Maeve's POV
The bag ripped as I stuffed my last healing plants inside, spilling dried flowers all over my bedroom floor.
"No, no, no," I whispered, dropping to my knees to gather them. My hands shook so badly I could barely pick up the tiny purple flowers. I needed these herbs. They helped with morning sickness.
A noise outside made me freeze. Had they found me? I'd been hiding in my cottage for three days since fleeing Ariana in the forest. Three days of throwing up, crying, and making this desperate plan.
I shoved the leaves into a smaller pouch and tied it shut. No time to lose. The moon was high—most of the pack would be asleep. My chance to leave was now.
I touched my stomach gently. "We're going to be okay," I told my baby. "Far away from here."
My bag was too small for everything, so I had to choose carefully. Clothes, herbs, the silver bracelet Raiden gave me (I could sell it), and a small knife for defense. Everything else had to stay behind.
As I closed the bag, my eyes fell on the small wooden wolf figure my father made me before he died. I couldn't leave that. I tucked it into my pocket, fighting back tears.
The floorboard near my door creaked. Someone was outside.
I grabbed my knife, heart pounding against my ribs. The guards had been watching my house. Had Raiden sent them to take me to him? Or worse—had Ariana come to finish what she started in the forest?
The window was my only getaway. I threw my bag out first, then started to climb out when my door swung open.
I gasped, raising my knife.
"Maeve, it's me!" Luca whispered, stepping inside.
Relief flooded through me. "Luca? You scared me half to death!"
"Sorry," he said, closing the door behind him. "Where are you going?"
I lowered my knife but didn't put it away. "I can't stay here. Not anymore."
Luca's green eyes traveled to my half-packed bag, then to my face. "Because of the baby?"
My mouth fell open. "How did you—"
"I can smell the change in you," he said softly. "Most wolves can't yet, but I've always been...different."
I didn't know what to say. I'd been so careful, but obviously not careful enough.
"Does Raiden know?" Luca asked.
"He knows," I said sadly. "Marcus told him. And do you know what he did? Called me a 'complication'! He doesn't want this baby. He's still going to mate with Ariana under the red moon."
Luca's face darkened. "The red moon is in ten days. You need to be far away by then."
"That's what I'm trying to do," I said, turning back to the window.
"Wait," Luca grabbed my arm. "You can't just leave like this. The forest is dangerous at night."
"I don't have a choice!"
"Let me help you," he said. "I know a safe way through the mountains. A place where Raiden and Ariana won't find you."
I paused. "Why would you help me?"
"Because..." Luca looked down, then back at me with those intense green eyes. "Because I care about you, Maeve. I always have."
Something sparked inside me—that same strange feeling I'd had when he touched my hand before. Like power but warmer, safer.
"There's something else you should know," Luca continued. "Ariana isn't who she claims to be. I've been watching her, and last night I saw her doing something in the bush."
"What?"
"Some kind of rite with blood. She killed a rabbit and drew figures on the ground. She was speaking in a strange language."
A chill ran down my spine. "Dark magic?" I whispered.
Luca nodded. "I think she plans to use the blood moon for something terrible. And I'm afraid she might want your baby for the rite."
My hands went protectively to my stomach. "Why would she want my baby?"
"A child of the Alpha holds power," Luca stated. "Especially one conceived during a waning moon, like yours was."
"How do you know when—"
"I told you. I'm different," Luca said. "I know things others don't."
A sudden crash outside made us both jump. Voices yelled commands—they were searching the nearby cottages.
"They're looking for you," Luca said. "We need to go. Now."
I grabbed my bag and followed him to the door. "Is there another way out? They'll see us if we use the main road."
"Yes, through the yard. I'll confuse them while you slip into the forest. Head north and wait for me by the split oak tree."
"You know the one?"
"Of course," Luca smiled. "We used to play there as kids, remember?"
I did remember. Luca had always been there, in the background of my life, quiet and steady. How had I never noticed how his eyes seemed to see right through me?
We slipped out into the yard. The night was clear, stars sparkling above us like a thousand watching eyes.
"Ready?" Luca whispered.
I nodded, though terror made my legs weak.
"Hey!" Luca shouted suddenly, running toward the main road. "I saw someone running that way! Toward the river!"
The guards turned at his voice, moving away from us. I took my chance and ran into the trees, sticking to the shadows.
The forest was different at night—darker, more living. Every sound made me jump. An owl hooted overhead, and somewhere a wolf howled. I clutched my knife tighter and kept moving.
After what felt like hours, I reached the split oak tree. Its massive trunk had been hit by lightning years ago, splitting it down the middle without killing it. The two halves grew separately now, reaching for the sky like open arms.
I sank down at its base, tired. My gut churned with morning sickness, though it was the middle of the night.
"Breathe," I told myself, taking out my herbs. I chewed a few leaves, letting the bitter taste settle my stomach.
A twig snapped nearby. I jumped up, knife ready.
"It's just me," Luca said, stepping into the moonlight. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, too tired to speak.
"Good. I brought food and water," he said, giving me a small pack. "The path ahead is long."
"Thank you," I said, taking a sip of water. "I don't know how to repay you."
"Let me come with you," Luca said suddenly.
I nearly choked on the water. "What?"
"Let me come with you," he repeated. "I can protect you. Both of you." His eyes flickered to my stomach.
"Luca, I can't ask you to leave your home, your family—"
"You're not asking. I'm offering." He took my hand, and that strange warmth flowed between us again. "Maeve, there's something between us. Something important. I've felt it our whole lives."
"I'm pregnant with another man's child," I told him.
"I don't care," he said. "The kid is innocent. And you deserve better than being cast away."
Another howl broke the night, closer this time. A wild howl.
"They're tracking us," Luca said sadly. "We need to move."
"I can't let you risk your life for me," I said, drawing my hand away. "I have to do this alone."
"Maeve—"
"No," I cut him off. "Tell me the way through the mountains. I'll find my way."
Hurt flashed in his eyes, but he nodded. "Follow the north star until you reach the river. Then head east along the bank until you find a road marked with white stones. It leads to a house. My uncle lives there—he'll help you."
"Thank you," I whispered. "Now go back before they realize you helped me."
Luca took something from his pocket—a small wooden charm in the shape of a crescent moon. "Take this. For protection."
As I took it, our fingers brushed, and a shock of that strange energy passed between us, stronger than before. I gasped as pictures flashed in my mind—Luca and me as children, as teenagers, moments I'd forgotten. And something else—a picture of us together, with a small child between us.
"What was that?" I whispered, pulling my hand away.
"The truth," Luca said softly. "The truth I've been trying to tell you."
The howls came again, even closer.
"Go!" Luca urged. "Follow the north star."
I turned and ran deeper into the trees, the charm clutched tightly in my hand.
Behind me, I heard Luca shift into his wolf form. He was going to lead them away from me.
I ran until my lungs burned, following the north star just as he'd said. The river couldn't be far now.
A growl from the darkness ahead made me skid to a stop. Two sparkling eyes stared at me from between the trees. Not Luca. Not Raiden.
The huge white wolf stepped into the moonlight, te
eth bared.
"Hello, little omega," came Ariana's voice in my mind. "Going somewhere?"