Blood remembered

Chapter 3: Blood On Snow

We ran until my lungs felt like glass. Sarah didn’t complain. Not once. She just kept up, bare feet silent on the snow, the broken mark on her neck pulsing every time we got too far apart. The bond. It was a leash and a lifeline at the same time. Behind us, the howls were closer. 3 wolves. Maybe 4. My father’s best trackers.

“Left,”

I whispered, yanking her off the main trail and into the Blackwood. The trees here were ancient. They swallowed sound. Swallowed moonlight too. Good. The broken moon above was like a beacon pointing right at us. Sarah stumbled. I caught her before she hit the ground. Her hand was freezing in mine.

“You’re hurt,”

I said. It wasn’t a question. I could feel it through the bond. A sharp, dull ache in her side.

“It’s nothing,”

she lied. I turned her gently. There was a cut along her ribs. Probably from the ceremonial tile when she fell. Blood had soaked through her white dress and was freezing on the edges.

“Damn it, Sarah.”

Her eyes snapped to mine.

“Don’t. Don’t say my name like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you care.”

I should’ve let go. That’s what an Alpha heir does. Cut weak links. Especially cursed ones. But my hands were already tearing a strip from my shirt to wrap around her.

“I don’t,”

I muttered. The lie tasted bitter.

“I’m just not letting you die. The pack would blame me.”

She didn’t believe me. I could tell. The bond told me. Under the fear and pain was something else. Disappointment. We moved again. Slower now. The Blackwood was cold. Too quiet. Even the wind stopped here. My wolf was pacing under my skin, angry, caged. He didn’t understand why we weren’t fighting back. Why we were running from our own pack.

Because they want to kill us

I told him.

Because of the mark

he answered back.

Because the moon chose wrong.

I pressed my hand to my throat. The broken crescent burned. It hadn’t stopped since the ceremony. Every few minutes it would flare, and I’d taste copper in my mouth. Sarah noticed.

“Does it hurt?”

“Shut up.”

“You’re bleeding too.”

I touched my fingers to my neck. They came back red. The mark was cracking open. Like it was trying to get out of my skin. That’s when I heard it. A twig snap. Too close.

“Down,”

I hissed, pulling her to the ground behind a thick root.Two wolves padded past us. Big. Gray. Crescent Pack guards. Their noses were to the ground, sniffing.One of them stopped. Sniffed the air. Right where we were. My heart was so loud I was sure they could hear it. Sarah went completely still against me. I could feel her trembling. The wolf turned its head. Eyes yellow, locked right on our hiding spot. I was already shifting in my head. Claws out. Teeth ready. If he took one more step—A rabbit bolted to our right. Both wolves turned and chased it, disappearing into the dark. We didn’t breathe for a full minute. When it was quiet again, Sarah let out a shaky breath.

“You saved us.”

“I got lucky.”

“No. You chose to hide me first. Before yourself."

I didn’t answer that. Instead I stood, pulling her up with me.

“We need to get to the border before sunrise. If we cross into the Gray Ridge territory, my father can’t legally touch us.”

“Gray Ridge hates Crescent Pack,”

Sarah said.

“They’ll kill us too.”

“Maybe. But they’ll ask questions first.”

We started walking again. The snow was up to our ankles now. The silence between us was heavy. But the bond was loud. I could feel everything. Her exhaustion. Her fear. The way her side hurt with every step.And under it all, the same thing I was feeling. Confusion. Why us? Why now? Why a broken mark? I glanced at her. Snow in her hair. Blood on her dress. Eyes too big, too tired. She looked nothing like a Luna. Nothing like what my father wanted for me. She looked real.

“Ryan,”

she said softly.

“What.”

“Thank you. For not leaving me.”

I stared straight ahead.

“I’m not doing it for you.”

The bond pulsed. She didn’t believe that either. Above us, the broken moon watched. One half light. One half dark. Just like us. We kept moving. Because stopping meant dying. And I wasn't ready to die. Not yet. Not with her.