Rogue & Ruin
(Kael's POV)
The Blackfang patrol was way too close.
I could smell them—pine and iron and that sharp, arrogant scent that all elite pack wolves seemed to carry. My claws dug into the bark of the tree I was pressed against as I held my breath, willing my heartbeat to slow.
Stupid. So stupid.
I never should’ve taken that deer so close to their borders. But hunger had made me reckless, and now I was paying for it with a gash in my side that burned like hellfire.
A twig snapped.
I tensed, ready to bolt—
"Damn, Kael. You look like shit."
I nearly sagged in relief. Ryn.
My best friend—and the only i***t in Vargen dumb enough to stick with a rogue like me—leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed, looking annoyingly unbothered. As usual, his dark curls were perfectly windswept, his tawny eyes glittering with amusement.
I flipped him off. "What do you want?"
He tossed me a stolen healing poultice. "Just saving your sorry ass. Again."
I caught it with a wince. "I had it handled."
"Uh-huh. That’s why you’re bleeding all over the place." He sniffed the air, and his smirk widened. "Wait… is that Blackfang scent all over you?"
I stiffened.
Ryn’s grin turned downright evil. "Ohhh. So that’s why you’re all broody. You didn’t just run into a patrol—you ran into her, didn’t you?"
Her.
Lira Blackfang. The silver-eyed, razor-tongued heir to the most powerful pack in Vargen. The she-wolf who’d looked at me like I was something she wanted to gut—right before our wolves locked onto each other in a way that had nearly brought me to my knees.
I growled. "Shut up."
Ryn whistled. "The Blood Moon really does have a sense of humor."
I threw the poultice at his head.
(Lira's POV)
I stormed into the war tent, my blood still burning from the encounter.
That rogue. That monster.
The one whose golden eyes had looked straight into mine and made my wolf howl in recognition.
Mine.
Jarek, my second-in-command, took one look at my face and wisely took a step back. "So… the hunt didn’t go well?"
I bared my fangs. "We lost him."
Again.
And worse? When I’d finally cornered him, my blade at his throat, ready to end him—our wolves had reacted. A single, terrifying moment of pure, undeniable instinct.
Jarek cleared his throat. "You’re, uh… growling."
I snapped my teeth. "I’ll do worse than growl if you don’t shut up."
(Kael's POV - Later That Night)
Ryn tossed another log on the fire, then smirked at me. "So. When are you gonna admit you’re obsessed with her?"
I flipped him off again.
He sighed. "You’re such a dramatic little—"
A howl cut through the night.
Blackfang. Close.
I was on my feet in an instant, my blood roaring.
Ryn groaned. "Oh, come on. Can’t you two just send each other letters like normal wolves?"
