Chapter 4

Rose’s POV

The howls grew louder.

One after another, they echoed through the dark forest like a warning carried by the wind.

My heart began racing.

“They’re getting closer,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

The stranger beside me didn’t move.

He simply stood there calmly, his golden eyes focused on the darkness between the trees.

For some reason, his calmness made my anxiety even worse.

“Shouldn’t we hide?” I asked quickly.

He glanced at me.

“Hide?”

“Yes,” I said nervously. “If the pack warriors find me here, they might think I ran away after causing trouble tonight.”

His eyebrow lifted slightly.

“And?”

“And… they might drag me back to the pack.”

My chest tightened just imagining it.

Going back there…

Facing everyone again…

Seeing the mocking smiles.

Hearing their laughter.

No.

I couldn’t go through that again.

The humiliation from tonight was already too much.

“They’ll probably punish me,” I continued quietly. “Or force me to leave the territory.”

For a moment, the stranger didn’t respond.

Then suddenly, he chuckled.

The sound was deep and strangely amused.

“You’re worried about them?”

I frowned.

“Of course I am.”

His golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

“You think those wolves are a threat.”

A strange feeling crept up my spine.

The way he said it sounded almost… insulting.

“They’re trained warriors,” I argued.

“And they’re from my pack.”

He shrugged slightly.

“That doesn’t impress me.”

I stared at him.

This man was unbelievable.

“Who exactly do you think you are?” I asked.

Instead of answering, he suddenly stepped closer to me again.

Instinctively, I held my breath.

His presence was overwhelming.

Even the air around him felt heavier.

“You’re asking a lot of questions tonight,” he said calmly.

“Because you’re acting very suspicious.”

His lips curved into a faint smile.

“Fair enough.”

Before he could say anything else—

The sound of footsteps suddenly broke through the forest.

Leaves crunched beneath heavy boots.

Then voices followed.

“Spread out!”

“Search this area!”

“Alpha Sunny said she ran toward the north forest!”

My stomach dropped.

It was them.

The Blood Moon pack warriors.

And they were getting very close.

Panic rushed through me.

“We need to go!” I whispered urgently.

But the stranger didn’t move.

Instead, he looked almost bored.

“Relax.”

“Relax?” I repeated in disbelief.

“They’re literally coming for us!”

“For you,” he corrected calmly.

That didn’t make me feel any better.

The voices grew louder.

Soon I could see shadows moving between the trees.

There were at least six of them.

Maybe more.

All pack warriors.

All stronger than me.

If they dragged me back tonight, I wasn’t sure I could handle the humiliation again.

“I’m serious,” I whispered desperately.

“We should leave before they see us.”

The stranger finally looked at me again.

And for the first time since I met him…

His expression softened slightly.

“Rose,” he said quietly.

“Yes?”

“You’re trembling.”

I froze.

Only then did I realize he was right.

My hands were shaking.

Not just from fear.

But from exhaustion.

Everything that had happened tonight had drained me completely.

The rejection.

The pain of the broken bond.

Running through the forest.

Meeting this mysterious man.

It was too much.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

But my voice sounded weak.

He studied my face carefully.

Then his gaze shifted toward the approaching wolves again.

“Six warriors,” he murmured.

“And one Beta.”

My eyes widened.

“You can tell that just by listening?”

“Yes.”

The footsteps suddenly stopped.

A voice echoed through the trees.

“Rose!”

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

I knew that voice.

Beta Marcus.

Sunny’s right-hand man.

He had always been loyal to the Alpha.

“Rose!” he called again.

“Come out! We know you’re here!”

My breathing became uneven.

“They found us,” I whispered.

The stranger sighed softly.

“Looks like it.”

“What do we do now?”

Instead of answering, he stepped slightly in front of me.

The movement was subtle.

But protective.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

I blinked in confusion.

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

The next moment—

Several wolves stepped out from between the trees.

Six warriors surrounded us instantly.

Beta Marcus stood at the front.

His sharp eyes immediately landed on me.

“There you are,” he said coldly.

My throat tightened.

“Beta Marcus…”

His gaze then shifted toward the man standing in front of me.

For a moment, confusion flickered across his face.

Then suspicion followed.

“Who are you?” Marcus demanded.

The stranger didn’t respond.

Instead, he calmly slipped his hands into his pockets.

The casual gesture made the warriors even more tense.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed.

“This is Blood Moon territory,” he continued.

“Outsiders are not allowed here.”

Still no response.

The stranger simply looked at him with mild boredom.

Marcus’s patience was clearly running out.

“I asked you a question.”

Silence.

One of the warriors growled.

“Beta, maybe he’s a rogue.”

Another one stepped forward aggressively.

“Move aside,” he snapped.

“We’re here for the girl.”

My heart sank.

The stranger didn’t move.

“She’s coming with us,” the warrior continued.

The stranger slowly tilted his head.

“Is that so?”

His calm tone seemed to irritate them even more.

Marcus folded his arms.

“This doesn’t concern you.”

Finally, the stranger spoke again.

“I’m afraid it does.”

Marcus frowned.

“And why is that?”

For a moment, the stranger didn’t answer.

Then he glanced over his shoulder at me.

Our eyes met briefly.

Something unreadable flashed through his golden gaze.

Then he looked back at the pack warriors.

His voice dropped slightly.

“Because the girl you’re trying to take…”

A strange pressure suddenly filled the air.

Even the warriors seemed to notice it.

“…belongs to me.”

The words stunned everyone.

Marcus blinked.

“What?”

The stranger’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

“You heard me.”

Anger flashed across Marcus’s face.

“Listen carefully, stranger,” he said sharply.

“That girl is a member of the Blood Moon Pack.”

“Not anymore,” the stranger replied calmly.

Marcus scoffed.

“She hasn’t been exiled yet.”

“Yet,” the stranger repeated.

Then he smiled slightly.

“Unfortunately for you…”

The ground beneath our feet seemed to tremble faintly.

A powerful aura suddenly exploded from his body.

The warriors immediately stiffened.

Even Marcus’s confident expression cracked slightly.

“…that decision no longer belongs to your pack.”

Marcus stared at him.

“What are you talking about?”

For a brief moment, the stranger said nothing.

Then he slowly lifted his head.

The moonlight illuminated his silver hair and glowing golden eyes.

When he spoke again, his voice carried a terrifying authority.

“I am Sunny, ruler of the northern territories.”

The forest fell completely silent.

Marcus’s eyes widened in shock.

One of the warriors gasped.

“Wait…”

“That name…”

“The Lycan King…”

My breath caught.

Lycan…

King?

My mind struggled to process the words.

Slowly, I looked up at the man standing in front of me.

The mysterious stranger.

The man who had called me his mate.

The one who had stood calmly while facing six pack warriors.

My heart began pounding violently.

Because suddenly…

Everything made sense.

The overwhelming power.

The confidence.

The terrifying aura.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“You…” I whispered.

“You’re the Lycan King?”

He turned his head slightly and looked down at me.

A faint smirk touched his lips.

“Now you’re starting to understand.”

Behind him, Beta Marcus looked like he had just seen a ghost.

The warriors had already taken several steps back.

No one dared to move.

Because standing in front of them…

Was not just a powerful wolf.

Not just an Alpha.

But the most powerful ruler in the entire werewolf world.

And he had just claimed me as his mate.