Chapter 14: The Road North

The journey began before sunrise.

The forest was still cloaked in darkness when Blackridge's warriors broke camp. The air carried the chill of approaching dawn, and a thin mist curled between the trees like restless spirits.

No one complained.

No one questioned Kael's order.

The moment the Alpha had decided to move, the pack had obeyed.

That alone told me everything I needed to know about him.

Even after days of running, fighting, and uncertainty, not one wolf had challenged his authority.

Not openly.

I glanced toward Darius.

The Beta walked several paces ahead, speaking quietly with two warriors.

Maybe not openly.

But something was brewing beneath the surface.

I could feel it.

The same way I could feel the mark.

The same way I could feel Kael.

The bond had become impossible to ignore.

Every few minutes I became aware of him without even looking.

His position.

His mood.

His attention.

It wasn't mind-reading.

It was worse.

It was familiarity growing where none should exist.

And I hated how natural it was starting to feel.

We traveled for hours.

The deeper north we went, the stranger the landscape became.

The trees grew larger.

Older.

Ancient roots twisted across the ground like veins beneath skin.

Even the air felt different.

Heavier.

Charged.

As though the forest itself remembered things that should have been forgotten.

Around midday, Kael finally called for a brief stop.

The warriors immediately spread out, forming a loose perimeter around the resting area.

Professional.

Efficient.

Prepared.

Clearly this wasn't their first dangerous journey.

I sat on a fallen log, grateful for the chance to rest.

My legs ached.

My head hurt.

And the mark hadn't stopped tingling since dawn.

A shadow fell across me.

I looked up.

Darius.

The Beta crossed his arms.

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then he sighed.

"I owe you an apology."

That wasn't what I expected.

"For what?"

His expression tightened slightly.

"For staring at you like a problem instead of a person."

I blinked.

The honesty caught me off guard.

"You weren't exactly rude."

"No."

A humorless smile touched his face.

"But I wasn't kind either."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Darius sat on a nearby rock.

Unlike Kael, he seemed comfortable with silence.

Less controlled.

More human.

Eventually, he looked toward the warriors.

"You know they're scared."

My stomach tightened.

"Of me?"

He didn't answer immediately.

"Of what they don't understand."

That was somehow worse.

I looked down at the mark beneath my sleeve.

"Join the club."

Darius laughed softly.

The sound surprised me.

For someone built like a battlefield, he laughed like an ordinary man.

"The Alpha is worse."

I looked up sharply.

"What?"

The Beta's gaze shifted toward Kael.

The Alpha stood several yards away, speaking with scouts.

Even from here, he looked like authority given physical form.

Darius shook his head.

"He'll never admit it, but uncertainty drives him insane."

I couldn't help it.

A smile escaped.

Small.

Brief.

But real.

Darius noticed.

"See? That's the first time you've looked relaxed all day."

The smile vanished immediately.

"Don't get used to it."

His grin widened.

"Too late."

For the first time since meeting the Blackridge wolves, I felt something unexpected.

Normal.

The feeling didn't last.

A sharp whistle echoed through the trees.

Every warrior immediately stood.

The mood changed instantly.

Danger.

Kael turned toward the sound.

His expression hardened.

A scout burst through the undergrowth moments later.

Breathing heavily.

"Tracks."

The single word erased every trace of calm.

Kael stepped forward.

"How many?"

"At least ten."

Darius swore quietly.

My stomach dropped.

The scout continued.

"Moving fast."

"Silver Hunters?" Darius asked.

The scout nodded.

The clearing became very quiet.

I stood slowly.

My pulse quickens.

"They're catching up?"

No one answered.

They didn't need to.

The truth was written across every face.

Kael issued orders immediately.

The warriors moved without hesitation.

Within minutes, the brief rest was over.

We were moving again.

Faster this time.

Urgency replaced caution.

The hunters were no longer a distant threat.

They were close.

Far too close.

---

Hours later, the sun began sinking toward the horizon.

The forest changed again.

The ancient trees eventually gave way to rocky hills and narrow mountain paths.

