Chapter nine
948 Words
ALINA’S POV
Amala didn’t speak for a long time after I finished.
She just stood there, staring at me like she didn’t recognize me anymore, like I had just unraveled something she thought she understood completely. The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy, pressing in on my chest.
“You’re… bonded to him?” she finally said, her voice low, almost disbelieving.
I nodded.
“A black ridge wolf.”
Another nod.
She let out a sharp breath and ran a hand through her hair, turning away from me as she paced the length of my room. “Alina, do you even hear yourself?”
“I do,” I said quietly.
“This isn’t just some secret you’ve been keeping,” she continued, stopping abruptly and turning back to me. “This is dangerous. If anyone finds out—”
“I know.”
“You could be exiled. Or worse.”
“I know,” I repeated, a little firmer this time.
She studied me for a moment, her eyes searching my face, like she was trying to find doubt, hesitation—something that would make this easier to dismiss. But there wasn’t any.
Instead, there was only truth.
Her shoulders dropped slightly. “And you still… want this?”
My chest tightened, but I didn’t look away. “It’s not something I can choose, Amala. It’s already happened.”
She exhaled slowly, shaking her head, though not in rejection this time—more like she was trying to wrap her mind around it.
“This is insane,” she muttered.
“I know.”
Another pause. Then she looked at me again, this time differently. Not just shocked—but concerned. Protective.
“You’re really in this,” she said quietly.
“Yes.”
She hesitated, then sighed. “Then I guess… you’re not doing this alone.”
Relief washed over me so quickly it almost made my knees weak. “Amala—”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she cut in quickly. “I still think this is reckless. And dangerous. And completely against everything we’ve ever been taught.”
A small, nervous smile tugged at my lips. “That sounds about right.”
She shook her head again, but there was no bite to it this time. “You’re unbelievable.”
A soft knock came at the door before either of us could say anything else.
We both froze.
Then the door opened.
My mother stepped in.
Her presence filled the room instantly—calm, observant, and impossible to ignore. Her eyes moved between us, lingering just a second too long.
“What are you two discussing?” she asked, her tone light but curious.
I felt my stomach drop.
Amala recovered first. “Training,” she said smoothly. “Alina disappeared again. We were just arguing about it.”
My mother raised an eyebrow slightly. “Arguing?”
“She cheats,” Amala added quickly.
“I don’t cheat,” I muttered, grateful for the distraction.
“You vanish,” she corrected, almost too naturally.
My mother’s lips curved faintly, but her gaze remained sharp. For a second, I thought she might press further—but she didn’t.
Instead, she stepped further into the room. “Well, if you’re going to continue training, be careful.”
My chest tightened.
“Another trace of a black ridge wolf was found in the forest this morning.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
I didn’t react outwardly, but I felt it—Amala did too. I could see it in the slight shift of her posture, the way her eyes flicked to mine for just a second.
A knowing look passed between us. Quick. Silent. Dangerous.
“We’ll be careful,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
My mother nodded once, satisfied. “Good.”
She lingered for a moment longer, then turned and left, closing the door softly behind her.
The second she was gone, the room felt different.
Heavier.
Amala turned to me slowly. “That was him, wasn’t it?”
I nodded.
She let out a quiet breath. “This is getting worse.”
“I have to meet him tonight,” I said.
Her head snapped up. “What?”
“I already told him I would.”
“Alina—”
“It’s better this way,” I cut in quickly. “If I don’t go, he’ll come looking for me again. He was already in the forest today. If he keeps coming closer to our territory—”
“They’ll find him,” Amala finished, her expression darkening.
“Exactly.”
She crossed her arms, thinking, her jaw tightening slightly. “So your solution is to sneak out and meet him?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a terrible plan.”
“It’s the only plan.”
Silence stretched between us again, but this time it wasn’t filled with shock—it was filled with calculation.
Finally, she sighed. “You’re really doing this.”
“Yes.”
She shook her head, but there was no stopping me now. She could see that.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Then you’re not getting caught.”
I blinked. “What?”
“If you’re going to do something this reckless,” she said, already moving toward the window, “you might as well do it properly.”
A small spark of relief flickered in my chest. “You’re helping me?”
“Don’t make me regret it,” she shot back.
I couldn’t help the small smile that slipped through. “I won’t.”
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “You better not.”
- Writer
