Chapter 2: The Wolf in The Shadows
823 Words
Five years on the run had taught me one thing: trust no one with silver eyes.
I should have listened to myself.
The Northern Pack’s border smelled wrong. Blood and rot, not snow and pine. I’d been tracking the scent for three days, following rumors of a plague killing wolves in the north.
The same plague that had taken my mother.
The same plague Kade’s pack had now.
Irony was a bitter thing.
I crouched behind a fallen log, watching the patrol. Three wolves, all gaunt, ribs showing through matted fur. One collapsed as I watched. The others didn’t even stop to help.
They were dying. Fast.
And Kade would know I was the only one who could save them. Blood healing didn’t come without a cost. Every wound I healed left a scar on me—faint white lines across my ribs, my thighs, my back.
I counted them some nights when I couldn’t sleep. The scars were a map of every life I’d saved.
But I’d rather bear the scars than let pups die because of his pride.
A twig snapped behind me.
I didn’t turn. I couldn’t afford to be caught off guard. Not again. Not after what happened last time I trusted a sound in the dark.
“Move, and I’ll break your neck,” a voice said. Low, rough, like gravel dragged over steel.
I turned slowly, hands up.
He was tall. Too tall. Seven feet if he was an inch. Dark hair fell to his shoulders, framing a face carved from stone. Scars cut across his jaw, his neck, disappearing under the black shirt stretched over corded muscle. His eyes were red. Not the gold of a werewolf. Red.
Lycan.
“You’re far from your territory, King,” I said. My voice didn’t shake. I’d learned that lesson five years ago, when Kade’s rejection taught me that fear got you killed.
Riven Drakmor tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he wanted to break. “And you’re far from dead, Luna.”
My breath caught. He knew.
“How—”
“The Northern Pack’s Luna is back,” he said, stepping closer. The air got heavier with his scent—smoke and frost and something older than either. “Word travels fast when a healer returns.”
“I’m not your Luna.”
“No,” he agreed. “Not yet.”
He moved faster than I could track. One second he was ten feet away, the next his hand was around my throat, lifting me off the ground. Not to hurt. To test.
“Your scent,” he murmured, nose brushing my neck. “Wolf-less. Human. But your blood… it smells of old magic. Moon’s blood.”
I kicked out, landing a hit to his ribs. He didn’t even flinch.
“Put me down,” I said.
He did. Gently. Too gently for a man who’d just threatened to kill me.
“Why are you here, Lila Nova?” he asked. “Kade’s pack is dying. You know that. You know he’ll beg.”
“He can rot.”
Riven’s mouth quirked. “Liar.”
He was right. I hated it.
“I’m here for the pups,” I said. “Not him.”
“Selfless,” he said, like it amused him. “Stupid.”
“Maybe.” I met his eyes. “Are you going to stop me?”
Riven studied me a long moment. Then he stepped back and offered his hand.
“Come with me,” he said. “My pack is healthy. My territory is safe. You can heal, rest, and decide what you want to do about Kade.”
“And what do you want?” I asked. I wasn’t stupid. Lycan Kings didn’t help for free.
His red eyes darkened.
“You,” he said simply. “I’ve been looking for my mate for 200 years, Lila. The moon just handed her to me.”
The ground tilted.
“You’re—”
“Mistaken?” He laughed, low and dark. “No. The bond doesn’t lie. Even if you’re not ready to accept it.”
A howl split the night. Not a wolf. Something bigger. Hungrier.
Riven’s expression went cold.
“They found us,” he said. “Rogues. Sent by Kade to kill you before you reach his pack.”
“Why would he—”
“Because if you heal them, you have power,” Riven said. “And Kade can’t have a Luna stronger than him.”
Another howl. Closer.
I had a choice. Run. Fight. Or trust the Lycan King who claimed I was his mate.
I took Riven’s hand.
“Let’s go,” I said. “But if you betray me, I’ll kill you myself.”
His grip tightened, possessive and final. “Try it, Luna. I’d like to see you try.”
The rogues hit us a second later.
- Writer
