_Leah's POV_
Tariq carried me through the thick woods for what felt like hours. My body was limp in his arms, every muscle too weak to respond. The cold night air bit at my skin, but somehow, his warmth shielded me from the worst of it. I didn’t understand how he could be so gentle after all the cruelty I had known. Every time he looked at me, his gaze was filled with kindness. Eventually, we reached a small cottage nestled between the trees. It was old but sturdy, with smoke rising from a chimney. Tariq stopped and whistled three times. His breath was visible in the cool air. Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing an older woman with silver hair tied back in a loose bun. Her eyes were sharp but filled with warmth. “Tariq,” she said softly. “Is this her?” He nodded and gently carried me inside. “She needs help, Mother. Quickly.” The inside of the cottage was small but cozy. The air was filled with the scent of herbs and burning wood. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room. My body, still racked with fever chills, immediately relaxed at the sight of the fire. Tariq laid me down on a soft couch near the chimney. The warmth seeped into my bones, and for the first time in days, I felt a bit of comfort. I glanced up at Tariq as he knelt beside me. He gave me a reassuring smile. “You’re safe now, Leah. But I need to take a look at your wounds. Turn around for me, alright?” I hesitated but his kindness made me trust him. Slowly, I turned onto my side, wincing as the movement pulled at the torn skin on my back. Tariq’s eyes darkened with concern when he saw the extent of the damage. “Susan, bring me the ointment and the medical kit,” he called to the woman, who was already bustling around the room. The woman, his mother, hurried back with a small box and a jar filled with a thick and green paste. She handed them to Tariq without a word. Her eyes were soft as she looked at me. “Don’t worry, dear. You’re in good hands now,” she said, her voice full of reassurance. Tariq opened the medical kit and pulled out some cotton. I tensed, knowing that cleaning the wounds would hurt, but he was so gentle with me. As he carefully wiped the blood and dirt from my back, I couldn’t help but flinch. “I know it hurts,” he said softly. “But this will help you heal.” I nodded and bit my lip to keep from crying out. His touch was careful but the pain was still sharp. After he cleaned the wounds, he applied the ointment, which felt cool against my burning skin. I exhaled a shaky breath. I was grateful for the relief it brought. Tariq wrapped the bandages around me. His hands were working with precision and care. I couldn’t help but think about how different he was from Kayden. Where Kayden had caused me nothing but pain, Tariq was bringing me comfort and healing. I found myself wishing that the Moon Goddess had mated me to someone like him instead of Kayden. Maybe things would have been different. Once he was done, Tariq sat back on his heels and met my eyes. “It’ll hurt for a while, but you’ll heal faster now,” he said. “Thank you,” I whispered. My voice was still weak but I meant it with all my heart. Tariq’s mother, Susan, gave him a proud smile before turning to me. “Come with me, dear,” she said gently. “Let’s find you some clean clothes. You can’t stay in those rags.” I hesitated, feeling too weak to even move, but I nodded. Susan helped me stand, and I leaned on her as we walked toward a small set of stairs. “Yes, madam,” I said softly. She chuckled. “Call me Susan, child. None of that ‘madam’ nonsense.” Upstairs, she led me into a small and simple room. There was a large wardrobe against the wall, and she rummaged through it, finally pulling out an oversized dress. “This should do for now,” she said, holding it out to me. The dress was far too big for me, but I accepted it gratefully. “It’s perfect,” I told her, even though it hung loose on my frame. I didn’t care. Anything was better than the torn and bloodied clothes I had been wearing. “I’m sorry it’s so big,” Susan said with an apologetic smile. “I’m not exactly your size, as you can see.” She laughed softly while patting her round belly. I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s fine. I’m just grateful for anything. I’m the one disrupting your lives.” “Nonsense,” she replied. “You are no burden, Leah. You need help and we’re here to give it.” Her words touched me and I nodded. I was too tired to argue. I slipped into the dress, the soft fabric soothing against my aching skin. “You must be exhausted,” Susan said and guided me toward a small bed in the adjacent room. “Get some rest. You have been through more than anyone should.” I wanted to rest, but there were so many questions swirling in my mind. “I need to talk to Tariq. There’s so much I don’t understand.” Susan gave me a sympathetic look. “I know, dear. But he’ll answer all your questions tomorrow. For now, you need to sleep. Rest is the most important thing.” I opened my mouth to protest but quickly realized that she was right. My body was too weak, too tired to do anything but lie down. I nodded and let her lead me to the small bed. It was simple but comfortable, and as soon as I lay down, I felt the weight of exhaustion pulling at me. “Goodnight, Leah,” Susan said softly, her hand brushing over my forehead in a motherly gesture before she quietly left the room. I stared up at the ceiling, my thoughts racing despite my fatigue. Tariq had saved me, but how had he known about me? How long had he been watching me? He said I was meant for something more, but what could that possibly be? I had spent so long feeling like I was nothing, like I didn’t matter. Could he really believe otherwise? As I lay there, the warmth of the bed and the soft crackling of the fire downstairs slowly lulled me into a sense of peace. Tariq had risked his life to save me. I had to trust him. He had been so gentle and so kind. But who was he really? And why did he seem to care so much about me? I closed my eyes. I was too tired to think anymore. My body ached, but for the first time in days, I felt safe. I would have to wait until tomorrow for