We ran.
Branches tore at my clothes. My lungs burned. Lucien moved effortlessly, like the forest belonged to him. I stumbled, gasping, struggling to keep pace.
"How… how do you know they're following us?" I wheezed.
"Because," he said calmly, "if I were them, I would."
Behind us, the howls grew louder, sharper, organized. Not random. My former pack was hunting me.
"They're really hunting me…" I whispered.
"Yes," he said without slowing.
"Why?" My voice cracked. "What did I do?"
"You exist. That's enough," he replied. "Your power makes you dangerous."
The words twisted my stomach. Dangerous? Me?
We reached the edge of a high cliff. Below stretched a valley dotted with lights—other packs, unknown territory. My legs threatened to give out.
"You have two choices," Lucien said, calm as ever.
I gave a humorless laugh. "This already sounds bad."
"Run alone. You'll probably die within days."
"And the second?"
"Come with me," he said.
I hesitated. "I don't even know your name."
"Lucien," he said, small smile. Calm. Confident. Dangerous.
I weighed my options. Survival versus pride. My pack abandoned me. Kaiden rejected me. I had nothing left to lose.
"Fine," I whispered.
Lucien's smile widened slightly. "Good choice."
We descended into the valley. The shadows behind us moved silently. Predators? Wolves? My old pack?
Lucien didn't slow, and I dared not either. The distant howls grew closer, urgent, insistent.
Through the darkness, I sensed eyes—keen, calculating. Watching. My heart skipped. Kaiden was out there. I knew it without seeing him.
The thought made my chest tighten. Even my former Alpha feared the power I barely understood.
Lucien glanced at me. "Stay close. Survive. That's all that matters tonight."
Every instinct screamed danger. Every sense warned me: my life had shifted. Forever.