chapter 6

: LEAVE ME

*LEONHART POV*

I felt it the exact second she crossed the perimeter wards.

A sharp, agonizing pull ripped behind my ribs, like a heavy iron chain yanking my soul forward. My chair scraped back against the floorboards before my brain even registered that I was moving.

"Meeting’s over," I said, my voice dropping to a register low enough to make my Betas freeze mid-sentence.

"Now."

I didn’t wait for them to acknowledge the command.The forest air hit differently the moment I stepped outside. It was freezing, but underneath the chill, her scent cut through the winter air.

Vanilla.

Fear.

And something intoxicatingly sharp that made my fangs ache behind my gums.

“Find her,” I ordered my pack, slamming the command straight through the mind-link.Through our tether, I could feel her terror, her stubborn defiance, and her completely foolish decision to run into the woods alone.

It all hit my head like a physical blow. My inner beast snarled, claws scraping aggressively against my remaining human control.

Mine.

I didn’t hesitate.

One second I was standing on the steps of the pack hall, the next I was charging toward the tree line, fisting and unfisting my hands as my rage bled directly into the minds of my wolves.

They all flinched away from the link.

She wasn’t getting far from me.

Not tonight.

As the bond pulled me closer, a vivid image of her flashed into my mind through our shared connection. Alone. Shivering. Her chest heaving in the dark woods. My jaw clenched so hard the bone popped.

"Stupid girl," I growled under my breath.My fist slammed down onto the stone balustrade of the terrace. The concrete cracked under the force, shards scattering over the grass.

The echoing boom shook the silent night.

She was mine.

And I was never letting her run from me again.

Suddenly, a faint, desperate thought bled through the bond.

She was crying out my name.

She was in lethal danger.

Without another thought, I let the human restraint snap.Pain tore through me like wildfire. My breath hitched, my ribs expanding violently as bone and muscle began rearranging themselves beneath skin that suddenly felt too tight, too small. My vision flooded a brilliant, blinding red.

"AMELIA!" her name ripped out of my throat, sounding like a curse and a prayer all at once.My spine bowed. Vertebrae cracked and reformed with a wet, sickening crunch. My skin split as thick, legendary midnight black fur burst through the dermis. My fangs lengthened, my jaw unhinging with a guttural snarl that was no longer human.

My fingernails elongated into lethal claws, gouging deep furrows into the earth beneath me.

My clothes tore to shreds, buttons and heavy fabric giving way to massive muscle, useless scraps falling to the dirt.The beast surged forward, completely claiming the space the man had just occupied.My eyes fully wolf now, burning like molten gold in the dark locked onto the relentless pull of the mate bond. It was a physical tether dragging me north, straight toward her scent of fear.A deafening howl ripped from my chest, raw and furious, shaking the very leaves on the trees. The Alpha was done waiting.The forest floor trembled as my massive form standing over seven feet at the shoulder launched into a full sprint. No hesitation.

No logic.

Just one singular instinct: Find her.

Claim her.

Keep her safe from the world.

Trees blurred past into a smear of dark green as I ran, my heavy paws tearing into the earth, muscles coiling and releasing with terrifying speed. The mate bond burned hotter with every stride, pulling me straight to the waterfall.

And I was going to kill whatever was making her cry.

I didn't think on how to explain,I looked down at her, waiting for a response.

But she just froze.

She didn’t speak, she didn’t even blink.

Pure, unadulterated shock was written all over her face, and her fingers were trembling uncontrollably.Rising fully to my feet, I stepped closer to her, my movements slow and deliberate.

She didn’t flinch away.

I knew she probably wanted to scream at me to stay back, but her throat was clearly bone-dry. Fear had her completely paralyzed.

"Kitten," I whispered. My voice was low, laced with a sudden caution, as if I were terrified of scaring her away for good.

This wasn’t how I had planned to introduce my beast to her, but the rogue had left me with no other choice.

She was human, after all. She had only ever heard bedtime stories about werewolves, but she had never actually seen one.

I understood her terror, even if it tore at my insides.I stopped just an inch away from her.

" Kitt..."Before I could even finish her name, her eyes rolled back. I caught her just as she began to collapse, effortlessly sweeping her up bridal-style against my chest.

Her skin was deathly pale.

Looking down, I noticed her palm was bleeding from where her fingernails had dug deep into her fists during the panic. My heart twisted painfully at the sight.I turned on my heel and walked back toward the pack house, my eyes never leaving her face.The second we stepped into the torchlit clearing of the village, the whispers started.

"She’s human."

"The Alpha brought a human into the territory?"

"Is she really his mate?"

Amelia remained entirely unconscious in my arms, the crimson blood still smearing her pale palm. I completely ignored the pack's frantic mumbling. None of their opinions mattered. Not when she smelled like this saturated in fear.

The spike of terror in her scent made my inner wolf howl in actual physical pain.Reaching the threshold, I kicked the massive oak doors of the pack house open with my boot. The bustling main room fell dead silent instantly.

"Get the healer," I ordered, my voice sounding like rough gravel. No one moved fast enough for my liking.

"Now."

That single snap got them moving.I carried her straight up the grand staircase to my private quarters, laying her down onto the mattress as if she were made of glass and might shatter. My hands lingered against her shoulders a fraction of a second too long before I forced myself to pull away.

Stupid, foolish girl.

She shouldn't have run away. My wolf was clawing aggressively beneath my skin, desperate to touch her, to mark her, to prove to every bastard waiting outside that she belonged exclusively to me. If I had already claimed her, that damn rogue wouldn't have dared to look in her direction.

"Don’t be afraid," I said quietly into the empty room. The words sounded like a lie, even to my own ears. "You're safe now, kitten," I murmured, speaking as if she could actually hear me.The pack healer rushed through the door a moment later, with my Beta trailing one step behind him, a pair of dark trousers gripped in his hand.

Handing the clothes over to me, we both stepped back to give the healer some space. I quickly pulled the trousers on while the elder man checked Amelia’s rapid pulse.After a quiet moment, the healer nodded, stepping back.

"Her heart rate is stabilizing to normal.”

"Then why did she lose consciousness?" I asked, my tone low, sharp, and demanding.

"Shock," the healer replied simply. "Her human body simply couldn’t handle the visual trauma of the shift."

A wave of possessive, territorial aura rolled off me involuntarily. The pressure was so raw and primal that I knew the entire pack outside could feel the warning.I stepped closer to the bed and sat heavily on the edge of the mattress.

My hand moved almost entirely on its own, my fingers gently brushing through her tangled hair. Amelia let out a soft, subconscious moan at the touch.A small smile touched my lips at her reaction, even though I knew she would try to fight it the second she woke up. The mate bond was undeniably there. She was human, yes, but her soul could feel the pull.For me, it was a burning anchor. For her, it was about to become undeniable.