answers, but for now, sleep was all I needed. As the darkness took hold, I whispered a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, thanking her for sending me Tariq. He was an angel._Leah's POV_I woke to a hand on my shoulder. “Leah,” Kayden said. “Get up. It’s nearly noon.”My eyes snapped open. Light cut through the curtains. The room smelled faintly of smoke and pine. For a second I did not know where I was. Then the memory of the night fell back on me like wet cloth. The dream. The fire. Kayden on the couch. The smoke in my mouth.I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. “Go away,” I mumbled. “Leave me alone.”He laughed softly. It was a low sound that held no mockery. “You said that two hours ago. You said it when I brought you tea and when I put out the small embers.” He kissed the top of my head like it was a small thing and like he was afraid of hurting me. “You can’t hide forever. The pack is eating downstairs and the food will not wait.”I curled into the blankets more. My face was hot. My throat was raw. My body ached in places that had nothing to do with sleep. The dream left a pulse behind the ribs. The shame of what I had done when I had slep
_Leah’s POV_The night was heavy. Silence wrapped around the mansion, but inside me there was no rest. My body lay on the bed but my mind was a mess. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe slowly, to convince myself that I was safe.But safety was only a shadow. The Seer’s words lingered like smoke in my chest. Tariq will come. Susan is a witch. He will not stop until he has you.Athena paced restlessly in my mind. Her claws scraped the inside of my skull.You shouldn’t close your eyes, she warned. He waits for us in the dark. Don’t let him in.“I have to sleep,” I whispered to her. My voice trembled even in my own head. “I need strength.”Athena growled but she eventually got quiet. Sleep came suddenly like a rope around my neck.I opened my eyes and I was no longer in the pack house. I stood in a cold and endless hall made of stone. The air smelled of rust and roses. It was sweet and rotting. The walls bled with shadows, and at the end of the hall, a torch burned blue.And the
_Leah's POV_I swallowed and began. The words felt rusty in my mouth, but once I started, they flowed like a broken river finding a path.“I was born to a princess,” I said. “My mother was a princess, of the Emerald Pack. She left the crown and married a common man. They raised me quietly. When I was small, they suddenly died. I remember nothing of them. I then remember staying at the BloodMoon pack. I don't know how I got there. Kayden and the others always treated me badly since I was an omega. When he learnt that I was his mate, he rejected me and threw me in the cellar. Tariq then came and saved me. I thought that he was kind.""He told me lies but I trusted him. I read his phone once and found messages. He had someone saved as ‘honey’ and he lied about it. I found a chest in Tariq’s place. It had his diary. In it, I read that he had planned to marry and sacrifice me to lift a curse. He even waited all these years until I got my wolf at eighteen. He had been waiting. He planned it
_Leah's POV_I woke to a sky full of stars and a sound like a hundred held breaths.My body felt hollow and heavy. My limbs were numb. I blinked and the light stabbed behind my eyes. For a moment I did not know where I was. Then the clearing came back in pieces—the circle of salt, torch flames and faces blurred into a ring. There were so many people. I tried to sit up and the world tilted. Someone’s strong hands steadied me.Kayden.He carried me like I was the smallest thing in the world. He held me bridal-style and I lay against his broad chest. His heartbeat was slow. The smell of him, pine smoke and sweat and something warm, made my head swim.“Easy,” he murmured. His voice sounded very far away. “Just rest.”I wanted to speak and I could not find my voice. Confusion curled thick in my chest. My mind was empty of the last few hours. How did I get here? What had happened? The clearing moved around me like a dream.Athena unclenched from the back of my ribs and hissed in my mind. Yo
_Kayden's POV_ I called the pack to the south clearing at dusk. The air smelled of pine and wet earth. The moon was high in the sky. It hung like a pale coin over the trees. We moved as one pack. Their faces were lit by torch fire. They watched Leah on the stretcher. She lay wrapped in thick blankets. The IV drip still ran at her arm. She looked calm. She looked very fragile. The doctor had protested against bringing her out. His hands trembled when he spoke. “Alpha, she could deteriorate,” he warned. “The cold, the night, the open air...she will not tolerate it in this condition.” I turned to him. “I know. But the Seer says that the moon is the key. The ritual must be done beneath the moon. We need to take the risk since there is no other way.” Fred stood by me. He had gathered the ropes and the blankets. He had also collected the night-amber. The herb smelled faintly bitter. The Seer had already warned me about its taste. “Alpha,” Fred said quietly, “the pack is ready. They
_Kayden’s POV_The Seer did not waste time. She moved quickly back to the small table where the doctor had left a silver bowl and a clean cloth. Her eyes were still on Leah. Her fingers trembled only a little as she reached for the bowl.“You will need to give me her blood,” she said without preamble. Her voice was soft. It had no question in it.I looked at Leah. Her skin was pale as milk. Her breath came in small and shallow rises. Time felt thin and fragile in the room. I swallowed. My mouth was dry.“Her blood?” I echoed. I could not imagine piercing her for any reason. But the Seer’s face was absolute. There was no doubt in her.“Yes,” she said. “A drop. It will tell me what binds her. It will open the path to a vision. I must see the origin of the dark magic.”Fred bent and checked Leah’s arm. He looked at me. “Alpha,” he said quietly, “it is the only way.”My hands felt clumsy. I thought of the knife at my belt. I thought of the last time I had touched her like this—when she wa