CHAPTER.004
1113 Words
THE TRUTH HE HID
(Sophia’s POV)
My wolf didn’t just go still.
It… went silent.
Completely
Like something had forced it into submission.
My very own wolf.
"Did it ignore me in a situation like this?"
A cold wave slid down my spine, slow and deliberate, wrapping around my chest.
Wrong.
Something was extremely wrong.
My fingers tightened around the edge of the door as my breathing turned shallow.
Ryder noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze sharpened instantly, all traces of softness gone.
“What is it?” he asked, in curiosity.
I blinked because of the strange emptiness inside me.
“My wolf.” I whispered, barely recognising my own voice. “ had gone quiet.”
And that’s when I saw it.
Not anger.
Not pride.
Fear.
Real fear.
That alone made my stomach twist.
“What did you do?” I demanded, my voice rising slightly. “You showed up here, and suddenly this happens?”
Suddenly my wolf went still. What happened?
“I didn’t do anything,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
But his eyes drifted briefly toward the forest behind my house.
Like he was expecting something.
Or someone.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
"Why would his eyes drift towards the forest in my house?"
“I just hope and pray I'm safe. “I said in nervousness.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, stepping back instinctively.
This time.
He didn’t argue.
Didn’t deflect.
Didn’t command.
Instead, he said something that made my blood run cold.
“They’ve started sooner than I thought.”
They're about to come.
My heart skipped.
“They?” I echoed.
I felt like prey being chased by a predator.
“You’re not safe here, Sophia.”
A sharp laugh escaped me despite the fear creeping in.
“That’s funny,” I said bitterly.
Something flashed across his face.
Regret.
But it vanished just as quickly.
“This isn’t about me,” he said, voice firm again. “If you stay here tonight, you’re putting yourself in danger.”
“And suddenly you feel like your protecting Sophia?”
“You feel like you're protecting the Luna you downgraded.
“You feel like you're concerned about Sophia. whom you rejected before the entire pack. “I shot back.
“I never stopped.”
The words came out low.
Raw.
And for a second.
Just a second.
My heart betrayed me.
I looked away.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then don’t,” he replied. “But you’re still not staying here tonight Ryder spoke.
My head snapped back toward him.
“The hell I am.”
Before he could respond.
A sharp, distant howl tore through the night.
Not a normal howl.
It was twisted.
Distorted.
Wrong.
My wolf should have reacted.
Should have growled.
Should have warned me.
But there was nothing.
Just silence.
Ryder’s expression darkened instantly.
“They’re close.”
Fear gripped me fully now.
“Who are they?” I demanded.
This time.
He answered.
“Rogues,” he said. “But not the kind you’ve heard about.”
My chest tightened.
“What does that mean?”
“It means they don’t just kill,” he said grimly. “They hunt for something.”
A pause.
Everything inside froze.
“That’s not possible,” I said immediately. “I’m just."
“Don’t,” he cut in sharply. “Don’t say you’re just anything.”
The intensity of Alpha Ryder's voice showed that everything wasn't alright.
“That’s exactly why they're here, they're here for you.
My breath hitched.
A shadow moved between the trees.
Fast.
Too fast.
My eyes widened.
“Ryder…” I whispered.
“I see them.”
Alpha Ryder stood there for a while Staring at the shadow that just crossed.
Another shadow darted past, closer now. I could hear footsteps—light but rapid, circling.
Hunting.
My pulse raced wildly.
“They’re surrounding us,” I said, filled with panic and pain.
Alpha Ryder ordered me to move backwards.
Before I could argue.
A figure lunged out from the darkness.
I barely had time to gasp.
Ryder moved faster.
One second he was in front of me.
Next, he had the rogue pinned to the ground with a force that shook the earth beneath us.
He pierced the rogue's throat with a knife. The rogue let out a strangled cry, struggling under his grip.
I stumbled back, my heart hammering violently.
I took a claw to stab its stomach.
The rogue’s eyes.
They weren’t normal.
They glowed… wrong.
Dark.
nefarious.
Empty.
Like something had hollowed them out.
Fear crawled up my throat.
“What… what is wrong with them?” I whispered.
Ryder didn’t look at me.
“They’ve been corrupted.”
Before I could process that.
Another rolled from the side.
Ryder reacted instantly, shoving the first one aside and turning sharply.
“Run!” he barked.
This time.
I didn’t argue.
I didn't try to be dominant.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
My legs moved on instinct as I sprinted deeper into the forest, branches whipping against my arms and legs.
My breath came fast and uneven.
My heart pounded like it would burst out of my chest.
Behind me, I could hear them.
Growls.
Crashes.
The sound of bodies colliding.
Ryder.
Fighting.
I pushed forward, but suddenly.
I screamed.
But it wasn’t a rogue.
It was him.
Ryder.
“Seems he is trying to get back to his Sophia again”.
No it's not possible.
Despite anything I will make sure he kneels to beg me for rejecting his very own Luna.
“I said”. While running.
“Come on,” he said, gripping my hand “We don’t have time.”
I didn’t pull away.
Because fear had completely taken over now.
We ran together, faster than before, until the sounds behind us finally faded.
Only then did he stop.
We stood there in the silence of the forest, both breathing hard.
“You fought them… alone,” I said.
“I’ve handled worse.”
But something in his eyes told me that wasn’t entirely true.
My voice dropped.
“You could’ve left me.”
What?
"Are you the one saying this Sophia?"
"Should I have left you in the middle of the rogues?
"Do you know how dangerous they're?"
“That was never an option”, Ryder said.
So what made you rescue me after rejecting me before the entire pack? “I asked, anger rising in my voice."
“Stay calm, Sophia…… What I'm about to reveal changes everything.”
- Writer
