Chapter 44 Pinky promise
Sera’s POV
The first howl ripped through the night like a warning shot.
I was already moving before I understood why my heart had seized so violently in my chest. The sound wasn’t close yet, but it wasn’t distant either. It carried intent. The kind of howl that didn’t announce anything friendly.
Another followed. Then another.
My feet hit stone as I ran, breath uneven, pulse roaring in my ears. Torches flickered along the walls, their flames bending unnaturally as if the air itself was shifting. I could feel it now, deep in my bones.
“Dad!” I shouted as I rounded the corner.
He was already there, standing at the center of the hall with Maera beside him, both of them alert, listening to the howls. My father turned the moment he saw me, and something in his expression made my stomach drop.
He looked oddly calm, I tried to ignore it.
“We’re leaving, now.” he said immediately.
Maera was already moving toward me, her hand reaching for mine. “Come,” she urged. “There’s a passage through the rear cliffs.”
I took a step forward, and then stopped.
The howls were closer now. No longer scattered, it was coordinated. It clicked, this was a plan attack on me.
I looked back at my father. He was a few steps behind us, still standing in the same position we left him. He wasn’t following.
“Dad?” My voice cracked. “Hurry up, we need to leave now.”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
The word hit harder than the howls. Everywhere blurred in an instant.
Maera tugged my hand. “Sera—”
I yanked free. “What do you mean? Why aren’t you moving?”
He stepped closer, his hands gripping my shoulders firmly. “Because someone needs to slow them down.”
I knew the words he wanted to utter, but I wanted to be in disbelief. The air left my lungs. “No. No, you can’t—”
“They’re already on the outer perimeter,” he said calmly. “If we all run, they’ll follow. If I stay, I can stall them.”
“They won’t hesitate,” I snapped, panic clawing up my throat. “There are too many. I can feel them. They’ll kill you.”
His mouth curved into a faint smile. “It won’t be that easy.”
“Dad—”
“If you stay,” he cut in sharply, “they will kill all of us.”
The words settled like ash.
I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “I’m not leaving you. I won’t.”
“You have to.”
“I’m a hybrid,” I said desperately. “I can fight. I can protect you, please dad let me fight with you.”
He actually laughed then. Like the way he laughed when I said something silly.
“Oh, Sera,” he murmured. “You don’t protect with power alone.”
“I won’t let them take you from me.”
He cupped my face, his thumb brushing away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen. “You’re undertrained. You don’t know your limits yet. If you face them like this, you’ll die trying to prove something you don’t need to.”
“I don’t care,” I sobbed.
“I do. You are my little gremlin, I will never let any harm come your way.”
His voice cracked on the word.
Maera stepped closer, her own eyes shining. “He’s right,” she said quietly. “This isn’t a battle you win tonight.”
I turned on her. “You expect me to just leave him?”
“No,” she said. “I expect you to survive….for him.”
The howls surged closer. I could hear paws now.
My father straightened, every inch of him Alpha, power rolling off him in controlled waves. “You need to go. Now.”
I grabbed his arm. “Please.”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine. “Listen to me. I need you alive and strong. I need you to trust me.”
My chest heaved. “Promise me you’ll come back.”
His breath hitched.
“Sera—”
“Pinky promise,” I whispered, lifting my trembling finger between us.
The world seemed to freeze.
We’d done this since I was little. When storms scared me. When nightmares chased me awake. When he left on dangerous missions I was too young to understand why.
He never broke a pinky promise.
His eyes filled as he stared at my raised finger.
Slowly, he lifted his hand.
His pinky wrapped around mine.
“I promise,” he said hoarsely. “No matter where you are. No matter how long it takes. I will find you.”
Tears slid freely down his cheeks now. “I am always with you. You hear me? Always.”
I nodded, choking on a sob.
He turned to Maera and pulled her into a fierce embrace. “Protect my little girl.”
“With my life,” she replied, her voice unsteady.
Another howl broke the night, it was too close now.
“Go!” Marcus barked.
Maera grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the rear door. I stumbled, looking back one last time.
My father was already turning away, rolling his shoulders, preparing to face the storm.
“Dad!” I screamed.
He didn’t look back.
The door slammed open and we burst into the forest, branches whipping at my face as we ran. The night swallowed us whole. Behind us, the sounds erupted , roars, snarls, the clash of bodies meeting bodies.
A sharp cry cut through the darkness.
Then another followed with whimpering.
I covered my mouth, tears streaming as I ran. “Please,” I whispered into the night. “Please come back to me Dad.”
Maera didn’t slow. “The river’s close.”
The sounds of fighting faded behind us, replaced by the rush of water growing louder ahead. My legs burned, lungs screaming, but I didn’t stop. I couldn't stop, not when my Dad had risked his life for my safety.
The river finally broke through the trees, moonlight glinting off its surface. A figure stood waiting at the bank.
My mother.
She rushed forward, pulling me into her arms, her scent wrapping around me like home. “I’ve got you,” she whispered fiercely. “I’ve got you.”
She pressed something cool and sharp-smelling against my neck, murmuring words I didn’t fully hear. My scent shifted, it faded completely.
“He told me you’d come,” she said. “He told me where to take you.”
I clung to her, shaking. “We need to wait for him, he promised he would come for me. He pinky promised.”
“And he keeps his promises,” she said softly.
But as we crossed the river and disappeared into the trees on the other
side, another howl rose behind us. Our heads snapped towards the direction.
Maera rose slowly with her sword, signaling for us to move. “Stay behind me,”