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Chapter 5: A Wolf’s Protection

Aissata's POV

I hadn’t even made it halfway home when I heard the growls.

Low, menacing, and echoing off the quiet streets of Silvercrest. My pulse quickened, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I’d been on edge since the moment Koffi Mensah walked into that diner, but tonight felt different—dangerous. I wasn’t sure if it was the sinister whispers of the rogues or the dark foreboding that seemed to follow me like a shadow.

I turned a corner, hoping to lose whatever—or whoever—was behind me. But the growls grew louder, closer, until they were right on top of me. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized I wasn’t alone anymore.

Footsteps. Heavy. Too heavy to be a human’s.

I picked up my pace, my instincts screaming at me to run. But no matter how fast I moved, the growls seemed to be keeping up.

Then, the first rogue stepped into my path.

He was big, almost towering, with dark, matted fur and yellow eyes that gleamed with hunger. The other rogues emerged from the shadows, surrounding me, their predatory grins wide and merciless. I took a step back, my eyes darting around for any escape.

“What do you want?” I spat, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound confident.

The rogue closest to me—his grin widening—didn’t answer. Instead, he lunged.

I barely had time to react, instinct kicking in, but it was already too late. His claws scraped across my shoulder, sending a sharp pain through my body. I cried out, stumbling back as blood started to stain my shirt.

The other rogues advanced, their eyes fixed on me as though I were prey. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let fear control me, but that didn’t stop the panic from rising in my chest. I couldn’t fight them all off—there were too many. I was outmatched, outnumbered.

I tried to back away, but my legs felt like lead, and the pain in my shoulder made it difficult to focus. I couldn’t outrun them, couldn’t escape.

“Leave her alone!” A voice rang out from the darkness, cutting through the night like a blade.

My heart skipped a beat. The voice was too familiar.

Koffi.

But before I could register what was happening, the world seemed to shift. A blur of motion, a blur of fur and power. In the blink of an eye, Koffi was there—his wolf form towering over me, a massive, dark creature with glowing gold eyes and a primal strength that I’d never seen before.

The rogue closest to me never had a chance.

Koffi lunged, his jaws snapping shut on the rogue’s throat, tearing through fur and flesh like it was nothing. The rogue’s scream was cut off as Koffi flung him aside like a ragdoll. He turned on the next rogue, his muscles rippling beneath the thick fur of his wolf form. The others hesitated, but Koffi was already on them, moving with brutal precision.

I could barely keep up with the scene unfolding before me. One moment, the rogues were closing in on me, and the next, they were lying scattered across the street, defeated.

Koffi shifted back into his human form with a snarl, his body rippling with tension. He was furious—no, beyond furious. His eyes glowed faintly with wolf gold, and the air around him crackled with an intensity that made it impossible to ignore his presence.

He stood over me, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. His eyes were locked on mine, but there was something else there, something different. Something... dark.

“What the hell were they after?” Koffi’s voice was low, rough, as if he was forcing the words out between clenched teeth. “You’re hiding something, Aïssata.”

I backed away, my heart still racing. “I don’t know what they wanted,” I said quickly, my voice barely above a whisper, my mind spinning. “They just attacked me.”

He didn’t believe me. I could see it in his eyes. He was too smart for that.

“Don’t lie to me,” Koffi snapped, stepping closer. “Why were they after you?”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not when I didn’t understand it myself. The prophecy? My mother? My connection to all of this?

But I wasn’t ready to trust him—not when I was so deep in this mess.

“I—I don’t know,” I stammered. “I swear.”

His golden eyes bore into mine, searching for the truth. I could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical force pressing against my skin. His jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out.

Instead, he exhaled sharply, turning away from me. “You’re lying,” he muttered under his breath. “But I won’t force it out of you. Not yet.”

I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified.

Before I could say anything else, Adama’s voice rang out from behind us. “Koffi.”

I turned to see him emerging from the shadows, his gaze dark and his posture rigid. Adama’s eyes flicked between me and Koffi, and I could tell he was concerned.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Adama asked, his tone almost cautious.

Koffi didn’t respond right away. Instead, he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, clearly agitated.

“She’s more important than she knows,” he finally said, his voice low. “I’m not leaving her to die because of a prophecy I don’t understand.”

I couldn’t help but stare at him. The way he spoke about me—like I was some kind of... weapon?

What was happening to me?

“You’re risking everything, Koffi,” Adama warned. “The pack won’t stand for this.”

Koffi’s gaze snapped to Adama, his eyes flashing. “Then let them leave.”

The silence that followed was thick with tension, the air crackling with unspoken words.

I couldn’t wrap my head around any of this. Why were they protecting me? Why was Koffi—of all people—doing this?

“Just go home, Aïssata,” Koffi muttered, his voice softer but still firm. “This isn’t your fight.”

I wanted to argue, to refuse, but the exhaustion that had settled over me was overwhelming. I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t even know what was real anymore. I just nodded, too tired to protest.

But as I turned to leave, Koffi’s voice stopped me.

“Aïssata.”

I froze, my heart skipping a beat as I looked over my shoulder.

He was holding something in his hand—a small pendant, glowing faintly with an eerie light. He didn’t have to say anything for me to know that it was mine. I’d seen it before.

“My mother’s pendant,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Koffi’s eyes darkened, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw something like fear flicker in his gaze.

“This shouldn’t exist,” he muttered under his breath.

And just like that, my world shifted again.

What had I just walked into?

The prophecy. My mother. The pendant. Koffi’s strange reaction.

None of it made sense. But one thing was certain—I wasn’t leaving Silvercrest anytime soon. And neither was Koffi.

Not until we figured this out.

But I had a sinking feeling that doing so would only lead us further into danger.

As I walked away from Koffi, my heart still racing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

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