the hope we’d been clinging to shattered around us.

“She is not going anywhere with you guys!” Laura snapped, jumping down from the horse before I could even open my mouth. Her stance was solid, protective—like a shield thrown in front of me.

“We do not have any business with you,” the man said calmly, though his eyes hardened. “So I will advise you to stay out of this. We are only here for your friend. You can leave.”

“I am not going anywhere without Rose,” Laura fired back, chin lifted, fearless. “So you and your men should get out of the way so we can pass.”

“I do not want to do this the hard way,” the man replied, now directing his focus toward me. “You are our special guest, and we don’t want to harm you. But you have to come with us, or else… I’m afraid we will have to use force.”

“If she is your special guest, then respect her wishes. She doesn’t want to go with you,” Laura countered, not budging an inch.

“Sorry. I can’t do that. We have orders,” he said flatly.

“Then you’ll have to go through me,” Laura said.

The man studied her for a few seconds before lifting two fingers and signaling his men forward. Six of them stepped toward us—silent, heavy, deadly.

Laura moved before they could reach us. She attacked first, all instinct and fury, fighting like something wild and desperate. She swung, kicked, clawed—doing everything she could to keep them away from me.

But there were too many. Six men circling, grabbing, overpowering her until they had her pinned and restrained despite her thrashing.

“Run, Rose! Run!” she screamed, her voice raw with effort.

My hands tightened on the reins. My heart screamed at me to flee, but my body wouldn’t move. I couldn’t leave her.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” she yelled again, struggling violently against the grip on her.

“If you want your friend not to be hurt,” the man said, stepping closer with a cold, gleaming dagger, “you will surrender yourself to us and come with us. Or else…”

The blade hovered near her neck.

“Stop!” My voice cracked. “Alright—I will come with you.”

His lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. “That’s a wise decision.”

He gestured for his men, and two immediately came toward me. I stayed where I was, frozen, letting them lift me down from the horse.

“Okay, I’ve done what you asked. Let my friend go,” I said, my chest tightening.

“She looks like she would cause a lot of trouble,” he replied. “So my men will free her when we are away from her reach. I promise you she won’t be hurt.”

I didn’t know whether to trust him, but I forced myself to nod.

His men carried me to one of their horses while Laura continued to fight, her voice hoarse from shouting my name.

“Don’t worry, Laura, you will be fine,” I called out, even though my stomach twisted at the uncertainty. “It’s me they want. Just go home when they set you free!”

They mounted me onto a horse with one of the men seated behind me, his grip firm around my waist to prevent any chance of escape, and then they began riding back toward the camp—swift, silent, and determined.

I was feeling so down and sad as they were taking me away. It felt like all of Kavian’s sacrifices—every risk he took, every guard he knocked unconscious—had been wasted, and now I was being taken straight back to the camp like none of it mattered. My chest felt heavy, my thoughts tangled with guilt and fear.

However, all of a sudden, the horses slowed… then stopped completely, the men tensing as if something—or someone—was blocking their path.

And then that familiar, intoxicating scent hit my nose. It struck through my despair like lightning, lifting my head before I even realized I was moving.

That’s when I saw him.
Kavian—sitting tall on his horse, blocking their path, jaw hard, eyes burning with fury. My spirit came alive at the sight of him.

“Kavian…” I breathed, barely a whisper.

“Alpha Kavian…” the leader of the men called out, his voice suddenly tight with nerves.

“Unhand my mate this moment,” Kavian ordered, every word sharp enough to cut steel.

“I mean no disrespect, Alpha Kavian,” the man said, swallowing hard, “but I’m sorry—we can’t do that. We have orders from your father, the Alpha, to bring her to him.”

“If any of you value your lives,” Kavian growled, “you will let her go this minute.”

The man hesitated. “I know she is your mate, but… will you really disregard the order of your own father and Alpha?”

Silence. Heavy. Electric.
Kavian didn’t blink.

“Last warning,” he said coldly. “Let her go.”

The men glanced at one another—fear flickering in their eyes, but duty anchoring them in place.

“You leave us no choice then,” the leader said, drawing his sword with a metallic hiss. “I am willing to fight against you to obey the Alpha King.”

The others followed, steel flashing as they drew their weapons.

“There will be no fighting here,” Kavian said, dropping from his horse with lethal calm. “Only your deaths.”

“For the Alpha King!” the man shouted, and he and his men charged toward Kavian on their horses—
all except the one carrying me.