Hunted

Warmth. That was the first thing I noticed.

I was no longer in the forest. The cold, the pain, the fear—they were all distant now. Instead, I felt soft blankets, the low crackle of a fire, and the scent of herbs.

I opened my eyes slowly.

The room was small, wooden, and dimly lit. A stone fireplace burned quietly in the corner. Shelves lined the walls, filled with jars, books, and weapons. I was in a stranger’s home.

He was sitting by the fire, shirt off, a bloodied bandage around his shoulder. His back was tense, his eyes fixed on the flames.

I shifted, wincing. The pain in my side flared up again.

He turned quickly at the sound. “You’re awake.”

I nodded weakly. “Where... where am I?”

“Safe,” he said. He stood and came to my side, checking the bandage around my ribs. “You lost a lot of blood.”

Memories flooded back—the forest, the warriors, the fight...

“You saved me,” I whispered.

“They would’ve killed you,” he said quietly.

I tried to sit up, but pain shot through my body. I bit down a cry.

“Easy,” he said. “You’re still healing.”

“I'm Rowan, and I guess you must be Maya,”he said.

“ what happened back there?” I asked.

I looked at him, heart aching. “Did Kael send them?” I said completely ignoring his question.

He hesitated. “They wore silverclaw colors. And there's a bounty on your head, according to law he couldn't kill you before sending you away. So he has to do it now. And I'm sure he doesn't want to waste his strength pursuing you”.

My throat tightened. “But why? He already rejected me. Why try to kill me?”

“Because you’re still a threat to him.”

“But I’m nothing!” I cried. “Weak. Powerless. I didn’t ask to be his mate. I didn’t ask for any of this!”

His expression softened. “You’re not nothing. If you were, he wouldn’t be afraid of you.”

I blinked back tears. “Afraid of me?”

“You carry something he can’t control,” Rowan said. “You’re his mate. That bond makes you dangerous in ways he can’t admit.”

I covered my face. I didn’t want to cry, but the tears came anyway.

Rowan sat beside me, silent.

After a while, I took a shaky breath. “I’m Maya.”

“I know.”

I looked at him.

He smiled faintly. “You told me. In the cave, when you were barely conscious.”

I tried to smile back.

“Thank you, Rowan.”

He stood and poured water into a cup, bringing it to me. “You should drink. You’re dehydrated.”

I sipped it slowly, my hands trembling.

“ I also made you some soup,” he said, handing me a bowl. The soup looked simple and hot.

I took a drink, it tasted heavenly in my empty stomach.

“Try to sleep when you're done, ” he said. “I’ll be here.”

But I couldn’t sleep. Not after what happened. Not after what I heard.

---

Hours passed. The fire dimmed. My body throbbed with pain, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts.

Why would Kael do this?

Why reject me, exile me… and then try to kill me?

I heard strange whispering. At first I ignored it, but it kept on going. I couldn't hesitate anymore.

I shifted quietly and climbed out of bed. My legs were shaky, but I moved to the door and opened a crack.

Voices. I heard Rowan speaking to someone outside.

“She’s healing,” Rowan said. “But she won’t be ready for another fight. She's weak and now injured”.

A second voice, male but unfamiliar, said, “You can’t keep hiding her. If they find out—”

“They already know,” Rowan muttered. “At least Kael does. He sent those men.”

“And if she survives, what then? She knows too much. She’s still his mate. If he wants to, he can find her in the blink of an eye. He can still trace her scent. She'll never be free from him.”

“She’s not going back to him,” Rowan growled. “I won’t let that happen.”

My heart pounded. Go back to him, why? I thought he didn't want me, so he sent them to kill me. Why would he still want me back? To kill me himself?

“She deserves to know the truth,” the stranger said. “All of it.”

“I know,” Rowan said. “But not yet.”

I stepped back from the door, my breathing shallow. What truth? What else were they hiding from me?

“ They know she's out here, you don't have much time. You know that girl is more important than you think”.

“Shit!” I heard Rowan curse.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Right in my face.

Rowan rushed inside, his face pale. “We need to go. Now.Pack your things. Now.”

“ But I don't have anything with me.” I panicked.

“Then hold on.”

He moved fast, grabbing a bag and tossing food and water inside. Then he lifted me into his arms. I looked outside but I couldn't find the stranger he was talking to earlier.

“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“They’re coming,” he said, already moving out the door.

“Who are they?.”I asked , my legs trembling.

“Hunters.”

We ran through the woods, moonlight guiding our path.

Then I heard it. Footsteps. Growls.

We weren’t alone.

Rowan growled back, low and deadly. He stopped, set me down behind a tree, and stepped forward as three wolves appeared.

Their eyes glowed red.

“I’ll handle this,” Rowan said. “Stay down.”

I watched in terror as he shifted into a massive black wolf. The fight was fast—claws slashing, bodies hitting trees, growls echoing. Blood sprayed the leaves.

And then… silence.

Rowan shifted back, bloodied but alive. He staggered toward me and picked me up again.

“Why are they after me?” I asked, my voice small.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he whispered, “Because you’re more important than anyone knows.”

As he carried me deeper into the woods, I held onto him tight, feeling both scared and safe when we heard a voice.

“Rowan!!” someone growled angrily. But painfully enough, that voice was familiar. It was that same voice, the same one that had declared my exile. The voice of my mate, kael.