Chapter 74 No future Together
DAGNOTH’S POV
The moment we crossed into the forest, I knew something was wrong.
The silence came first. Not the peaceful kind, but the kind that pressed in on your senses, warning you that you had stepped somewhere you shouldn’t be. The air was colder, heavier, carrying a scent I couldn’t fully place, but it was enough to keep every instinct in my body on edge.
I slowed my pace slightly, positioning myself ahead of them without needing to think about it. Dahila stayed close behind with the pups, and though I didn’t turn, I was aware of every small movement she made, the way she adjusted her hold on the youngest, the way her steps hesitated for just a fraction before continuing. She was trying to stay strong for them, but fear had a scent too, and I could feel it clinging to the air around her.
“Stay behind me,” I said quietly, keeping my voice steady.
I didn’t need to look back to know she was watching me.
“You sense something?” she asked.
There was no point softening it. “We’re not alone.”
The words settled heavily between us, and the forest seemed to grow even quieter, as though it was listening.
I scanned the trees carefully, my senses stretching outward. Whoever was out there wasn’t careless. They were keeping their distance, moving with intention, watching without revealing themselves. That alone told me enough.
Not rogues. Not Kael’s men.
Something worse.
We moved forward, slower now, each step deliberate. I kept track of every sound, every shift in the wind, every unnatural break in the pattern of the forest. When the branch snapped behind us, I turned instantly, my body already preparing for a fight before my mind caught up.
“Quiet,” I said when Dahila spoke, not harshly, but firmly enough to keep the pups still.
Another sound followed, closer this time, and I shifted fully in front of them. Whatever was coming, it wouldn’t reach them without going through me first.
“Show yourself,” I called out.
For a moment, nothing answered. Then they stepped out one by one, emerging from the trees with a confidence that confirmed what I had already suspected.
Hunters.
I studied them quickly, noting their stance, the way they spread out without crowding each other, the way their attention wasn’t just on me but on what stood behind me. That was the part that made my jaw tighten.
They weren’t here by chance.
“I was right,” I muttered. “You’re not his men.”
One of them smirked, his gaze drifting past me toward Dahila and the children. I didn’t need to turn to know exactly what he was looking at.
“They didn’t say the prize came with extras,” he said.
A low growl built in my chest before I could stop it.
“Stay behind me,” I repeated, quieter now, but with more weight.
I could feel Dahila’s presence just behind me, close enough that if I reached back, I would touch her. For a brief second, the thought grounded me more than it should have.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You,” the man answered simply.
Of course.
I let the growl slip this time, no longer bothering to hide it. “Take another step, and you won’t walk away.”
He laughed, as if I had made a joke instead of a promise. “We’re not here to fight you, Lycan.”
“Then leave.”
“We can’t.”
The moment stretched, thin and sharp, before it snapped.
They moved fast, but not fast enough.
I lunged forward, catching the first one before he could get close to them, driving him into the ground with enough force to crack bone. The second and third split off immediately, exactly as I expected.
“Run!” I barked without looking back.
Everything in me resisted letting them out of my sight, but I knew better. Dahila would move. She had to.
The fight demanded my full attention. The hunters were skilled, too skilled to dismiss but they weren’t prepared for me. I could feel it in the way they adjusted, the hesitation that crept in when they realized brute force wouldn’t be enough.
Still, one of them slipped past.
The moment I noticed, something cold and sharp tore through my chest.
I ended it quickly after that.
Brutally.
There was no room for restraint anymore.
By the time I broke away and followed their trail, the forest carried Dahila’s scent clearly, laced with fear and urgency. I moved faster, ignoring the sting of my own injuries, focusing only on reaching her.
I found them just as one of the hunters closed in.
Dahila stood her ground despite the fear I could sense in her, the children behind her, and the boy—Liam—had stepped forward in a way that made something tighten in my chest.
Too brave.
Too young.
The hunter reached out.
I didn’t think.
I hit him with enough force to send him flying into the nearest tree, the impact echoing through the forest. By the time he tried to move again, I was already on him.
“You don’t touch them,” I said, my voice low and final.
It didn’t take long after that.
When it was over, the silence returned, but this time it felt different.
Controlled.
I turned immediately, my focus shifting the moment I saw them. Dahila stood there, still holding the pups close, her eyes searching me quickly, as if checking for something she didn’t want to name.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No… we’re fine.”
Relief settled in my chest more strongly than I expected.
The little one, Lily... ran to me, wrapping her arms around my leg, and I stilled for a moment before placing a hand gently on her head. “I told you,” I said quietly. “I do not leave.”
The boy looked up at me with something close to admiration. “You’re really strong.”
“I have to be,” I replied, though my attention flicked briefly to Dahila as I said it.
Because it wasn’t just about survival anymore.
The smallest reached for me next, and I hesitated only for a second before lifting her carefully into my arms. She settled against me easily, trusting in a way I wasn’t used to.
I found myself adjusting my hold instinctively, making sure she was secure.
“You were right,” Dahila said softly. “This isn’t just Kael.”
“No,” I answered, my expression hardening again. “It’s bigger than him.”
“How big?”
I met her gaze then, holding it for a moment longer than necessary. “Big enough to send hunters after you. That makes you important.”
“I don’t want to be,” she said.
Something in her voice pulled at me in a way I didn’t like.
“I know,” I said, more quietly than I intended. “But you are.”
And now they knew it too.
The thought settled heavily in my mind.
“They’ll come again,” I added. “And next time, they won’t underestimate us.”
The boy spoke up, his voice firm despite everything. “Then we hide better.”
A faint smile touched my lips before I could stop it. “Exactly.”
I adjusted the child in my arms before extending my free hand toward the others, my gaze settling briefly on Dahila last.
“Come,” I said. “We keep moving.”
She took my hand after a short pause, her fingers brushing against mine before settling.
The contact was brief, but it lingered longer than it should have.
And for reasons I didn’t care to examine too closely… I didn’t pull away.