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POV Savannah Bowen

MONTHS LATER

"Please, Sava," Selena pleaded, her eyes filled with tears. "You can't do this. We can't separate—it's too dangerous."

The simple and weathered cabin we found to hide in, deep in the Romanian countryside, brought a comforting sense of warmth because it was the closest thing to a home we had in months. It was where I celebrated my twenty-second birthday alongside Selena, with a small cake my sister had secretly taken from a nearby grocery store.

Nestled in the heart of the forest, it seemed to belong to a group of hunters who hadn’t used it in years. Breaking the lock and sneaking in with my sister to escape the mild temperatures at the time wasn’t difficult.

For months, we managed to live in peace, though the shadow of Hunter chasing us continued to linger.

"It’s even more dangerous if we stay together," I argued, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Sel, it’ll only be a few days. This is our only chance."

My heat was approaching; I could feel its effects on my body—tremors, an intense warmth, and a throbbing ache between my legs. Not to mention my heavy and sore breasts. Without the herb to suppress it, as our stock had run out, the alphas Hunter sent after us would smell me from miles away.

It wasn’t by chance we ended up in Romania. After much searching, we discovered that the herb used to suppress our heat—the same one our father forced us to take—originated here. Since then, Selena and I had been trying to learn more about it, with no success.

Now, my new cycle was closer than ever, and we were at great risk of being caught without the suppressant. They would smell me, without a doubt. So would any other alpha wolves nearby.

Heat usually lasted seven days, once a month. It was painful, catastrophic, and unbearable. It wasn’t just discomfort; it was the desperation of a body seeking someone to help it endure and satisfy its demands.

It was our primal nature searching for the perfect mate to ensure the survival of our kind.

Selena bit her lip, looking nervous.

"How many days until we meet again?"

I pondered for a moment, my heart racing and a wave of heat spreading through me. I took a deep breath, trying to control the first symptom of my approaching heat.

"Seven, maybe a little less or more."

"Where?"

I looked around, searching for a solution for us. The longer I stayed, the greater the risk for both of us. I was already emitting pheromones—I could smell the sweet scent seeping from my pores.

Since our family was destroyed by that bastard Hunter, this place was the closest thing to a home we’d had. I didn’t want to compromise or reveal our location and lose everything we’d built.

We didn’t have stable jobs yet, but I cleaned a nearby bakery at night, unseen by customers, which helped keep my identity hidden. Selena worked short shifts at a bar, avoiding being recognized by anyone.

Working was a gamble we couldn’t avoid, a calculated risk Selena and I had to take if we wanted to eat. We’d fled with nothing but the clothes on our backs—thin, tattered dresses clinging to our skin, the fabric stiff and darkened with the rusty stains of our parents’ blood.

The metallic scent had lingered on us for days, a haunting reminder of the violence we’d escaped, soaked into the frayed threads as we stumbled through the wilderness, barefoot and desperate.

Every coin we earned now went toward scraps of food—stale bread, bruised fruit—anything to quiet the gnawing hunger that had become our constant companion.

After escaping Hunter at the altar, I broke into Alpha Caspian’s house—the closest to where we were—and stole his entire stock of the suppressant. That’s how Selena and I had survived these past months. Then, we ran to town and stole some clothes off a residential clothesline. I injured myself, staining my dress with my blood, and scattered small pieces of fabric through the forest to mislead them about our real location.

It had worked—barely.

We’d slipped onto a rattling train just as the sun dipped below the horizon, the whistle shrieking as we huddled in a corner of a freight car, clutching each other against the cold metal walls. That night, we left our old pack behind, the only world we’d ever known fading into the distance with every mile the train devoured.

But Hunter was relentless, a shadow always lurking a few steps behind us. His pack’s scouts had come close more than once—too close—yet we’d managed to stay ahead, slipping through towns and forests like ghosts, propelled by fear and the fragile hope of something better.

Now, standing in the moonlit chill of Fenrir’s garden, I clutched my backpack tightly, gripping the strap with trembling fingers.

Thinking about Hunter twisted my stomach into knots, a wave of nausea rising so sharply I had to swallow hard to keep it down. I hated him—hated him with every fiber of my being, a loathing so deep it felt like it had carved itself into my bones. I’d never imagined it was possible to despise someone this much, to feel such a visceral, consuming rage, but he’d proven me wrong.

Yes, it was possible, and I carried that truth like a wound that wouldn’t heal.

"I have no idea," I admitted to Selena, my voice barely above a whisper as I glanced at her shadowed figure beside me. "We can’t come back here until I’m sure the pheromones are gone. I can’t risk compromising your location… or our home."

Home. Such a simple word, yet it carried a weight that pressed against my chest, threatening to crack it open.

How could everything unravel so completely in mere moments?

Just months ago, I’d been counting down the days to my wedding with Hunter, my heart fluttering with naive anticipation. I’d dreamed of the freedom he’d promised—freedom from our father’s iron grip, from the suffocating rules of our pack. I’d pictured a life with him as my mate, a fairy tale woven from the stories I’d clung to as a girl: a cozy den filled with love, his arms a sanctuary, his vows a shield against the world.

I’d thought he was my escape, my happily-ever-after, the one who’d make me feel safe and whole.

Now, I was a fugitive, always running, chasing a freedom that felt like sand slipping through my fingers. Hunted by the very mate I’d once trusted, the arms I’d believed were my refuge now a cage I’d barely escaped.

Foolish. Stupid.

The words ricocheted through my mind, sharp and accusing, and I shook my head hard, as if I could dislodge the memories like loose stones.

"Your heat will start soon too," I murmured, gripping her arms and forcing her to look at me. "You need to find the herbs, Sel. Without them, we’ll never stop running, and Hunter will always get closer to where we are. We’ll never stay ahead of him."

We had no idea where the herbs were—only that they were in Romania. And that was a huge, colossal problem. The stolen stash from Caspian had been our only lifeline.

"We’ll meet near the river that connects to the city center, in seven days. Can we do that?" she asked, her gaze heavy as she locked eyes with me. "I’ll go there every day until I find you. As soon as you’re sure your heat has passed, meet me there."

I nodded, clenching my teeth so hard that my jaw muscle popped.

"I don’t…" I licked my dry lips, buying time to clear my constricted throat. "I don’t know if we can stay here when I return," I confessed, blinking back tears. "I’m sorry, Sel. But it’s too risky. They’ll know we’re in Romania, and a cabin in the middle of the forest isn’t exactly the safest hiding spot."