CHAPTER 4

Maya POV

I moved silently and deliberately further into the forest until darkness engulfed me. I couldn't afford to leave a trail with all eyes on me. The burden of everything I had just left behind and what I would have to deal with weighed heavily on my thoughts.

My instincts told me to keep running and get away from Darius, but something stronger kept dragging me back.

The flash of remembrance was sudden and intense.

My ex-Alpha growled and tightened his grip on my wrist, and snarled "Without this pack, you're nothing. Useless. Weak. A stain on our name.”

I didn't cry, but his words were painful. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

My parents died to save a stranger who disappeared without a trace, paying the ultimate price for their allegiance. And me, I was left to bear the guilt and the responsibility.

Someone snarled behind me, "Perhaps you ought to have died with them."

I turned and forced myself to look into my packmates' vile eyes. Their harsh, critical gazes penetrated me. I suppressed my pride, fear, and impulse to lash out.

They were right.

A dull throb that had become a part of me was the familiar ache in my chest. The forest seemed to be watching me and waiting for me to stumble as I walked through the shadows.

I did not.

After leaving my pack, I had been scrounging my way to survival for weeks. I had turned the forest into both my haven and my jail. Searching for food, avoiding trackers, and surviving were daily struggles.

I suddenly caught sight of him.

Darius.

I didn’t know his name then, only that he moved through the trees like a predator, all lethal grace and commanding presence. He was everything I hated an Alpha, a symbol of control, a reminder of everything I’d lost.

However, there was also another thing. Something I can't identify.

As I stood on the edge of the Midnight Pack's territory, my heart pounded in my ears. I knew I had no other option, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The ground was covered in lengthy shadows as the moonlight penetrated the trees. For a brief time, my steps faltered as his dark, euphoric, and utterly unnerving aroma hit me.

I could tell he was there without turning around.

"You're either brave or foolish to come here by yourself."

The icy, cutting voice sent a chill down my spine as it cut through the quiet like a razor. With a neutral face and a tight body, I pushed myself to turn.

"I have no time for games. You know why am here.”

Darius stood just a few feet away, his towering frame backlit by the pale light of the moon. His presence filled the clearing, oppressive and inescapable, like the storm rolling in overhead. His dark eyes locked on mine, unblinking, unreadable.

“And yet rogue, you are still standing on my territory.” His mouth formed a shape that was not quite a smile. It is more like a warning . "That’s bold, even for someone like you.”

I raised my chin to look directly into his eyes. "I need your help."

When I pushed the words out, they tasted bitter.

I became agitated as he gave a low, mocking laugh. “Help? You came all this way to beg?”

"I don't beg."

That caught his attention. There was a flash of intrigue on his face as his head tipped slightly.

"Then, what are you giving me in exchange for this help?" The sweetness in his voice made my skin crawl, even though it had softened.

I rounded my shoulders. “Information about the Council. And their intentions for the rogue wolf.”

The derision drained from his face, and his expression deepened. “You have got my attention."

He took a step closer, with power sizzling around him. I defied my instincts, which told me to keep my distance and back off.

"You have been running for a while, have you?" His tone was curious and quiet. “But you didn't just happen to wander into my territory. Why me?"

"Because you're the only one strong enough to take them on," I said, detesting the sound of my weakness.

"What gives you the impression that I'll help you?"

I paused, feeling the pressure of what I was about to say. "Because they're also coming for you."

His eyes narrowed, and I briefly caught a glimpse of something threatening. “Explain."

To steady myself, I inhaled deeply. "The Council is not only focusing on rogues. They are removing everybody in their way as they consolidate their control. Even Alphas who don't follow the rules.”

"You also think I'm interested in their games?"

I said firmly, "You should. Because you're next.”

There was a thick, oppressive quiet between us.

Finally, he murmured in an unintelligible tone, "Interesting. But even so, that doesn't explain why I should trust you."

"You don't need to trust me," I retorted. "But you'll regret not listening.”

His eyes were penetrating as he examined me. "You’re playing a dangerous game, rogue.”

“So are you"

There was a brief moment when I feared he would leave me alone. A slow, rapacious smile, but, curled his lips.

With a velvety voice, he responded, "All right. I'll bite. But if you are lying to me…

"I am not."

“Good" He pressed himself against me like a physical force, his eyes darkening. “If you are lying to me, I'll make you wish the Council find you first.”

I found myself standing in the wilderness again as the memory faded.

Why had I come back to him? Why did I keep throwing myself into danger, into his path?

It was a straightforward and horrifying answer.

Because the only thing scarier than trusting him... was not trusting him.

My thoughts were heavy as I follow him, and the darkness grew more profound. I kept many things from Darius and buried many truth.

His name had been mumbled in the Council's rooms long before I left my pack, but I hadn't told him I had come to him for protection.

His name and mine.

Destiny had tied us together, whether we wanted it or not.

And that was the problem with destinies. They didn’t care about what you wanted.

I felt the weight of my past pressing down on me as we made our way through the trees. How could I tell him the truth when I wasn't even sure I could handle it myself?

With the rumbling of the storm above, I stopped and looked up at the sky.

I had to make a decision.

The memory of his words echoed in my mind, sharp and unyielding.

“If you are lying to me, I'll make you wish the Council find you first.”

Despite the chill that went down my spine, I persisted.

I would face him.

And I would tell him everything.

Because now the truth was more important than us both.