Chapter 9: The Rogue’s Message
337 Words
The pack moved fast.
Within an hour, the dead rogues were dragged to the border and burned. The smell of smoke and blood clung to the air, but Maya barely noticed. Her shoulder was stitched and bandaged, her body still humming from the first shift.
She sat on the steps outside the pack house, staring at her hands. They looked normal now. No claws. No blood. But she knew what they could do.
Kade sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. He hadn’t left her side since the fight.
“You did good today,” he said quietly.
Maya shook her head. “I killed someone, Kade. I liked it.”
The confession felt like poison in her mouth.
Kade turned her face toward him, his thumb brushing her cheek. “You defended yourself. You defended me. That’s not murder, Maya. That’s survival.”
“But what if I can’t stop?” she whispered. “What if the wolf takes over?”
“Then I’ll be there to bring you back,” he said without hesitation. “Always.”
Before she could answer, a low growl echoed from the gates.
Two wolves dragged a third between them. He was beaten, bloody, barely conscious. A rogue.
“Alpha,” one of them said, dropping the man at Kade’s feet. “We found him spying at the north border. He says he has a message for the Luna.”
Maya’s blood ran cold.
The rogue lifted his head. His eyes were wild, but there was a twisted smile on his lips.
“The Blood Fang sends their regards,” he rasped. “They know what you are now. And they’re coming for you.”
Kade’s expression darkened. He stepped in front of Maya instantly.
“What do they want?” he growled.
The rogue laughed, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Her. Only her. The Blood Fang wants the Luna who killed their best warrior.”
Maya’s stomach dropped.
So it wasn’t over.
It was just beginning.
- Writer
