Chapter 1 Running

HAZEL'S POV

Blood

Blood was everywhere. My own blood was linking as I ran.

Every step sent a jolt of pain through me, but stopping wasn’t an option.

Rogues like me aren’t supposed to survive long. Packs hunt us, humans fear us, the world rejects us. But bleeding out in the wrong territory is a slower death than any warrior can give and I had crossed into one of the worst.

Alpha Kael’s land.

Just thinking his name sent a tremor through my wolf. The whispers of other rogues had painted him as something beyond a wolf. They said he could scent fear from a mile away. They said he didn't take prisoners and if you were caught on his land, you simply didn't return.

I'd always thought those stories were exaggerated but now, bleeding through his forest, I believed every single one.

A branch snapped behind me and my wolf instantly stirred inside me, nudging to shift , run and survive.  But shifting required strength I didn’t have. My body trembled with exhaustion. I could barely keep my human form standing and shifting would break me completely.

So I forced my legs to keep moving.

I could now hear them.

Not just one set of footsteps but many spreading out in a wide arc behind me. 

My heart hammered against my ribs, a trapped bird beating itself bloody against a cage. My vision swam, the trees twisting into dark shapes that seemed to lean in, watching, waiting for me to fall.

I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

But my body had other ideas.

Just as I was still running, a tree root suddenly caught my foot and I stumbled, catching myself against the wet earth. The world blurred and the ringing in my ears grew louder than the growls coming after me.

That had to be him or his men.

I didn’t need to see them to know it. The sound alone shook something in my bones, in the part of me that remembered what it meant to belong to a pack… and to fear the ruthless Alpha.

I tried to think of a solution , climb, shift but my thoughts scattered.  My body wouldn't obey. My legs felt like they belonged to someone else. I pushed against the wet earth, trying to force myself upright, but my arms gave out beneath me. I collapsed back into the mud, my cheek pressing against cold, damp soil.

“Don’t shift. You’ll only make it worse.” A cold voice made me stop instantly, chest heaving. I turned and froze. It was not the Alpha but his men. One of them with a scar running from his temple to his jaw and a pale line against bronze skin was probably the leader.  Behind him, two massive wolves stood there  like shadows. Their eyes glowed amber in the darkness, watching me with anger and coldness.

I backed up, my nails digging into my palms. My wolf scraped at the inside of my ribs, begging for control, but even she hesitated beneath the weight of their power.

“I didn’t mean to cross,” I panted. “I was just.....” I started.

“Rogue.” The leader cut me off immediately. “You crossed. That’s all that matters.” He murmured then turned to the other two wolves.

“Take her to the Alpha.” He ordered angrily.

The two wolves behind him shifted in unison, their forms rippling and contorting until two men stood in their place and  moved toward me. I instantly scrambled backward, my toes slipping in the mud.

"Please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Please, I didn't know where I was going. I was being chased. I was bleeding. I didn't have a choice..."

"The Alpha doesn't care about your choices." The scarred leader's voice was flat and emotionless. "But I ....", I started again. "You're on his land. You're a rogue. That's a death sentence." He stopped me.

"Then kill me here," I gasped, tears burning my eyes. "Just do it now. Don't .... don't take me to him. Please. I've heard the stories. I know what he does to rogues. Please, just make it quick."

The leader tilted his head, a flicker of amusement crossing his scarred features. "You think I'd give you the mercy of a quick death? No, little rogue. The Alpha will decide your fate."

I opened my mouth to beg again, but one of the men grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. I cried out as the movement tore at my wound, fresh blood soaking through my torn shirt.

"Please," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Please, I'll do anything. I'll leave. I'll never come back. I'll..."

"Shut up," the leader snapped. "You lost the right to beg when you crossed the border."

He nodded to his men, and they dragged me forward, half-carrying me through the forest. My legs scraped against roots and stones, but I barely felt it. The fear was too loud and too consuming. Every step took me closer to my death.

The forest gave way to cleared land. A village emerged from the darkness, stone buildings, wooden structures, the warm glow of firelight spilling from windows. Pack members watched from doorways, their eyes tracking me with cold curiosity. I was a rogue. A condemned thing being paraded to the slaughter.

They dragged me through the village, past the central hall, past the training grounds, until we reached a large stone building, the pack house. The leader pushed open the heavy door, and they hauled me inside.

The interior was warm, lit by firelight. But the warmth didn't reach me. I was shaking too hard, my teeth chattering as I was dragged down a long hallway.

And then I heard it.

Moans. Loud, unrestrained, echoing from behind a closed door at the end of the hall. A woman's voice, high and breathless, mixed with low, guttural growls that could only belong to one wolf.

Alpha Kael.

The leader stopped abruptly, his scarred face tightening. He held up a hand, and the men holding me froze. The moans continued, followed by the rhythmic creak of a bed frame. My stomach turned.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "You want me to meet such a shameless man" I gestured vaguely toward the door, my face twisted with disgust. As soon as I said so, the leader's head snapped toward me, his frost-colored eyes blazing with cold fury.

"What did you just say?" His voice was deadly quiet.

I swallowed hard, but the disgust burning in my chest outweighed my fear for a brief, stupid moment. "I said, that's disgusting. Its too early for sex...." The leader's hand instantly shot out, grabbing my chin and forcing my face up to meet his. His grip was bruising, his fingers digging into my jaw.

"You have no right," he snarled, "to speak of our Alpha that way. You are nothing. A rogue bleeding on our floor. And you dare....."

Another moan, a low, possessive growl interrupted him.

The leader's eyes flickered toward the door then released me with a shove, and I stumbled, catching myself against the wall. The leader turned to his men, exchanging a look I couldn't decipher.

"We can't interrupt, Beta Steven" one of them muttered.

Beta Steven's jaw tightened. He let out a harsh breath, running a hand through his short dark hair then he looked at me and something in his cold eyes shifted.

"You're saved," he said flatly. "You're not going to die tonight." He added. "What?" I blinked.

"The Alpha is... occupied." He said the word like it tasted bitter. "He won't want to be disturbed. And I'm dragging your bloody carcass back to the cells to deal with later. You'll be locked there until morning. If you're still alive, the Alpha will deal with you then."

I stared at him, my mind reeling. Saved? Not going to die tonight? I didn't understand. I didn't trust it.

But before I could speak, the moans from the room grew louder. The sound crawled under my skin, making my wolf writhe with discomfort and anger. I really didn't know why it was pissing me more but I couldn't stop myself.

"Seriously?" I spat, glaring at the closed door. "He couldn't have taken a five-minute break to deal with a life-or-death situation? What kind of Alpha..."

Beta Steven moved faster than I could track.

His fist connected with my jaw, and the world exploded into white-hot pain. I heard a crack, my teeth snapping together, my head whipping to the side. Blood flooded my mouth as I crumpled to the floor, my vision swimming.

The last thing I saw was the Beta's cold, disgusted face looming above me.

"You should have kept your mouth shut," he said.

And then the darkness swallowed me whole.