I walk–one step at a time–away from Blood Fang territory.
It feels unreal.
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I expected resistance–warriors blocking my path, Jack’s men dragging me back, or worse, him hunting me down himself. But nothing. No sound of pursuit, no angry growl carried by the wind. Just silence.
It doesn’t make sense.
I haven’t known Jack long, but in the short time I’ve spent with him, I’ve learned one thing–he isn’t the type to let something, or someone, slip through his fingers. He’s ruthless, possessive–the kind of man who carves his name into whatever belongs to him. And according to fate, I belong to him.
So why isn’t he stopping me?
The thought chills me.
Maybe this is a game. Maybe he’s watching from the shadows, letting me run just so he can enjoy the chase.
I grit my teeth. If that’s the case, he’s made the biggest mistake of his life.
Because I’m never coming back.
Once I cross far enough, I glance over my shoulder one last time. No movement, no sign of anyone following My heartbeat slows slightly, but I don’t let my guard down. I crouch behind a thick tree, place my bag of gold between my teeth, and shift.
Bones crack, stretching, shifting. Dark obsidian fur ripples across my form, streaked with glowing silver patterns. My claws dig into the dirt as I steady myself. The moment I’m fully transformed, I bolt.
I sprint through the forest, leaves whipping past me as I follow the path I once took–before fate dragged me into Jack’s den.
I snarl.
Fate is a cruel bitch.
The trees blur as I run, the sound of the stream growing louder in the distance. Relief swells in my chest when I see it, the familiar glistening water winding through the forest.
For the first time since leaving Jack, I smile.
Not stopping for food. Not stopping for water. Not making the same mistake again.
I push myself harder.
Mile after mile, I follow the stream east, my paws barely making a sound against the damp earth. Twenty miles pass before the landscape shifts, the trees thinning until I reach a clearing.
There.
I follow the path leading northeast, forcing myself to keep going for another ten miles. My legs burn, my lungs scream for air, but I don’t stop.
Not until I see it.
The witch’s hut.
I skid to a halt, panting, my chest heaving as I stare at the small, crooked structure standing alone in the distance. A worn–out cabin, its wooden frame barely holding together, vines creeping up the sides like fingers grasping at a forgotten past.
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I shift back into human form, my bare feet sinking into the damp grass.
I made it.
Swallowing hard, I step forward.
The closer I get, the worse it looks. The windows are clouded with dust, the door slightly ajar as if someone left in a hurry and never returned. My stomach twists uneasily as I push it open.
A thick cloud of dust explodes into the air, making me cough. I wave my hand in front of my face and step inside.
It’s… empty.
No candles burning with eerie light. No scent of herbs or magic in the air. Just broken furniture, shattered glass, and a thick layer of dust coating every surface.
tinhale sharply, my chest tightening.
No.
No, no, no.
I was supposed to find answers here. I was supposed to find someone who could tell me what happened to my family, to the witches.
Instead, I found nothing.
All this effort.
All this running.
For what?
My breath shakes as I clench my fists. “Damn it,” I whisper.
I turn in a slow circle, searching for anything–anything–that might give me a clue. But everything is old, abandoned, and untouched for years.
I feel sick.
I feel… lost.
What now?
I can’t go back to my old pack. I can’t go back to my mother. And I sure as hell can’t go back to Jack.
So where the hell do I go from here?
A sudden noise shatters the silence.
1 freeze.
At first, I think it’s a rat scurrying through the debris, knocking something over. The hut is old and abandoned–it makes sense. I almost ignore it.
Almost.
Then I hear it again.
A rustling. A whisper of movement.
I whip around, muscles tensed, eyes scanning the room. My breath slowing as my ears strain to pick up any sound.
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Chapter 19
And then I see it.
A shadow.
It moves fast, slipping out the back door like a ghost.
Someone was here, watching me. But there’s no scent, no trace of life other than my own.
Who the hell is that?
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My wolf growls in my head, ears perked. That person could lead us to our family. They might be our only clue. Chase them–NOW!
My breath catches.
A clue? To my family?
Before I can think twice, I’m already moving.
I burst through the back door, my bare feet pounding against the dirt as I chase after the retreating figure. They’re fast, but I push harder, following the fresh footprints pressed into the damp earth. My muscles scream in protest, but I grit my teeth and double my speed, closing the distance.
Then, I see them.
A figure cloaked in black, gliding through the trees like a shadow. But not fast enough.
Without hesitation, I lunge.
I launch myself through the air, arms outstretched–my body colliding with the figure.
We crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs, dirt flying up around us. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs, but I recover first. The figure beneath me thrashes, struggling to break free, but I straddle them, pinning their arms with my legs. My hands wrapped around their throat.
“Identify yourself before I snap your neck!” I snarl, my grip tightening.
The figure stills. Slowly, trembling fingers reach up, pulling away the hood and mask.
