Chapter 15 Fifteen

Chapter 15 Fifteen
Chapter 15 

Ella’s POV

“Keep moving,” Nolan said, his voice sharp but low.
I could barely feel my legs. Each step sent knives of pain up my ribs. The forest had grown thicker, darker like it was trying to hide us from the world. Or swallow us whole.

“He’s still following,” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder. “I can feel him.”

Nolan didn’t look back. “I know.”

His tone was calm, but his hand on my wrist was shaking. The air was thick with tension so heavy I could almost taste it. Sam’s howl still echoed faintly in the distance, a promise of what would happen if he caught me.

“Do you think he’ll stop at the border?” I asked.

Nolan hesitated. “He’s an Alpha. He’ll break every rule before he lets you go.”

I swallowed hard. “Then we’re already dead.”

“Not yet,” he said, tugging me through a narrow gap between two huge rocks. “There’s a patrol not far ahead. Once we reach them, you’ll be safe.”

Safe. The word felt foreign. I hadn’t been safe in years.

We emerged into a small clearing bathed in silver light. The wind carried the faint scent of Green Wood wolves: earthy, herbal, familiar. I’d crossed their borders once as a prisoner, but now I was here as something else. A fugitive. A mother trying to survive.

Before I could say anything, movement flickered at the edge of the clearing. Two men stepped out, their eyes glowing faintly amber.

“Nolan?” one of them called. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

Nolan released my hand and raised both arms. “It’s me, Caleb. We’ve got trouble.”

The second man’s gaze landed on me. His nostrils flared. “She’s from Wood Valley.”

“She’s not with them,” Nolan said quickly. “She escaped.”

“Escaped?” Caleb frowned. “From Sam?”

“Yes,” Nolan snapped. “Now lower your damn claws and help us before,”

A low, rumbling growl cut him off.

My blood ran cold.

The sound came from behind us.

Nolan spun around. “No…”

Sam stepped out of the shadows, eyes glowing like fire. His shirt was torn, his chest heaving, his aura thick with fury. He looked less like a man and more like a storm given flesh.

“Ella,” he said, voice hoarse but clear. “Come here.”

My whole body locked up. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs.

Nolan moved in front of me, blocking Sam’s view. “She’s under Green Wood’s protection now. Step back.”

Sam’s jaw clenched. “Move.”

“I said no.”

Caleb and the other Green Wood warrior shifted uneasily, their hands hovering near their weapons. The air hummed with power , Alpha dominance clashing against rival territory.

Sam’s gaze snapped past Nolan and locked onto me. “You ran,” he said softly. “You ran from me.”

I couldn’t answer. My voice was gone.

“You think I wouldn’t find you?” he continued, stepping closer. “You think you could just disappear?”

“Stay back!” Nolan growled, his claws extending.

Sam ignored him. His eyes burned into mine. “Come home, Ella. Now.”

“I’m not going back,” I whispered.

Something dark flickered in his expression , pain, anger, something deeper. “You belong to me.”

Before anyone could react, Nolan lunged first. The impact was brutal , bone meeting bone, claws slashing through the air. Sam moved like lightning, catching Nolan’s arm and throwing him aside as if he weighed nothing. The two Green Wood warriors jumped in, but Sam’s strength was monstrous.

I screamed as Nolan hit the ground hard. “Stop! Please!”

Sam froze just for a second. His gaze flicked to me. His chest rose and fell, his wolf barely contained.

For the briefest moment, I saw something in his eyes. Not rage. Not hatred. Guilt.

Then a distant howl echoed from deeper in Green Wood territory.

Caleb’s eyes widened. “Our patrols are coming.”

Sam glanced over his shoulder. He was outnumbered, out of his land. His jaw tightened.

“This isn’t over,” he said, his voice low and trembling with fury. “You can hide, Ella. But I’ll find you again.”

He turned and vanished into the shadows, his scent fading with the wind.

I stood there shaking, the world spinning around me. Nolan groaned from the ground, clutching his shoulder. Caleb ran to him, muttering curses under his breath.

“Are you alright?” I whispered, dropping beside Nolan.

He winced but gave a faint smile. “You’re worth the trouble.”

I wanted to smile back but the weight of Sam’s voice still echoed in my head.

You can hide, Ella. But I’ll find you again.

That night, even as the Green Wood patrol led us safely to their borders, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still there , watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

And when I finally lay down on a borrowed bed, I could still hear his growl in the wind.