Chapter Three
1265 Words
ELLIE’S POV
The moment I crossed the line, the cries and snarls of Moonshade faded behind me, as if silenced by an invisible wall. The night air grew colder, thicker, alive with a quiet I didn’t trust.
Crimson Fang wolves flanked me, silent and alert, their steps precise. Not a single one looked at me with curiosity or contempt. They didn’t leer. They didn’t whisper. They simply moved like shadows through trees, one footfall after the other.
I didn’t speak. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I knew better. Words only ever earned me bruises.
They’d kill me when we arrived.
That was fine.
Better a clean death than what I left behind.
The wolf to my right exhaled sharply and gave me a sideways glance. His coat shimmered dark brown under the moonlight, his steps light but ready. He was watching me. No, more like he was measuring me.
Then he shifted mid-step, his body folding in on itself with terrifying ease. One moment wolf, the next a tall man with arms crossed over his chest and a stare as cold as ice.
“Don’t slow us down,” he muttered.
I nodded once.
“Beta Dane,” someone said quietly behind us, a reminder or a warning.
He didn’t look back, he just kept walking.
So that was Dane, the Beta of Crimson Fang pack. I didn’t need him to like me. I didn’t need any of them to.
I clutched the frayed edge of my mother’s scarf tighter around my fingers and kept walking.
Let them kill me and let it be quick.
But every time I told myself that, I felt those silver eyes on me again. The eyes of Alpha Jovani.
He was ahead, silent. His broad back caught the moonlight through the trees, his shoulders square and steady as he led the way deeper into the woods. He didn’t speak. He didn’t even glance back.
But somehow I felt him watching.
Not with suspicion. Not with disgust. But with something else I didn’t have a name for.
We marched through the forest for what felt like hours. The trees thickened, the trail narrowing to a single worn path. I nearly stumbled twice, my bare feet bruising against roots and cold earth, but no one reached to help.
No one had to.
I was used to pain.
When we finally stopped, it wasn’t in a clearing, but a hidden passage between ridges, guarded by thick pine and laced with warding runes that glowed faint blue. Two wolves stepped aside as Jovani approached, wordless.
He passed through.
So did the others.
When I stepped between the runes, something cold brushed against my skin, like frost against bone. My breath caught. For a moment, I thought I’d be repelled, cast out.
But I passed through.
And that was when I saw it.
The Crimson Fang territory.
It wasn’t what I expected.
Stone halls rose between trees, carved right into cliffsides, their edges glowing with lanterns and fire pits. Tents and outposts lined the ground like a camp, but cleaner, fortified, organized and silent.
No drunken laughter. No screams. No punishment corners or children being shoved aside. Wolves moved in formation, quick, efficient, nodding to one another as they passed.
And every single one of them lowered their head slightly when Jovani walked by.
With respect and not fear.
The difference hit like a blow to the chest.
I’d never seen wolves act like this before.
He’s not like Wesley, I thought.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt me.
The path led to a raised stone hall near the far end of the camp. As we approached, two guards stiffened, but Jovani lifted a hand. They opened the doors without question.
Inside, it was warm. Lit by fire sconces and lined with heavy furs and weapons on display. A few wolves inside paused when they saw me, their eyes narrowing with quiet judgment. I kept mine down, instinct pressing my chin toward my chest.
“Dane,” Jovani said at last.
“Yes, Alpha,” the Beta answered instantly.
“Prepare a room for her.”
He paused.
Dane didn’t hide his reaction. “A room?”
“She will not sleep in the barracks.” Jovani said authoritatively.
“She’s not one of us.” Dane muttered
“She is under my protection.” Jovani replied
Dane clenched his jaw but nodded once. “As you command.”
“Give her food. Something warm. She’s starving.”
I flinched at that and he’d noticed.
“Have a healer look at her arm,” Jovani added, stepping past me.
Dane raised a brow. “You think she’s injured?”
“She was lashed before she crossed the border.”
I swallowed hard. My eyes stayed on the floor.
Jovani didn’t wait for a response. He vanished down a side corridor, his footsteps soft on stone.
Dane turned to me, eyes narrowed.
“This isn’t your home,” he said quietly. “Don’t mistake it for kindness.”
I didn’t.
I never would.
He led me through the hall in silence until we reached a side room. It was small, but clean. Stone walls, a single bed, furs piled neatly, a basin of water, and a stool.
I stared.
A bed?
With a blanket?
“Stay here,” Dane said. “Someone will bring food.”
I nodded once. He waited for something, maybe a thank you, maybe a plea. But I said nothing.
He snorted and left.
The door shut behind him.
And I stood alone.
The warmth of the room touched my skin and suddenly I realized how cold I was. My fingers trembled. My knees nearly gave.
I turned, slowly, and walked to the bed. The moment I sat down, I nearly wept. Not from fear. Not even from pain.
But because this…this little bed, this quiet room, was more than I’d been given in years.
There was a quiet knock a few minutes later. I didn’t speak. The door creaked open.
A girl with ash-blonde hair and wide green eyes stepped in, holding a tray of food that containsed stew, bread, and water.
She set it on the stool beside me.
“I’m Lira,” she said, softly.
I looked at her.
“I’m the healer’s apprentice. I’m just here to look at your arm, if that’s okay?”
I nodded slowly.
She knelt beside me, careful, and pulled back the ragged sleeve of my shirt. Her lips pressed into a tight line when she saw the lash marks, red, swollen, some already scabbing over.
“This was recent.”
I didn’t answer her.
She cleaned the wounds in silence, her touch gentle, her movements sure.
“No one should’ve done this to you,” she whispered.
Still, I said nothing.
She glanced up at me. “They say you were traded.”
I didn’t respond.
She wrapped the last of the bandage, tied it, and stood. “They don’t understand,” she said, voice soft. “But I think he does.”
I blinked.
“Alpha Jovani,” she clarified. “He doesn’t speak much. But he sees people. Not just their scars.”
Then she left.
And I sat there staring at the stew until the scent made my stomach growl.
I ate every bite.
Hours passed, no one returned.
Not Jovani. Not Dane. Not Lira.
I curled beneath the blanket when the fire burned low, clutching my scarf beneath the covers.
My first night outside of Moonshade.
Alive and safe?
No. Not yet.
But maybe…
- Writer
