Chapter 5

_Emma's POV_

I froze the moment Ryker said it.

“They know you are here.”

The words did not feel real. They sank into my chest like cold water. My fingers tightened around the knife without me thinking. My eyes went straight to the window again, even though I knew there was nothing there.

“That is not possible,” I whispered. “We just arrived. How could they even know?”

Ryker did not look at me. His gaze stayed outside, fixed on the dark trees like he was counting something only he could see.

“They are fast,” he said.

My breathing turned shallow. “Fast how? Who are they? You keep saying things like I should understand them.”

Ryker finally looked at me. His eyes were calm but his voice was low.

“You will understand soon enough.”

That did not comfort me at all. Then it happened.

A sound cut through the night. It was sharp and loud like something hitting metal. Then another sound followed. It was like glass breaking in the distance.

My body reacted before my mind did. I stepped back fast and almost tripped.

“What was that?”

Ryker moved in front of me instantly. “Stay behind me,” he said.

I hated that I listened. Another sound came....then another. And then the night exploded.

Lights flashed outside the compound. Loud cracks echoed through the trees. For a second, I did not understand what I was hearing.

Then I saw it. Flames. There were arrows burning in the dark sky and flying over the fence. One hit a wooden post and burst into fire.

My heart stopped. “Oh my God,” I whispered.

Ryker’s entire body stiffened and a dangerous expression appeared on his face. It was as if he had been waiting for this all along.

“They are here,” I said again but this time it was not a question.

Another explosion hit the ground near the gate. Men started shouting outside. The pack moved instantly. I saw bikers running out of buildings. One of them passed Ryker and did not even look at me. He only nodded.

“Alpha.”

That word made my stomach twist.

Ryker finally turned to me. “Do not move.”

“I was not planning to,” I snapped.

Then I saw them. There were shadows at the edge of the trees. Men in dark clothes with weapons in their hands stepped forward. One of them raised his voice and it carried through the compound.

“Hand over the witness!”

My blood went cold. My fingers tightened around the knife again. My mouth went dry.

So it was true. They were here for me.

I stepped slightly back without meaning to. My back hit a truck parked behind me. I did not even realize I was hiding until I was already behind it.

My breath came faster. I pressed myself lower and peeked over the edge.

Ryker did not hide. He walked forward calmly...like the chaos around him did not exist. I was scared for him. He was going to get himself killed.

The Hunters raised their weapons. But Ryker stopped a few steps in front of them. He tilted his head slightly and said only one thing.

“Come and take her.”

Silence hit the air. Then everything broke. A Hunter fired. The bullet cut through the air. It hit the ground near Ryker, kicking up dirt. But he did not move. Another shot followed. Then another. Chaos exploded.

“Ryker!” I shouted.

He still did not move. He only lifted his hand slightly. And then he spoke again.

“Shift.”

It was not loud but it felt like the world heard it. And then I saw it. Every biker around the compound stopped. For one second, they were completely still. Then their bodies changed.

I could not understand what I was seeing. Bones shifted, muscles twisted and clothes tore. In seconds, men became wolves. Their fur were of different colors; black, gray and brown. All of them rose from where bikers had stood only moments before.

I stumbled back in shock. “No… no…” I whispered.

My mind refused to accept it. The Devil’s Pack was not a club. It was a full pack of wolves. A scream caught in my throat as I watched them move together. They were very fast. They did not attack everything but only the Hunters.

I pressed myself tighter behind the truck. My whole body was shaking. And then I saw Ryker.

He shifted last. It was slower than the others but more powerful. Like the air itself reacted to him.

His body expanded. His bones broke and reformed. And then the black wolf stood there. But this time… I could compare. Before, I had only seen him once in panic and fear.

Now I could see him clearly. Ryker stood taller than all of them. His wolf was larger by far. Even the strongest wolves around him lowered their heads the moment he stepped forward. My breath caught in my throat as I watched it happen. That was not just an Alpha. That was something far beyond that. Something that did not just lead the night… it owned it.

The battle broke out without warning. It was fast and brutal. The pack moved like one living force, crashing into the Hunters and forcing them back toward the dark line of trees. Gunfire filled the air but it was not enough to slow them down.

