_Kayden's POV_“What?” I asked in a low voice, my chest tightening. “What nonsense are you speaking?”The Seer’s finger stayed pointed at me. Her words still rang in my head like thunder.“You are the reason her life is in danger,” she repeated. Her voice was sharp and certain. “Your bond is tangled with hers. Your choices have made her weak.”My body stiffened. I wanted to roar at her. I wanted to tell her that she was wrong. But Leah’s still body on the bed silenced me. I turned to look at her pale face. Her lips were nearly colorless and her chest rose only faintly with shallow breaths. My heart squeezed.“This isn’t the time for riddles,” I said harshly. “If you can help her, then do it. Stop wasting time accusing me!”Fred shifted nervously beside the wall. His eyes were darting between me and the Seer.The old woman’s lips curved into a knowing smile, one that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. “You cannot escape the truth, Alpha. But if you want me to see clearly, bow your
_Kayden’s POV_I caught her before she hit the ground.Her body was limp in my arms. Her head fell against my chest. Her breathing was shallow.“Leah!” My voice broke. I shook her lightly, hoping she would open her eyes. “Leah, stay with me. Please.”Nothing.Her skin was cold, and the glow in her veins had already faded. I scooped her up without thinking. My heart was racing. My wolf, Leo, was howling in my head.“She is slipping from us!” Leo growled. His voice was raw with fear. “Do something, Kayden! Do something now!”“I’m trying,” I whispered under my breath as I took the stairs two at a time.I pushed open the door to my room and carried her to the bed. My chest was tight. My arms were trembling even though I held her close. Laying her gently on the sheets, I brushed the hair from her face. Her lips were pale.I grabbed the jug of water on the nightstand and sprinkled droplets over her cheeks. “Leah, wake up. Please wake up,” I begged.Her lashes fluttered once, but her eyes di
_Leah’s POV_We climbed the stairs back into the main halls of the Blood Moon pack house. My chest was tight and my legs felt heavy. I could still hear Selena’s mocking laugh in my head. Her words cut deep. I thought about Tariq, the sacrifice and how Kayden had rejected me. It was too much.I walked in silence beside Kayden but my mind was screaming. My heart was torn between anger, confusion and something else I did not want to name.Kayden finally broke the silence. “Leah,” he said softly. “You have nothing to fear. Tariq will not touch you. Not while you’re under my roof. Not while I’m alive.”I froze and stared at him. His voice was so sure and so steady. Like stone.But he didn’t understand.“You don’t know him,” I whispered. “You don’t know what he is capable of.”Kayden’s jaw tightened. “I know enough. And I know how to protect my pack.”I shook my head and stepped back. “No. You don’t understand. Tariq isn’t normal. He isn’t just a rogue alpha hungry for power. He is… somethi
_Leah’s POV_Fred rushed after Kayden, leaving me alone in the dining hall with Ray, the Gamma. The room suddenly felt cold despite the warm tea in my cup and the golden sunlight slipping through the windows. My heart was pounding, loud and wild. Tariq was here. He had come for me.Ray gave me a glance but didn’t speak. I sat frozen. Every second felt like an hour.Athena whispered, "Stay calm, Leah. Breathe. You have the gun. You are not powerless."My hand drifted to the scarf under my shirt. I could feel the hard metal tucked at my back. It was the only thing keeping me from bolting out of my seat.I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. But I forced myself to sit still.Minutes passed. Then footsteps echoed in the hallway. Kayden returned with Fred beside him.I looked up quickly. Kayden's expression was tight and serious."He is gone," Kayden said as he approached me. "Tariq came asking about you. He said you had disappeared. He believes you came here. He was... certain."My breath ca
_Leah’s POV_The next morning, a soft knock woke me up. I shot upright in the bed, my hand instantly reaching for the gun I had kept on the nightstand beside me. My heart pounded as I stared at the door. I needed to be ready. What if it was someone who had bad intentions? "Leah?" a familiar voice called. "It's Fred. Alpha Kayden asked me to wait for you downstairs. Breakfast is ready."Fred. I let out a shaky breath and glanced around the room. Light was streaming through the window, soft and golden. It looked peaceful, but nothing felt peaceful inside me.Athena stirred. "It’s okay. He doesn’t sound like a threat. But keep your guard up."I got up from the bed and looked around for something I could use to strap the gun to my body. My eyes landed on a long silk scarf draped over a nearby chair. It must have been left there as part of the room’s decor, but it would do.I tied the scarf around my waist and slipped the gun underneath it, positioning it against my lower back. Then I pul
_Leah’s POV_I sat in silence as the car moved through the dark forest. My hands were still tied and my feet still bound. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest that I thought Kayden could probably hear it. I kept my face turned to the window, trying to control my breaths, but my hands wouldn’t stop trembling.Athena stirred inside me. “Stay alert,” she whispered. “He might mean what he says, but we must be careful.”I nodded to myself, my gaze fixed outside. Trees passed like ghostly shapes, and my thoughts tangled themselves up like thorned vines. I kept seeing Tariq in my mind. He would be looking for me already. How would I hide? Going back to Blood Moon Pack was the last thing he would ever expect me to do. Maybe that was my only advantage.My heart gave a strange ache. Going back to this place that had caused me so much pain felt like stepping into my own nightmare.When the car finally pulled up at the gates of Blood Moon Pack, I felt my hands tighten into fists. Memories r