Into the Wildlands

The forest doesn't care that my heart is breaking.

I crash through the trees like something is chasing me, even though the only thing behind me is the image of Derek's teeth in Ivy's neck. My silver dress catches on branches and rips, but I keep running. Heels? I kicked them off miles back. Sharp stones cut into my bare feet. Cold air stings my face. Branches whip my arms and leave red lines. None of it matters. The pain inside my chest is so much worse it drowns everything else out.

Five years. How did I not see it? All those nights Derek held me and whispered that I was enough. The way he smiled at me in front of my father like he was proud. Was any of it real? Or was I just convenient until his real mate showed up? I am such an idiot. The biggest fool in Crescent Hollow. Everyone knew something was off. They pitied me for years while I planned a future that never existed.

Tears blur everything. I trip over a root and fall hard, scraping my knees, but I push up and keep going. The dress tears at the hem. I do not stop to fix it. I just want to disappear. The trees grow thicker here. I realize I have crossed the border into the Wildlands. Neutral territory. Rogues. Dangerous wolves who answer to no pack. Normally that thought would terrify me. Right now it feels like exactly where I belong. Let something out here end this nightmare.

My lungs burn. My legs shake. But I push harder, like if I run far enough the humiliation cannot follow me. The pack's faces flash in my mind. The whispers. The way they crowded around that door to watch my entire life fall apart. My own father told me to get out like I was the one who did something wrong. Helena's fake pity. Ivy's smile. It all fuels me forward until my body finally gives up.

I collapse against an ancient tree, the bark rough against my back. My legs fold under me. The sobs come first, quiet and broken. Then louder. I scream into the night, raw and ugly, until my throat hurts. Rage mixes with the grief until I cannot tell them apart. I pound my fists against the ground, dirt digging under my nails. Why did he do this to me? Why did he let me believe we had something real for five years?

Memories flood in without mercy. Derek promised me we would build a home together. The way he kissed my forehead after long days at the healer's den. All of it tastes like poison now. He knew. He had to know Ivy was his fated mate. He still chose to stay with me. Used me. And the worst part? The entire pack saw it happen. They watched me stand there frozen on the dance floor while he walked away like I was nothing. Damaged goods. Foolish girl. Five years wasted on a man who never really wanted me.

I curl tighter against the tree, shaking. Physical exhaustion hits me all at once. My muscles burn. My feet throb. I have no idea where I am anymore. The trees look the same in every direction. Night is falling fast. The temperature drops and my breath comes out in little clouds. I should go back. I know I should. Face my father. Face the pack. Try to survive whatever comes next.

But the thought of walking back into that hall, into all those staring eyes, makes me want to die right here. I cannot do it. I cannot face them.

A strange warmth starts spreading through my body. At first I thought it was from running, but it grew hotter. It moves from my chest down to my stomach, then lower. My skin feels tight. Sensitive. I press my hands to my cheeks. They burn.

What is happening? This is not normal.

I recognize the symptoms from my training in the healer's den. Heat. Mating heat. But it should not hit like this. Not out here. Not alone. Heat usually comes near your mate or during extreme stress. The trauma must have triggered it. My body was desperate for comfort after everything shattered. It does not care that I am broken. It only wants to fix the emptiness the only way it knows how.

Panic claws up my throat. "Not now," I whisper. "Not here. Not alone."

The heat builds fast. It becomes painful. An aching need that makes my thighs press together. My wolf, usually quiet inside me, stirs restlessly. I try to fight it. I breathe deep and slow like they taught us. It does not help. The fire spreads. My dress feels like it is suffocating me. Too rough against my skin.

I pull at the torn fabric. My fingers shake as I strip it off completely and toss it aside. The cold night air should help, but it does not. My skin still burns. I curl up on the forest floor, arms wrapped around my knees, whimpering. Every small movement sends sparks through me. I know how vulnerable I am right now. A lone female in heat in the Wildlands. Any rogue could find me. Hurt me. But my brain cannot think straight. The need is too loud.

I rock back and forth, trying to hold myself together. Tears keep falling. I feel so stupid. So weak. After everything that happened tonight, my own body is betraying me too.

Then I feel it. Eyes on me. I am not alone.

I lift my head slowly. A massive wolf steps out from the shadows between the trees. Bigger than any wolf I have ever seen. Black fur with silver tips that catch the moonlight. His red-gold eyes glow as they lock on me. Power rolls off him in waves. I should be terrified. I should run or scream or shift to defend myself. But the heat makes everything twist. Instead of fear, desperation floods me. My body reacts to him before my mind can catch up.

The wolf shifts. Bones crack and reform. He rises into a half-human form, still partly shifted, staying deep in the shadows. I cannot see his face clearly. Just a massive, muscled silhouette. Broad shoulders. Dangerous height. Claws and fangs are still visible in the dark.

"You shouldn't be here," his voice comes out deep and rough, like gravel.

I whimper again, the heat spiking at the sound of him. My wolf surges forward so strongly it surprises me. She has never been this loud. "Please," I manage, my voice cracking. "I need... I can't..."

He does not move closer at first. The tension stretches tight between us. He could kill me. He could leave me here to suffer. He could do anything. I am completely at his mercy and I do not even care anymore. Pride is gone. Only the raw need and the pain remain.

He takes one step closer. His scent hits me then. Pine. Smoke. Night air. Something wild and masculine that makes my head spin. My wolf whispers inside me, clear and certain. Mine.

I reach out toward him with shaking hands. No shame left. Just this desperate pull. I need him to touch me. To make the hurt stop, even for a little while.

His control visibly cracks. I see the way his massive shoulders tense, the way his breathing changes. "You don't know what you're asking."

"I don't care," I whisper back, voice breaking. "Please don't leave me alone."

The moment his hand touches my arm, electricity shoots through me. My breath catches. His fingers are surprisingly careful despite their size and the claws at the tips. Both of us seem lost to it now. The pull between us feels bigger than the forest, bigger than my broken heart, bigger than anything I have ever felt.

His mouth crashed into mine, and the world ignited.