Dane's POV:
When the sound of an engine reached me from afar, I knew the play was not over yet.
The headlights pierced through the snowy fog, casting a pale yellow streak across the frozen road. I glanced over for a fraction of a second just long enough to be certain it was Ryder's car. In the very next moment, I deliberately misstepped and slammed hard into Vichy. She didn't even have time to react before she staggered and fell, and I went down with her, letting my head knock lightly against the ice-cold snow. That was enough.
I closed my eyes, let my body go slack, made my breathing just chaotic enough dazed, then unconscious.
Tires screeched. A car door flew open.
"Dane?!"
The moment I heard that voice, I recognized it instantly. Anywhere, anytime, calm, patient, and always carrying a gentleness so disarming it made people soften without realizing it. Ryder.
He rushed toward me, snow spraying beneath his boots. The headlights reflected off his round glasses, fogged with condensation. The instant he saw me lying on the ground, his expression changed completely.
"My God… what happened?! Are you hurt?"
Ryder dropped to his knees beside me, his knee sinking deep into the trampled, softened snow. The cold from the ground still clung to my back, seeping into me until my whole body trembled uncontrollably. His hand slid behind my neck, careful and urgent at the same time as if even a moment's delay would cause me to dissolve into the snow.
"Easy," he whispered, his voice rough. I felt his uneven breath against my forehead as he helped me sit up, my body tilting weakly into his arms. Snow slid from my shoulders, revealing damp, icy patches and the sharp sting along my arm where I had hit the ground.
Ryder's eyes swept over me quickly, lingering far too long on the places where I pretended to hide the pain. His jaw tightened; one arm pulled me closer, as though if he let go, I would collapse back into the white expanse. I could hear his heart pounding right beneath my ear fast, heavy, panicked while the world around us seemed to compress until there were only the two of us, trapped between the biting cold and the damp, metallic scent of snow.
I fluttered my eyelids, then let out a sob, as if dragged back from a nightmare. Only after he gently shook my shoulders and called my name several more times did I "wake," my gaze frantic and hollow, like someone who had barely escaped death.
"Th-the robbers…" I stammered, my words breaking apart. "They blocked the car… the driver was shot… I... I was so scared…"
Ryder took off his coat and wrapped it around me. His gentleness, his love was always what made me feel safe, because I never had to guess. It was always there, precisely where I needed it, catching me every time I fell. To be honest, half of my fear right now wasn't an act. What had just happened had truly crushed what little courage I had left, pushing me into raw panic especially with Vincent already weighing so heavily on my mind.
The familiar scent of sandalwood enveloped me, warm enough to make my heart tremble, not with fear, but with the certainty that I had him in my grasp. He bent down to help me sit up, his gaze softening completely. It was the look of someone who always believed he could save others, and who was ready to believe anyone who appeared fragile in front of him.
"Are you hurt? Do you feel pain anywhere?" he asked, low and urgent.
"No…" I shook my head, my voice trembling just enough. My hand instinctively tightened around his. "But I'm so scared, Ryder. I… I thought I was going to die."
He squeezed my hand gently in reassurance, his voice dropping, hoarse. "It's okay now. I'm here. I'll take you home."
I looked up at him. I was sure my eyes looked wounded, wronged, so full of pain that even the coldest heart would feel pity. For a fleeting moment, I felt sorry for him. But it passed as quickly as snow melting in a palm. What remained was calculation, only calculation for myself. And that was the moment I stepped fully into the rest of the play.
"H-home…?" I murmured, as if half-conscious, my eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I don't have a home."
"What are you saying, Dane? The Silver Fang pack is your home. The place you've lived for five years, that's your home."
I saw it then. I saw the hurt in Ryder's eyes. In truth, more than once he had offered to buy me a house of my own, to let me move out, but I had politely refused courteous excuses masking the real reason. I wanted to stay in Vincent's house. I wanted to stay close to him.
"Then… let me take you to my place," Ryder said softly. "I'll protect you. No one can hurt you there. My home is your home."
I knew Ryder felt a deep kinship with me, because at this point, we were both orphans without parents. Grasping that weakness, I sobbed harder.
"Ryder… I did something wrong. I... I was foolish…"
"Vincent…" I whispered, forcing my voice to shake just a little more. "Does he know? He'll think I ran away, won't he? I never wanted that… I only..."
"Dane," Ryder cut in gently, "Vincent won't blame you. I'll talk to him. I promise."
I looked at him, my lips trembling as if I were about to cry again, while inside, a very quiet smile bloomed. I knew he would say that. Ryder always stood on my side, as if in this brutal world, I were the only thing left worth protecting.
I lowered my head, my voice small and weak. "I… I don't want to drag you into this. I don't want to. Vincent will definitely be angry, he loves Majori so much. I was wrong, Ryder. I regret it so much. I never wanted to hurt her. I only wanted to let her go. I saw how they were tormenting each other, how they could never be happy together. I… I just didn't want to see Vincent suffer."
My tears spilled at exactly the right moment, yes, right then. And I saw Ryder's eyes redden as well as he pulled me tightly into his arms.
"You're right," he said hoarsely. "You're not wrong. I see it too. I think Majori should leave. But Dane… can you just let Vincent go? Let them go. We're not the ones inside their story, we can't really understand it. And if it were you… I'd do anything to keep you by my side."
Not the one inside the story? His words made something flare angrily inside me. Even if you weren't at the center, you could still see right from wrong, what should be done and what shouldn't. Why was deciding whom to love, whom to stay with, and whom to let go so impossibly difficult?
But of course, I let none of that show. I kept crying. "I'm afraid I'll get you into trouble. I'm afraid Vincent will punish you. We shouldn't, Ryder… let's go separately. Let me go back on my own, okay? I'll take responsibility. I'll apologize to him."
Ryder's hand slid gently into my hair, his voice a whisper, soothing the little wolf losing control inside my chest.
"Trust me, Dane."
His hand patted my back lightly. "Come with me, okay? No one will dare raise their voice at you. I promise."
"Really?" My voice trembled, nearly dissolving into the cold air.
And then Ryder raised his pinky finger.
The gesture was slow, a little awkward, as if he were afraid of shattering the fragile moment suspended between us. His hand was still cold from the snow, the tip of his finger faintly red, yet when he held it out to me, there was a quiet resolve in it, no explanation needed.
He tilted his head, his gaze darkening with seriousness so intense it made my heart tighten. The pinky waited there, still an innocent, childish promise, yet one that now weighed more than any oath.
I hesitated for a heartbeat, then lifted my hand as well. When our pinkies touched, the cold vanished at once, chased away by familiar warmth. Ryder hooked his finger around mine and squeezed lightly, just enough for me to know he wouldn't let go.
"I promise," he said softly, his voice mingling with the wind, every word strangely clear. "I'll never abandon you. I'll never let you be hurt."
That single sentence was all it took. I knew I had won.
I rested my head against his shoulder, letting my tears soak into his coat, letting him believe in my fragility. As the car rolled along the snow-covered road, I turned to look out the window. At the edge of the distant forest, I thought I could see Brian's silhouette lingering among the dark trees.
I didn't know whether it was real or just an illusion but he didn't follow.
Of course he didn't. He didn't need to.
He knew I would return on my own, beneath the perfect mask he himself had helped me shape.