Chapter 6

The doctor moved quickly.

Nova barely saw the syringe before a sharp sting hit her neck“Wait—”Cold spread through her bloodstream instantly Her body jerked violently against Kael’s chest as panic surged through her.

“No— no—”

The room tilted Kael’s voice reached her faintly through the haze “Easy, Nova” Her vision blurred She could still feel his arms around her.

Even the steady thunder of his heartbeat against her cheek Then darkness swallowed everything whole.

Nova woke slowly Pain pulsed dully behind her eyes while warmth curled around her body For one disoriented second, she thought she was dreaming Then reality slammed back into her.

The subway.

The Hollowfangs.

The wolves.

The Alpha.

Nova’s eyes flew open as She jerked upright instantly, breathing hard as panic flooded her chest The room spun slightly before settling.

Dim light glowed from industrial lamps mounted along concrete walls an old heater hummed softly somewhere in the room.

Nova froze.

A bed.

She was in a bed.

Clean blankets covered her legs while fresh bandages wrapped tightly around her injured thigh. Someone had changed her clothes too. Loose black sweatpants and an oversized shirt swallowed her frame.

Nova’s stomach twisted immediately.

“Nope,” she muttered hoarsely Her throat felt dry.

Slowly she pushed herself toward the edge of the bed, ignoring the lingering ache in her leg. The room around her came into focus carefully Weapons lined one wall while Maps covered another.

A large black coat hung over the back of a chair nearby Probably the alpha who runs this place.

The realization sent another wave of unease through her No one else was in the room.

Good.

Nova swung her legs carefully over the side of the bed and stood.

Nova swung her legs carefully over the side of the bed and stood.

She wobbled for a moment before steadying herself against the edge of the mattress.

Her body still felt strange.

Nova turned toward a cracked mirror mounted beside the bathroom door. For a moment she just stared at herself.

Her Dark curls herPale skin and even her Tired eyes she breathed a breath of relief No claws No glowing veins No monster staring back at her.

“Oh thank God,” she breathed shakily.

A low growl suddenly echoed outside the bedroom door.

Then voices followed.

“…still asleep?”

“She was unconscious for almost sixteen hours.”

Nova’s pulse spiked instantly.

She knew that voice.

The wolf who brought her here.

The Alpha.

Her gaze snapped toward the weapons hanging along the wall.

Without thinking, Nova hurried toward them and grabbed the closest one she could reach.

A handgun.

She quickly aimed it toward the door just as the knob began turning.

The door opened slowly.

And the same wolf, the Alpha, stepped inside.

Kael stopped immediately the second he saw the gun pointed at his chest.

For a moment neither of them moved.

Kael’s silver eyes slowly lifted from the weapon to her face.

“You’re awake,” he said quietly.

Nova tightened her grip on the gun despite the trembling in her hands. “Stay right there.”

Kael remained near the doorway, broad shoulders nearly filling the frame. He looked different now without blood covering him but he Still was dangerous.

Always dangerous.

Dark clothes clung to his massive frame while faint scars disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. His silver eyes locked onto hers carefully, watching every movement she made.

Then his gaze flicked briefly toward the gun.

Safety still on.

Nova noticed the tiny shift in his expression immediately.

“What?” she snapped.

Kael looked back at her calmly. “Nothing.”

“You looked at the gun.”

“Because you’re holding it backwards.”

Nova blinked.

Slowly she glanced down.

Her stomach dropped.

The gun was, in fact, backwards.

Heat flooded her face instantly.

From somewhere behind Kael, a muffled snort could be heard.

Nova wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

Kael remained perfectly serious somehow, though the corner of his mouth twitched faintly.

Scowling, Nova quickly fixed the gun properly without taking her eyes off the massive Alpha in front of her.

“There,” she muttered. “Happy?”

Kael folded his arms across his chest. “Extremely.”

Nova narrowed her eyes before aiming the weapon squarely at him again.

“So what now?” she asked sharply. “You done inject me with God knows what, and now you let me go.”

Kael’s expression hardened instantly His jaw clenched tightly enough that she saw the muscle tick beneath his skin.“I’m sorry,” he said after a long moment. “But that cannot happen.”

Nova gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “And why not?”

“Because it’s not safe.”

