Chapter 4

The days that followed were swifter than anything else to me.  nausea would appear and then leave again. But my strength continued to increase. I could run even faster, now detect a little beast in its shelter from fifty feet. Nyx, my Inner Wolf was silent, but certainly not sad, and I knew she must be waiting.

I avoided the cave, afraid he might return. I thought that someone else might even stumble on it. I left my sleeping site high up in the thick branches of a tall tree.

As the afternoon came, I recalled when I was trying to catch a fish in the stream. My heart was pounding very deeply. A baby. How could I have a baby out here, in the cold, with no food, no shelter?

A tree branch broke behind me.

I turned quickly, my muscles almost shrinking into a thin line. My senses, much sharper than they had ever been, had noticed nothing. It was impossible.

Right in front of her, there stood the man in the dark, plain clothes made of soft leather. In the daylight, he looked even brighter, and his eyes shone with an inner fire. “You’re thinking too loudly, little wolf,” he said, the sound of his voice rumbling softly.

“How did you find me?” I asked, taking a step backwards.

"I will always find you," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He looked at me, staring deep into my skin. "You look stronger. The sickness has started?"

I looked at him in shock, my hand unknowingly reaching over to cover my belly. “You knew? You knew that this would happen?”

A thin smile spread on his face. It wasn't evil, just full of a wild certainty. "It was always a possibility. A very welcome one."

“Who are you?” I managed to say, voicing out the words from my mouth loud, my voice shaking with anger and fear.

“My name is Kael. I am the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack,” he said.

Shadow Moon. 

I had always heard the stories. Movies and stories were nothing but legends. A wolf pack that lived far, far away in the mountains, in a territory all their own, separate from the others. It was purely old, powerful, and strange—somewhat different from the other wolf packs.

But I didn't recognize any Kael. 

“Why me?” I whispered, trying not to flinch. “Why did you come to me?”

“You called on me, Annie,” Kael said, taking a step forward. His scent filled my nostrils. Immediately, I felt my nerves calm and my passions stirred. “Your power awoke when your old pack threw you out. Your power is an unusual one. A strong power that only bursts forth in a thick spark. I sensed the presence of your power from my own territory. I could find your power out through its scent."

“My power?” I laughed, but it was an empty sound. “I have no power,” I continued. “I was an Omega. The weakest in my pack.

“You were never an Omega,” Kael said, “Your old pack was blind. They suffocated you with their regulations and their social structure. Your real nature could not breathe in that land. The rejection was the key that unlocked you,” Kael said.

He nodded at the spot on my leg. It was almost as if I could sense a warm glow springing from it. "This sign on your leg, it is more than simply a claim. It is a catalyst. And it shall serve to increase your power. Power for you and your child."

“Our child,” I repeated, the words sounding strange to me. “I can't raise a child here, out in the wildest darkness.”

Kael's blue eyes locked on mine, and he spoke in all seriousness. “You are not raising it in the darkness. Just  prepare. You are coming with me.”

Panic began to flow through my chest. “To your pack? No. I won’t be an outcast again. I won’t be the weak one, the stranger.”

“You will be neither,” he said. There was no room for debate in his voice. “You are my destined mate. The marking on you attests to it. You are carrying the future Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack. And you shall be their Luna. You shall be respected. And you shall be deeply feared by all your subjects and even others.

Fated Mate. 

The words echoed in my soul. Nyx, my Inner Wolf howled, not in sorrow, but in a feeling that victory was near. She had known all along.

“I don’t know you,” I said, even as my composure dropped a bit.

“You will,” he promised. He offered his hand. “Come, Annie. Your old life is over. A new one awaits. One of power. One where you belong. With me.” 

Then I looked at the offered hand. I considered the cold and alone months. I thought about the fear I had to endure every single day of my life. I considered the baby in my womb, who deserved so much better than a life in the darkness. 

And I thought of the newfound power flowing through my veins. The strength he said was only the starr. I've made my choice. I stopped being afraid.

Bravely, I straightened my shoulders. 

I looked at him, directly into the depth of those deep blue eyes of his. I saw my future there. I put my hand in his. A move of energy, warm and strong, hit my arm. "Okay," I said, and my voice was firm. "Take me home." Kael grinned happily. 

It was the sun after a long, cold winter. He pulled me into a hug, and the world melted away. Then I discovered the stranger in the cave had left. 

Now, he seemed to be my own true mate. And the dark woods, where I was once held captive, now became the way leading to my newfound life. I was ready to claim it by all means. 

Suddenly, Nyx nudged me, “I didn't want to annoy you when I saw Kael with you, so I was quiet. Run from him. He is just a secretly evil stranger. Run!”