Travel became more difficult.

Several times I nearly lost my footing.

Each time, the bond reacted.

A subtle warning.

A strange awareness.

As though Kael sensed it before I did.

The third time it happened, he finally stopped.

Without a word, he moved beside me.

The warriors pretended not to notice.

Pretended.

Because every single one of them noticed.

Kael looked down at the uneven path.

Then at me.

"Stay closer."

Simple.

Direct.

Infuriating.

"I can walk."

His eyebrow lifted slightly.

"You almost fell into a ravine."

"Almost."

"That is not reassuring."

I glared at him.

He remained completely unaffected.

As always.

Darius, unfortunately, overheard.

His grin was immediate.

"She's got you there, Alpha."

Kael shot him a look.

The Beta wisely stopped talking.

Several warriors hid smiles.

I stared.

Did they just tease their Alpha?

Apparently they did.

And apparently they enjoyed surviving.

The realization made them seem less intimidating.

More real.

For a little while, the journey became easier.

Not physically.

But mentally.

Then night arrived.

And everything changed again.

---

They made camp in a narrow valley surrounded by cliffs.

A defensible position.

Easy to guard.

Difficult to approach unnoticed.

The moment camp was established, scouts were posted.

Extra patrols assigned.

Nobody expected a peaceful night.

Especially not Kael.

I sat near a small fire, staring into the flames.

The mark was unusually quiet.

That worried me more than when it hurt.

The silence felt intentional.

As if something were waiting.

Kael approached shortly after dark.

He sat across from me.

The firelight reflected in his eyes.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I asked the question that had been bothering me all day.

"What exactly are Silver Hunters?"

Kael's expression darkened immediately.

The reaction alone told me enough.

"They are an organization."

"Humans?"

"No."

That answer again.

I frowned.

"Then what are they?"

Kael looked toward the darkness beyond camp.

His voice lowered.

"Wolves."

My breath caught.

"What?"

"They were once part of the packs."

The fire suddenly seemed colder.

"Once?"

Kael nodded.

"They broke away centuries ago."

"Why?"

A long silence followed.

Then:

"They believed gifts like yours were too dangerous to exist."

The words settled heavily between us.

I looked at the mark.

The mark looked back through the reflection of firelight.

Almost mocking.

"They hunt people because of this?"

"Yes."

The answer came immediately.

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just certainty.

I swallowed hard.

"How many have they killed?"

Kael didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

Fear curled in my stomach.

Not panic.

Something deeper.

The realization that I had become prey.

A branch snapped somewhere beyond camp.

Instantly, Kael's attention shifted.

Every warrior nearby reacted.

Weapons appeared.

Conversations stopped.

The entire valley held its breath.

A scout emerged moments later.

Alone.

Everyone relaxed slightly.

But only slightly.

The scout approached Kael.

"Movement on the eastern ridge."

The Alpha stood.

"How many?"

"Couldn't tell."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

The bond pulsed suddenly.

Hard.

A warning.

Sharp enough to make me gasp.

Every head turned.

The mark burned beneath my sleeve.

Not like before.

Different.

Urgent.

Alive.

Kael noticed immediately.

"What is it?"

I grabbed my arm.

The pain intensified.

Images flashed briefly through my mind.

Dark figures.

Silver weapons.

Eyes glowing in the night.

Then—

A symbol.

A strange silver crest.

The vision vanished instantly.

I nearly stumbled.

Kael caught me before I hit the ground.

The bond exploded with awareness.

The entire camp seemed to disappear for one impossible second.

Only him remained.

Then reality returned.

The pain faded.

Leaving only shock.

Kael stared at me.

"What did you see?"

My heart hammered.

I looked toward the eastern ridge.

Toward the darkness.

Toward something waiting beyond sight.

And suddenly I knew.

Not guessed.

Knew.

"They're here."

The valley fell silent.

A cold wind swept through the camp.

And somewhere beyond the cliffs—

A wolf howled.

Not Blackridge.

Not friendly.

Not alone.

The hunters had found us.

And this time—

They weren't following.

They were waiting.