chapter 13 Shadows at the border
1502 Words
The morning air was colder than usual.
A thin layer of mist curled over the earth, drifting between the cabins like pale ghosts. The pack grounds were quiet—too quiet. Even the birds seemed to have decided it was safer not to be heard today. I stepped outside, inhaling deeply, letting the chill clear my thoughts. Sleep had been a luxury I didn’t have last night. Not with enemy wolves edging closer to our borders… and not with Liam still unconscious.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin the moment I thought his name.
We should be with him.
We should be everywhere, I answered silently. But I can’t protect him if I don’t protect the pack first.
I forced myself to turn away from the healer’s cabin. Duty first. Personal feelings later.
Or never.
The training grounds stretched wide ahead of me. Rows of warriors stood in formation, their expressions grim. Weapons gleamed under the weak sunlight. Orion stood at the front, barking orders, but he paused when I approached.
“Alpha.” He bowed his head, his scent thick with fatigue and stress. “Scouts returned an hour ago. They sensed movement again near the western ridge.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. “How close?”
“Close enough to smell their alpha's stench.”
The enemy Alpha—Ravik.
A cruel, merciless wolf who had been waiting for years for a chance to take our lands. He had already put scars on my pack. On me. And now, he had nearly killed Liam.
My mate.
I swallowed hard, refusing to let emotion cloud my face. “Double the sentries.”
“We already have,” Orion replied. “But Selene… there’s something else.”
He hesitated. Orion never hesitated. Something icy slid down my spine.
“Out with it.”
He exhaled slowly. “We found tracks. Fresh. And they weren’t from Ravik’s wolves.”
I frowned. “Another pack?”
“Or a rogue,” he said. “But whoever it was… they were watching us.”
I didn’t like that. Not one bit. If Rogues were sniffing around while Ravik prepared for war, it meant one thing—chaos was coming, and we were in the middle of it.
“Show me,” I said, already walking.
Orion led me northwest toward the ridge, where pine trees grew thick and tall, their shadows swallowing the light. The smell of damp soil clung to the air. We reached a clearing where marks were pressed into the earth—wolf tracks, deep and uneven.
I crouched, tracing the edge of one print with my fingers.
It was big. Too big for a normal wolf.
“Rogue,” I muttered. “And a strong one.”
Orion folded his arms. “He didn’t cross into the inner territory. He stood here… watching.”
My wolf growled low inside me. Coward.
“Selene,” Orion said gently, “we need to talk about Liam.”
I stiffened. “Not now.”
“Yes. Now.”
My gaze snapped to his, sharp as a blade. “You question my decisions?”
He shook his head quickly. “Never. But the warriors are concerned. We’ve taken in an outsider—we know nothing about him, except that he might be your mate. And with Ravik preparing an attack…”
I rose slowly, cold fury curling in my chest.
“Liam is not a threat.”
“You can’t know that.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping. “I do.”
He held my stare for a moment, then lowered his eyes in submission. “As you command, Alpha.”
But I could sense his doubt lingering in the air.
A rustle of wind brushed past us, and I inhaled sharply. There—faint, but real—the scent of blood. Fresh.
“Stay alert,” I said. “We’re not alone.”
I followed the trail deeper into the forest, Orion keeping close. The scent led to a fallen tree, its bark shredded. Something had clawed it violently. A warning. A message.
We’re coming.
"We can't keep playing defense," Orion said quietly. "If Ravik is gathering rogues—"
"He won't," I cut in. "Rogues don't follow anyone. Not unless there's something in it for them."
"Or unless someone promised them something."
That possibility tightened every muscle in my body. Rogues craved one thing—freedom. If Ravik had offered them territory… or blood…
“Selene,” Orion murmured hesitantly, “you know what Ravik wants.”
My jaw clenched. “He wants the throne.”
He nodded. “And you.”
The words echoed through me like a blade scraping bone.
Yes. Ravik wanted me. He wanted to break me, bend me, use me to claim absolute rule over the northern packs. The thought made bile rise in my throat.
I straightened. “Prepare the warriors. Tonight, we reinforce all borders. No wolf patrols alone. No exceptions.”
Orion nodded and sprinted back toward the grounds.
I turned toward the healer’s cabin, unable to resist any longer. My wolf nudged against my consciousness, tugging me forward.
Check on him.
Yes.
Inside, the room was warm, lit by soft orange glow from the fireplace. The smell of healing herbs filled the air. Liam lay on the bed, his chest wrapped in bandages, his breathing steady but slow.
My heart squeezed painfully.
I approached quietly, sitting beside him. His skin looked less pale today, color returning slowly to his cheeks. A strand of dark hair fell across his forehead, and before I realized what I was doing, I reached out and brushed it aside gently.
His eyelids fluttered.
My breath caught. “Liam?”
He groaned softly, his lips parting. When his eyes opened, silver flickered beneath the dim light.
Not just silver—glowing silver.
I froze.
Mate. My wolf whispered the word like a prayer.
Liam blinked up at me, confusion turning to relief. “Selene…”
Hearing his voice again—raspy, soft, alive—made my heart stutter.
“You’re awake,” I whispered, struggling to keep my voice steady. “Finally.”
He tried to sit up but winced, collapsing back onto the pillows. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t move. You’re still healing.”
His gaze softened. “You stayed.”
“I had to supervise your recovery,” I said stiffly, avoiding his eyes.
Liam let out a weak laugh. “Right. For… supervision.”
I glared at him, but the edges of my resolve cracked slightly. He noticed. He always noticed.
“How long was I out?” he asked.
“Two days.”
He inhaled sharply, eyes darkening. “Ravik. He ambushed me near the river. I tried to get away, but—”
“I know,” I cut in.
Silence filled the room.
His gaze drifted to my hand still resting on his shoulder… and he covered it gently with his own.
The mate bond flared between us, hot and sudden, like lightning under my skin. I snatched my hand back quickly, heat rising to my face.
“We don’t have time for this,” I muttered, standing abruptly. “Ravik is moving. Rogues are gathering. And there’s something else stalking our borders.”
Liam’s eyes sharpened immediately. “Then let me help.”
“No.” The answer came too fast, too instinctive.
He looked hurt. “Selene—”
“You’re injured,” I snapped. “I won’t risk you.”
His expression softened. “You mean you won’t risk losing me.”
I turned away sharply, my throat tightening.
Damn him.
“Heal first,” I whispered. “Then we’ll talk.”
Footsteps approached outside, and Aria burst into the room, breathless.
“Alpha!” she gasped. “Emergency at the eastern border—”
My heart dropped. “What happened?”
“A body,” she said shakily. “One of Ravik’s wolves. He’s dead.”
Liam’s head jerked toward her. “Dead how? Ravik wouldn't kill his own.”
“I know,” Aria said. “That’s why it’s bad.”
Her voice trembled.
“His throat was ripped out. But not by claws… or teeth.”
I frowned. “Then by what?”
Aria swallowed hard.
“It looked like… magic.”
Silence crushed the room.
Magic. Impossible. Ancient. Forbidden.
My pulse thundered in my ears.
“Show me,” I said.
Aria nodded and rushed out.
Before following her, I looked back at Liam. His expression was tight with worry.
“Selene,” he said softly, his silver eyes locking with mine. “Be careful.”
I hesitated only a moment.
“I always am.”
Then I left—heart pounding, tension curling like a storm inside me.
Whatever had killed that wolf was not just an enemy.
It was something worse.
And it had crossed into my territory.
Tonight, the shadows weren’t just watching us.
They were hunting.
- Writer
