RESCUE

CAEL

I called Lyra back, ignoring the curious stares from my parents.

“Hey, Lyra. Did he agree?”

“Yes, he did. Get your things ready. We’ll leave at dawn.”

“Thanks, girl. I just want to leave this place.”

“I understand, Cael. He’s such a dick. Doesn’t deserve you.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, I guess.” I hung up, unwilling to dwell on rejection any longer.

I went to my closet and began packing. Doing something, anything, would take my mind off the mess my life had become. When I was done, I’d talk to Mum, she deserved to know.

I finished packing and glanced around. Twenty years. And for twenty years, I’d never truly had anything of my own. Everything I was about to leave behind, all because of one man. Could I stay? Could I bear the pain, the shame, the pitying looks from people who thought I didn’t belong? My wolf had gone quiet on me, perhaps even she agreed that leaving was the better choice.

I descended the stairs, only to find the elder and his son, the same arrogant boy who had rejected me without a second thought, sitting in our living room, making the house feel smaller with their presence.

“Good evening, Alpha,” I said, moving past them to join my parents.

“I heard what happened between you and my son. I apologize on his behalf,” the elder began. “I know your bond has been severed, but I would love for you to start over again.”

I shook my head. “A bond once severed cannot be redeemed. He knew this before he broke it.”

“He has no wolf, and he cannot be tamed,” the son added with a smirk. Remind me again why I crushed on this arrogant piece of...... I stopped myself.

“And that is why I accepted your rejection. I see no reason you are here. I have nothing to offer this pack or its future leader. I will leave for Verendale at sunrise. Mum, Dad, I wanted to speak to you in private, but since that was denied, I see no reason to continue this conversation.”

“You know the consequences of leaving a pack, right?” Elder Moss’s voice was firm. “You become a rogue, a lone wolf. No pack will accept you.”

“I am well aware,” I said steadily. “That is no different from how I’ve been treated here. I know my place. I ask only that you look after my parents, they’ve been with you since the end of the war, and they deserve that much.”

“Good night, Mum, Dad. Have a wonderful night, Alpha,” I said, moving toward my bedroom.

“Hey, hun. Can I come in?”

“Yes, Mum. Please.”

“I’m sorry about what happened, and I know how difficult your decision is,” she said softly. “But I want you to know I’m proud of you. I stand by you.”

“Thanks, Mum. He didn’t even blink when he rejected me. I didn’t feel the mate pull. And then he… just broke the bond like that,” I admitted, wiping the stream of tears that wouldn’t stop.

She smiled gently. “About your travel… do you have what you need until you settle?”

“I have this bag and about five thousand I saved.”

She handed me a card. “Take this. Meet this person before you arrive in Verendale. She’ll guide you. The card is black, in case you need to leave quickly.”

“Who is she?” I asked.

“An old friend. She’ll be looking out for you.” She left, and I lay down on the bed, thoughts of food gone. Sleep refused me.

***********

I tossed and turned until the cock’s crow signaled the dawn. I grabbed my bag and headed for the front door. If I saw Mum one more time, I might change my mind about leaving.

I left the house under the silver moon, but my wolf remained restless. She had been like this since yesterday, and I didn’t pay her much mind. All I cared about was getting to Lyra’s place before we left.

Still, unease gnawed at me. I felt a presence behind me. I turned. Nothing. Just shadows. Maybe I was imagining it.

I quickened my pace down the narrow path to the healer’s quarters, yet the feeling followed. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, but I couldn’t, not now.

Then I was surrounded.

Three of them. Rogues. Untethered. Bitter and angry. No pack. No mercy.

My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear the night around me. My breaths came in ragged gasps, betraying me, and worse,there was the faintest trace of pre-heat. Something that had never happened before. Of course, they’d chosen today.

“Don’t run,” one hissed, grinning with teeth too sharp. “You’ll only make it worse.”

I ran.

Branches clawed at me as I bolted, lungs burning, feet stumbling over roots. Ten steps. Fifteen. Then a weight slammed me into the forest floor. Air whooshed out of my lungs. I gasped, clawing at the dirt.

Rough hands pinned my wrists, another pressed my legs. My shawl tore free, leaving my neck exposed to the cold night air.

“Pretty little omega,” one growled, nose brushing my scent gland. I screamed, thrashed, tried to escape, but I was too weak.

“Moon Goddess, please,” I prayed, though I didn’t know if I whispered or screamed it.

Then the world answered.

A roar split the night, deep, primal, unhinged.

The rogues froze.

And then he appeared.

A blur of black and silver, moving faster than thought. One rogue flew through the air, crashing into a tree with bark splintering. Another lunge, but Thorne caught him mid-leap by the throat, slamming him into the ground with bone-cracking force.

The last one fled.

The alpha’s scent hit me, cedar, smoke, and something electric, like lightning. I sagged against the earth, dizzy. Safe. Help had arrived.

Thorne’s face appeared above mine, golden eyes burning with fury. His hands, usually so careful, as Lyra had described, trembled slightly as he checked me for wounds.

“Did they bite you?” His voice was low, a rasp of barely contained anger.

I shook my head. “You got here in time.”

He exhaled, as if he’d been holding his breath for years, then lifted me into his arms. Cradled me against his chest. Protective heat radiated off him, a wildfire I could feel against my skin.

“I told you not to come out here alone, Cael,” Lyra murmured into my hair.

“I had to,” I whispered back, voice cracking. “I didn’t want to delay you.”

Thorne stopped walking. His jaw tensed against the side of my face. “You shouldn’t. You could have waited,” he said.

“We will always come for you, Cael,” Lyra added.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

All reserve I had for the alpha, the shame, the broken bond, the fear, vanished. In that moment, wrapped in his scent, held like I was something precious, I realized something terrifying:

I wanted to be needed. By him. Even if I was undeserving, even with everything broken, I wanted his protection.

But sense returned. This wasn’t about desire, it was about duty. I stepped back from his embrace. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I appreciate you coming to my rescue.”

Only then did I realize where we were: at the entrance of the elder’s house.

We got into the car. I did not look back. I couldn’t.