Avery's POV
We didn't sleep.
The cabin never stopped listening.
Every creak of wood sounded like a footstep. Every shift of wind made my spine lock tight. I sat on the edge of the cot with the rifle across my knees, eyes fixed on the door while the man I'd dragged into my life lay on the floor, breathing shallow and uneven.
Liam.
That was his name. He'd told me in a whisper like names were dangerous things.
"They won't come in yet," he said quietly, staring at the ceiling. "They like to wait. Let fear soften the kill."
"That's comforting," I muttered.
His mouth twitched once. Then his expression hardened again. "You need to understand something before we move."
"Move where?" I snapped. "Because if you think I'm walking blind into whatever hell is chasing you—"
"You already are."
The mark on my wrist throbbed like it agreed.
"They're pack," he continued. "Which means territory. Laws. Alphas."
I tightened my grip on the rifle. "And you?"
"I don't belong to any of them." His jaw clenched. "Not anymore."
That was the first time I heard it. Not regret. Rage.
A branch snapped outside.
We both froze.
Liam pushed himself upright, pain etched into every line of his face. "Scouts," he said.
"They move quiet. Circle wide."
My pulse spiked. "Then why are you sitting?"
"Because if we run too early, they'll herd us."
That word—us—settled heavy in my chest.
"You said they wouldn't kill me."
"They won't," he replied. "Not yet."
I didn't like the way he said that.
The cabin shuddered as something brushed past the wall. Not accidental. Curious.
Liam grabbed my arm. "Now."
We slipped out the back window, boots crunching too loud in the snow. The forest swallowed us fast, dark and unforgiving. My lungs burned almost immediately. The cold bit deep. I could feel eyes tracking us even when I couldn't see them.
"What did you do?" I hissed as we ran. "Why are they hunting you like this?"
"I crossed borders I wasn't allowed to," he said. "Refused an Alpha's command."
"Which Alpha?"
He didn't answer right away.
That told me enough.
The forest thinned as we moved downhill. The scent changed—less pine, more frost and stone. My cabin territory was ending. I felt it in my bones even before Liam said it.
"We're close to the boundary," he said. "After this—no rules. Just dominance."
A howl rolled through the trees behind us.
Closer.
My legs shook. "You said packs had laws."
"They do." He glanced back. "Doesn't mean they follow them."
We broke into a clearing at the edge of the forest.
And stopped dead.
They were already there.
Four wolves stepped out of the shadows first. Massive. Controlled. Their fur was dark, almost black, eyes glowing pale gold as they shifted—bones cracking, bodies rising—until men stood where beasts had been.
Then the fifth presence made the air change.
He didn't rush.
He didn't need to.
He stood at the center of the clearing like it belonged to him, tall and broad-shouldered, dark coat hanging open over his bare chest. His power pressed outward, thick and suffocating. I felt it hit my skin like pressure.
An Alpha.
Not Liam.
This one was colder.
His gaze found me instantly.
Not curious. Not surprised.
Claiming.
"Well," he said calmly, voice low and precise. "You've made this difficult."
Liam moved in front of me without thinking. His body trembled—not fear. Restraint.
"Stay back," Liam growled. "She's not part of this."
The Alpha's mouth curved slightly. "She is now."
The mark on my wrist flared, white-hot.
I cried out, clutching it as pain ripped through me. It felt like my bones were being pulled toward him, my blood humming in response to something ancient and violent.
The Alpha's eyes narrowed.
"Oh," he murmured. "Interesting."
"What are you doing to her?" Liam snarled.
"I'm not doing anything," the Alpha replied coolly. "The bond is reacting."
My stomach dropped. "Bond?"
The Alpha took a single step forward.
Every wolf in the clearing bowed their head.
"I am Alpha Riven of the Northpine Pack," he said. "And you just trespassed onto my land."
His gaze never left me.
"More importantly," he continued, "you touched what was marked by moonlight."
My wrist burned hotter. I gasped, knees buckling. Liam caught me, his hands shaking as he held me upright.
"She didn't choose this," he said through clenched teeth.
Riven's eyes flicked to him, sharp and merciless. "Neither did I."
Then his attention returned to me.
"You felt it, didn't you?" he asked. "The pull."
I shook my head, lying even as my body betrayed me. My heartbeat raced in time with his presence. My skin prickled. Fear and something worse twisted together in my chest.
"You don't belong to him," Riven said softly. "Or to this land."
His voice dropped.
"But the moon doesn't care about belonging."
The wolves behind him stepped closer, closing the circle.
I looked around wildly. No path out. No cover. Just snow and teeth and glowing eyes.
Liam's voice was rough in my ear. "When I say run—"
Riven lifted a hand.
Silence fell instantly.
"Enough," he said. "This ends now."
He met my eyes again, and the weight of his authority slammed into me so hard I nearly blacked out.
"You will come with us," he said. Not a request. "Both of you."
"And if we don't?" I whispered.
His smile was thin. "Then I take you anyway."
The mark on my wrist pulsed once.
Hard.
And I knew, with sick clarity, that running had never been an option.
Because the hunt was already over.