Chapter 9 Nine
CHAPTER NINE
Sara’s POV**
The forest felt colder as we moved back toward the pack house. Not because the temperature dropped, but because the meaning behind the message settled into my bones.
The bloodline wakes with her.
My bloodline. My family. My past. My father.
All tied to something I did not understand.
Xenon walked ahead of me with rigid shoulders and clenched fists. Every step he took was heavier, sharper, as if he was holding back something violent. Ryker and Adrian flanked him, their expressions grim.
Warrior silhouettes echoed between the trees. Silent. Alert. Ready.
But none of them felt the way I did.
Watched.
Wanted.
Chosen for something I never asked for.
Xenon slowed until he was right beside me. I felt the heat of him even without looking. His voice came low and tight.
“Keep your eyes forward. Do not look behind you.”
My breath caught. “Why?”
“They might still be watching.”
The forest pressed closer. Every shadow looked like a figure. Every rustle made my pulse spike.
Xenon reached out and wrapped his hand around mine.
Not gently. Not gently at all.
Tightly.
As if letting go would put me in danger immediately.
“You are safe,” he said without looking at me. “As long as you are near me.”
The words should not have comforted me.
But they did.
When we reached the pack house, guards closed the gates instantly. Warriors lined the walls. The air vibrated with tension.
Adrian spoke quietly to Xenon. “We have the council waiting.”
“Good,” Xenon replied. “But Sara comes with me.”
“Alpha,” Adrian said carefully, “they might not agree with—”
“They will agree.”
Adrian nodded and left quickly.
Xenon looked at me. “Stay close.”
I followed him through the halls. My heart beat so loud it drowned the footsteps around me. When we reached the council room, the elders stood waiting.
Kael. Elder Ren. Elder Sorin. The others.
Their expressions were already strained.
Ryker entered last and closed the door quietly.
Xenon placed the note on the table.
The bloodline wakes with her.
The room fell silent.
Elder Ren was the first to speak. “Alpha. This goes beyond rogue attacks. If they know her bloodline, then she is not just a target. She is a trigger.”
My stomach tightened. “A trigger for what?”
Kael exchanged a worried look with the elders. “For an old prophecy. A belief among the Shadow Creed.”
“What belief,” Xenon asked sharply.
“That the daughter of a forgotten bloodline will awaken a power tied to their rise,” Kael said quietly. “A power they have hunted for decades.”
My breath shook. “I do not have any power.”
Kael nodded. “Or it is dormant.”
I shook my head. “No.”
Elder Sorin spoke next. “Your father was a guard, yes. But he was not born one. He changed packs many years ago. Almost as if he was hiding.”
“Hiding from who,” I whispered.
Ren looked at me with pity. “The Shadow Creed. They have sought rare bloodlines for generations.”
Xenon stepped between me and the elders. “Enough speculation.”
“Alpha,” Ren said, “if she truly carries that blood, then the rogues will not stop. They will grow more aggressive.”
“Let them,” Xenon said. “They will not touch her.”
“Your protection is not enough,” Sorin said.
Xenon turned his head slowly. “You doubt me.”
“I fear for the pack,” Sorin said. “The Creed does not act alone. They have allies. They have numbers. And they have waited years to find her.”
I felt Xenon’s muscles tense beside me.
Ren nodded. “If they think she belongs to them, they will come in force. They believe she holds their legacy.”
“Legacy,” I repeated. “What legacy.”
Kael answered gently. “A lineage with the potential to see beyond what most wolves can. A bloodline said to have ties to pre-Lycan clans. A gift the Creed wants for themselves.”
Xenon’s voice hardened. “She is not theirs.”
“But they will come,” Kael warned. “And they will not ask.”
My throat tightened. “So I am the reason you are in danger.”
Xenon turned to me instantly. “No.”
The word came out sharper than I expected.
“You are not the reason. They are,” he said. “Do not twist it.”
