Chapter 104

POV Savannah Bowen

MONTHS LATER

"Please, Sava," Selena begged, her eyes brimming with tears. "You can’t do this. We can’t separate. It’s too risky."

The simple, abandoned cabin we had found to hide in, deep in the Romanian countryside, brought a comforting sense of shelter—it was the closest thing to a home we’d had in months. It was there I celebrated my twenty-second birthday with Selena, over a small cake she had secretly stolen from a nearby grocery store.

Hidden in the middle of the forest, the cabin must have belonged to a group of hunters who hadn’t been there in years. Breaking the lock and sneaking in wasn’t difficult, and it provided us refuge from the mild weather at the time.

For months, we managed to live in peace, though Hunter’s shadow loomed over us, ever-present in our minds.

"Staying together is even riskier," I countered, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Sel, it’ll only be for a few days. And it’s our only chance."

My heat was approaching; I could already feel its effects on my body—tremors, intense heat, and a throbbing ache between my legs. Not to mention the heavy, sore feeling in my breasts. Without the herb to suppress it—our stock had run out—the alphas Hunter had sent to hunt us down would smell me from miles away.

Romania wasn’t a random destination. After much searching, we discovered that the herb our father had forced us to take to suppress our heat came from this country. Selena and I had tried to learn more about it ever since, but with no success.

Now, my new cycle was closer than ever, and soon we would be at great risk of being caught without the suppressant. They would smell me—that much was certain. Just like any other alpha wolf nearby.

Heat lasted seven days, once a month, and it was painful, catastrophic, and unbearable. It hurt deep in the soul. It wasn’t just discomfort; it was the desperation of the body seeking someone to ease it, to satisfy it.

It was our wild nature seeking the perfect mate to procreate and continue our origins.

Selena bit her lip nervously.

"How many days until we meet again?"

I pondered for a second, feeling my heart race and heat take hold of me. I took a deep breath, trying to control the first symptoms of my approaching cycle.

"Seven. Maybe less, maybe more."

"Where?"

I looked around, searching for a solution for the two of us. The longer I stayed close, the greater the risk for both of us. I was already releasing pheromones; I could smell the sweet scent coming from my pores.

Since our family had been destroyed by that bastard Hunter, this place was the closest thing we’d had to a home. I didn’t want to compromise or give away our location, risking everything we’d built.

We didn’t have steady jobs yet, but I usually cleaned a nearby bakery at night when I wouldn’t be seen by customers. It helped keep my identity a secret. Selena worked short and spaced shifts at a bar to avoid being recognized by the same people too often.

Working was a risk, but we needed money to survive. We’d fled with absolutely nothing, dressed in tattered clothes stained with our parents’ blood.

After escaping from Hunter at the altar, I broke into the nearest alpha’s house—Caspian’s—and stole his entire stock of suppressants. That was how Selena and I survived the past few months. Then we fled to the city, stealing clothes from a residential clothesline. I cut myself and added a bloodstain to my dress, scattering small fabric scraps through the forest to mislead anyone chasing us.

And it worked.

We managed to slip into a train car and leave our old pack behind. But Hunter had been on our trail ever since, always just a few steps behind.

I gripped my backpack tightly, clutching the strap between my fingers.

Thinking of him made me feel sick.

I hated him with every fiber of my being. I never thought it possible to hate someone so deeply, but he proved me wrong.

"I have no idea," I admitted. "We can’t come near here—not until we’re certain I’ve stopped emitting pheromones. I can’t compromise your safety or… our home," I whispered the last part, feeling my face flush.

Home.

Such a simple word with such profound meaning.

How could everything change so drastically in mere seconds?

Months ago, I had been anxiously anticipating my wedding to Hunter and the freedom it promised. I’d thought I would be free from our father, from our chauvinistic pack, and that I’d live a fairy tale with the man I supposedly loved.

And now, I was running. Always running, trying to hold on to a freedom I didn’t fully have. Being hunted by the very man I had once trusted, the man I believed represented home.

What a fool I’d been.

I shook my head, chasing away the thoughts.

"Your heat will start soon too," I murmured, gripping Selena’s arms and forcing her to look at me. "You need to find the herbs, Sel. Without them, we’ll never stop running, and Hunter will always be close. We’ll never stay ahead of him."

We had no idea where to find the herbs, only that they were in Romania. And that was a huge, massive problem. The stolen stock from Caspian was the only thing that had helped us so far.

"Let's meet near the river that connects to the city center in seven days, okay?" she asked, looking into my eyes with a heavy expression. "I’ll go there every day, searching for you. As soon as you feel the heat is over, meet me there."

I nodded, clenching my teeth so hard that my jaw muscle cracked.

"I don’t..." I licked my dry lips, buying time to clear my throat, tight with emotion. "I don’t know if we’ll still be able to stay here when I return," I confessed, blinking to push back tears. "I’m sorry, Sel. But I think it would be too risky. They’ll know we’re in Romania, and a cabin in the middle of the forest isn’t exactly the best hiding spot."

A crease appeared on her forehead, and her blue eyes glimmered.

"I know that..." she sighed, looking around. "But we’ll find another place as nice as this one." She forced a smile and shrugged.

The place wasn’t nice at all. It didn’t have electricity, and the entire room had nothing but an old bed; a nearly empty wardrobe, since our few pieces of clothing weren’t enough to fill it; a table with two chairs; a kitchen with a wood-burning stove, an old sink, and some cabinets. There was also a small bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a simple bathtub that at least had plumbing. For our baths, we had to heat the water over the fire.

But... it all felt so ours. It was our first stop in recent months where we managed to share a few small moments of joy.

We didn’t miss our parents. And I couldn’t tell how terrible that made me as a daughter. But it was hard to miss someone who always made a point of meaning nothing.

Our father barely did anything to be more than a despicable alpha who forced us to follow his will. And our mother? Well... she was no one and nothing without him, always eager to gain her husband’s approval, no matter the opinion or the feelings of her daughters.

Our pack was equally useless. Alphas didn’t respect females. If one went into heat and didn’t have a mate, she was violated. Only Selena and I were untouchable. After all, the two of us could be used as pawns in a political game, as bargaining chips.

I didn’t miss anything that tied me to my old life. The only thing that still mattered to me was my sister, and she was by my side. I just wanted to forget what I was and live among humans, to have a normal life.

If it weren’t for the damn heat, that would be very possible.

"We’ll find the inhibitor, Sel. And we’ll live a peaceful and happy life. I know we will," I said resolutely, trying to keep my hopes alive.

She nodded and pulled me into a tight hug. I took a deep breath, memorizing her scent. It would be through it that I would find her again.

I would track her wherever she was—or die trying.

I pulled away from the hug and gasped, feeling my insides clench in an all-consuming heat that made me dizzy.

"I need to go. Now," I warned through gritted teeth.

"Go where, exactly?"

"I’ll wander through the forest. Try to throw them off."

"Don’t get caught, please," she pleaded, stroking my arm.

"I’ll kill Hunter before he lays his hands on me."

She narrowed her eyes, her expression darkening.

"We’ll kill him together before that happens. Don’t forget I’m also in line to gut that bastard of your ex."

I snorted.

"We can split him in half, and each of us can chop up one side," I offered seriously.

"Works perfectly for me." She winked.

I grabbed the strap of my backpack and moved through the small cabin. I opened the door, greeted by the icy wind. The crescent moon was high in the sky, illuminating the tops of the tall forest trees.

I cast one last look at my sister.