Chapter Three: PAWS AND ANTLERS

Gavin’s pov

The night air tasted sharp, the moon carved silver into the treetops, painting shadows that shifted like watchful spirits. Beneath my paws the ground was soft, layered with fallen leaves and the faint trails of animals that had come to drink from the stream earlier that night.

“Keep your distance,” I murmured, my voice rough but steady. The wolves nearest to me dipped their heads, ears flicking in acknowledgment. Obedience. That was what kept us alive, discipline, not frenzy.

Marrok padded at my side, silent for a long while before finally speaking. “Alpha Gavin, do you ever think about it?”

I glanced at him. “About what?”

“Whether the deer has a family waiting. Whether it feels what we would feel, if one of us didn’t return.”

The question was strange from him. He’s sharp-minded and merciless in battle. Yet now his eyes glimmered with something heavier.

I did not answer right away. My gaze flicked to Fenric, who trotted just behind us, muttering something under his breath to the younger wolves. Always restless, always loud. He had no patience for questions like Marrok’s.

Finally, I said, “If it does, then it only proves we are not so different from our prey. Life and death bind us all.”

Marrok gave a short nod, as though the answer satisfied him. But I knew he was still chewing on it.

Fenric barked a laugh suddenly, startling the silence. “Spare me your philosophy, brother. A deer is food, nothing more. If you start pitying it, next thing you’ll be asking forgiveness before every bite.”

“There,” Kaelan growled softly, his eyes gleaming as he pointed his muzzle toward the ridge.

I followed his gaze. A deer stood alone, head lifting nervously, ears twitching as it sniffed the air. Its sides heaved, its chest gleaming faintly with sweat from some earlier dash. Vulnerable.

“Flank left,” I ordered. “Drive it down the slope.”

At once, shadows peeled away from me, two wolves slipping through the undergrowth like wraiths. The rest of us circled wide, our paws barely whispering against the ground. The deer twitched, uneasy. It could feel us. It always did. That was part of the hunt: terror was as much our weapon as teeth.

“Too easy,” growled Fenric behind me, his breath hot. “Let me take it now”

“Hold,” I snapped, the single word sharp enough to cut. My eyes locked with his, holding until he looked away. Fenric was powerful, but reckless. He’d lunge too soon if I allowed him. Discipline, always discipline.

The deer bounded suddenly, hooves clattering against stone as it dashed toward the ravine. Perfect. Exactly where I wanted it. My wolves moved as one, silent except for the soft rhythm of paws.

“Close the gap,” I murmured, though the pack already knew. They surged forward, narrowing the circle. The deer bolted right blocked. It turned left trapped. Its panic fed us. I could feel my pulse quickening, matching the rhythm of its desperate strides.

And then, the break. Kaelan lunged low, teeth sinking into the deer’s hind leg. The creature screamed, a high, piercing sound, before stumbling. In the next heartbeat, the rest were upon it, snarls ripping through the clearing, bodies colliding, fangs tearing.

I did not rush in. I never did. My place was to watch. To learn. To remember.

Blood sprayed dark across the leaves, steaming in the cold air. My wolves growled and fought for the best pieces, though none dared cross me. The deer’s final shudder faded quickly, leaving silence broken only by the tearing of flesh.

I stepped forward at last, sinking my teeth into the throat to end the last of its suffering. Hot iron filled my mouth, warm and bitter, sliding down my throat in a rush that awakened something primal inside me. For a moment, instinct surged, urging me to tear, to gorge. But I forced it back. A leader does not lose himself.

“Leave the bones,” I ordered, lifting my head. “We are not scavengers.”

The pack looked up, muzzles drenched in red, eyes gleaming with the fever of the hunt. One by one, they pulled back, panting heavily, chests rising and falling in time.

Fenric licked his chops, grinning through blood. “Quick work tonight. Almost too quick.”

“You complain that we are fed?” I asked, raising a brow.

