FATED TO BURN: DESTINED TO HEAL

Chapter 8 (Recognition)

Kael’s POV

Heart thumping, Kael staggered forward. He was bloodied from the fight, but the shock that was now immobilizing him was worse than any of the wounds.

Raven.

She was a few feet away, her silver eyes softly shining in the moonlight, her dark hair wild. Strong and indisputable, the bond flared to life as his chest constricted. His body defied its demands to get closer as it tugged at him.

"Raven?" His voice broke. He hardly noticed.

Her guarded, piercing eyes met his. "Kael."

He was struck more forcefully than any rogue's claws by the sound of his name on her lips. He stepped in her direction, but she retreated, her posture unyielding.

"You're still alive," he muttered. He found it hard to believe. He believed he had lost her forever after pushing her away that night, all these years later. She was beautiful and fierce, and her eyes held a strength that had never been there before.

Raven squinted his eyes. "Stop being so shocked."

Kael winced. Her voice was piercingly bitter. "I thought—"

"That without you, I couldn't survive?" A chilly smile curved her lips. "Yes, I did."

Kael's throat became constricted. That was rightfully his. He was plagued by the night he turned her down, but now that he was facing her... No nightmare was as bad as this one.

Behind him, a deep growl rumbled before he could find the perfect words. His claws slid free as he twisted, instinct taking over. With green-glow eyes and a defensive attitude, Dax emerged from the shadows and approached Raven.

Kael's wolf became agitated. "Who are you in the hell?"

The rogue crossed his arms and whispered, "Dax." Raven's friend. And *you*—who the devil are you?

Kael bared his teeth, but Raven stepped between them. "Enough." She gave Kael a fierce glance. "I didn't return to get you."

In his chest, the bond twisted terribly. "So, what brings you here?"

Her gaze grew gloomy. "Because there is danger to your pack." This place is gloomy, Kael. I sensed it.

Kael tensed. She had also sensed it. The rogue strikes. The jungle is being infiltrated by shadows. Even the most resilient wolves shuddered at the icy murmurs.

“Elias,” mumbled Kael. "This is his doing."

"Elias?" Raven scowled. "Your beta?"

"No longer." Kael's fists clenched. "He deceived me. He is utilizing the darkness.

Raven and Dax looked at each other. "We must relocate. It wasn't just a rogue attack, the village. There was more. Something ancient.

Kael's gaze grew strained. "You witnessed it?"

Raven paused. "It noticed me."

His blood froze. "What do you mean?"

The night air changed before she could respond. A nasty odor was carried by a fierce breeze that blew through the woods. Kael's wolf let out a low-pitched snarl.

Dax looked into the darkness and remarked, "We're not alone."

At that moment, Kael heard footsteps, barely audible above a whisper. Like a living creature, the blackness grew thicker and around them.

The voice then emerged.

"Kael... Raven..."

Kael recognized it, though it was faint, like a breath on the wind. It was the same voice he had dreamed about. It was the same voice that had been mocking him since Raven had gone.

Raven murmured, "Run."

Kael spun around just in time to witness a hideous figure rise out of the shadows. Howls filled the woodland, and red eyes glowed in the darkness.

They weren't by themselves.

And the quest was on.

The forest seems to hold its breath as the shadows changed. Every muscle in Kael's body clenched, coiling tightly. The crimson eyes burned brightly, multiplying as more individuals slinked from the darkness. Rogues. A dozen, perhaps more, with wild eyes and bared teeth. However, they were different in some way. They smelled rotten, unpleasant.

Kael's teeth were exposed. "They're not typical."

With his claws slipping away, Dax mumbled, "No kidding." "Alpha, any brilliant ideas?"

Kael gave him a fierce look, but Raven intervened. "Now is not the moment." She scanned the treeline with her glittering gaze. "They're awaiting."

"For what purpose?" Kael lowered his posture and requested.

A chilly whisper that ran down his spine was the answer that arrived on the wind.

*You*

Kael's inner wolf howled and clawed to the surface as the voice encircled him like ice. A massive outlaw came forward as the shadows began to twist. Its fur was black as tar and matted, and it was larger than the others. Its fiery eyes were burning with purpose rather than anger.

Kael's heart was racing. "This is more than a group of outlaws."

"No," Raven muttered. "It's worse than that."

The outlaw lunged. Kael hardly had time to change positions. In a swirl of golden eyes and black fur, bones snapped, his body twisting and extending. In midair, he struck the rogue, and the collision sent them flying into the undergrowth. Kael spun, plunging his fangs into the rogue's neck as teeth cracked just inches from his throat. It howled sharply, yet it was filled with wrath rather than pain.

When Claws raked down his side, Kael growled and pushed the outlaw away. He saw Dax and Raven battling side by side, their moves precisely timed. Raven was a haze of silver eyes and dark fur, her claws cutting through the air with lethal accuracy.

With a roar, Kael tore into the rogue's side. Though the shadows pulsed and its wounds sealed before his eyes, it still howled.

"What the devil?" Kael jumped back and barked.

They are unable to perish.

The voice, chilly and evil, slipped through his consciousness. In an attempt to force it away, Kael shook his head, but the blackness persisted. Unrelentingly, the rogues charged forward, pushing him back toward Dax and Raven.

"This cannot be won by us!" Slashing at a rogue who would not go down, Dax yelled. "They're not engaged in combat to murder. They are delaying.

Kael's heart pounded. "What are you stalling for?"

Then he sensed it, a tug in the middle of his chest. The connection. It twisted like a live wire, burning hot and cold. He pivoted, his gaze focusing on Raven. She also sensed it. Her eyes were bright and wide in the dark, and he could see it in them.

"Kael," she said in a whisper.

The darkness throbbed. The temperature dropped sharply. And a fresh figure appeared out of the shadows.

Elias.

Kael's throat tightened with breath. Standing at the edge of the clearing, tall and calm, his old Beta had a sly smirk on his lips. The shadows behind him writhed like living creatures, and his cold blue eyes gleamed dimly.

Elias responded in a suave, sarcastic voice, "Kael." "A long time has passed."

The night was filled with the rumble of Kael's snarl. "You."

Elias threw open his arms. "Have you missed me?"

Kael rushed, but he was slammed to the ground as the shadows charged forward. Raven and Dax were forced to his side as the rogues circled more closely. With heaving breath, Kael pushed to his feet. The connection between him and Raven pulsated once more, stronger than before.

Elias laughed. "Are you still holding onto your priceless mate bond?" He glanced at Raven. Admittedly, I'm impressed. You made it through.

Raven squinted his eyes. "You'll be sorry for that."

Elias grinned. "Oh, I don't think so." The shadows coiled around his fingers as he held up a hand. "You see, Kael... I'm not out to murder you. His eyes shone brightly. "Not just yet."

Kael's muscles tensed, poised to attack. "So, what would you like?"

Elias spoke in a low, lethal voice. "To see you shatter."

The area was engulfed in darkness as the shadows swept forward. Raven's hand touched Kael's, and the connection pulsed more intensely than before. Then the trees were shaken by a thunderous sound that made the ground tremble.

Then everything turned dark.