Chapter 2: Compromised
481 Words
As Naomi and Elijah made their way down the wooded trail toward the packhouse, the forest suddenly grew unnaturally quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
Even the wind seemed to still.
Elijah slowed.
“You hear that?”
Naomi frowned. “Hear what?” She barely finished speaking before a guttural snarl ripped through the trees. Three massive wolves burst from the brush.
Rogues.
Naomi froze.
Every story she’d ever heard about rogues came rushing back at once. Savage wolves. Banished wolves. Wolves driven mad after losing their packs or rejecting the Goddess entirely. One lunged directly toward her. Not Elijah. Her.
“Elijah!”
Before the rogue could reach her, Elijah shifted midair with practiced ease. Bones cracked and fur exploded across his body as a large sandy-colored wolf slammed into the attacker. The second rogue circled around. Straight toward Naomi again.
“Why are they coming for me?!”
Naomi stumbled backward, heart pounding violently against her ribs. The third wolf darted past the fight entirely. Its glowing eyes locked onto Naomi like prey.
Not prey.
A target.
The rogue moved with terrifying purpose as though it had been sent specifically for her. Naomi turned and sprinted. Branches whipped across her face as heavy paws thundered behind her. Too fast. It was too fast.
Suddenly, a massive black wolf launched from the trees and collided with the rogue hard enough to crack nearby trunks.
Chris.
The future Alpha tore into the rogue viciously, silver eyes glowing with fury.
The rogue snarled beneath him:
“Take the girl!”
Naomi’s blood ran cold. More shadows moved through the trees. More rogues. Chris shifted partially; claws still extended from his hands.
“Get behind me!” he barked.
Naomi stared in shock. Chris never protected her. Ever. Another rogue lunged. Chris caught it by the throat and slammed it into the dirt.
“You idiots picked the wrong territory.”
The rogue laughed darkly despite blood pouring from its mouth.
“We finally found her.”
Chris froze. Only for half a second. But Naomi noticed. Then Chris snapped the rogue’s neck. Silence fell over the forest. The remaining rogues retreated into the darkness unnaturally fast. Elijah shifted back beside them breathing heavily.
“What the hell was that?”
Chris turned slowly toward Naomi. His expression was colder than usual now. More calculating. More suspicious. The look made her stomach twist.
“You,” Chris said flatly, “are becoming a problem.”
Naomi stared at him in disbelief. “You think I asked to get attacked?!”
Chris stepped closer. “You notice how they ignored everyone else?”
Her chest tightened. Because he was right. Every single rogue had gone after her. Not the Gamma’s son. Not the future Alpha. Her. Chris looked furious. But beneath the anger was something else. Fear. And somehow that frightened Naomi even more.
- Writer
