Chapter 4

Exiled

Even before I open my eyes, the cold starts to creep into my bones. My body aches when I attempt to move, and my nose is filled with the musty smell of soil. I feel like my limbs are heavy and not my anymore. Cuts, bruises, and the hard truth of what has transpired hurt every inch of my body.

I breathe with hard, irregular breaths and stare against the dim light pouring through the trees. I am alone myself.

As I struggle to sit up, my fingers sinking into the frost-covered ground beneath me, a shudder goes through me. My mind aches as memories slam into me like a raging tempest.

Jake and Selena. the group.

the denial. the assault.

And this now. Go into exile.

Raw and shattered, a choked sob slips from my throat. The pictures that are ingrained in my mind Jake's uninterested gaze, my father's back turned, the pack silently seeing me being flung away like nothing are blocked out when I strain my eyes tight. As if my existence didn't exist.

But I was important. I do.

It's not my injuries that are causing the excruciating ache in my chest. It's the knowledge that my own family, my own blood, has deserted me. Not even my father, the alpha of the pack, stood up for me. I didn't even think twice when the Alpha took away my life, my house, and my title.

The searing burn of fractured bones makes me wince as I touch a shaky palm to my ribcage. I had to get moving. I am unable to remain here. The wolf smell is still there in the air, and I won't have a chance if rogues manage to pick up my weaker scent. Not as this.

I lift myself to my feet while gritting my teeth. The world sways, and I almost fall again due to a wave of nausea. Despite my body's protesting cries, I make myself stand. This is not where I shall die. I will not provide them with such gratification.

Keeping one foot ahead of the other. I just have to do it.

The forest is huge and stretches in all directions indefinitely. I have no goal other than to survive; I have no destination. As the night air stings my bare flesh, I am reminded of how unprepared I am for whatever is coming. I encircle myself with my arms in an attempt to preserve the little warmth I still possess.

I feel resentment becoming stronger with every step. How quickly they threw me away. How little they cared about me.

I stop at the sound of distant rustling. My ribs thud against my heart.

I look about in the dark, my inner wolf stumbling feebly. She is still present, but she is as exhausted as I am. I attempt to grab hold of her for strength, but all she offers me is a reassuring voice.

And then I hear it again, closer.

Through the quiet, a low growl rumbles.

I force myself to swallow while my instincts tell me to flee. But I'm hardly strong enough to stand, much less fight. I ball my fingers into fists at my sides. I will not go down in shame if this is how I die.

Out of the shadows come two bright eyes, then another, and yet another.

wolves.

But they're rogues, not simply wolves.

As the first one rushes, a snarl rips through the air, and I prepare for the hit. A blur of action, however, stops it before it can reach me and slams it into the rogue in midair.

A roar rumbles across the woods, powerful and dominating. The rogue scurries back, snarling, but the larger, more powerful, and more authoritative man stands between us.

My breath catches as I look into my Savior's piercing silver eyes.

Damien.

He has unquestionable authority and an intimidating presence. He advances, his posture ready for combat, without even looking at me. The rogues pause, aware of the change in power.

With another low growl from Damien, the tension increases. Then he strikes without warning.

Dazed, I watch him move like a shadow, lethal and accurate. The rogues have no chance. Only Damien remains standing in the moonlight, his eyes finally meeting mine, as they are either dead or running away into the night in a matter of minutes.

For a long time, none of us says anything. This time, my heart is pounding, but not because of dread.

"Why" My tone is raspy, hardly audible above a whisper. "Why have you come here?"

Damien approaches me slowly, his unfathomable silver eyes. "Because you no longer belong to them," he adds in a confident, sinister voice. "You ought to be with me."

Not only is it chilly, but the weight of what he said makes me shudder.

Suddenly, my destiny is rewritten once again.

But a burning ache bursts through my chest before I can respond. With a gasp, my knees buckle under me. Burning like fire, agony fills my veins, and I barely remain aware.

Damien holds on to me tightly yet cautiously before I fall. He observes me, his demeanor opaque as his stare darkens.

"They totally broke your bond," he whispers, his voice both a warning and a pledge. "But the consequences were not taken into consideration."

Before the darkness engulfs me, I just manage to raise my eyes to meet his.

I am no longer in the forest when I awaken. My senses are filled with the aroma of firewood and cedar while I lie on a cozy bed. Although my body hurts, it's not frigid anymore.

Subsequently, I hear the quiet murmurs outside the door.

One voice, low and full of interest, adds, "She survived the severance." "That never should have happened."

"She isn't just any wolf," Damien responds. His voice is piercing and firm. "I now own her."

Another voice, unfamiliar to me, raises its voice. Then we must get her ready. If she made it through this, she could be the one we've been looking for.

A tense stillness that is full of meanings I don't grasp ensues.

The sound of footsteps at the door makes my pulse race.

Its handle rotates.

My exile suddenly turns into something far more hazardous.