Chapter 5_The Rogues Attack

The dark forest was dead silent, except for the heavy sound of my own breathing.

Six large, dirty men stepped out from behind the thick trees, their yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight. They wore torn clothes, and sharp iron daggers hung from their belts.

Rogues.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a wild bird trapped in a cage. Instinctively, I took a step back, pressing my hand over my stomach to shield my baby. The cold night air felt sharp against my skin, but cold sweat was pouring down my back.

"Look what we have here," one of the men sneered, his voice rough and deep. He was tall, with a nasty scar cutting through his left eyebrow. "A little Crescent Moon girl wandering all alone in the dark."

"She’s pretty," another rogue chuckled, taking a slow step toward me. "And she looks lost."

"Stay back!" I shouted, trying to make my voice sound strong and trying to be brave but it trembled. I reached down to my side, grabbing a heavy tree branch from the ground. I held it out in front of me with shaking hands. "Don't come any closer!"

The scar-faced rogue laughed out loud. "What are you going to do with that stick, little girl? Poke us?"

My mind raced. I was weak from the rejection. My wolf was still quiet and recovering inside me, and my body was fragile from the pregnancy scare. I couldn't win a physical fight against six grown men. If they attacked me, my baby wouldn't survive.

Moon Goddess, please protect my child, I prayed silently, holding the stick tighter.

"Grab her," the scar-faced man ordered, waving his hand toward his men. "Be careful with her. The boss said no marks on her skin."

I was confused ,The boss?who could the boss be?I thought to myself.

Before I could think about what that meant, two rogues lunged forward. I swung the wooden branch with all the strength I had left. It hit one of the men across his shoulder, snapping in two with a loud CRACK. He cursed, staggering back, but the second rogue grabbed my wrists from behind.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, kicking and thrashing against his hold. "Let me go!"

"Stop moving, girl!" the man growled, pulling my arms back tightly.

I twisted my body, careful not to press my stomach against him. I bit down hard on the man's arm. He let out a sharp yell of pain and released me. I stumbled forward, gasping for breath, and turned to run back toward the border.

"Catch her!"

A heavy hand grabbed the back of my coat, jerking me backward. I hit the hard ground, pain shooting up my knees. I quickly rolled over onto my back, covering my belly with both arms, staring up at the men as they surrounded me completely.

"Enough games," the scar-faced rogue growled, drawing his iron dagger. "We don't have all night."

Suddenly, a heavy, suffocating pressure filled the air.

It hit the forest like a sudden thunderbolt. The wind stopped blowing. The leaves stopped rustling. A dark, terrifying power washed over the entire clearing, so strong that my lungs instantly locked up.

The six rogues gasped. Their confident smiles vanished in a split second. The man holding the dagger dropped his weapon onto the dirt, his knees buckling under the pure force of the pressure.

Footsteps echoed through the quiet forest. Slow, heavy, and completely calm.

Out from the shadows of the large oak trees stepped a tall man.

My breath caught in my throat. He was towering—far taller than Xavier, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame that filled the dark space. He wore a dark leather jacket and black pants. His short black hair was slightly messy, and his dark eyes were so intense they looked like deep, endless abysses.

Behind him, four powerful warriors dressed in black armor stepped out, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

The scar-faced rogue dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against the damp dirt. "Alpha Kael!" he gasped, his voice shaking with pure terror. "We... we caught her! Just as you ordered!"

Alpha Kael?

My blood turned to ice.

Alpha Kael Virell. The leader of the Shadow Fang Pack. The most ruthless, dangerous Alpha in the entire region—and Xavier’s absolute worst enemy.

Stories about Kael were told across every pack territory. People said he was a monster who showed no mercy to his enemies. They said he had killed dozens of Alpha candidates to take his throne, and that his pack was built on dark power and ruthless discipline.

And now, he was standing less than ten feet away from me.

Kael didn't even look at the kneeling rogues. His dark, sharp eyes swept across the clearing until they locked directly onto me.

I sat on the cold dirt, trembling, my arms still wrapped tightly around my stomach. I stared up at him, my silver eyes wide with fear.

Kael walked slowly toward me. Each step he took felt like a heartbeat echoing in my head. When he reached me, he stopped and looked down. His dark eyes flicked from my pale, tear-stained face, down to my hands clutching my belly, and then to the light blue dress I was wearing.

"Lyra Blackwood," Kael said. His voice was deep, smooth, and laced with a cold power that made my skin prickle. "The fated mate of Alpha Xavier."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak. "I... I am not his mate anymore."

One of Kael's dark eyebrows lifted slightly. "I know," he said softly. "I heard the news from the Crescent Moon gathering. He rejected you tonight."

A sharp pang of pain hit my chest at the mention of the rejection, but I forced myself to stay still. 

"What do you want with me? Why did you send these men to catch me?"

Kael didn't answer right away. He crouched down in front of me, bringing his handsome, sharp face to eye level with mine. Up close, I could smell his scent—it was heavy and dark, like pine wood and winter rain. It was entirely different from Xavier's warm, sunny scent.

"You are trespassing on neutral border lands late at night, carrying a small bag, running away from your own home," Kael observed, his dark eyes searching my face. "Where were you planning to go?"