All Chapters of THE MARKED BOUNTY: Betrayed By My Mate : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

~ Rae’s pov ~The forest was quiet, too quiet.The kind of silence that comes before something breaks.I moved through the shadows, light on my feet, my cloak brushing softly against the ground. The moon was low, half hidden behind clouds, just enough light to guide me. The air smelled like damp earth and pine. My knife hung loosely in my hand, warm from my grip.Raya was safe back at camp, asleep under Mara’s watch. She was growing fast, stronger every day, curious like me but softer. I missed her even when I was only a few miles away. Every night I left her, I whispered the same promise: I’ll come back. Always.Tonight wasn’t supposed to be different. I was just scouting, keeping track of rogue activity near the western border. But the moment I caught the scent, my body went still.Wolf.Not rogue. Trained. Disciplined.A patrol.I crouched low behind a fallen log, my heart slowing, my senses sharpening. I heard them before I saw them — three voices, low and serious.They were movin

~ RAE’S POV ~The fire was almost out when I finally sat down.The embers glowed faintly, little red veins pulsing through the ash. The camp was silent, except for the faint breathing of those sleeping nearby. I could hear the soft snores of Mara and the distant murmur of wolves howling beyond the ridge.I should have been sleeping too. My body was exhausted. My hands were still trembling from the fight, my shoulders aching from the weight of my blades. But sleep never came anymore.Not after what I’d done.Not after what I’d seen.The faces of those men — his men — still flickered in my mind. Their eyes, wide with confusion and fear, their hands raised when I told them to drop their weapons. I could still hear the sound of one of them breathing too fast, too shallow. He was young. Barely more than a boy.I could have killed them.I wanted to.I told myself I would.But when the moment came, something inside me stopped.It wasn’t mercy. It wasn’t weakness either. It was something in b

~ RAE’S POV ~I had been following him for hours.The rain had started again by the time he reached the ridge, soft at first, then steady. The sound of it covered his movements, but I knew every step he took. I could tell by the way the forest changed around him. The birds grew quiet, the air held still. Even the trees seemed to listen when he passed.He moved slower than he used to. He carried the weight of something heavy, guilt, maybe. Regret. I couldn’t tell.When I saw him step into the clearing, everything inside me went still.He looked different, but not enough to fool me. The same broad shoulders, the same way his hand stayed near his weapon even when he thought he was alone. His hair was longer now, darker from the rain, his jaw rough with stubble.But it was his eyes that caught me. They looked tired. Older.And when he stopped in front of the tree, the one I’d marked, I stopped breathing.He reached for the pendant, my pendant, hanging from the lowest branch. I’d left it

~ RAE’S POV ~I didn’t sleep again. I sat outside the tent, sharpening my knife until my hands started to ache. The sound of metal on stone was steady, clean, the only thing keeping my mind quiet.Mara came out just after sunrise. Her hair was a mess, her eyes half open. She carried two tin cups, steam rising from them.“Here,” she said, handing one to me.“Thanks.”She sat beside me and stretched her legs. “You didn’t sleep.”“Neither did you.”She gave a small smile. “You’re right.”For a while, we didn’t speak. The only sound was the fire crackling softly and the distant call of a bird somewhere deep in the woods.Then she said, “You’re thinking about him.”I didn’t look at her. “I’m thinking about the plan.”“You’re thinking about him,” she repeated, softer this time.I let out a slow breath. “You think saying it twice will make it true?”“It already is.”I stared at the flames. “He followed the trail.”“I figured,” she said. “You left it for him to find.”“I wanted him to see I w

~ RAE’S POV ~I didn’t run far.The rain had stopped. Only the sound of my breath followed me, rough and uneven.By the time I reached the edge of the ridge, my knees gave out. I sank to the ground and pressed my hands against the wet dirt, trying to breathe. My chest felt tight, my throat raw.I had seen him.After all these years, after all the ways I’d tried to erase him, I saw him again.And I didn’t kill him.That was the part I couldn’t understand. I’d dreamed about it for years — what it would feel like to have my blade at his throat, to watch him fall, to take back the power he stole from me.But when the moment came, I couldn’t do it.Not because I forgave him.Because I couldn’t stop looking at him.He looked older, harder, but still the same man who once said my name like it meant something. His voice was rougher now, slower, filled with things unsaid. And when he said he was sorry, I almost believed him.Almost.I dragged a shaky breath in and pushed myself to my feet. My