Chapter 34: In Danger

Chapter 34: In Danger

Ronan’s POV

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might tear through my chest.

The forest stretched around me like a cage, the shadows long and heavy. My hands were trembling. I was supposed to be strong, the Alpha of this pack. I was supposed to control everything. But right now… I felt powerless.

“Maltida!” I shouted, my voice breaking the quiet of the evening. My own voice echoed back at me from the trees. Where are you?

I ran blindly, my boots crushing dry leaves under my weight. Every branch I pushed aside felt like a wall keeping me from her. Every shadow made my chest tighten. My mind raced—she had been alone for two days. Two days without me. And now I had returned, and she was… gone.

I stumbled over a root, almost falling, and cursed under my breath. I didn’t care about myself. I didn’t care about the dirt or scratches on my hands. My only thought: Maltida.

“Maltida!” I screamed again, my voice raw, hoarse, desperate. My lungs burned. I stopped for a moment, clutching my knees, trying to catch my breath. The thought hit me like ice: what if… what if she was hurt? What if someone had taken her?

I pressed on. My legs moved on their own, fueled by fear and rage. The forest seemed endless, every path twisting and turning. I called her name again and again, my voice cracking. I felt tears burn my eyes, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

If I had known… if I had known she would be left alone… I would never have gone to that meeting. I would have stayed. I would have taken her with me. Nothing else would have mattered. Not the pack. Not the politics. Not even myself.

A rustle in the bushes caught my attention. I froze for a second, my senses sharp. My heart jumped.

Then I saw them.

Two figures. Rogue men. Their teeth bared. Eyes cold. And between them… a woman. She was crouched low, trying to shield herself. I didn’t know who she was at first. My mind spun.

But then I saw her.

Her hair, messy and tangled. Her body small against the danger surrounding her. Her eyes wide with fear.

Maltida.

I felt the world tilt. My knees almost gave way, my chest tight, my throat dry.

“Maltida!” I roared again, louder this time, my voice filled with fury and desperation. The rogues flinched, startled by the sheer power in my voice.

She looked up at me. Relief and terror mixed on her face. She tried to speak, but I didn’t hear her. My eyes burned as I ran toward her, every step crushing the underbrush. My hands were out, ready to snatch her from the danger.

I could feel the Alpha inside me rising, fierce and uncontrollable. I didn’t care about anything else. I didn’t care about reason or strategy. I only cared about her. About her safety. About my child in her womb.

“Move!” I shouted at the rogues, my voice a low, threatening growl.

They hesitated. And that hesitation was all I needed. I lunged forward, my hands grabbing Maltida’s waist. She yelped, clutching me back, and for a brief moment, I felt her heart hammering against mine.

“You’re safe now,” I growled, my lips brushing the side of her face. “I’ve got you.”

Her small body shook in my arms. I could feel every tremor, every tear she had been holding back for days. My hands ran along her back, pulling her as close as I could. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “I should have stayed. I should have been here. I… I should have never left you alone.”

She tried to speak, but I could see her lips trembling, eyes glistening. I pressed my forehead to hers. “Shh… don’t say anything. Don’t speak. Just stay here. You’re safe. I swear I will protect you. No one will touch you again.”

The rogues hesitated, unsure how to fight an Alpha so furious, so desperate. Their confidence wavered. But I didn’t waste the moment. I shoved them back, moving to create distance between them and her. My muscles coiled like a spring, every nerve ready to strike.

I could feel my anger rising, my desperation sharpening every movement. I didn’t care if I was reckless. I didn’t care if I fell. Nothing mattered except her.

Maltida clung to me, soft and fragile, yet trembling with a courage she didn’t know she had. I could feel her fear, the way her little body shook in my grasp. I could feel her heartbeat racing as if it was a drum of warning inside her chest. And my heart broke at the thought of what she had endured while I was away.

“You’re mine,” I whispered, my voice low and dangerous, full of protection and warning. “No one—no one—will hurt you. Not while I am breathing. Not while I am here.”

The rogues exchanged a nervous glance. They were strong, but they were not Alphas. Not like me. Not when the fear and fury of a man who loved and feared for the woman he cherished boiled inside him.

I felt her shiver. I held her tighter. “It’s okay,” I whispered again. “I’m here. I’m never leaving you again. You hear me? Never.”

Her lips pressed against my chest, silent sobs shaking her frame. I could feel the life inside her. My child. My responsibility. The fragile, small life that depended on her. I could not lose them. I could not lose her.

I lunged at the nearest rogue, letting my rage and fear pour into my strike. The other stepped back instinctively. I moved like a storm, controlled by nothing but instinct and desperation.

“Maltida!” I shouted, again and again, my voice echoing through the forest. “Hold on! Don’t let go! I’ve got you!”

Her POV (brief, emotional shift)

I was frozen, heart hammering. I had never felt so scared. Two men were surrounding me. I could barely breathe. And then… I saw him.

Ronan. My Alpha. My protector. My heart.

His eyes burned with fire, and in that moment, I felt safe. Even as fear clawed at me, I knew he would not let them touch me. He was running toward me. The wind of his presence slammed against my chest. I wanted to run to him, but I was already being carried in his arms. My tears flowed freely. I could only whisper his name, clinging to him as if he were the only thing keeping me alive.

Ronan’s voice wrapped around me like a shield. “I will never leave you again. I swear it. I’ll protect you. Always.”

And even though the danger was still near, even though my knees felt weak and my heart was pounding, I felt something I had not felt in days: hope.

But the rogues were still there. And I knew this was not over.

Ronan’s POV

I held her tightly, eyes scanning, muscles coiled, fury rising. I could feel her trembling. I could feel her life, her baby, her very existence in my arms. And I promised silently, with every fiber of my being, that no one, not even the world itself, would take her from me.

Then I saw them move again.

Two rogue figures, stepping forward. And in that moment, everything slowed. Time narrowed. There was only her, there was only me, and there was the threat in front of us.

I tightened my hold on Maltida. My jaw clenched. My hands shook, not from fear—but from the weight of anger, fear, and love.

“She is mine,” I growled, low, deadly. “Do you understand me? She is mine!”

The forest went silent for a heartbeat. And then, everything exploded again.

And I ran straight into them.