LUCIAN
"Why are you helping me?"
Her voice seemed to stop me. Not because of how loud it was. But because of what it carried.
Confusion.
Hurt.
Something else I didn't bother naming.
I didn't turn.
My steps slowed, just slightly.
Why was I helping her?
The question lingered longer than it should have.
I had no reason to. No obligation. No interest.
She was nothing more than a complication, an anomaly that should not exist.
And yet…
My jaw tightened.
My wolf stirred.
Because she's ours.
The voice was low. Certain. Possessive.
I ignored it.
I had no interest in entertaining instincts that had already proven unreliable.
The bond was broken. I made sure of that.
What remained, was nothing but a disturbance. An irritation beneath my skin.
Still...
My gaze darkened slightly.
I had stepped in because my wolf wouldn't stay silent.
Because something in me had refused to walk away while she was being hunted like prey.
Because despite everything, the thought of her dying had not sat well with me.
A foolish reason.
A weak one.
And one I had no intention of acknowledging.
My expression hardened.
I didn't answer her.
Instead, I shifted.
The change came smoothly, effortlessly, bone and muscle bending into place without resistance. My wolf surged forward, taking control in a single breath.
The world sharpened.
Scents deepened.
Sound stretched.
Without looking back, I moved up the slope.
Away from her.
I didn't slow. Didn't hesitate. Didn't turn.
Leaving her exactly where she was.
Alone.
Vulnerable.
Where she belonged.
The forest stretched ahead, shadows long beneath the rising moon. My paws hit the ground in steady rhythm, controlled, precise.
Distance.
That was what I needed.
Distance from her scent. From the disturbance she created. From whatever this was.
But the further I went, the more something pulled.
Subtle.
Annoying.
Persistent.
My pace slowed slightly.
Go back.
My wolf's voice was sharper now.
I ignored it.
She's alone.
"She's not my concern." The response came cold, final...even in my own mind.
She doesn't know what she is.
"That is not my problem."
My wolf growled low. Not aggressive. Not threatening. Frustrated.
They're hunting her.
My steps didn't stop.
She won't survive alone.
A flicker of something passed through me.
Brief.
Unwelcome.
I silenced it immediately.
"She will."
My tone was clipped.
Decisive.
"If she is what they claim she is… then she is not weak."
The image of her claws flashed briefly in my mind.
Sharp.
Gold.
Unnatural.
My eyes narrowed slightly as I continued forward.
Not human.
Not Omega.
Not anything I recognized.
Something ancient.
Something buried.
Something that should not exist in my territory.
If she carried that kind of power, then she should be capable of protecting herself.
If she wasn't...
Then she was never worth the trouble to begin with.
My wolf didn't agree. I felt it. Restless beneath my control. Unsettled.
She's ours.
The words came again. Stronger this time.
I stopped, Just for a second.
The forest went still around me.
My breathing steady.
Controlled.
Then my expression hardened further.
"No."
The word wasn't spoken aloud.
But it was absolute.
Final.
There was no hesitation in it.
No room for argument.
I rejected her.
That decision stood.
Whatever this pull was, whatever this instinct insisted on…
It meant nothing.
I would not be bound to something I did not choose. And I certainly would not return for her.
Without another thought, I pushed forward again.
This time, faster.
More decisive.
I didn't look back.
Didn't allow my mind to drift in that direction again.
The Silver Crescent territory came into view soon after, the familiar scent of the pack settling into the air.
Order.
Control.
Mine.
By the time I crossed the borders, my wolf had gone quiet.
Not gone.
Never gone.
But silent enough.
Subdued beneath my will.
I shifted back just outside the main grounds, my human form returning as I stepped into the territory.
The night was still active.
Warriors moved along the perimeter.
Voices carried faintly through the air.
Tension lingered.
Good.
It meant they were doing their job.
I walked forward without pause, my presence alone enough to part the path ahead of me.
Respect.
Instinctive.
Unquestioned.
As it should be.
"Alpha."
Beta Rowan approached quickly, his expression sharp, alert.
"We've been looking for you."
I said nothing.
He continued without waiting.
"She wasn't found," he reported. "But some of our warriors are still out there searching for her."
I walked past him without slowing.
"Call them back."
Rowan paused.
"Alpha?"
"She's not a rogue," I said flatly. "And she's not an enemy."
Not yet.
The words stayed in my head.
Rowan fell into step beside me. "With all due respect, that's not what the others think. Her eyes were seen. Gold. There are already rumors spreading."
I said nothing.
Rumors were inevitable. Fear spread faster than truth.
