Chapter Three

Kael’s POV

The night was edgy.

I felt an uneasy feeling deep inside me. The scent of blood and dust still lingered in the air. I drew a sharp breath; it smelled of victory. I smiled in satisfaction. I had spent hours tracking rogues that had crossed the border. We matched on dry leaves, stepping on the blood of dead rogues. The forest was quiet now, the rest of the rogues had gone into hiding.

Raze, my wolf paced inside me, restless. “What's that scent?” he growled.

I ignored him and kept walking. The moon was at its peak today, shining through the trees, brightly lighting the ground just enough for us to see our parts. I kept walking towards a certain direction, searching- but not for rogues. A strange force kept pulling me, beckoning me to move farther.

Then I saw her.

I drew out my sword, pointing it at her. I thought she was one of the rogues who fled to hiding. She lay there, motionless under a tree. She was stained with blood and dirt. Her hair spilt across the ground in tangled waves of thick curls, spread out around her.

I hovered above her.

She was breathing. But it was faint.

I moved closer, crouching low beside her. Her scent hit me then — soft, sweet. I felt a dull ache in my chest. She shouldn’t have had an effect on me, but she did. My body tensed. My wolf froze.

Raze’s growl turned into a low, possessive rumble. “Mate” he growled.

The word slammed into my chest. I felt my pulse quicken.

“Impossible”, I muttered under my breath. “That can't be.”

She turned, her face now turning slightly toward me. Her face was bruised and swollen. Her cheekbone was stained with dried blood, and the corner of her lips was chapped. Even half-conscious, she was… breathtaking.

Her lashes were long, they brushed against her pale skin. Her plump lips looked soft, trembling slightly as she breathed. Her body was thin, fragile, as if the slightest touch would break her.

Suddenly, a rush of anger flooded my veins — a feeling that I shouldn't have for anyone. But this strange-looking girl made me feel it.

Pity, protectiveness, need

I hated all of those feelings, I had shut them completely.

“Who are you?” I whispered, though she couldn’t hear me.

Her scent deepened, pulling the part of me I had long shut. Raze pushed forward, his voice rough and urgent. She’s ours. Take her.

I gritted my teeth. “She’s a stranger. We don’t know her, she could be a rogue.”

She’s hurt. She needs us. Raze kept budging me

I shook my head, cursing under my breath. The last thing I needed was this. This is a mere distraction to me, the pack was preparing for the war to come. We were already on edge, protecting our boundary from rogue wolves, the council breathing down my neck. And now, the Moon decided to throw this— her —in my path?

But I couldn’t leave her here.

Her breathing had grown weaker, her body trembling from the cold, with cuts on her arms and legs. She looked like she’d been running for days, she looked exhausted.

Something about her felt… wrong, like fate had twisted just to make sure our paths crossed.” Fate, huh?”I laughed sarcastically.”

Before I could talk myself out of it, I slid my arms under her. She was light, almost too light, she looked malnourished, like she had starved for days. Her skin was cold against mine. A small sound escaped her lips, as she winced in pain, before going limp again

Raze growled low, satisfied. She fits.

“Shut up,” I hissed.

Still, I didn’t let her go.

---

The ride back to the pack house was silent. Her head rested against my chest as I rode, her breath slow but steady. Every now and then, a strand of her hair brushed my skin, soft as silk, smelling of rain and mud. I resisted the urge to touch it.

I should’ve felt nothing. I’d seen too much death, too much blood to be moved by a stranger. But something about her made my chest ache in anger, my jaw tightened, a surge of annoyance coursing through me.

I tightened my grip around her without meaning to.

By the time we reached the edge of Nightfang territory, dawn was breaking. My guards looked up in shock as I carried her through the gate.

“Alpha, who is she?” one of them asked.

“No questions,” I said sharply. “Get the healer.”

They scrambled to obey. I took her to my private chamber instead of the infirmary — I didn’t trust anyone else to be near her yet. Not until I knew who she was and why the hell she smelled like she belonged to me.

I lay her on the bed, her head sinking into the pillow. Her skin was warm now, the fever rising. She murmured something as she shifted to the comfort of the soft sheets. Her voice was soft, but cracked probably from the dryness in her throat, but it pulled at something inside me.

I brushed a strand of hair from her face. My fingers hovered over her cheek, not quite touching.

“You shouldn’t have crossed into my woods,” I whispered. “You don’t know what kind of monsters live here.”

I turned away, forcing my thoughts back into order. She would wake up soon. I needed answers.

Still, as I stood by the window, watching the light spill into the room, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my life — my carefully built wall— had just been cracked.

Raze’s voice echoed in the back of my mind, low and certain. “We found her”.

I clenched my fists. “No,” I said firmly.

But even as I said it, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.