Chapter three: run, Freya run.

Freya's pov 

Next days merged in fog of pain, tiredness and misunderstanding. I was alone, completely alone. The pack had abandoned me, and Finnick...Finnick refused me, called me weak, worthless. His words tortured my mind. I heard them all the time and could do nothing with this. But there was more. Something had been woken up inside me, in the forest. Something powerful and I could not pretend I did not feel it.

Further into the forest I go, away from the territory of the pack and in search of the truth.Trees rise up, their boughs twisted like gnarled skeletal fingers that are holding onto the sky. The atmosphere is tingling, my hairs stand up from my skin. The earth is like it's moving under me, responding to my every step.

My power is wild and restless, like a storm that I have no idea how to control or even what it is.

The night grew older and I had settled in for the cool night, I felt it. The drift in the air. The flames in the hearth shattered unnaturally and the hair on skin stood on end. I was no longer alone. My nerves tensed and I slowly turned my head, scanning through the shadows beyond the dim light. That's when I saw him. Alpha Kade. He stood just beyond the reach of the flames, dark eyes gleaming with the weight that made my stomach twist.

"How did you locate me?" I asked. My voice was unsteady, but I was not going to give in to fear. I could not afford to do so.

Kade entered the firelight. His actions were smooth and deliberate as a predator stalking prey. “I always get what I want,” he stated. His voice was deep and velvety. “I have found a girl with a gift. This gift could change everything.”

Pulse quickened, and the power within me stirred, as if it recognized him. I hated that. I hated how it answered to him, how it seemed to want something strong from him. “no,I don’t want anything from you,” I spat, my shaky voice firmer this time. Even as I spoke the words slowly, I was not sure that I believed it completely.

Kade’s grin broadened as he took another step forward. “Oh, but you do. You’re stronger than you think, Freya. That power you’ve felt? It’s ancient. And I want it. I want "you." Align with me, and we can bring Finnick down together.”

The name felt like a blow in the gut. The resonance of his voice, cold and cutting echoed in my mind. "Weak. Worthless." The words had hurt more than any physical wound. And now, here was Kade, offering me a chance to prove him wrong. To make him regret ever casting me aside.

I paused, my heart racing. "Take down Finnick?"The suggestion felt like a betrayal, even after what he’d done to me. But the power inside me, that restless, vibrating force, muttered something else. It whispered of courage, of revenge, of finally being seen as more than just a liability__a nobody.

“You think I’d ever trust or believe you?” I spat, my voice clouded with venom. “You’re just like him kade. Using people for your own interest.”

Kade’s beam never faltered.it was as though, it grew sharper. “perhaps. But sometimes, that’s the only way to survive amongst your predators. Think about it, Freya. I know You want power, you want respect—well, I can give you both. All you have to do is grab it.”

I didn’t utter a word. I couldn’t. My mind was a whirlwind of clashing emotions—venom, fear, longing. The fire broke between us, the only sound in the heavy silence. Kade’s gaze never left mine, and I felt like he could see right through me, like he sees every seed of doubt in me, every desire, every secret I’d ever tried to cover.

Finally,my words broke the silence. “Why me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why now?”

Kade thrust his head, reading me with a calculating gaze. “Because you are Freya,you’re different. You’re not like the others in the pack. That gift inside of you__it’s rare, very sparse. It’s something I’ve been searching for ages freya. And now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to allow you waste it.”

His words sent a cold shiver down my marrow. I didn’t know if it was fright or something else, but it made my stomach whisk. “And what if I say no?” I challenged fearlessly, lifting my chin defiantly.

Kade’s comforting smile turned cold, and for the first time, I saw a quiver of something threatening in his eyes. “Then you’ll never learn to control it. That power will consume you, Freya. It will destroy you. And when it finally does, Finnick will be the minimal of your worries.”

I swallowed heavily, his words striking too close to home. The truth was, I didn’t know how to handle this power. I didn’t even know what it was inside of me. And the thought of it dragging me, of losing myself to it, frightened me more than I want to admit.

Kade stepped closer, his voice falling to a low, almost hypnotic melody. “Join me, Freya. Together, we can yoke that power. We can make them all pay__the pack, finnick,anyone who’s ever doubted you. You’ll never be weak again.”

Kade's words were like a poison, openly seeping into my mind and clouding my judgment. The power inside me surfed, responding to his promises, and for a moment, I was tempted. So tempted. But then I thought of Finnick, of the pack, of everything I’d left behind. Was this really what I wanted? To become like Kade? To use this power for revenge?

The words in my mouth seemed to freeze before coming out. The next moment I wanted to say something, there was a deafening roar, breaking the silence. I felt a ground shake and fire suddenly erupted with a lot of sparks. I stumbled, my heart almost jumped out, as a huge shadow jumped out of the trees.

Its eyes beamed like embers, and its growl resounded through the air, shaking off my balance.

Kade’s expression moved from smug to deadly serious deal in an instant. “Freya,” he said, his voice urgent. “We need to leave. Now.”

But it became too late. The creature lunged, and the last thing I saw was its vaping maw, filled with rows

of razor-sharp teeth, before everything went dark.