Chapter 6: My Only Chance
1057 Words
This could be my chance.
That’s the only thought running through my head as Kael opens the door and gestures for me to follow. Two guards stand outside.
The same massive men from yesterday, but they don’t growl this time. They just watch me with cold, assessing eyes.
Kael steps in front of them, blocking their view of me.
“Let’s go,” he says quietly.
I swallow hard and follow him down the hallway.
The house is huge. Long corridors, tall windows, carved wooden beams, everything smelling faintly of pine and smoke. It feels ancient and alive at the same time.
And every few steps, someone appears: a pack member carrying laundry, a man with a stack of papers, a woman with a basket of herbs.
They all stop and stare at me.
Some smile politely.
Some look confused.
Some look like they want to eat me.
I stay close to Kael.
Not because I trust him. I don’t. but because the alternative is being surrounded by strangers who might not be human.
We step outside into the morning light, and I blink at the sight before me.
The pack grounds look like a small village. Cabins, training fields, gardens, and a large open-air dining area with long wooden tables. Wolves roam freely between buildings, some lounging in the sun, others trotting alongside people like oversized guard dogs.
Every head turns when Kael and I walk by.
Whispers ripple through the crowd.
“Is that her?”
“She’s human.”
“Why would he bring her here?”
“Does she know?”
“She’s tiny.”
Kael ignores all of it.
He leads me to a table near the edge of the dining area, where a smiling woman in an apron approaches with a notepad.
“What can I get you?” she asks, her eyes focusing on me.
“Uh… pancakes?” I say. “With strawberries. Please.”
She turns and nods to Kael but doesn’t ask him what he wants.
He’s not eating? And the waitress already knows that?
The woman bows her head slightly, turns, and walks away.
I turn to him. “You’re not hungry?”
“I ate earlier.”
“Right.” I narrow my eyes. “When you were… not sleeping in my bed.”
“Well, it's technically my bed.”
I grimace but then let it go. “Kael, I need answers.”
He watches me calmly. “Ask.”
“Why am I here?”
“Because it wasn’t safe to leave you out there.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
He exhales slowly. “I know.”
I grip the edge of the table. “Why won’t you let me leave?”
His eyes flick toward a group of men watching us from across the dining area — big, muscular, intense. They don’t look friendly.
“Because they don’t trust you,” he says. “And some of them… don’t control their instincts well.”
My stomach twists. “Instincts?”
He doesn’t elaborate.
“Okay,” I say, trying again. “Um… how old are you?”
“27”
“Oh, you’re like, old.”
He chuckles. “You have no idea.”
I stare at him, confusion and frustration bubbling up. “You keep saying things that make no sense.”
“I’m explaining what I can.”
“What does that even mean?”
He meets my eyes, and for a moment something flickers there — something conflicted, something heavy.
“It means,” he says quietly, “that you’re not ready for the truth yet.”
My heart stutters.
Not ready?
What truth?
Before I can push further, the woman returns with my plate — a stack of fluffy pancakes, fresh strawberries, and a drizzle of syrup. My mouth is basically watering at the sight of this food and my stomach sounds like it has a beast of its own.
Well, maybe I’ll escape after I finish eating.
Kael’s lips twitch like he’s trying not to smile.
I pick up my fork, but my mind is racing.
This is probably my only chance.
There are paths leading into the trees.
Buildings I could hide behind.
People I could slip past.
I just need one opening.
Kael sits beside me, posture relaxed but eyes constantly scanning the pack grounds like he’s expecting trouble. Or preventing it.
I clear my throat. “So… what exactly do you do here? As, uh… Alpha?”
He doesn’t look at me. “I lead.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting right now.”
I grit my teeth. “You’re impossible.”
“And you ask too many questions.”
“Because you don’t answer any of them!”
He finally turns his head, eyes locking onto mine with that intense, unreadable stare.
“Eat,” he says softly. “We’ll talk later.”
I open my mouth to argue—
But someone approaches the table.
A tall man with sandy hair and a scar across his jaw. He bows his head slightly.
“Alpha,” he says. “We need you. It’s urgent.”
Kael’s entire body shifts — not visibly, but I feel it. His attention snaps away from me, his expression sharpening.
“What happened?” Kael asks.
The man leans in, lowering his voice. I can’t hear the words, but whatever he says makes Kael’s jaw clench.
Kael stands.
The man steps back respectfully.
Kael turns to me. “Stay here.”
My heart jumps. “Wait— where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“You said that yesterday,” I whisper.
He pauses. Just for a second. His eyes soften — barely — before the Alpha mask slides back into place.
“I mean it this time.”
Then he turns and walks away with the sandy‑haired man, their voices fading into the morning noise of the pack grounds.
I watch him go.
And for the first time since I got here…
He’s distracted.
He’s busy.
He’s not watching me.
This is it.
My chance.
My only chance.
I set my fork down slowly, my pulse pounding in my ears.
If I’m going to escape…
It has to be now.
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