That actually made her laugh harder “Oh, right,” she said sarcastically. “Because staying trapped inside a giant wolf fortress surrounded by predators is so much safer.”

Silence.

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

“Yes.”

Nova’s laughter died instantly The Alpha took a slow step forward as Nova tightened her grip on the gun immediately. “Don’t.”

Kael stopped.

His silver eyes held hers“No one will hurt you here.”

Nova’s expression hardened instantly“And why should I believe you?” she shot back. “Because you’re their leader?” Her voice cracked with anger and fear. “You’re a monster just like the rest of them.”

The words hit harder than she realized Kael’s wolf whimpered painfully beneath his skin Monster Maybe once the word would’ve angered him Now it just exhausted him.

Still, he forced himself not to react.

Because he didn’t know what Nova had lived through after the outbreak. Didn’t know what horrors she’d seen while surviving alone in a dead world crawling with infected and rogue wolves.

And as things stood now…

She didn’t even know who he was.

“Just let me go,” Nova continued, lowering the gun slightly though her hands still trembled. “I survived on my own before. I can do it again.”

Kael stared at her quietly Five years ago she would’ve argued with him differently.

Louder.

She would’ve rolled her eyes and called him dramatic before doing something reckless anyway.

Now every movement she made carried survival instincts carved into bone.

She watched exits.

Distances.

Weapons.

Like she expected danger from every corner of the room.

Something inside Kael twisted painfully at that realization.

Nova still had the gun raised slightly, though not as steadily as before. Her breathing had calmed, but her eyes remained sharp and wary as they tracked his every movement.

Like prey watching a predator.

Kael hated it.

Hated that she looked at him with fear instead of recognition.

Hated that the bond between them only seemed to make her retreat further.

Most of all, he hated imagining what kind of life had forced her to survive like this.

Alone.

For five years.

Kael’s jaw tightened before he finally turned away from her.

Without another word, he headed toward the door.

Nova blinked in surprise before anger quickly replaced it.

“Hey!” she shouted after him. “You can’t just walk away after all this!”

Kael didn’t stop.

“Let me go!”

nothing.

He reached the door and shoved it open hard enough for the metal hinges to rattle violently Then he walked out

SLAM.

The heavy door shut behind him with enough force to shake the walls Nova flinched The anger drained from her almost immediately, leaving behind something far more unsettling.

Confusion.

Nova stared at the closed door for a long moment before lowering the gun slowly.

What the hell was wrong with that wolf?

One second he looked at her like she mattered more than breathing.

The next he looked like she’d ripped his heart out with her bare hands.

None of it made sense.

Nova rubbed both hands over her face with a groan.

“This is insane.”

A soft knock suddenly echoed from the other side of the door.

Nova immediately stiffened again.

Then the beta’s voice drifted through casually.

“So… on a scale from one to catastrophic, how mad are you right now?”

Nova stared blankly at the door.

“So am guessing nothing for you to eat not that you would eat from us monsters”

Food was the least of her problems right now.

Escape.

That needed to happen immediately.

Before whatever strange infection crawled through her body got worse.

Before the giant emotionally confusing wolf Alpha decided she needed another mystery injection.

Before this place somehow convinced her to lower her guard.

Nova turned slowly, letting her gaze sweep across the room again.

Okay.

Think.

One door.

Probably guarded.

One window.

She walked toward it carefully.

The second she looked outside, her stomach sank.

Way too high.

armed wolves patrolled the compound walls. Floodlights swept across the perimeter every few seconds,

Yeah.

Not ideal.

Nova stepped back from the glass.

Her eyes drifted toward the maps on the wall.

Escape routes?

Territory markers?

Supply roads?

She moved closer.

The entire East Coast stretched across one massive board covered in red circles, warning signs, and handwritten notes.

Feral territory.

Collapsed quarantine zones.

Dead cities.

And pack land.

Lots of pack land.

One spot near the coastline had a thick black line circling it with sharp handwriting scratched beside it.

DO NOT ENTER. HOLLOWFANG NEST

Nova swallowed hard.

Okay.

That route is a no go.

Still…

She wasn’t staying.

Her gaze shifted again.

Weapons.

Knife.

Crossbow.

Two handguns.

Ammo.

Interesting.

Nova limped over carefully and grabbed a decent-sized hunting knife before tucking it into the waistband of her borrowed pants.

Just in case.