Chapter Three: Between Death and Something Unknown

I didn’t remember when my legs stopped working. All I knew was that I was being dragged. My feet scraped against the ground, stones cutting into my skin, the soft fabric of my dress now torn and dirty. My arms felt heavy, weak from everything that had happened. The rejection still echoed in my chest like something that refused to settle.

A rejected mate can’t stay alive. The words wouldn’t leave me.

One of the guards tightened his grip on my arm when I slowed down. “Walk,” he said, not harsh, not soft either. Just… empty.

“I’m trying,” I whispered, but my voice barely came out.

The other guard walked ahead of us, clearing the path without looking back. The pack gates were behind us now. I didn’t turn around. I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to see the place I once called home. Or the people who let this happen.

We walked in silence for a while. Only the sound of our steps. The wind moving through the trees. The distant noise of the pack fading further behind us.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked after a moment.

No one answered.

I swallowed. “Are you really going to do it?” I asked again, this time a little louder.

The guard holding me hesitated for a second. Then he sighed quietly. “I believed you,” he said.

I blinked. “What?” I turned slightly, trying to look at him.

“I believed you would call your wolf,” he continued, his voice low. “I thought… maybe tonight would be different.”

My chest tightened. “Then don’t do this,” I said quickly. “If you believe me, then don’t do this. Just let me go. I won’t come back. I swear I won’t—”

“I can’t.” His grip tightened again. “I am nothing more than a servant,” he added.

The words hit harder than I expected. “So that’s it?” I asked. “You just follow orders? Even if it’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer immediately. “I don’t decide what is right or wrong,” he said after a moment. “That’s not my place.”

“It is when it comes to someone’s life,” I said, my voice shaking.

He stopped walking. And I did. For a moment, everything was still.

“If I let you go,” he said slowly, “they will hunt you. And they will kill me first.”

I didn’t speak because I understood. And that made it worse.

He pulled me forward again. “Keep moving,” he said quietly.

*************

We crossed the pack boundary not long after. I felt a strange shift in the air like stepping into something unfamiliar. The trees here were thicker, taller, their shadows were darker. The ground felt colder beneath my feet, and the wind carried a different scent.

It wasn’t home.

The guard in front slowed down slightly. “We shouldn’t go too far,” he muttered.

“It’s enough,” the one holding me replied. “No one will question it out here.”

My chest felt tight again.

They dragged me a little deeper into the forest before stopping. “This is fine,” the front guard said, turning around to face us.

Fine. Like this was just another task. Like I was nothing more than something to be dealt with.

The guard holding me let go, and I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before falling. My knees hit the ground anyway. I didn’t try to stand again.

“What… now?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

Neither of them answered. The silence was enough.

I closed my eyes for a second. So this was it. This was how everything ended. Not with a fight. Not with a chance. Just… here.

“Make it quick,” the front guard said.

My fingers curled slightly against the ground. A part of me wanted to beg. Another part refused.

Before anything could happen—

A sharp sound cut through the air and both guards froze.

“What was that?” the one behind me asked.

I opened my eyes. The forest had gone too quiet.

Then—

Some shadows kept moving fast between the trees. Too fast that it can't be normal.

“Who’s there?” the front guard called out.

No answer. Just the sound of something rushing toward us.

“Get ready,” the second guard said, stepping back.

I turned slightly, my heart starting to race. Figures appeared from the trees. Not one. Not two. But more rogues. Their eyes were wild, their movements were sharp and aggressive.

They didn’t hesitate. They didn’t speak. They attacked.

Everything happened too fast. The guards barely had time to react before the fight began. The clash of bodies, the sound of struggle, the sudden violence, it all blurred together.

I crawled back slightly, trying to move away from the chaos.

One of the guards fell first. The other tried to fight back, but he was outnumbered. It didn’t take long. Then it was over. The forest went quiet again. But this time, it felt worse. Because now… They were looking at me.

I froze. One of them stepped forward, tilting his head slightly as he studied me. “Well,” he said slowly, “what do we have here?”

My breath caught. “I…” My voice shook. “I’m not a threat.”

A few of them laughed. “Of course you’re not,” another said.

“Then let me go,” I said quickly. “I won’t cause any trouble. I’ll leave…”

“You crossed into our territory,” the first one interrupted. “That’s already trouble.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said. “They brought me here. I didn’t even know…”

“That doesn’t matter.”

My heart pounded harder. “Please,” I said. “I just want to leave.”

They didn’t look convinced. One of them stepped closer. “Too bad,” he said.

Something inside me shifted suddenly. It was sharp and my breath hitched. The air around me felt different–heavier. The wind picked up slightly, moving through the trees in a way that didn’t feel natural.

The rogues paused when they felt it too.

“What is that?” one of them muttered.

I didn’t understand it. But I felt something inside me… moving. My fingers tightened against the ground as a strange energy ran through my body, uneven, unstable.

I pushed myself up slightly. “I said… let me go,” I whispered.

It didn’t sound like me.

One of the rogues rushed forward. I reacted without thinking. My body moved faster than it should have. I barely dodged.

My heart raced wildly. What was happening?

Another attacked. I tried to fight back. But I wasn’t strong enough yet. The power inside me felt incomplete, like something half-awake and out of control.

I stumbled and sharp pain shot through my side as I hit the ground again.

“Enough,” one of them said. Two of them grabbed me. I struggled, but it didn’t matter. They pinned me down easily.

“Strange girl,” one of them muttered. “There’s something off about her.”

“Doesn’t matter,” another replied. “We end it.”

My chest rose and fell quickly. So this was it again. Another end. Another place. Another moment where I had no control.

One of them stepped forward. His hand lifted slightly as I closed my eyes.

Then—

The air changed and became heavier. It pressed against everything.

The rogues froze. All of them. I opened my eyes slowly.

Three figures stood at a distance. I didn’t see them arrive. But they were there watching. Something about them felt… wrong. Or maybe too right or too powerful.

My breath caught as they walked closer. Each step is slow. My eyes moved between them. They looked alike. Not completely. But enough to know they were triplets.

The one in the middle stood slightly ahead, his presence heavier than the others. His gaze was cold, sharp, like he was already judging everything in front of him.

The one to his right looked calmer, his eyes observant, taking everything in without rushing.

And the one to the left… He was different. There was something lighter in his expression. Not weak nor careless. Just… amused.

His eyes landed on me. And he smiled slightly. “Well,” he said, his voice smooth, almost playful, “this is interesting…”