Chapter 2:A Wolf Among Enemies
897 Words
I stared at him, too stunned to speak. His golden eyes didn’t blink — they just kept watching me like he was reading everything I’d ever been through.
“You don’t even know me,” I repeated, my voice a whisper.
Kieran’s voice was quiet but firm. “I don’t need to know your story to see what they did to you.”
Something in me cracked. Not fully broken, just… loosened. My legs gave way, and I sank to the forest floor, curling my arms around my knees.
“I was nothing to them,” I muttered. “Not even worth a second glance. I was supposed to be happy tonight. Find my mate. Be chosen. But I was humiliated in front of everyone.”
“You were rejected by a fool,” Kieran said simply, crouching beside me. “Let him rot with the rest of them.”
The raw hatred in his voice sent a chill down my spine.
“You don’t even know Damien,” I murmured.
He smirked. “I don’t need to. I saw the damage.”
Silence settled over us, broken only by the rustle of trees and the distant howl of wolves. I should’ve been scared. I was in enemy territory. Sitting beside a man who could break my neck in seconds. But I didn’t feel fear.
I felt… watched. Not in a bad way. In a strange, protective way.
Kieran suddenly stood. “Come.”
I looked up. “Where?”
“You’re not staying in the woods. I won’t have my mate freezing in the dirt.”
“I’m not your mate,” I said, standing slowly, my legs shaky.
His gaze flickered, but he didn’t argue. “That’s what you want to believe?”
“I’m not ready,” I admitted. “I can’t jump from one bond to another like it means nothing.”
“Then don’t,” he said with a shrug. “Stay. Heal. No one will touch you here.”
I hesitated.
“Or,” he added, stepping closer, voice like gravel, “you can go back to Moonstone and beg that coward to take you back. I won’t stop you.”
My heart clenched.
I looked into his eyes. He wasn’t begging me. He wasn’t offering love. He was giving me a choice.
And suddenly, I realized I had one.
“I’ll come with you,” I said quietly. “But not because I’m your mate.”
Kieran nodded once. “Fair enough.”
He shifted into his massive black wolf form, then lowered himself to the ground.
“You want me to ride you?” I blinked.
He let out a low snort. Definitely amused.
I climbed onto his back, my fingers tangling into his thick fur. As soon as I was settled, he took off — fast and smooth, like the wind obeyed him.
The forest blurred around us. And for the first time in hours… I felt like I was going somewhere I belonged.
---
The Nightfang Pack was nothing like Moonstone.
Massive stone structures shaped the heart of the territory, half-hidden in the mountains and surrounded by pine trees. There were guards posted, warriors patrolling. It didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a fortress.
Kieran shifted back into human form and tossed me a long black cloak. I caught it just in time to cover myself, realizing I was still in my torn dress.
“Follow me.”
Everyone we passed bowed their heads. No one questioned my presence — not with Kieran beside me.
He led me into a warm, dimly lit room with a fireplace and thick rugs. It smelled of sandalwood and pine. His scent. I didn’t miss the faint mark near the door — a crescent moon scratched into the wood.
“This will be your room.”
“I get a room?” I asked.
“You expected a cage?”
I didn’t answer.
He looked me over, his eyes lingering on my bruised arms. “I’ll have a healer come check on you. There’s food by the fire.”
I sat by the fire, my hands trembling as I picked up a piece of warm bread.
“You’ll be safe here, Lila. I give you my word,” he said, pausing at the door.
"Why?" I asked.
He turned to face me. "Because the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes. You were rejected by a fool. But that bond doesn't define you anymore."
"And this one?" I whispered. "What if I don't want it?"
His jaw clenched, but his voice stayed calm. "Then I’ll wait."
---
When he left, I stared into the fire, wondering if I had just traded one cage for another. But there was something different about this one. Kieran hadn’t forced me. He hadn’t claimed me with dominance or pressure. Just presence.
And that presence… it felt more dangerous than any threat I had ever known.
But also more honest.
My fingers brushed the birthmark on my shoulder — a small crescent moon I had always tried to hide. My mother once told me it was a gift. A sign. But I never believed her.
Now I wasn’t so sure.
In the shadows of a new pack, surrounded by strangers, I should’ve been terrified.
But somehow, for the first time in my life…
I wasn’t alone.
- Writer
