Chapter 7

Phoebe's POV

Nathaniel left with his father and two brothers early in the morning. I had watched him mount his horse, his face set in a serious expression. The treaty with the Moonfury pack was important, and the Alpha wanted all his sons to be involved in the negotiations.

Nathaniel was leaving me with people who didn't even like me. I took a deep breath.

“I’ll be back by evening,” Nathaniel had whispered as he came to stand next to me. .

I nodded. “Good luck. I hope the peace treaty lasts.”

Before he could leave, Elizabeth stepped forward, arms crossed. 

“What about our training today in the fields, Nathaniel? You promised to help me today.” 

He sighed. 

“Elizabeth, I’ll help you tomorrow. Today is important. We have to leave with father in a matter of minutes.”

“You always say that,” she snapped. “But you never follow through. Fine, let Phoebe help me instead.”

Nathaniel’s brows furrowed. “No, I—”

“It’s settled,” the Alpha interrupted, his deep voice cutting through the conversation. 

“Phoebe will handle it. I'm sure she does great. She'll teach Elizabeth what she needs to know.”

I wanted to protest, but I held my tongue. Arguing with the Alpha was pointless. And it would surely come off as disrespect. If he was giving me a job, then I'd better handle it. 

Nathaniel turned to me, his expression worried. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

I nodded. “I’ll manage.”

Still, he wasn’t convinced. “Elizabeth, no trouble,” he said sternly. Then, to me, he added, “I’ll send a few others with you. Just in case.”

And with that, he left.

By midday, I stood in the training grounds with Elizabeth and three other wolves Nathaniel had assigned to join us. The clearing was wide, surrounded by tall trees whose shadows stretched across the grass. Elizabeth was already stretching, her smug expression firmly in place.

“Let’s see if you can keep up,” she said, a taunting edge to her voice.

I didn’t respond. There was no point in rising to her bait.

She started with basic moves, her movements weren't exactly smooth and accurate. The others clapped and cheered for her, praising her every move like she was performing miracles. I stayed in the background, mimicking the exercises but not showing everything I could do. 

“You’re slow, Phoebe,” Elizabeth said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Are you even trying?”

“I’m doing my best,” I replied evenly, keeping my voice neutral.

Elizabeth smirked. “Doesn’t seem like it.”

The others chuckled, clearly siding with her. I ignored them. This was their pack after all.

We had barely finished the first round of training when a low growl echoed from the treeline. It was deep and menacing. 

Our heads snapped in the direction the sound had come from.

“What was that?” one of the wolves asked nervously, his eyes darting around.

Before anyone could answer, figures emerged from the shadows. A dozen wolves, their eyes shining with malice, surrounded us.

“Rogues!” someone shouted.

Panic erupted. Elizabeth froze, her confident expression crumbling in an instant. The others moved to defend themselves, but they were unprepared for the speed and coordination of the attack. These weren’t ordinary rogues.

I stayed back, watching. I didn’t want to get involved, not yet. But then I saw Elizabeth trip and fall. A rogue lunged for her, teeth bared.

Without thinking, I moved. I grabbed the rogue by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the ground. He yelped in surprise before scrambling to his feet and retreating.

Elizabeth stared at me, her face pale. “You—”

“Get up,” I snapped. “We’re not safe here.”

More rogues closed in. The others were struggling, their movements frantic and uncoordinated. My instincts screamed at me to help, but I couldn’t risk exposing myself.

That’s when I saw it. One of the attackers had a tattoo on his arm, a familiar mark that made my blood run cold.

They weren’t rogues. They were Duncan’s men.

Panic made me weak for a moment as I tried to make sense of what this could be about, but I forced it down. We needed to get out of here, fast.

“This way!” I shouted, grabbing Elizabeth’s arm.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, struggling against me.

“Saving your life,” I replied through gritted teeth. This was not time to ask silly questions, damn it!

The others followed as I led them toward the river. The sound of rushing water grew louder as we ran. When we reached the edge, I didn’t hesitate.

“Jump!” I ordered.

Elizabeth hesitated, looking at me like I had lost my mind.

“Do it!” I barked.

She jumped, and the others followed. I was the last to leap into the cold, rushing water. The current pulled us downstream, carrying us away from the chaos.

As we drifted, I glanced back toward the shore. One of the attackers stood there, watching us.

“She’s alive,” he murmured, his voice just loud enough for me to hear.

My heart stopped. He had called me by a name I hadn’t heard in months, a name I had used when I was with Duncan.

They knew.

Elizabeth coughed, sputtering as she clung to a rock. “What now?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I didn’t answer. My mind was racing, trying to figure out our next move.

For now, we needed to find a way to be safe. But I knew this was only the beginning.

Duncan was probably obsessed with having me back despite being mated to someone else. 

When the others found out they'd been in danger because of me and the life I had left behind, what would be their reaction?