“But if I was not here—”
Xenon took a step closer, anger flickering in his eyes. “Do not finish that sentence.”
The room quieted.
He exhaled slowly and lowered his voice. “You are not leaving this pack. You are staying under my protection.”
Ren stepped forward. “Alpha, this is not wise. If they come here in large numbers, we cannot protect the entire—”
Xenon cut him off. “If they come here, I will deal with them.”
“You alone cannot fight a faction,” Sorin said.
Xenon’s voice dropped. “Watch me.”
His aura filled the room like a storm gathering force.
Ryker stepped forward. “The Alpha is right. We cannot send Sara away. They will track her instantly. This pack is the best guarded place for her.”
Elder Ren looked at Xenon. “Then you will need to claim her officially.”
My breath stopped.
The room went silent.
Xenon’s jaw clenched.
I felt heat spread up my neck.
Claim.
As in publicly acknowledge me.
As in take responsibility for my safety.
As in bind me to his pack.
As in something dangerously close to a mate bond he rejected.
“No,” Xenon said quietly.
The elders exchanged looks.
“That would be the fastest way to give her full protection,” Ren pushed. “It would establish her status. It would tell the Creed she is under the Alpha’s command.”
Xenon’s aura sharpened. “I said no.”
Ren held his ground. “Then how do you expect to keep her safe if you refuse to use the bond fate gave you?”
Xenon tensed violently.
He did not look at the elders.
He looked at me.
And for a moment, I saw conflict tear through him.
Something fierce. Something terrified. Something he did not want to show anyone.
“She does not need to be claimed,” Xenon said quietly. “She needs to be protected.”
Ren sighed. “Very well. But know that the Creed will not be deterred. They believe she belongs to them. They believe she carries their missing legacy.”
“And they believe wrong,” Xenon snapped.
He took my hand again.
Not gently. Not painfully.
Just firmly.
“Everyone out,” he ordered.
Even the elders obeyed.
The door closed behind them.
Xenon didn’t speak for several seconds. He didn’t release my hand either. He just stood there, breathing hard, like he was holding back something he did not want to say.
“Xenon,” I whispered.
He lifted his eyes slowly to mine.
His voice came out low. “Do you trust me.”
I swallowed. “I want to.”
“That is not an answer.”
“Do you trust me,” I asked quietly.
He hesitated.
That was my answer.
He stepped closer, stopping inches away, his presence overwhelming.
“I do not know what is waking inside you,” he said. “I do not know why they want you. But I know one thing with absolute certainty.”
“What,” I whispered.
He leaned in slightly, his voice barely above a breath.
“They will not take you.”
Something trembled inside me. Luna pushed against my chest like she could feel the truth in his words.
I looked up at him. “Why are you doing this.”
His voice broke just slightly.
“Because I cannot watch another person I care about be hunted.”
My heart twisted painfully.
I didn’t get to respond.
A guard burst into the hall.
“Alpha,” he said, breathless. “You need to see this.”
Xenon turned sharply. “What.”
The guard pointed down the corridor. “It is outside the main gates. You need to come now.”
Xenon grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. Warriors rushed alongside us. Adrian and Ryker appeared from intersecting halls.
As we neared the entrance, the scent hit first.
Blood.
Cold air.
Rogue scent.
Heart pounding, I followed Xenon outside.
Warriors formed a half circle.
And lying in the snow was another message.
Written in dark red letters.
Not paint.
Blood.
Bring her outside or we come in.
My breath caught.
Adrian knelt, examining the ground. “Fresh. Very fresh.”
Ryker cursed under his breath. “They are getting bold.”
Xenon’s body went still.
Too still.
Rage rolled off him in waves.
He looked at me slowly.
“Sara.”
His voice was low, calm, terrifying.
“You do not leave my side for the rest of the night.”
I nodded, unable to breathe.
His jaw tightened.
“They want war.”
He took a step forward, shoulders squared, eyes burning.
“They will get it.”