He shrugged, tail twitching. “I prefer a fight.”

“You prefer foolishness,” Marrok muttered, earning a low growl in response.

I silenced them both with a look. “Hunting is not a sport,” I said coldly. “It is law. We kill to survive. Nothing more.”

They bowed their heads, chastened.

Sounds reached me before the sight, a rhythmic clatter of hooves, wheels grinding against stone, the brassy jingle of harness chains.

A carriage.

It rolled against the grass, its lanterns glowing faintly, gilded edges flashing in the firelight. 

And then, stepping down with measured grace, came Kia Ravenstone.

Her gown spilled like water as she moved, her hair arranged with pins of gold that caught the moonlight. She lifted her chin, her lips curving in a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Alpha Gavin,” she said softly, though the softness felt practiced, a blade wrapped in silk.

Behind me, Fenric muttered under his breath, “Not a welcome sight.”

“Quiet,” I growled without looking back.

I stepped forward, the earth cool beneath my paws as I shifted back into my human form. Blood still smeared my mouth, copper on my skin. My chest rose and fell, muscles tight, as I regarded her.

“kia.” My voice was even, though distant, “What are you doing here?”

Marrok murmured quietly, just loud enough for me to hear, "Here to see her stepbrother."

Kia's eyes flickered toward Marrok for the briefest moment before settling back on me. Her smile tightened.

"No," she said smoothly, lifting her chin. 

"Marcus acted impulsively. I came to strengthen our bond before anyone takes my place."

I said nothing.

She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly at my tone, “I come to join the hunt, my lord”

“Well, You are late” My face shows disinterest.

“My bad, I was beautifying myself for you, do you not want me here?” The words hung in the air, Marrok’s gaze flickered between us, his expression unreadable.

I met her eyes, unblinking. “This is no place for silk and gold. The hunting is not a court”

“And yet,” she replied, lifting her face from the dirt.” “It will be, once we are bound”

I said nothing. The silence stretched, brittle as ice.

Her smile wavered, just barely, “Private please”

I turned my back to her, calling my wolves instead, “Home. Rest. The hunt is done”

They obeyed instantly, padding past me, their shadows vanishing into the dens carved along the valley walls.

“You dismiss me before your wolves, before your pack” her voice soft but sharpened at the edges.

I turned, meeting her gaze. “I dismissed no one. The hunt keeps us as one and I honoured it, that's all.”

Her lips pressed into thin lines. “You speak of honour, yet where is mine? Her voice breaks “You didn't welcome me, No warm embrace” 

Her gaze faltered, her lashes shadowing her cheek. “Am I not your chosen? Your promise?

“Chosen?” I let the word roll slowly, my tone cutting. “No, Kia. You were appointed. By Council, by politics, by responsibilities, by convenience.

Her shoulders stiffened, but her eyes dark and unwavering held mine. “And you?” 

I couldn't summon the warmth “Not by me. But duties demands it”

“And yet, I stand here as your fiancee, whether you claim me or not.” She stepped closer, pressed on, her words spilling now, fierce and unrestrained. “I want more than duty, Gavin. More than politics. I want power, yes, but I also want you!. Your gaze, touch, respect, not just oath muttered in the dark while you run back to your pack”. 

Her voice wavered at the last word, though her chin lifted defiantly.

I spoke, each word slow, deliberate. “You will have my oath, Kia. Nothing less, and nothing more.”

Her breath caught, as though the finality of it struck her like a blow.

The fire cracked, filling the silence that followed.

Kia’s hand curled at her sides, the gold pins in her hair glinting like sparks. I thought she might scream, instead, she whispered, almost trembling, “And if I want more than your oath?” 

I met her eyes, unflinching, “Then you want in vain”

I turned from her as her lips parted but no words came. “You shall rest in the guest hall tonight. My chamber is not yours to enter.”

I left her in the firelight, her shadow lone and lonely against the carriage, while the wolves howled in the distance.