7

Selena POV

I trailed behind Cassius, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

The Bloodfang pack had forced me out of my home, into the Killianness, just because I was Darius’s fated mate. Wolves patrolled the borders, making sure I couldn’t return. My first night out here had been a nightmare; every sound made me jump, and I still didn’t understand what my life had become.

Seeing Ronan and Killian turn against me hurt the most. They still helped: Killian tossed me a water bottle, Ronan slipped me my favorite knife that knife saved me. I turned it over in my hand, blood still fresh, a strange mix of satisfaction and shock stirring in me. Cassius, sure, I wouldn't turn it on him, left it with me without caring.

Then I saw the wolf Cassius killed for me. Any thought of betraying him vanished. He had protected me, though I knew kindness here in the Emberfang never came free. Watching him fight filled me with hope and envy. If I had my wolf, maybe I could’ve handled it myself.

Cassius’s wolf was massive, strong, alpha through and through. Dark brown fur faded to gray on his legs, and a faint mark on his forehead caught my eye before I looked away. His wolf called to me in a way I couldn’t ignore. Leaving him behind felt wrong.

I wanted distance from the fight, but Cassius ended it faster than I expected. I’d seen Bloodfang wolves spar, but never like this… never a fight to the death.

The dead wolf made me stumble into the bushes, dry heaving. My stomach was empty, my body bruised and sore, and the memory of peeing blood last night didn’t help.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Cassius’s voice cut through my panic, steady and calm. He’d saved me once, and I knew he’d do it again if anyone tried to hurt me.

I turned away from the dead wolf, trying to calm myself. Then I remembered the water Killian had left in the woods. I swirled it in my mouth, spat it out, and finally drank, hoping it would settle my stomach.

“I’m okay,” I said, forcing the words.

Not true. I felt far from okay. My body hurt, and being alone out here was almost like a death sentence for someone like me, someone who couldn’t shift. Darius had known that. His words kept running through my mind: the bandits, rogue alphas, and lone wolves will kill her for us.

But who had saved me? He looked like he had a pack, which probably made him a bandit. I gripped my knife tighter, wiped my nose on my sleeve, and forced myself to stand tall. I’d always been at the bottom of the Bloodfang pack, the orphan nobody expected anything from.

I had dreamed about a different life in another pack, but I never thought I’d actually see it. My first night in the Emberfang made me wish Pack Alpha Kael would call me back. Alone out here, surviving seemed even harder than enduring years of abuse back at Bloodfang.

The rogue alpha who had hunted me proved the stories were true. This place was as dangerous as we had been warned. I had stayed quiet, taken every insult, every shove, every reminder that my wolf had never appeared. When Cassius had asked my name, that small act of kindness had felt like hope. Now, seeing the concern in his eyes, I felt a slight sense of comfort.

“I’m okay,” I said again, trying to sound braver. “Let’s go.”

A small smile appeared on his face, and it did something to me I didn’t understand. His eyes were dark and deep, like the night, but his smile made him look warm and alive. He moved with confidence, clean-shaven, strong but lean, ready for anything. He was probably just a little older than me.

I tried to focus on his face, but my eyes drifted to his chest, his strong build, the way he walked without fear. He was taller than me, broad and powerful, with sun-kissed skin and long black hair that fell almost to his waist. Everything about him screamed strength, skill, and… something I couldn’t ignore.

I’d never felt drawn to anyone like this before, not even the Bloodfang wolves, who hadn’t been cruel. And yet here I was, fascinated by him, both impressed and unsettled.

“Yes, let’s go,” he said, turning to lead the way, fearless and untouchable.

I forced my thoughts away before they spiraled. Cassius had just shown me how deadly he could be, killing without a second thought. The dead wolf at our feet didn’t faze him. To him, it was just another part of the forest.

And yet… he had used that same power to protect me. Why?

I was so lost in my own head that I nearly bumped into him when he stopped. He bent down, his long black hair falling over his strong arms as he grabbed something from the ground, his clothes.

I quickly looked away as he pulled on his jeans and moccasins. Not that I hadn’t seen enough before. His body was perfectly strong, lean, and untouchable. Unlike that other wolf, he wasn’t a threat. I could admire him without fear.

“Your ride’s ready!” His voice pulled me back.

He was still shirtless, chest and abs flawless, muscles moving with quiet strength. I tore my eyes away from him and looked at his moccasins instead tied neatly at the ankle, decorated with colorful beads forming tiny flowers. Even in battle, he honored beauty and tradition.

At his feet lay the torn remains of his shirt. He had rushed to my defense without hesitation.

A strange warmth hit me. No one had ever fought for me. Not my adoptive mother. Not my few friends. I had learned to fight alone, using every scrap of training I could get. I had survived, yes but this… this was different.

Cassius wasn’t a rogue, not a lone wolf. He had a pack. And for the first time, I wondered if I could belong somewhere else. Maybe it wouldn’t be perfect, maybe life wouldn’t be easy but a pack that would fight for me… that had to be better than being alone.

Cassius led me through the trees to a large SHADOWFEN parked by a quiet creek. We both knelt down at the same time, washing the blood from our skin. He smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. I wished I could be that calm, that fearless.

“Let’s get those wounds bandaged first,” he said. “You can shift later to heal, but for now, we need to move.”