Unwelcomed

Sana's legs buckled.

 

Kael caught her before she collapsed, his arms tightening around her waist. Her whole body shook, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. The silver fire that had nearly consumed her was gone, but her limbs still felt like they were burning from the inside out.

 

She could feel Lucien's eyes on her.

 

Watching. Calculating.

 

Waiting.

 

The tension in the cabin was thick as smoke. The other wolves remained frozen, their heads still bowed, waiting for their Alpha's command.

 

A command that would come at any second.

 

Kael didn't wait for it.

 

He moved.

 

One heartbeat, he was holding her—the next, they were gone.

 

The cabin blurred around them as Kael lunged toward the shattered doorway, his arm still wrapped around Sana, his strength the only thing keeping her upright.

 

"Stop them."

 

Lucien's voice was soft. Too soft.

 

And impossibly fast.

 

Sana barely had time to react before the wolves sprang into motion.

 

They lunged, their growls ripping through the air.

 

Kael didn't hesitate.

 

He threw himself forward, dodging the first attacker, his grip on Sana unyielding.

 

She could hear the rush of paws on dirt, the snarl of beasts right behind them.

 

Sana clenched her teeth, forcing herself to move.

 

She didn't know how she was still standing. Didn't know how Kael was moving so fast with her weight dragging him down.

 

But she refused to slow him down.

 

A streak of silver fur lunged from the shadows.

 

Kael twisted mid-step, his boot slamming into the wolf's ribs with brutal precision. The creature yelped, hitting the ground hard.

 

But there were too many of them.

 

And they weren't alone.

 

Because Lucien was still standing in the doorway.

 

Watching.

 

Not chasing.

 

Not joining the fight.

 

Just watching.

 

A chill slithered down Sana's spine.

 

Because she realized—Lucien wasn't worried.

 

He was letting them run.

 

And that terrified her more than anything.

 

The trees swallowed them as Kael pushed forward, his breaths heavy but determined.

 

"We need to keep moving," he said roughly.

 

Sana tried to reply, but her throat felt raw. Every muscle in her body screamed, exhaustion weighing her down like chains.

 

Kael's grip on her tightened.

 

"We're not stopping."

 

She nodded weakly, forcing herself to stay upright.

 

The forest blurred past them, shadows stretching in the moonlight, the howls behind them growing distant.

 

But not gone.

 

Not gone.

 

Sana knew this wasn't over.

 

Lucien hadn't given up.

 

He was only just beginning.

 

Sana was barely conscious when they crossed the border.

 

She felt the moment Kael's territory swallowed them whole—the air changed, the tension in her chest eased just slightly. The wolves chasing them had long since vanished, their howls fading into the distance.

 

But she knew it wasn't over.

 

Lucien had let them go.

 

And that meant he had a plan.

 

Kael held her tightly as he carried her through the dense forest, his scent grounding her. She was too exhausted to protest, her body limp in his arms. She should've been embarrassed, but there was nothing left in her to fight with.

 

She was barely aware of the moment they passed through the first patrols.

 

Low growls rumbled around them, shadows shifting through the trees.

 

They were being watched.

 

Kael didn't slow.

 

"We're almost there," he murmured, more to himself than to her.

 

The scent of pine and damp earth grew stronger, and then—the trees opened up.

 

Sana blinked through the haze of exhaustion.

 

A settlement stretched before them, tucked within the valley—wooden cabins, fires burning in iron pits, wolves moving through the shadows, their gazes sharp and wary.

 

Kael's pack.

 

A place that should've felt like sanctuary.

 

But the moment Kael stepped into the clearing, the tension shifted.

 

Wolves emerged from the buildings, their expressions unreadable.

 

Some whispered.

 

Others stared at Sana with thinly veiled suspicion.

 

She stiffened, her instincts screaming at her that she wasn't welcome.

 

And then—

 

A fierce-looking woman stepped forward, her dark eyes scanning Sana before locking onto Kael.

 

"What the hell did you bring here?"

 

Sana's stomach twisted.

 

Because it wasn't just suspicion in her voice.

 

It was fear.

 

Kael didn't hesitate.

 

He set Sana down gently, keeping one steadying hand on her waist before stepping forward, his golden eyes burning as they swept across the gathered wolves.

 

"She's with me," he said, his voice a low, commanding growl.

 

The pack didn't move.

 

The woman who had spoken—tall, dark-haired, her presence just as powerful as Kael's—crossed her arms, her sharp gaze never leaving Sana.

 

"She's dangerous," she said coldly. "You feel it, Kael. We all do."

 

A murmur rippled through the wolves.

 

Sana shrank inward, pressing her hand against the cabin wall to stay upright.

 

She could still feel the remnants of that wild, uncontrollable power inside her—the thing that had nearly consumed her back at the cabin. She wasn't sure if it was gone or simply dormant.

 

Kael's voice cut through the whispers.

 

"I know what she is."

 

Silence.

 

Every wolf in the clearing froze.

 

Kael took another step forward, his muscles coiled like steel.

 

"I know what she is," he repeated, "and I know what Lucien plans to do to her." His gaze hardened. "And I will not let that happen."

 

The woman's jaw tightened. "Then tell us, Alpha. What exactly is she?"

 

Sana's breath caught.

 

Kael turned to her then, his golden eyes softening just slightly before he looked back at his pack.

 

"She's the lost heir of the Silverblood lineage."

 

A shockwave tore through the gathered wolves.

 

Sana stilled.

 

Lost heir?

 

The name Silverblood echoed in her mind, pulling at memories she couldn't reach.

 

The woman's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible. The Silverbloods were wiped out generations ago."

 

Kael shook his head. "Not all of them."

 

The air thickened.

 

Sana swallowed hard. A lost bloodline? A hidden past?

 

It felt too big. Too impossible.

 

And yet—something deep inside her whispered that it was true.

 

Kael's voice dropped lower, but it carried through the clearing like a vow.

 

"Lucien has been hunting her since before she was even reborn. He fears her because of what she is—because of what she can become."

 

A hush fell over the pack.

 

And then—

 

"Then maybe he's right to fear her."

 

Sana's breath hitched.

 

The tension in the air shifted dangerously.

 

Because for the first time, she realized something.

 

She wasn't just unwanted here.

 

She was a threat.

 

And if Kael wasn't careful—

 

They might just turn on her next.