CHAPTER 7

Aura's POV

It had been a week since I stumbled into Ashbourne, and though my body still ached in places, the sharp edges of my fear had dulled. I was alive. Away from the pack. Away from Ryder. And yet, not entirely free.

Kai had taken me in without asking for anything. He didn’t asked about the bruises I carried, or the times I woke up gasping, bathed in perspiration from memories that wouldn’t leave me. He let me sleep on the ancient couch in his small cabin and brought me meager meals—toast, tea, anything he could spare.

But there was a distance in his eyes. A careful margin he kept between us. It wasn’t unkind, just... calculated.

I tried to be appreciative. I tried not to gaze at him too long, though I couldn’t help it occasionally. Something about him pulled at a spot inside me that should’ve been broken, a place Ryder never reached, even when he claimed to own me.

Kai,” I dared to say one morning in a soft voice. "Is there anything I can do to pay to help? I want to be a burden.”

He looked up from the sink where he was scrubbing out a chipped mug. The sunlight through the window caught the rough planes of his face, highlighting the scar along his jaw. His eyes, those steady quiet eyes, met mine.

"You can start by getting back on your feet,” He said simply. “Ashbourne isn't much, but if you're willing, there is work."

"I'm willing," I replied hastily. Too quickly. I prayed he didn't notice my roiling stomach.

He gave a nod. "The town has a diner. It's run by Molly. She never stops searching for help. After breakfast, I'll take you for a walk down there.”

~~~~~

The town of Ashbourne wasn’t big, but it buzzed with a quiet sort of life. Part humans, part wolves who’d chosen to live away from the pack life, away from politics, away from Alpha Ryder and men like him.

Molly's Diner, a squat brick restaurant on the edge of the main street, has a faded green awning. Its interior smelled of heavy coffee and bacon grease. Cutlery clinking on plates, people in booths, and the murmur of discussion filled the air.

Molly had grayinghair pulled back in a tight ponytail and a wide shoulder. After examining me for a while, she grunted.

“She can start tomorrow,” she told Kai, before turning back back to me. “Early. Six a.m. Don’t be late.”

I tightened my throat and nodded.

Kai continued to stare straight ahead while shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as we stepped into the daylight. He refused to touch me or claim me, which should have relieved me. But it exacerbated the odd pull in my chest.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He gave a noncommittal grunt. “Everyone deserves a chance to stand on their own.”

~~~~~

That evening, after my first shift shadowing Molly and burning my hand twice on the coffee pot, I returned to Kai’s cabin exhausted but lighter. My feet hurt, my back ached, but I was doing something. For the first time in weeks, I wasn’t just surviving.

Kai left me some stew on the stove and a note scratched in rough handwriting: "Lock up. I’ll be back late."

I ate slowly, watching the stars blink to life beyond the small kitchen window. My hand drifted to my stomach, now no longer flat. A whisper of a curve was forming, too subtle for anyone to notice yet, but I felt it. A tiny pulse of life.

I wasn’t ready to tell Kai. This was my burden, my secret.

Days blurred together. Work at the diner. Quiet evenings in the cabin. Occasional walks through the town. Kai was kind in his quiet way, fixing the squeaky floorboard I kept tripping over, leaving tea on the table when my stomach twisted in the mornings. But he never asked. Never pried.

And the bond between us—the one I couldn't identify or comprehend—became more intense.

Then I felt it one afternoon as I was cleaning my hands on my apron after leaving the diner.

A presence.

My neck's delicate hairs stood up, and my skin pricked. With a pounding heart, I looked around the street.

Two men lingered by the hardware store, speaking too quietly, too still for casual conversation. One of them turned slightly, and my breath caught.

Calen.

A scout from Ryder’s pack. His sharp nose, pale hair, and the jagged scar across his left brow. I’d know that face anywhere.

He was here.

I dipped my head, creeping around the corner of the building, putting my back on the cool brick. My heartbeat boomed in my ears.

They were looking for me.

Why now? How had they found this place?

I risked another glance. Calen's eyes were keen and relentless as he scanned the street. If he happened to see me if he smelled me at all...

My throat curled with nausea as my heart pounded. He had yet to see me. I could turn and vanish in the opposite direction. But before I could react, his eyes suddenly sprang up to meet mine.

He mumbled, "Well, well," as a scowl twisted his lips. "Thought you could run forever, little wolf?"

My heart thumping in my ears, I retreated a step. "Leave me alone, Calen."

He pushed off the wall, stalking toward me. "Alpha wants you back."

I snarled, despite the icy sting of fear beneath my skin. "I'm not going anywhere," I said.

Taking hold of my wrist, he growled, "You don't get to decide that,"

A wave of panic swept through. My arm jerked, but he held on tighter. The alley was too small and deserted.

"Let me go!"

He leaned closer. "You think anyone here will protect you? You’re pack property."

That word — property — made something snap inside me. I drew in a sharp breath, lifting my knee fast and hard. It caught him in the stomach. He grunted, staggering back.

I bolted.

Calen, however, was quicker. I was startled to a halt as his fingers caught my hair. Pain flashed bright as I gasped.

"You’ll regret that," he spat.

A shadow moved behind him.

"Let her go."

The voice was low, deadly calm. Calen stiffened, turning his head.