I stood frozen behind the truck. My entire body was shaking. I wanted to close my eyes, to turn away, to make it stop being real. But I could not. Something in me forced me to keep watching, even when every part of me wanted to run.

One Hunter fell hard into the ground. Another was thrown so violently into a tree that I gasped. Then something strange caught my attention. The wolves were not killing blindly. They were choosing and avoiding anyone who was not actively fighting.

A deep horn suddenly sounded through the forest. The Hunters hesitated for a moment. Then one of them shouted,

“Fall back!”

The words spread quickly through their ranks. They started retreating into the forest, stepping back into the shadows they had come from.

But before they disappeared, one of them turned. His gaze locked directly onto me. Even from a distance, I felt it like a strike to my chest.

He lifted his hand and pointed. “We will be back for her!”

Then they were gone. The forest swallowed them whole. Silence followed almost immediately. Only the crackling of distant fire and heavy breathing remained.

My eyes moved across the battlefield. I was trying to understand what I was seeing. The wolves were shifting back. One by one, their bodies changed again. Bones rearranged, fur vanished and skin returned.

Ryder stood in human form again, right in the middle of everything. He was covered in blood. Something inside me snapped and before I even realized it, I was running.

“Ryker!” I called out.

He turned slightly. I stopped in front of him. “You’re bleeding!” I said quickly.

His eyes moved down his arm. “It is already healing.”

I stared. It was true.

“No,” I said immediately. “That is not normal.”

He looked at me like I was the strange one. “It is normal for me.”

I grabbed his arm before I could stop myself. “You need to sit down.”

“I do not....”

“Sit.”

My voice came out sharper than I expected. A few nearby pack members stopped and stared. Someone whispered.

“She is telling the Alpha what to do…”

Another replied softly. “And he is listening…”

Ryker looked at me for a moment. Then, surprisingly, he let me pull him. I dragged him toward the clubhouse. Inside, it was quieter.

I pushed him into a chair. “Stay still,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow. “That is an order.”

“Yes.”

A faint smile appeared on his face. I ignored it. I found cloth and water and began cleaning his wounds. I did not look at him at first. But I felt his eyes on me.

Then I saw it. The deep cuts on his skin were closing. My fingers touched one wound. It healed beneath my touch. I pulled my hand back quickly.

“That is impossible,” I whispered.

Ryker leaned back slightly. “It usually impresses people.”

I looked at him. “It terrifies me.”

A low laugh escaped him. For some reason, the sound made my chest feel tight.

“You should still rest,” I said quickly, trying to focus.

“My wolf heals faster than your medicine.”

“That does not mean you get to act like nothing happened.”

One of the bikers nearby whispered. “She is ordering him again.”

Another answered. “And he is still listening.”

I ignored them. Ryker looked at me.

“You are stubborn.”

“So are you.”

A pause. Then his voice softened slightly. “That is why my wolf does not argue with you.”

I blinked. “Your wolf listens to me?”

He nodded slightly. What was he trying to say? That made no sense. But nothing made sense anymore.

After a while, he stood up. “Come,” he said.

I followed him without question this time. We walked through the clubhouse until he stopped at a hallway. He opened a door. The room was clean and simple. It was better than I expected.

“This is yours,” he said.

I looked around slowly. “You are giving me a room?”

“You are not sleeping in the main hall.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Am I locked in?”

“No.”

I walked to the door immediately and tested it. It was unlocked. That surprised me more than anything.

I turned back. “Why am I here?”

Ryker leaned against the wall. “Because if you leave alone, they will try again.”

I crossed my arms. “So I am bait.”

His eyes sharpened slightly. “No. You are the reason they came.”

That did not make me feel better. I sat on the edge of the bed slowly. I was still holding the knife.

Ryker noticed. “You are still holding that.”

“Yes.”

“Do you sleep with it?”

“Maybe.”

That made him exhale like he was amused. “You are exhausting.”

“You are dangerous.”

A silence settled between us. Then I spoke quietly. “If I leave… what happens?”

His eyes met mine. “Then they catch you and you die.”

My stomach tightened.

After a moment, he spoke again. “You will not leave.”

I frowned. “You sound very sure.”

He gave a small smile. “Because I am.”