Chapter 2 - The Beast In The Snow

My lungs burned. Every breath felt like knives tearing through my chest. But I couldn't stop running. Not after what happened. Not after the rejection. Not after seeing fear in High Priest Malachai's eyes. The memory hit me again. "I reject Tanya Moonfall as my mate." My legs nearly gave out. A sob escaped my throat. Why? The question wouldn't leave me alone. Why had Kael done it? If he never wanted me, why acknowledge the bond at all? Why look at me like that before rejecting me? And why did it hurt so much? I pressed a hand against my chest. The wound wasn't physical. It was deeper.

Every heartbeat reminded me that the person fate had chosen for me had looked me in the eyes and decided I wasn't enough. Not worthy. Not wanted. A fresh wave of tears blurred my vision. I angrily wiped them away. Crying wouldn't change anything. Nothing would. Behind me, distant voices echoed through the forest, the guards were still searching. I pushed myself harder. Branches clawed at my skin. Roots snagged my boots. The darkness thickened around me. Yet I kept moving because one thought refused to leave my mind; The Northern Border. Why was Malachai so terrified of it? 

The questions churned endlessly inside my head. No answers came. Only cold. The further north I traveled, the colder the air became. Soon frost coated the trees. Snow covered the ground. And the forest began to change. The familiar woods of Nightfall Kingdom vanished behind me.

The trees here were larger, older, silent, almost watching. A chill crawled down my spine. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. Yet I continued forward because I had nowhere else to go. Back at the arena, Kael Nightshade stood alone, the crowd had long since dispersed. The celebration had collapsed into chaos still, he hadn't moved. His gaze remained fixed on the place where Tanya had fallen. The memory refused to leave him, the tears in her eyes, the pain on her face, the look of complete devastation, something twisted uncomfortably inside his chest.                                                                 

 His wolf growled.  A dangerous sound, low and threatening.                     "You rejected the wrong mate." Kael's jaw tightened. "Enough."              His wolf snarled, "No." The response echoed violently through his mind. "You made a mistake." Kael turned away. "I did what was necessary." "You lied to yourself." Kael's fists clenched.

A future king couldn't have an Omega Luna. The kingdom would never accept it. The nobles would revolt. The council would oppose him. He had made the logical choice. The necessary choice so why did it feel wrong? Why did his wolf refuse to calm down? Why did Tanya's scent still linger in his mind? And why couldn't he stop thinking about the silver markings that had appeared on her skin? The markings bothered him. Nobody knew what they meant yet High Priest Malachai clearly had. The man's reaction had been impossible to miss. Fear. Pure fear.

Kael frowned. Something wasn't adding up. Without another thought, he turned toward the forest. Toward Tanya's fading scent. Toward the questions nobody could answer. The wind howled. Snow whipped against my face. I wrapped my arms around myself. The temperature kept dropping. My teeth chattered uncontrollably. How far had I come? I wasn't sure anymore. Everything looked the same. Snow. Trees. Darkness. Silence. Panic slowly crept into my chest. I was lost. Completely lost. A distant howl shattered the silence. I froze. The sound didn't belong to any wolf I had ever heard. It was deeper. Older. Almost monstrous. Another howl answered. Then another. My pulse spiked.

The stories suddenly returned. The warnings children whispered at night. The legends adults refused to discuss. The Northern Border. The land where wolves disappeared. The place nobody returned from. A branch snapped somewhere behind me. I spun around. Only darkness. Only falling snow.. The feeling remained. Someone was watching me.                                                                               I could feel it. My skin prickled. My instincts screamed. Run. I obeyed. Snow crunched beneath my boots as I sprinted forward.

The wind roared louder. The forest grew darker. Then I heard footsteps. Heavy. Deliberate. Following me. Fear exploded through my body. I ran faster. The footsteps followed. Closer. Closer. Closer. My heart pounded violently. The presence felt enormous. Predatory. Ancient. I dared a glance over my shoulder. Nothing yet the feeling remained. Whatever was following me didn't want to be seen yet.

Several miles away, Kael paused and his wolf suddenly became alert. Danger, the feeling hit him instantly. His eyes narrowed. Tanya. Something was wrong, without hesitation, he accelerated moving faster through the forest following her scent. The deeper he traveled north, the stronger his unease became. Even Shadowfang had gone silent, that alone was alarming. His wolf feared nothing yet now the beast seemed cautious and almost respectful. Kael had never felt that before.

A growl echoed through the forest, I stumbled. The sound vibrated through the ground itself, not a normal growl, this sounded like thunder. My breathing stopped. Every instinct inside me screamed predator.          A massive shadow moved between the trees then disappeared. I wasn't imagining, something really huge was there. I slowly backed away. The forest suddenly felt too quiet. The growl came again, much closer then the trees parted. And I saw it. My knees nearly gave out. The creature was enormous. Far larger than any wolf, larger than any Alpha.

Silver scales covered portions of its body, massive wings folded against its back, golden eyes glowed in the darkness. Its claws alone were longer than my forearm. The beast towered above me. Ancient. Terrifying. Impossible. A Dragon Wolf. My heart stopped, every story I had ever heard claimed they were extinct, dead, gone for thousands of years yet one stood before me alive and watching. My body locked in place. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

Death was the only thought in my mind. I was about to die. The beast lowered its head, the golden eyes never left mine. Its nostrils flared while studying my scent. Then something unexpected happened. The Dragon Wolf blinked. A strange sound escaped its throat. Not a growl. Almost recognition. The beast stepped closer. I braced myself, prepared for claws, prepared for death Instead the creature slowly lowered itself.

One knee touched the snow then the other. The gigantic Dragon Wolf bowed its head before me. I stared, unable to process what I was seeing. "What...?" The creature remained kneeling as though I were royalty. The impossible sight shattered every logical thought in my mind. It wasn't attacking but was kneeling before me. The Dragon Wolf released a soft rumble. Its enormous golden eyes remained fixed on me. Gentle. Protective. Familiar as if it had been waiting for me.

A strange warmth spread through my chest. The same warmth I had felt when the silver markings appeared. The same warmth that made no sense. The beast lowered its head further, almost inviting me closer. I took one cautious step. Then another. The Dragon Wolf didn't move. Didn't threaten. Didn't attack. A trembling hand lifted toward its face. My fingers brushed silver scales. Warm. Alive.

The moment contact happened, something flashed through my mind. A glimpse. A memory. A woman with silver hair. A moonlit throne. Golden eyes. Then darkness. I jerked backward. My heart is hammering, "what was that?" The vision vanished instantly. The Dragon Wolf watched me silently almost sadly as though it knew something I didn't. Snow continued falling around us. For one strange moment, everything felt peaceful.

Then the Dragon Wolf's ears flattened, Its body stiffened. A deep growl rumbled through its chest. Danger. The sudden change sent alarm racing through me. The creature wasn't looking at me anymore. It was staring behind me. Something approached. The growl deepened. I slowly turned around. My pulse thundered. A figure emerged through the blizzard. Tall. Powerful. Familiar. The moment I recognized him, anger exploded inside me. No, not him, anyone but him. The figure stopped several feet away.

Ice-blue eyes locked onto mine.The same eyes that had watched me break. The same eyes that had rejected me before an entire kingdom. Kael Nightshade, the future Alpha King, the mate who destroyed my life. The Dragon Wolf bared its fangs. Kael's gaze sharpened. Then a powerful voice cut through the storm, "step away from her."