Something felt wrong.
The air was too still.
Too quiet.
I stepped carefully through the forest, my senses sharp. The meeting between packs was supposed to be peaceful… but my instincts told me otherwise.
"You came alone."
I froze.
That voice.
I turned slowly.
"Elder Rowan?"
He stepped out of the shadows, but something about him felt… off.
"You shouldn't trust so easily, Lyla," he said.
My chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
A slow smile spread across his face.
"I told you that you were special," he said. "But I never said I was on your side."
The ground beneath me seemed to shift.
Before I could react
Figures emerged from the darkness.
Rogues.
Dozens of them.
My heart pounded.
"You set me up," I said quietly.
"Not just you," Rowan replied. "The Alpha too."
My eyes widened.
Kael.
As if summoned by my thoughts, I felt it—
His presence.
Strong. Furious.
He burst into the clearing with his warriors, his eyes instantly finding mine.
For a split second, everything else faded.
Then chaos exploded.
Rogues attacked from all sides.
Claws. Teeth. Blood.
I shifted instantly, my silver wolf tearing through enemies with speed and power that shocked even me.
But there were too many.
A scream cut through the noise.
I turned—
Kael was surrounded.
Without thinking, I ran toward him.
We fought back-to-back, moving in perfect sync like we had never been apart.
"Stay behind me!" he growled.
"I don't take orders from you," I snapped, slashing down another rogue.
Even in the middle of battle… something between us felt right.
Too right.
Then—
A sharp cry.
I turned too late.
Rowan.
A blade drove into my side.
Pain exploded through me.
My legs gave out as I hit the ground, my wolf retreating.
"Lyla!" Kael's voice broke through everything.
He reached me just as Rowan raised his weapon again.
But this time—
Kael moved faster.
With a deadly strike, Rowan fell.
Silence followed.
The rogues scattered.
The fight was over.
But I could barely breathe.
Kael dropped beside me, his hands pressing against my wound.
"Stay with me," he said urgently.
I tried to speak, but the pain was too much.
His forehead pressed against mine, his voice breaking for the first time.
"Don't leave me… not again."
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