"And the energy pulse earlier…" Rowan continued, lowering his voice slightly. "It knocked back three warriors. Whatever she is..."
"Keep the search controlled," I said instead. "No unnecessary force."
Rowan's brows drew slightly. "You're protecting her."
A statement.
Not a question.
My gaze shifted to him slowly.
Cold.
Measured.
"I do not act on impulse. Everything I do is for the safety of this pack."
He held my stare for a second longer, then gave a small nod.
"Understood, Alpha."
We moved forward.
The territory was quieter now, but not calm.
There was tension in the air.
Unease.
It lingered in the way wolves moved. In the way voices dropped when I passed.
Something had shifted tonight and everyone felt it.
My steps slowed slightly as movement to the side caught my attention.
A group of she-wolves stood near the edge of the training grounds.
A small fire burned between them.
Low.
Contained.
They weren't training.
They weren't working.
They were watching something burn.
Their expressions were satisfied. Relieved.
One of them let out a quiet laugh.
"Good riddance," she muttered.
Another nodded. "Should have happened long ago."
My gaze darkened slightly.
I didn't need to ask. I already knew. They believed she was gone.
Dead.
Or as good as.
Celebrating it.
My expression didn't change. But something in my chest tightened.
Brief.
Unwelcome.
I turned away without a word and continued toward the Elder Hall.
Rowan followed, silent now.
The guards at the entrance stepped aside immediately as I approached.
The doors opened.
The Elders were already gathered.
Waiting.
Of course they were. Nothing significant happened in this territory without reaching them.
Their gazes lifted as I entered.
Sharp.
Calculating.
One of them leaned forward slightly.
"So," he began, voice slow, "it seems the situation has resolved itself."
I didn't respond.
Another Elder exhaled in quiet approval. "A fortunate outcome. A human with such… abnormalities had no place here to begin with."
"A necessary correction," a third added. "And a wise decision on your part, Alpha."
My eyes remained steady.
Unreadable.
They mistook my silence for agreement.
As most did.
"The rejection," one of them continued, folding his hands together, "was the right choice. Had you accepted her, the consequences would have been undesirable."
Weak.
Unfit.
Beneath the pack.
That was what they meant.
Another Elder spoke then, his tone sharper than the rest.
"But tell me, Alpha…" His gaze narrowed slightly. "When you stood close to her… did you not smell it?"
The room stilled.
Rowan's posture shifted subtly behind me.
The Elder leaned forward just slightly.
"If fate bound her to you as your mate, then her scent should have revealed something."
Silence stretched.
Long.
Heavy.
My jaw tightened just enough to be felt, not seen.
I met his gaze.
Cold.
Unmoved.
"I smelled nothing worth claiming."
The words fell without hesitation.
Without doubt.
Final.
The Elder studied me for a moment longer, searching for something.
I gave him nothing.
Eventually, he leaned back.
Satisfied or willing to pretend he was.
"Then there is no issue," he said.
The others nodded.
Agreement passed easily between them.
Too easily.
I turned without another word.
The discussion was over. As far as they were concerned.
Night had deepened by the time I left the hall.
Darker.
Quieter.
The kind of silence that settled over a territory before something shifted.
Before something broke.
I returned to the Alpha residence without interruption.
The guards lowered their heads as I passed.
The doors closed behind me with a heavy sound.
Inside, everything was as it should be.
Orderly.
Still.
Controlled.
I removed the outer layer of my clothing slowly, my movements deliberate, precise.
Routine.
Familiar.
Yet...
Something was off.
Subtle at first.
Then sharper.
A pull. Low in my chest.
Faint.
But there.
My fingers stilled.
My breathing slowed.
Go back.
My wolf's voice broke the silence.
Quiet.
But insistent.
My expression hardened.
"No."
I dismissed it immediately.
It didn't stop.
She's in danger.
The pull tightened. Stronger now.
Annoying. Persistent.
I exhaled slowly, controlling the shift in my instincts.
"She is not my concern."
The words felt colder this time. Less certain.
My wolf didn't retreat. It pushed.
You feel it.
I did.
That was the problem.
A flicker of unease passed through me.
Sharp.
Unwelcome.
Before I could reconsider, I moved.
The decision made in a single moment.
Fast.
Silent.
I was already shifting before I reached the door.
The world sharpened again as my wolf took over, instincts leading where logic resisted.
The forest came into view faster this time.
Familiar ground.
Familiar scent trails.
And then...
The place. The slope. Where I had left her.
I slowed.
Approached.
Stopped.
The air was wrong.
No scent.
No movement.
No trace.
Empty.
My gaze darkened.
She wasn't there.