8

VALEN

The forest was quiet, but not in a way that brought peace. The scent of blood lingered faintly in the air, buried beneath the damp earth and the trees.

I stood just beyond the edge of Alaric’s territory, my gaze fixed ahead.

My jaw tightened slightly.

My men had died here, torn apart like they were nothing. And yet there was no sign of it, nothing to suggest that anything had been taken from him.

It irritated me more than I cared to admit.

I hadn’t come here to fight. If I had, I wouldn’t be standing this far out in the shadows, watching instead of acting. No, this was something else entirely. I came to look at everything he had built, and imagine it burning. The thought settled in my mind easily, dark and steady.

Every building reduced to ash. Every piece of land stripped from him. Every trace of his control destroyed.

Sending my man back in that condition, barely alive, barely able to stand, just so he could deliver a message. I could still hear the words clearly, like they had been spoken directly to me. That if I stepped into his territory again, he would destroy everything I had.

I let out a quiet scoff under my breath. A threat from him. My lips curved slightly, but there was no humor in it. Let him try.

The only reason any of this had started was because of that incident at a club, human territory. Neutral ground. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Four of his men against one of mine. They hadn’t killed him, but they had done enough damage to send a message. So I responded the only way that made sense.

I sent my own men to return the favor. It should have been simple, but it wasn’t. Alaric had been there at the wrong time, and my men had paid the price for it. My expression hardened slightly at the memory.

What mattered was what came next. I shifted my weight, already preparing to leave. There was nothing more to see here tonight. Then something changed.

I stilled, inhaling slowly as I focused on the unfamiliar scent, that alone was enough to catch my attention. I breathed in again, deeper this time, letting it settle properly. It wasn’t one of his, neither was it one of mine. It was softer, a human.

I frowned. What was a human doing out here. That didn’t make sense. No human wandered the forest.

I stayed still, listening now. The forest carried sound easily at night, and it didn’t take long before I picked it up. I heard light footsteps, there was no attempt to hide them. My curiosity sharpened.

Normally, I would have left. There was no reason to risk being detected over something insignificant.

But this didn’t feel insignificant. This felt… wrong.

I moved quietly through the trees, following the scent without effort. Whoever it was, they weren’t trying to be careful. If anything, they were practically announcing their presence.

Their heartbeat reached me next. It was fast and unsteady, a sign of fear.

I slowed as I got closer, my steps more controlled now, careful enough that even the ground beneath me stayed silent. Then I saw her. I simply watched the woman. She was walking through the woods like she didn’t know where she was going.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I took her in.

The first thing that caught my attention wasn’t her face. It was the dress, it was… terrible.

The fabric hung awkwardly on her, the color dull, the fit doing nothing for her shape. It didn’t suit her at all. Who walks around like that?

My gaze shifted upward, settling on her properly this time. Brown eyes. Brunette hair falling loosely around her shoulders. A slender figure that made her look even more out of place in the middle of all this. She was beautiful, there was no denying that.

But it was hidden beneath that awful dress and the way she carried herself, tense, uncertain, like she didn’t belong anywhere near this place.

I studied her more closely, watching the way she moved.

She kept looking around, but not out of curiosity.

She was lost, that much was obvious, but that didn’t explain how she got here. No human made it this far on their own. My gaze darkened slightly. So how did she?

I stayed where I was, observing, piecing it together slowly.

Then she stopped. A small sound broke the silence, she was crying. My interest sharpened immediately. Something was very wrong here.

I shifted slightly, moving closer without thinking, careful to remain out of sight. There was something about this that didn’t fit, and I wanted to understand it.

Then she stopped crying, just like that. Her head lifted sharply, her entire body going still. My own body stilled in response. Her eyes moved through the darkness, searching.

I didn’t move, and didn’t make a sound. I simply watched her. Can she sense me? The thought came unexpectedly. It shouldn’t be possible. She was human, I could smell it clearly. And yet she was reacting like she knew something was there.

Like she wasn’t alone.

I inhaled again, slower this time, confirming it.

Human, no trace of wolf. I tilted my head slightly, studying her, it must be her instincts. That was the only explanation.

Her fear grew stronger. I could see it clearly. Then she ran without hesitation. She turned and bolted in the direction she came from, panic taking over completely.

I didn’t follow her, I just watched as she disappeared back toward the heart of the territory. Toward Alaric. Silence settled again.

A slow smile formed on my lips. So, Alaric had brought a human into his territory. That alone was enough to raise questions. I turned my gaze back toward the land ahead, my thoughts already shifting.

“What are you planning?” I murmured quietly.

Because this didn’t feel like a coincidence.

And Alaric was not a man who acted without reason. My smile deepened slightly. Whatever this was, I was going to find out.And if she turned out to be useful, then this might work out in my favor after all.