The hybrid nobody wanted

Chapter 5:into the pack’s den

We walked through the forest for what felt like hours.

Dorian led. I followed a few steps behind , close enough to see him, far enough to react if he tried anything.

The bond hummed between us. Not pulling. Just... there.

"How much further?" I asked.

"Another hour. Maybe less if we move faster."

We moved faster.

The howling started when the moon was directly overhead.

Not close. But close enough. And not one wolf, many.

"They're celebrating," Dorian whispered. "They caught something tonight. Someone."

Jax.

My heart hammered. "We have to move."

"Wait." He crouched, drew in the dirt with a stick. "Their camp is here. Three entrances. Jax will be in the center , bait for you. Guards at each entrance."

"How do we get in?"

He pointed at the east side. "The cliff. No one watches it. No one guards it. If we can climb"

"I can climb."

He met my eyes. "We go now. Quiet. Fast. When we reach the cliff, you follow my lead. No questions."

I nodded.

We moved.

The cliff was worse than I expected.

Steep. Dark. One wrong move and I'd fall fifty feet.

Dorian went first, silent, smooth, like gravity didn't matter. I followed slower, my fingers aching, my arms burning.

For Jax.

Halfway up, my foot slipped.

I gasped. Grabbed for something ,anything. Found a root. Held on.

Dorian looked down. His eyes widened. Fear there. Real fear.

For me.

"Raya." His voice was calm. Controlled. "You're okay. Find your footing. I'm right here."

I found the ledge again. Pressed my forehead against the rock. Breathed.

"Keep going," I whispered.

He hesitated. Then nodded. Continued up.

I followed.

We reached the top together.

The camp spread out below. Fires burning. Tents clustered. Wolves moving between them.

And in the middle, tied to a post...

Jax.

My heart stopped.

He was on his knees. Blood covered his face, his chest, his hands. But his chest moved. Small. Shallow. Alive.

"Jax." The name left my lips.

Dorian grabbed my arm. "Two guards. Maybe three. When I move, you move. Straight for Jax. Don't stop."

"And you?"

"I'll handle the guards."

Before I could argue, he moved.

Fast. Too fast. One moment beside me, the next ,in the camp. Guards dropped. Bodies on the ground. No sound. No alarm.

I ran.

Straight for Jax. Heart pounding.

He looked up as I approached. His eyes..bruised, swollen, barely open ,found mine.

"Raya?" His voice was cracked. "You... you came."

"Of course I came." I dropped beside him, pulling at the ropes. "You i***t. Did you think I wouldn't?"

"Knew you'd... do something stupid."

"Shut up."

The ropes were tight. Too tight. My fingers slipped.

"Raya." Dorian's voice. Urgent. "We have maybe two minutes. Move faster."

"I'm TRYING."

Something snapped inside me.

Heat flooded my veins ,that same heat from the kitchen. My vision sharpened. My hands tingled.

The ropes burned. Then broke.

I stared at my hands. At Jax, free.

"What..." Jax stared too. "How"

"No time." I pulled him up. "Can you walk?"

He tested his weight. Winced. "Barely."

"Good enough."

Dorian appeared beside us. "Now. Go NOW."

We ran.

Behind us, a howl rose. Then another. Then a dozen.

They'd found the bodies.

The cliff loomed ahead.

"Down," Dorian ordered. "Now. I'll hold them."

I froze. "What?"

"I'll hold them. You take Jax. Go."

I stared at him. "You'll die."

"Probably." He said it like a fact. Like it didn't matter. "Go. Now."

"No."

"Raya"

"No!" I grabbed his arm. "We go together. Or not at all."

His eyes met mine. The bond screamed between us ,fear, hope, desperation.

Then Jax grabbed my other arm. "Raya, we have to MOVE!"

I looked at Dorian. At Jax. At the wolves closing in behind.

"Together," I repeated.

Dorian's jaw tightened. He looked at the wolves. Looked at me. Something shifted in his dark eyes.

"Together," he agreed.

We went over the edge.

The climb down was chaos.

Jax half-fell, half-climbed, too weak to move fast. I stayed below, trying to catch him when he slipped. Dorian stayed above, watching for wolves.

We were halfway down when the first wolf appeared at the top.

"There!" it howled. "They're here!"

Dorian moved. Fast. Engaging them. Holding them back.

"Keep going!" he shouted.

I grabbed Jax. Pulled him down. Faster. Faster.

We reached the bottom. Jax collapsed. I pulled him up.

"Dorian!" I screamed.

He looked down. Our eyes met across the distance. Blood on his face. Wolves behind him. Nowhere to go.

"Go!" he shouted. "I'll hold them!"

"Dorian"

"GO, RAYA!"

I grabbed Jax. Ran.

Behind me, I heard fighting. Growling. Screaming.

Then silence.

I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Jax needed me.

We ran until we couldn't run anymore.

Jax collapsed first. I fell beside him, gasping, shaking.

We were deep in the forest. Miles from the Pack's camp. Miles from safety.

But alive. Jax was alive.

I looked back the way we came.

Darkness. Silence.

No Dorian.

The bond pulsed.

Weak. Faint. Like a candle flickering in the wind.

Then nothing.

I pressed my hand to my chest. Waiting. Praying.

Nothing.

Dorian?

Silence.