I blink.
An older woman. Wrinkled skin, yellowing teeth, wild purple eyes,
A witch?
My grip tightens.
She coughs, struggling to breathe. “Please,” she wheezes, her voice raspy. “Mercy.”
Something about her frail frame, her shaking limbs, makes me hesitate. I’m not sure why, but my instincts tell me she’s no real threat.
I loosen my grip–just slightly.
“You were spying on me, weren’t you?” I demand, my voice still hard.
The woman coughs again, rubbing her throat. “No,” she rasps. “i was… looking for someone.”
A sharp pang hits my chest.
Could it be?
“Someone?” My voice is barely a whisper. “Were you… were you looking for an abandoned child?”
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Her eyes snap to mine, widening in shock. Her mouth parts slightly, her yellowed teeth visible as if she’s struggling to form words. “How… how do you
know that?”
My breath stutters.
She really was looking for someone.
For a little girl.
Agirl from years ago.
A girl who was abandoned.
“Years ago, I was meant to take a lost child back to her family,” she says breathlessly, her fingers twitching against the dirt. “They have been searching for her ever since.”
My family.
They’re looking for me.
They never abandoned me.
A choked sound escapes my throat, my vision blurring for a second. “I-” My voice wavers. “I am that girl. I’m the girl you’re looking for. I was abandoned. Please… take me to them.”
The woman inhales sharply, her expression softening with something that looks like pity. “Oh, child,” she murmurs, reaching out and cupping my face with her bony hands. “Your mother… she’s been searching for you. Your family–they miss you so much, my dear.”
Tears sting my eyes. I squeeze them shut, swallowing the lump in my throat.
This is real. This is real.
They want me.
I sniff. “Please… take me to them.”
The woman hesitates, studying me carefully. “But how can I be sure you are the one?”
I swallow hard, my fingers trembling as I reach for the small pouch hidden inside my bag of gold. My heart pounds as I search through the coins, my wolf watching warily. Then, my fingers brush against the familiar cool metal, right where I had hidden it. A wave of relief washes over me.
Carefully, I pull out the blue necklace my mother had given me, even though it burns against my skin. I clutch it tightly for a moment, steeling myself, before holding it out for her to see.
“I had this as a child. It’s mine.”
The woman’s lips part in shock. Her gaze locks onto the necklace, her tongue flicking across her lips. For a moment, she just stares, as if entranced. Then, slowly, she reaches for it, her fingers twitching slightly before she composes herself.
“Yes… yes, you are the one,” she breathes. “You truly are the girl I was sent to find.”
A breath of relief leaves my lips. I tuck the necklace back into my pouch and stand, helping the woman to her feet.
“Come,” the woman says. “Let me take you home.”
I nod, falling into step beside her.
My wolf shifts uneasily. “Kali, she has no scent. We can’t trace her. We shouldn’t trust her so easily.”
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Chapter 19
I roll my eyes. “Can’t you see she’s old and weak? She couldn’t hurt a fly. She’s our only lead–if we miss this chance, we might never find them.”
My wolf stays silent, but I feel her unease.
Still, I push the doubt away.
The woman talks as we walk, her voice weaving stories about my mother. She tells me about her kindness, her laughter, and how she never stopped looking.
I listen, my chest aching with longing.
I wonder–who do I look like? My mother or my father? Do I have siblings?
But just as I let myself dream…
The woman suddenly stops walking.
1 blink, looking around. A dead end.
“What-
Something hard slams against the back of my head.
Pain explodes through my skull.
The world tilts, my vision blurring.
Oh… shit… not again.
Déjà vu.
Just like with the rogues.
I stagger, my knees hitting the ground.
Distant voices. Laughter.
“We hit the jackpot!” A man’s voice sneers–rough, excited.
“She’s one of those rich little girls from the witches‘ hut years ago!”
More laughter.
“And she has the rare blue necklace!”
My stomach lurches.
Another voice sneers, “We can take all her gold and the necklace and be filthy rich. Hell, we could sell her to one of those packs looking for a sex slave, An Alpha would pay a fortune for her.”
Rage surges through me, but my body is too weak to move.
A voice chuckles darkly. “How did you even find her?”
The woman—the one I trusted–laughs, her tone dripping with mockery.
“Oh, the poor thing missed her family. I saw the desperation in her eyes,” she coos. “I told her exactly what she wanted to hear. Now she knows–never trust anyone.”
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I shudder.
I was so stupid to let my guard down–again.
I should have learned my lesson after what the rogues did to me.
I hate myself for being so naive.
But what makes me hate myself more–what makes me feel weak–
Is that even through the pain, through the betrayal, through the agony of my own stupidity…
I find myself reaching for the mate bond.
For Jack.
For the man I swore I’d never call for.
I curse myself.
But I can’t stop.
His name is on the tip of my tongue, clawing its way out even as my world turns to darkness.
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