Chapter 3
982 Words
Lena jerked awake.
For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. Her mind was still tangled in the haze of exhaustion, her body stiff from sleeping on the wooden floor. But the moment she inhaled, her instincts went on high alert.
Something was wrong.
She barely breathed as she sat up, her senses scanning the air. The scent of damp wood and dust filled the abandoned cabin, but beneath it—something else.
A wolf.
Not Kade. Not Bloodfang. Something unfamiliar.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She wasn’t alone.
Shoving the thin blanket off her legs, Lena crept toward the window, keeping her movements slow and silent. The early morning mist still clung to the forest outside, weaving through the gnarled branches like ghosts.
But then she saw it.
A figure moved between the trees—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with deadly precision.
Lena’s breath caught. Not a patrol wolf. Not one of Kade’s men.
She knew every warrior in the Bloodfang Pack, and this man wasn’t one of them. His scent, carried by the breeze, sent a chill up her spine—sharp, feral, and laced with something metallic. Blood.
A rogue.
Damn it.
Lena had spent all of last night avoiding Kade’s warriors, only to run straight into an even bigger danger. Rogues had no rules, no loyalties. If they found her, they would either kill her or sell her to the highest bidder.
She pressed her back against the cabin wall, her mind racing. She couldn’t stay here.
Another sound—closer this time. A low growl, followed by the snap of twigs underfoot.
He’s tracking me.
Lena’s pulse pounded in her ears. Think, think. Running was useless—she was weak, exhausted, and outnumbered. If she shifted, she’d be faster, but her scent would be stronger. She needed another plan.
Her eyes darted to the small fireplace. There, leaning against the hearth, was a rusted iron poker.
A weapon.
It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.
Just as she reached for it, the door creaked.
Shit.
She spun around just as the door swung open, revealing a towering man with dark, predatory eyes. His lips curled into a smirk as he took a single step inside, his body blocking the exit.
“Well, well,” he drawled, his voice rough and dripping with amusement. “What do we have here?”
Lena gripped the iron poker tighter. “Turn around and walk away.”
The rogue chuckled. “Fiesty little thing, aren’t you?” He tilted his head, inhaling deeply. Then his smirk widened. “And you smell… interesting.”
Lena’s stomach clenched.
He could smell the pregnancy.
No.
Panic flared through her veins, but she forced herself to stay still. Show no fear. Wolves fed on weakness.
“Step aside,” she said coldly, shifting her grip on the poker. “I won’t ask again.”
The rogue laughed. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re in no position to make demands.”
Then he lunged.
Lena barely had time to react. She swung the poker with every ounce of strength she had, aiming for his face. The metal collided with his jaw with a sickening c***k, sending him stumbling backward.
She didn’t wait.
Lena bolted past him, shoving her shoulder into his ribs as she twisted toward the open door. But before she could escape, another pair of hands grabbed her from behind.
She barely had time to gasp before she was yanked backward, her body slamming into a second rogue—one even bigger than the first.
Pain exploded across her spine as she struggled, kicking wildly. The rogue let out a grunt, his grip tightening like a vice.
"Easy now," he murmured. "We don’t want to hurt you—"
Lena sank her teeth into his arm.
The rogue snarled in pain, his grip loosening just enough for her to tear free. She stumbled forward, her vision spinning—but before she could take another step, a sharp pain cracked against the back of her head.
Her knees buckled.
Darkness rushed in.
The last thing she heard was the rogue’s amused voice.
“Alpha Lucian is going to love this.”
Then—everything went black.
Kade stood on the riverbank, eyes locked on the churning waters. It had been over a day.
No sign of Lena. No scent trail.
Just emptiness.
His warriors had spent all night combing the river, checking both sides, searching for any trace of her. Nothing.
And it was killing him.
A sharp, bitter rage coiled in his chest.
She was out there somewhere. He could feel it. The mate bond—though weak from the distance between them—still whispered in the back of his mind, a constant ache, a reminder that she was alive.
But where?
He clenched his jaw, his hands tightening into fists.
“We’ll keep searching,” Raiden said beside him, though his voice was cautious. “But if she drowned—”
“She didn’t.”
Raiden hesitated. “Kade—”
“She didn’t,” Kade repeated, his voice low and firm. “I would know.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then—a howl.
Familiar.
Urgent.
Kade’s head snapped up. One of his scouts burst through the trees, panting heavily.
“Alpha!” the scout gasped. “We found something.”
Kade’s heart slammed against his ribs. “Lena?”
The scout hesitated. “Not exactly.” He swallowed hard. “There’s been rogue activity near the far border. A cabin was raided. Signs of a fight.”
Kade’s eyes darkened.
A rogue attack?
Rogues rarely ventured into these woods unless they had a reason. A target.
A chill slithered down his spine.
Please, no.
"Show me," he ordered, already moving.
But deep down, he already knew.
She’s in trouble.
And this time, he wasn’t letting her slip away.
- Writer
