Scratches
1034 Words
The massive gray wolf ran through the forest at full speed.
Branches cracked beneath his paws while desperation consumed his chest.
Daryl couldn’t erase the image of Amaris falling down that hill from his mind.
The blood on her arms and her unconscious body tormented him.
Minutes later, he finally crossed the borders of Crimson Moon.
The guards barely had time to react before the enormous wolf tore through the territory like a shadow.
Within seconds, he arrived in front of the mansion.
The warriors immediately went on alert.
“It’s Daryl!” one of them shouted.
The wolf shifted back into human form at the foot of the entrance stairs.
Daryl breathed heavily while several men surrounded him.
Then the mansion doors opened.
Kael appeared alongside Aldo, his cold eyes locking directly onto Daryl.
“What are you doing here?”
Daryl tried to steady his breathing.
“Amaris…”
Kael’s expression changed completely, though he tried to make it seem unimportant. But to Aldo, everything was obvious.
“What happened to Amaris?” Kael asked with dangerous seriousness.
Daryl swallowed hard.
“She had an accident.”
The moment he heard those words, Kael quickly descended the stairs.
“Talk. What happened to her?”
Daryl clenched his fists tightly. He was close to revealing what had really happened.
“We went to the Southern Hill to talk, and she fell.”
Kael’s eyes darkened brutally.
“Why were you with her?”
Daryl hesitated for a few seconds, and that mistake alone was enough.
Kael violently grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against one of the stone columns.
The warriors immediately stepped back.
The Alpha’s aura was terrifying. No one dared to stop him.
“Why were you with my wife?” Kael repeated, his voice monstrously powerful.
Daryl struggled to breathe.
“She’s alive.”
Kael tightened his grip even more.
“I asked you a question.”
Aldo watched everything in silence. Even he could feel how the entire territory seemed to react to Kael’s fury.
Daryl breathed unevenly, still feeling the pain in his neck from Kael’s grip.
Even so, he lifted his gaze toward him.
“What does it matter why I was with Amaris?” he said in frustration. “She’s hurt, and right now she’s in Silverstream.”
Kael kept his eyes fixed on him for a few more seconds, but eventually shoved him away violently.
Daryl fell to his knees, coughing harshly as he tried to recover his breath.
Kael immediately turned toward Aldo.
“Come with me.”
Aldo nodded without wasting time.
“Let’s go.”
Within seconds, both of them transformed into enormous wolves.
Kael’s black wolf shot into the forest first while Aldo followed closely behind.
They ran at a terrifying speed. Branches shattered in their path, and the territory itself seemed to tremble beneath their paws.
A few minutes later, they crossed the borders of Silverstream.
Several pack members immediately stepped aside when they saw the massive black wolf approaching.
Kael shifted back into human form the moment he arrived in front of the main house.
Greyton quickly came out to receive him.
“Alpha Kael.”
Kael looked at him, trying not to appear too concerned about his wife.
“How is Amaris?”
Greyton sighed tiredly.
“The healer already treated her. She has several bruises and injuries, but she’ll be fine.”
Kael clenched his hands tightly, barely restraining himself from acting on the rage building inside him.
“I want to see her.”
Greyton nodded and began walking into the house.
“Follow me.”
Aldo remained outside while Kael walked down the hallway behind Greyton.
Finally, they reached a room, and Greyton opened the door without wasting time.
“She’s here.”
Kael entered without another word.
The room was silent, and Amaris lay on the bed with her eyes closed.
The light barely illuminated the scratches on her face and the bandage wrapped around her leg.
Kael closed the door behind him, and for a moment, he simply stood there watching her.
Then he slowly approached, his gaze moving over every visible wound on Amaris’s body.
His eyes widened more than usual when he saw the bruises on her skin.
Finally, he reached the bed and spoke in a voice much lower than normal.
“Amaris.”
She slowly opened her eyes when she heard his voice.
And the moment she saw him, she looked surprised.
“I didn’t expect to see you here…”
Kael didn’t respond to that. His eyes remained fixed on her injuries.
“Why did this happen to you?” he finally asked. “Why were you with Daryl?”
Amaris slightly looked away, and her chest immediately began to ache.
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
That made Kael’s eyes harden.
“You know perfectly well how to push me to my limit.”
Amaris closed her eyes for a moment, her entire body aching.
“This isn’t the time to talk about this… I just want to recover.”
Kael stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
“I’m taking you back to the mansion.”
But at that exact moment, the door opened.
Daryl walked into the room, staring directly at Kael.
“You can’t take her.”
Kael quickly turned toward him.
“What did you say?”
Daryl didn’t back down.
“She needs to rest.”
Kael let out a small, completely cold laugh.
“You are nobody to tell me what to do with my wife.”
Daryl stared at him intently, then visibly smiled.
“You’re wrong.”
The atmosphere inside the room changed instantly.
Kael took an angry step toward him.
“I’ve been far too patient with you.”
The Alpha’s voice was already beginning to sound dangerous again.
But Daryl no longer seemed willing to stay quiet.
His eyes shifted toward Amaris for only a second before looking back at Kael.
And then he spoke.
“You can’t take her… because Amaris was already mine.”
Kael fell silent for a few seconds, his gaze shifting completely toward Amaris.
- Writer
