Chapter Three: The Pack Decides
1337 Words
Lila
Chaos exploded around me.
One moment, I was clinging to Kael’s chest, my heart trying to tear its way out of my ribs. The next, the forest erupted into snarls, flashing teeth, and bodies colliding with bone-shattering force.
Wolves—everywhere.
I screamed when one lunged, but Kael moved faster than thought itself. He spun, shielding me completely, his body taking the impact as claws raked across his back. A growl tore from his throat, deep and terrifying, vibrating through me.
“Do not let them near her!” someone shouted.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers clutching his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me alive—because it was.
This is not real, my mind whispered desperately. This can’t be real.
But the heat in my chest—the strange, pulsing warmth that had been growing since Kael said that word mate—burned brighter with every passing second.
The world felt… different.
Sharper. Louder.
I could hear snarls from behind trees I couldn’t even see. I could smell blood—hot and metallic—long before it hit the ground.
“Lila!”
Kael’s voice cut through the madness, grounding me. He shifted suddenly, lowering me just enough that my feet brushed the forest floor, though his arm remained locked around my waist.
“Stay close,” he commanded. “No matter what happens.”
“I—I can’t—” My legs shook violently. “They’re going to kill me.”
“No,” he said fiercely. “Not while I breathe.”
Another wolf flew at us.
Kael released me for half a second—just long enough to intercept the attack. He shifted mid-motion, bones cracking, fur bursting from skin as a massive golden-black wolf replaced the man before my eyes.
I screamed again.
The wolf that was Kael tore into the attacker with terrifying precision, sending him crashing into a tree. The sound of snapping bone made bile rise in my throat.
He’s protecting me.
That thought slammed into me with shocking clarity.
Not because he had to.
Because he chose to.
A sharp pain flared in my chest—followed by something else. Power. Heat. A pull so strong it made my vision blur.
I gasped, clutching my chest as the ground beneath my feet vibrated.
“Alpha!” a female voice shouted. “Something’s wrong with the human!”
I dropped to my knees, breath coming in ragged bursts. The forest seemed to lean toward me, shadows stretching unnaturally.
Kael shifted back in front of me instantly, blood streaking his arm. His eyes widened as he took me in.
“Lila,” he breathed. “Look at me.”
I tried. I really did. But the pressure inside me was unbearable, like something ancient was waking up—stretching, testing its limits.
“I can’t—” I whispered. “It hurts.”
His hands cupped my face, warm and steady. “You’re not dying,” he said, voice low but sure. “This is the bond reacting. You’re stronger than you know.”
Stronger?
I laughed weakly. I can’t even stand.
A sudden roar echoed through the clearing, louder than all the others.
“Enough!”
Every wolf froze.
A massive gray wolf stepped forward from the treeline, eyes glowing with authority older than fear. He shifted smoothly into human form, revealing a tall, broad man with iron-gray hair and scars crisscrossing his bare chest.
Elder Magnus.
The pack’s lawkeeper.
My stomach dropped.
“This fight dishonors the moon,” Magnus said coldly, his gaze sweeping the clearing before settling on me. “And this… human.”
Dozens of eyes followed his stare.
I shrank instinctively, my body pressing into Kael’s legs.
“She is under my protection,” Kael growled.
Magnus raised a brow. “So you claim. But protection does not erase law.”
Silence fell, thick and suffocating.
“This pack will decide,” Magnus continued. “As tradition demands.”
My breath caught. “Decide what?”
Kael stiffened.
“Whether you live,” Magnus said flatly.
The words slammed into me like a physical blow.
I looked around desperately—at the wolves, at the blood-stained forest, at the faces filled with suspicion, fear… and hunger.
“This isn’t fair,” I whispered.
Kael knelt in front of me instantly. “Listen to me,” he said urgently. “No matter what they say, I will not abandon you.”
“You can’t fight all of them,” I said, tears spilling freely now.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Watch me.”
Magnus lifted a hand. “The Alpha has spoken. Now the pack will.”
One by one, wolves stepped forward.
“She’s weak,” a male growled. “A liability.”
“She’ll get us killed,” another snapped.
“She doesn’t belong here.”
Each word cut deeper than the last.
Then Elara stepped forward.
“She survived the bond,” she said calmly. “That alone defies expectation.”
Murmurs rippled through the pack.
“She caused the ground to tremble,” someone else added reluctantly.
Redclaw Alpha—now watching from the shadows with sharp interest—smiled thinly.
Magnus turned back to me. “Human,” he said. “Do you deny the bond?”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t… I don’t understand it. But I feel it. Him.”
Kael’s head snapped toward me.
Magnus studied my face carefully. “Then answer this. Would you choose him—knowing this world will try to break you?”
Fear screamed at me to say no.
But something deeper—stronger—rose up in my chest.
“Yes,” I said hoarsely. “I would.”
The forest went deadly quiet.
Kael sucked in a sharp breath.
Magnus’s eyes narrowed. “Very well.”
He raised his voice. “The pack has heard her answer. Now hear mine.”
My heart thundered.
“By ancient law,” Magnus declared, “the bond stands.”
A wave of shock rippled through the clearing.
“But,” he continued, voice darkening, “her survival does not guarantee her safety.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
Kael’s hand tightened around mine.
“She must be tested,” Magnus said. “If she truly belongs, the moon will reveal it.”
Tested.
The word echoed ominously in my mind.
“What kind of test?” I asked.
Magnus’s gaze flicked to the sky, where clouds were already shifting, moonlight struggling to break through.
“The Trial of the Blood Moon,” he said.
Kael exploded to his feet. “No.”
Magnus met his glare unflinchingly. “You know the law.”
“That trial kills most wolves,” Kael snarled. “She’s human.”
“Then she should not have been chosen,” Magnus replied coldly.
Fear wrapped icy fingers around my spine.
“When?” I whispered.
Magnus turned to me slowly. “At the next full rise.”
The ground seemed to tilt beneath me.
Kael pulled me into his arms, pressing his forehead to mine. His voice was rough when he spoke.
“I will find another way.”
Magnus shook his head. “The moon has already decided.”
As if summoned by his words, a distant howl rose—deep, ancient, and powerful.
Not from any wolf.
From the mountain beyond the forest.
Magnus stiffened.
“That’s not possible,” someone whispered.
Redclaw Alpha’s smile vanished.
Kael’s eyes darkened as realization hit him.
“The guardians,” he said quietly. “They’re awake.”
I looked between them, dread pooling in my stomach.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Kael held me tighter.
“It means,” he said grimly, “that the trial isn’t just for you.”
The mountain howled again—closer this time.
And I knew, with terrifying certainty…
The pack’s decision had only sealed my fate.
- Writer
