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đ Episode 24: The Night Breaks
Lila's POV
The fire had burned down to glowing embers, painting the cabin in flickering shades of red and gold. I stirred under the blanket, half-asleep, when a faint sound cut through the stillness.
A crunch. Outside.
I froze, holding my breath.
Ethan, sitting near the door, went rigid. His head tilted slightly, listening. His golden eyes flashed faintly in the dark.
"Stay quiet," he whispered, barely audible.
My heart hammered as I sat up. "What is it?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he rose in one fluid motion, muscles coiled, silent as a shadow.
The sound came againâa shuffle, closer this time. Then a low growl rolled through the night air.
Ethan's hand brushed the doorframe, his body tense. He looked back at me, his voice sharp but calm. "If anything happens, don't move. Do you understand?"
I nodded, throat dry.
The next moment, the door rattled violently. I gasped, clutching the blanket.
Ethan threw the door open, a blur of motion as a dark shape lunged in. I caught a flash of claws, glowing red eyesâthen Ethan slammed into it, dragging the creature out into the night.
The cabin shook with the impact.
My body screamed to run to him, but his words echoed in my head. Don't move.
I crept to the doorway, heart in my throat. Outside, the moon cast everything in silver and shadow. Ethan was locked in brutal combat with a massive rogue wolf, its eyes wild, its snarls splitting the night.
He moved with terrifying grace, striking, dodging, his strength otherworldly. For the first time, I saw the wolf inside himânot just in his eyes, but in every line of his body, every ruthless motion.
Another growl split the airâand a second wolf burst from the trees.
"Ethan!" I screamed before I could stop myself.
He whirled, eyes blazing gold, and in that instant I swore I saw fur ripple beneath his skin, his teeth flashing sharper than humanly possible.
"Get back!" he roared.
The second wolf lunged for me. Panic surgedâI stumbled back inside, fumbling for anything to defend myself with. My hand closed around a broken chair leg just as the beast burst through the doorway.
It snarled, eyes locking on me, but before it could strike, Ethan slammed into it from the side, sending it crashing into the wall.
"Run, Lila!" he barked.
But my feet wouldn't move. "Not without you!"
For a split second, our eyes metâhis burning with feral light, mine wide with fear and something else. Something deeper.
Then the first wolf was on him again.
The fight was savage, brutal. I could only watch, trembling, as Ethan tore into them with a strength that no ordinary man should possess. Blood sprayed, claws slashed, snarls filled the air.
At last, with a final, bone-cracking sound, one rogue fell still. The other limped away into the trees, whining before disappearing into the shadows.
Ethan stood in the wreckage of the cabin doorway, chest heaving, blood streaking his arms. His eyes glowed gold, his breaths coming out in low, feral growls.
For a moment, he looked like a stranger.
I shrank back instinctively, fear and awe warring inside me.
Then his gaze landed on me, and the glow softened. Slowly, he straightened, forcing steady breaths.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rough, ragged.
I shook my head, though I wasn't sure I could even speak.
He stepped closer, and I saw the cuts on his arms, the blood smeared across his skin. "You shouldn't have stayed so close to the door."
Anger flared through my fear. "And whatâlet you fight them alone? I couldn't just sit there!"
His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking. "You could've been killed."
"And so could you!" My voice cracked. "Do you think I care less about your life than mine?"
His expression faltered. Something raw flickered in his eyes. He reached up, hesitating only a moment before brushing a trembling hand along my cheek.
"I don't know what to do with you," he admitted hoarsely. "You make me reckless."
My throat tightened. "Maybe I'm not the only stubborn one, then."
Despite the blood, despite the fear, I leaned into his touch.
And for once, he didn't pull away.
Ethan's POV
Her scent was everywhereâfear, adrenaline, but under it all, something else. Trust.
It terrified me more than the rogues had.
I wanted to tell her the truth thenâthat the rogues would keep coming, that she was more tangled in my world than she realized. That the bond between us wasn't something either of us could outrun.
But as I looked into her eyes, wide and unflinching despite everything she'd just seen, the words stuck in my throat.
Because if I told her, there would be no turning back.
And I wasn't ready to let her choose a life that might destroy her.
Not yet.
So instead, I drew her closer, pressing my forehead gently to hers, just as I had in the cave. My voice was low, desperate.
"As long as I breathe, I won't let anything touch you."
Her answer was a whisper, trembling but certain. "Then I'll fight to make sure you keep breathing."
And in that moment, I knewâno matter how much I tried to resistâshe was already mine.
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⨠End of Episode 24