We ran.
Branches whipped past us as we moved through the dark forest.
"How do you know they're coming?" I asked.
The stranger didn't slow.
"Because I would."
That wasn't comforting.
Behind us, distant howls echoed closer.
My former pack.
Hunting me.
My chest tightened.
Why?
"What did I do?" I asked.
"You existed," he said simply.
Then he glanced at me again.
"Which is apparently dangerous."
We reached a cliff overlooking a valley.
Below, lights from another territory flickered.
Another pack.
The stranger stopped.
"You have two choices," he said.
"What?"
"Run alone and probably die."
Great.
"Or?"
"Come with me."
I hesitated.
"I don't even know your name."
He smiled slightly.
"Call me Lucien."
The howls behind us grew louder.
Decision time.
I looked back once toward my old home.
Then forward.
"Fine."
Lucien's smile widened.
"Good choice."
But far behind us—
Alpha Kaiden watched from the forest.
And for the first time since rejecting me…
He looked worried.