Chapter 4

AIYANA

Dawn was approaching, but I was already back at the edge of the forest, walking slowly. My tired body still felt the effects of a restless night, and my mind was a whirlwind. The cave where I had spent the night, though familiar to me, didn’t bring the peace I was seeking. Sleeping in the forest wasn’t as easy as it used to be.

The trees began to brighten with the first rays of sunlight, but the air was still cold, and I could feel my body shivering, not just from the temperature, but also from unease. My heart was pounding faster with each step toward the village. I didn’t know what I would face there, but I knew I couldn’t keep running away. I had to go back.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the waist, pulling me forcefully off the trail. Before I could react, a hand covered my mouth, muffling my scream. My body went into panic, but I could do nothing but try to break free. I was being dragged, forced to walk toward the corral. The smell of hay and wood overwhelmed me, mixed with the sound of heavy, rhythmic breathing.

When I finally managed to turn my face to see who was holding me, my heart nearly stopped. It was him. Maxim.

His piercing green eyes were fixed on mine with a cold, rigid intensity as if I were something he didn’t want but couldn’t avoid. His tanned skin seemed to glow in the first touch of sunlight, and his sandy blond hair was messier than usual, with short sides and a straight top, giving him a wild yet imposing look. He was tall, much taller than I remembered, and his muscles, visible even under a thick shirt, looked like they could burst at any moment.

He looked like a predator, his gaze fixed as if I were prey a threat to be controlled and the anger on his face, now more pronounced, only intensified.

Maxim rarely smiled, and today was no different. His face, though masculine and attractive, was distorted by coldness and tension, as if he was fighting something inside.

I froze for a moment, unable to say anything. What did he want from me now? Why was he following me?

Maxim looked at me, his gaze cold and distant, but for a brief moment, I saw something different. Something deeper something I couldn’t quite understand.

“You ran away yesterday,” he murmured, his voice low, almost uninterested, but I could feel the anger in every word. “Thought you could hide from the pack, from me?”

I couldn’t respond right away, still stunned. But the anger rose within me, and with it came the need to speak, to get everything off my chest that had been stuck there.

“I’m not your responsibility, Maxim,” I whispered angrily, trying to break free from his grip. “You don’t want this, do you? That’s what you said yesterday. So why are you here? Why did you follow me?”

“I don’t know what you are, Aiyana. But the fire doesn’t lie.” He paused, as if regretting every word he’d just spoken, his gaze growing even more distant. “It doesn’t matter what I want truth is, there’s no escaping this.”

Maxim slowly released me, but the tension in the air remained.

What does he want from me?

He turned his face to the side as if trying to emotionally detach himself from everything, but his eyes still fixed on me. And before walking away, he softly said, almost as if he didn’t want me to hear:

“Don’t expect me to accept this so easily.”