Chapter 4
The Lucian I once knew has changed. He no longer lets me talk to him, constantly making excuses about pack business or important matters, but in truth, he’s just off on trips with Vlanche.
He thought I wouldn’t notice, but I followed his scent one day. It led me to the lake, where I saw them together, making love, laughing with their friends, as if nothing had happened between us. She acts like she’s a traumatized wolf, but the truth is, she’s here to claim what she believes belongs to her.
But even as I endure this pain, I know I must test him, hold onto the last remnants of my pride, and eventually return to the most powerful pack. So, I go to the healer I trust a rogue, one who is safe from the eyes of the pack.
“You‘ re stressing a lot these days,” she says softly.
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“I haven’t done anything,” I reply, my voice barely a whisper.
“You deserve a better environment for this pup, Freya,” she sighs. “What are you doing? You‘ re the Stormhood heir, the most powerful bloodline in all of werewolf history, and yet you’re letting some Alpha impregnate you and hurt you?”
“Because I love him,” I whimper, the words feeling hollow even as they leave my mouth.
She exhales sharply, her disappointment clear. “I wonder what he‘ ll do when he finds out.”
“He doesn’t deserve to know,” I cut her off, my voice harder than I expected.
“Then why stay?”
“I’m already leaving,” I say, my decision solidifying in my chest. “I’m just holding on a little longer… I know he’ll regret this
soon.”
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The healer nods, but there’s no comfort in her gaze. “I have to leave now.”
Just then, we hear murmurs from outside.
“A powerful scent of a wolf…”
Hunters.
“Freya, they’ve caught your scent! You need to leave, now!” The healer’s voice turns urgent, her panic palpable.
I freeze. “But I can’t shift…”
“You have to call him,” she commands, her voice cutting through my fear. “You can stay in the back while waiting.”
||
Panic surges through me. I pull out my phone, dialing Lucian’s number again. and again, but there’s no answer. Then, my screen lights up with a notification: a photo from him.
It’s a picture of Vlanche, only wearing a top, kissing him.
My heart shatters, but there’s no time for
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anger. The hunters are coming.
“Catch that wolf!” I heard an angry voice.
I shove the phone into my pocket, my breath catching in my throat. The healer grabs my arm, her grip firm. “Freya, we don‘ t have time. Hide in the crawlspace- now!”
I hesitate for only a moment before nodding. She shoves aside a loose panel on the floor, revealing a dark, cramped space beneath the cottage. I slip in, my body trembling as I press my back against the cold dirt wall. The healer replaces the panel and whispers a spell under her breath, masking my scent.
The door bursts open, and heavy boots. stomp into the room.
“We know she’s here,” a deep voice. growls. “We picked up her scent not far from this place.”
“I don’t know what you‘ re talking about,” the healer replies calmly, her
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voice steady despite the threat. “This is a sacred space, protected by the rogues. You‘ ve got no right to be here.”
“Don’t play games with me,” the hunter snarls. “Stormhood wolves fetch a high price, and we‘ ve got orders to bring her in alive–or dead.”
My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure they can hear it. I clamp a hand over my mouth, trying to keep quiet as fear and anger war inside me.
The room above falls silent for a long, suffocating moment. Then, one of the hunters speaks again. “If she’s not here, then where is she? We‘ 11 track her until
the ends of the earth if we have to.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing them to leave, but then something strange happens.
