The rogues lunged.
Four massive wolves burst forward at once, their claws tearing through the dirt as they closed the distance between us in a matter of seconds. Moonlight flashed across their grey fur and bared teeth, turning the clearing into a blur of movement and snarling breath.
My wolf surged forward inside me.
Now.
The shift ripped through my body like fire.
Bones shifted beneath my skin, muscles tightening and reshaping as claws pushed free from my fingertips. The world sharpened instantly. Every scent became clearer. Every sound grew louder. I could hear the pounding of the rogue wolves' hearts as they rushed toward us.
The first wolf—the one the stranger had thrown aside—recovered quickly and lunged again, aiming straight for my throat.
I twisted sideways just in time.
Its jaws snapped shut inches from my neck.
My claws raked across its shoulder as I moved past it, tearing through fur and skin. The rogue yelped in pain and stumbled backward, but it didn't fall. Rogues were used to fighting dirty. A little blood wouldn't stop them.
Behind me, the second wolf charged.
I barely had time to turn before its weight slammed into me, knocking me off balance. We crashed to the ground together, teeth snapping and claws flashing in the dirt.
The rogue tried to pin me, but my wolf was faster.
I drove my knee into its ribs and shoved hard, throwing it off just enough to roll away. My claws slashed through the air as I scrambled back to my feet.
The third and fourth wolves circled to my sides.
Four against two.
Not good odds.
Then the stranger moved again.
The first rogue launched itself toward him, jaws wide, aiming for his shoulder.
The stranger didn't dodge. He stepped forward.
One hand shot out with impossible precision, catching the wolf by the scruff of its neck mid-air. The momentum should have driven both of them backward.
Instead, the stranger simply stopped it.
The rogue's body jerked violently as its attack died in an instant.
For a split second, everything froze.
Then the stranger slammed the wolf into the ground.
Hard.
The impact echoed through the clearing with a dull thud.
The rogue struggled, snarling and twisting beneath his grip, but the stranger held it there with frightening ease.
My wolf noticed something immediately.
Strength. Confident. Power. Control.
Even while holding down a fully grown rogue wolf, the stranger's breathing remained steady. His movements were calm, precise, almost effortless.
No ordinary wolf fought like that.
The rogue beneath him whined as it struggled to free itself.
The stranger leaned slightly closer.
"Leave," he said quietly.
The wolf snarled in response.
Wrong answer.
The stranger's hand tightened.
The rogue yelped in sudden pain. Across the clearing, the other two wolves hesitated.
That moment of hesitation saved me.
The rogue I had wounded earlier charged again, its shoulder still bleeding from my claws. I met the attack head-on this time, my wolf fully awake now, instincts burning through my veins.
We collided in a blur of fur and teeth.
The rogue snapped at my arm, but I twisted sideways and drove my claws into its flank. Blood spilled instantly as it howled in pain.
The third wolf lunged for my back. I barely had time to react before a blur of movement crossed my vision.
The stranger. He released the wolf he had pinned and crossed the clearing faster than my eyes could follow. His fist connected with the attacking wolf mid-leap. The impact knocked the rogue completely off course, sending it crashing into a nearby tree. The sound of cracking bark echoed through the forest.
The wolf collapsed to the ground with a stunned whine.
For a moment, even the remaining rogue froze.
I stared at the stranger. No. Not just stared. I studied him.
Every movement he made was controlled. Efficient. Powerful.
He fought like someone who had done this hundreds of times before.
Maybe thousands.
My wolf stirred uneasily inside me.
Power recognized power.
The rogue I had wounded staggered backward, glancing between us now with far less confidence than before.
The rogue the stranger had thrown against the tree slowly climbed to its feet.
Four wolves. Still alive. But no longer certain of victory.
The first rogue snarled again, though the sound lacked the confidence it had earlier.
"Not worth it," the second rogue muttered, shifting uneasily.
The first hesitated. Then its gaze flicked toward the stranger.
Something like recognition crossed its eyes.
Fear.
Without another word, it turned and bolted into the forest.
The other three followed immediately. Within seconds, the trees swallowed them. Silence returned to the clearing.
The stranger remained still for a moment, watching the forest as if making sure the rogues were truly gone.
My wolf slowly retreated as the tension in my body faded.
I shifted back into human form with a sharp breath, exhaustion suddenly settling into my limbs now that the fight was over.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The forest felt different now.
Quieter. Safer.
But the tension between us remained.
I looked at him again.
The stranger who had just fought four rogue wolves without even shifting.
"You handled them easily," I said.
He shrugged slightly.
"They weren't particularly skilled."
That was an understatement.
I folded my arms across my chest, studying him more carefully now.
"You fight like someone who's used to being obeyed."
His gaze flicked toward me.
"That's an interesting observation."
"It's an accurate one."
He didn't deny it.
And for the first time, I was learning some information about this stranger.
The silence stretched between us again.
I realized suddenly that I still didn't know his name.
"You never answered my question earlier," I said.
"What question?"
"Who you are?"
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
Then something in his expression softened slightly, as though he had reached a decision.
"Rowan," he said.
The name settled between us.
Rowan.
It suited him somehow.
Strong. Quiet. Dangerous.
I repeated it softly.
"Rowan."
He nodded once.
"And you?" he asked.
"Elara."
His eyes held mine for a moment longer than necessary.
"Elara," he repeated.
Then he glanced toward the forest where the rogues had disappeared.
"They'll come back," he said calmly.
The words sent a chill down my spine.
"Tonight?"
"Maybe not."
He looked back at me.
"But rogues rarely forget a fight they lose."
The moonlight shifted again through the trees.
And suddenly the forest didn't feel empty anymore.
It felt like the beginning of something much larger.
Something neither of us could walk away from now.