All Chapters of Betrayal under the wolf’s moon: Chapter 71 - Chapter 78

MIRA’S POVThe moment the rogues surrounded us, everything in me screamed to run—but there was nowhere to go. They had us flanked on all sides, eyes glowing faintly in the firelight, teeth bared in half-curious, half-menacing smirks.Luca's hand found mine again, firm this time, no tremble. I squeezed it, trying to keep my own fear hidden. The leader stepped forward—a tall man with streaks of silver in his beard and scars carved across his bare arms. He looked like someone who had lived through a hundred battles and buried every friend he ever had."You two look like you've seen hell," he said, his voice gravelly but not entirely unkind."We have," I replied, forcing myself to look him in the eye.He tilted his head, assessing. "Names?""I'm Mira," I said. "And this is Luca."The name made one of the rogues near him grunt. "From the burnt village?"I tensed.The leader nodded slowly. "We heard rumors and whispers. Whole settlement wiped clean by a she-devil."I swallowed the lump in m

I feared what his response would be.Would he ask us to help him take revenge? Would he eventually discover the power I held and want to take it from me too? My mind was playing some dirty tricks on me.Revik’s lips curled into a wry smile. “You hunt with us. You move with us. You earn your place like everyone else. That’s the rule. We have no Alphas here, no betas, no titles. Only fighters.”I nodded slowly, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, heart thudding. “We’ll do our part.”“Good,” he said, already turning away. “You’ll start tonight. You hunt what you eat. And if you hear the howls…” His voice dropped, serious now. “You run.”Luca and I spent the rest of the day learning the rhythm of the camp—how food was rationed, how lookouts rotated hourly, how even the children were trained in stealth and silence. The rogues weren’t savage. They were just... wary. Hardened by betrayal, shaped by fear.In the afternoon, I helped a woman named Lani mend a torn tent. She didn’t

I caught him before he fell completely. My hands found his side. Blood."No, no, no…"Revik tackled the third hunter before he could fire again, slamming his head into a rock. Everything went silent again. But I didn’t hear it. I could only feel the heat of Luca’s blood against my palm."It’s not silver," he rasped, smiling through the pain. "Lucky you. I get to suffer longer.""Shut up," I choked out, tears falling. "Don’t joke. Please."The rogues surrounded us, tense, scanning the woods."We need to move," Revik said. "Now. There could be more."They helped me lift Luca. He was barely conscious. I held him against me as we ran. The trees blurred. My chest burned.We didn’t stop until we found another small clearing by a stream, miles away.That night, I cleaned his wound. My hands shook so hard I could barely hold the cloth. The bullet had gone clean through, missing anything vital, but it hurt to see him like that."Hey," he whispered, eyes fluttering open. "You’re shaking.""Of c

MIRA'S POVThe cold bit deeper just before dawn.I tugged the thin shawl tighter around my shoulders and glanced back at the cave we’d used for the night, if it could be called a cave. It was barely more than a crack in the mountain, one that let in more wind than warmth. Damp, narrow, and echoing with the soft coughs of the injured. But it had been something. A place to breathe, if only for a night.Now, we had to move.Revik’s voice cut through the half-light. “Time to go. We don’t stay still longer than we need to.”No one argued.Even the youngest rogues—the boy with ash-blond hair and the girl who barely spoke—were already gathering what little they had. Most of us didn’t carry more than a pack. Some, like me, carried nothing at all.Luca stood near the cave mouth, hood drawn low, one hand pressed subtly to his other arm. His wound had reopened again last night. I’d seen the way he flinched when he thought no one was watching.Of course, I was watching.He caught me looking and