Chapter 3: Flight into Shadow

The lock turned just after midnight. 

Rhae scrambled back against the wall as the door opened, every muscle tense, every nerve screaming danger. But it was Valen who slipped inside, his funeral coat gone, blood on his sleeve. Fresh blood. From the border. You can’t stay here, he said quietly, closing the door behind him. Rhae let out a broken laugh, bitter and hopeless. “Where would I go? I’m an omega. The council reaches everywhere. And everyone wants me dead.” 

“Not everywhere,” Valen said. He held out his hand slowly, deliberately, giving her time to refuse. I know a way out.

Why are you helping me? She asked, her voice small and broken. Because you looked terrified in that hall, He said, his eyes intense and sure. “Not guilty. Terrified. And I felt what you felt through the bond. You didn’t know those rogues. You were shocked as we were.” 

She stared at his palm. Trust had never kept her alive. Invisibility had. Silence had. Obedience had. 

Still, something in her, that same wolf that had roared to life when he claimed her, wanted to trust him. 

She placed her hand in his. Warmth rushed up her arm, steadying her breathing immediately. His eyes flashed gold, his wolf recognizing her, accepting her, even if his brother wouldn’t. The bond between them hummed with connection and promise. 

They had to move.

Valen pressed a loose stone near the floor. The back wall clicked and shifted. Cold air rushed out. 

There are passages behind the holding cells? Rhae whispered. The old keep is full of them. Most have forgotten. I haven’t. He pulled her toward the darkness. Come on. Why? She asked as they moved. 

Because I don’t like being trapped, He said.

They ran. Above them, boots pounded. Horns blew. The sounds of war grew louder with each passing second. 

Are people dying because of me? She asked, her voice cracking. The rogues at the border— are they dying because of me? Valen didn’t answer at first. They turned a corner, their footsteps echoing. Then, he responded. 

They are dying because someone planned this, he said quietly. And we don’t know who yet. But it’s not your fault, Rhae. None of this is your fault. 

His words were meant to comfort her, but they didn’t. Not really. Footsteps sounded behind them. Heavy. Controlled. 

Not the chaotic sounds of guards searching. 

Valen pushed Rhae behind him in one smooth motion, positioning himself as a shield. 

Kaelen stepped out of the dark. 

His shirt was torn at the shoulder, blood on his jaw from the border fight. He looked like he’d been in the thick of battle and like he’d been searching for them the entire time. His eyes found Rhae immediately, and something in them ached. 

If you take her, you’ve chosen your side, Kaelen said to his brother. His voice was hollow. Broken. 

Valen did not move. “I chose the pack. Right now, if that means keeping her alive.” You removed a prisoner from council custody.

Can you promise me they weren’t going to kill her? Valen asked. Kaelen said nothing. 

Rhae’s voice shook. I can go back. I don’t want you two fighting because of me. Kaelen’s gaze sharpened on her, and for a brief moment, she saw the pain there. The conflict. He was torn between his duty to the pack and something else. Something that ran deeper. 

The bond between them pulsed, and she felt it; she felt him wanting her despite everything. But duty won. 

Then tell me why rogues are calling your name, Kaelen said, his voice hard. “I don’t know.” She whispered 

For a heartbeat, doubt cracked his certainty. She saw it flash across his face. The moment he wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go. Valen shifted the bag on his shoulder. We’re wasting time. I’m taking her to the old sanctuary. Kaelen went utterly still. “The Luna sanctuary?” He asked, and there was something in his voice, something old and bitter and full of history passed between them. Valen nodded. Years of secrets. Years of pain. Years of something Rhae didn’t understand. 

Kaelen finally released Valen’s arm, but his eyes stayed on Rhae. “Move,” he said. I’m coming with you. 

Rhae slipped on the web stone, and Valen’s hand caught her waist before she fell. The contact sent a jolt through her—brief, warm, but it hurt. Because the bond was there, but it was broken. Fractured, like touching a wound that didn’t heal. Behind them, Kaelen made a low sound in his throat, not a growl. A sound of pain. 

Valen’s grip on her tightened, understanding. He knew what his brother had done to himself in the hall. 

They stopped at the door, covered in dust so thick it looked like it had not been opened in centuries. Wolves and moons were carved into it. Intricate, beautiful, ancient. And a woman standing between two black wolves. Her arms raised like she was commanding them. Like she owned them. Valen pressed his palm to the center moon. Nothing happened. The stone remained cold. He looked at Rhae, then he took her hand and placed it over his. The stone warmed immediately. Silver light raced through the carving like veins of lightning, spreading from where their hands touched to the edge of the door, beautiful, terrifying, alive. The door opened without sound.