Talia's POV

Something felt wrong before anyone said a word.

It started with the silence.

The pack grounds were never truly quiet.

There was always movement, laughter, the sound of training, the rhythm of life. But that morning, the air felt heavy. It felt too still. Like the forest itself was holding its breath.

I noticed it when Ingrid didn't smile at breakfast.

I noticed it when warriors gathered in small groups, their voices low, eyes sharp. I noticed it when Karon didn't joke, didn't tease, didn't laugh even once.

And then I noticed Ramon.

He hadn't looked at me since training the night before. Now, when he entered the hall, the room shifted. Conversations stopped. Backs straightened. Faces hardened.

Something had happened.

I stood slowly, my chest tight. "What's going on?"

No one answered.

Ramon's gaze snapped to me instantly.

"Stay where you are," he said sharply.

That tone.

It wasn't calm. It wasn't gentle. It was command.

My spine stiffened. "Don't talk to me like that."

He crossed the room in long strides and stopped right in front of me. His eyes were dark, stormy, burning with something that looked dangerously close to fear.

"We need to talk," he said. "Now."

"I'm not a child," I shot back. "You don't get to..."

"Talia," he snapped. Then, softer, but tighter, "I really do not have the time for your quarrels today."

That word stopped me.

"Just come with me."

He took my wrist, not rough, but firm, and guided me toward my room. I could feel eyes on my back the entire way. Whispers followed us like shadows.

The door shut behind us with a heavy thud.

"What happened?" I asked immediately. "Why is everyone acting like...."

He turned to face me, jaw clenched. "The rogue pack sent a message."

My heart dropped.

"Rogues?" I whispered.

"Yes."

I swallowed hard. "What kind of message?"

He hesitated. Just for a second.

That hesitation scared me more than any answer.

"They know about you," he said.

The room felt smaller. "Know... what about me?"

"They know who you are," he replied. "What you mean. And what you are to this pack."

My hands curled into fists. "What did they say, Ramon?"

He exhaled sharply and finally met my eyes.

"They said if I don't surrender territory," he said slowly, "they'll take you."

The words hit me like a slap.

"Take me?" I repeated, disbelief flooding my voice. "You mean kidnap me?"

"They didn't use that word," he said grimly. "They said break."

My stomach twisted violently.

I took a step back. "Why me?"

His voice was rough when he answered. "Because you're human. Because you matter to me. Because they think you're my weakness. They saw you that night, remember?"

Something snapped inside my chest.

"So this is my fault now?" I asked bitterly. "I come here, and suddenly I'm a target?"

"No," he said quickly. "This is not your fault."

"Then why does it feel like I'm being punished for existing?" I demanded.

He rubbed a hand over his face. "That's not what this is."

"Then what is it?" I asked. "Because it feels like the moment I arrived here, danger followed me."

His eyes softened just a little. "Danger existed long before you."

Silence stretched between us.

Finally, he spoke again. "You're not leaving the pack grounds."

I stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"You won't go out alone," he continued.

"You'll be escorted at all times. Training will continue, but only with guards present.

No wandering. No early walks. No....."

"No freedom, no breathing, how about just kill me" I cut in.

His jaw tightened.

"You don't get to lock me up," I said coldly.

"This is not a prison," he snapped.

"Then why does it feel exactly like one?" I shot back.

He stepped closer. "Because you don't understand what they'll do if they get their hands on you."

"And you think scaring me into obedience is the solution?" I asked. "Dragging me deeper into your world and calling it protection?"

His voice dropped. "I am trying to keep you alive."

"Fuck you, Ramon". I said

"I was alive before you," I said quietly. "I was safe."

His eyes flared. "You think the human world would protect you from monsters like them?"

"At least it was my choice," I snapped.

That hurt him.

I saw it in the way his shoulders tensed, the way his eyes darkened with something like regret.

"You don't see it," he said softly. "You don't see how fragile you are to them."

I laughed bitterly. "And you don't see how strong I had to be before you took my life away.",

Silence crashed between us again.

Then he spoke, slower now. "This is exactly why I wanted you trained."

"So I can fight rogues now?" I scoffed. "Is that it?"

"So you won't freeze when fear comes," he replied. "So you won't die because you thought peace meant safety."

I looked away, my throat burning.

"I won't let them touch you," he said firmly. "Not ever."

I turned back to him. "You don't get to promise that."

"I do," he said. "As your Alpha."

"There it is," I whispered. "That stupid title again."

He flinched.

"You keep using power when you're afraid," I said. "And every time you do, you push me further away."

His voice broke just slightly. "I would rather have you angry than dead."

That stopped me.

Because I saw it then.

The kind that claws into your chest and refuses to let go.

"I won't be hidden," I said quietly. "I won't be caged for your peace of mind."

"And I won't bury you," he replied just as quietly.

We stood there, staring at each other, two people on opposite sides of the same fear.

Outside, the pack prepared for war.

And somewhere beyond the forest...

Someone had marked me as prey.

Talia's POV

Restlessness is a quiet kind of torture.

It doesn't scream.

It doesn't hurt loudly.

It just sits inside your chest and slowly eats away at you.

That was how I felt.

Trapped.

I spent most of my days in my room now. The same walls. The same window. The same view of the trees I wasn't allowed to walk into.

Guards stood outside my door day and night, pretending they weren't there, pretending I wasn't a prisoner.

I stopped asking to go out.

The answer was always no.

At first, I tried to distract myself. I wrote in my journal. I read old books Ingrid brought me. I helped her with housekeeping.

But even Ingrid couldn't save me from boredom forever.

Conversation became repetitive. Silence stretched longer. And every time she left, the room felt smaller.

Ramon was nowhere to be seen.

And honestly? Wherever he was, he could stay there.

After our argument, I didn't want to see his face. I didn't want to hear his calm voice or his rules disguised as concern. I didn't want him looking at me like I was fragile glass waiting to shatter.

I hated that he was right about the danger.

And I hated even more that his protection felt exactly like a cage.

One afternoon, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the door like it might open on its own if I glared hard enough.

That was when I heard voices.

Soft.

Right outside my door.

I leaned closer, my heart picking up speed.

"...she hasn't been outside in days," a woman's voice said.

I knew that voice.

Selene.

"She's safer this way," a guard replied.

"Safe doesn't always mean alive," Selene said sharply. "You wolves forget that."

There was a pause.

"I'll speak with her," she added. "She needs someone who isn't afraid of her questions."

The guards hesitated, then the door knocked.

I opened it myself.

Selene stood there, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, her expression soft but serious.

For a second, we just looked at each other.

Then I stepped aside. "Please come in."

She glanced at the guards once more before entering.

The door closed behind her.

I exhaled deeply. "Thank you."

She smiled faintly. "You look like someone who hasn't seen the sky in a while."

"That obvious?" I muttered.

She sat on the chair near the window while I remained standing, pacing like a restless animal.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," I admitted. "I can't go anywhere. I can't breathe without someone watching me."

She nodded slowly. "Ramon thinks he's protecting you."

"I know," I snapped. "That doesn't make it okay."

"No," she agreed quietly. "It doesn't."

I stopped pacing and stared at her. "Why are you here, Selene?"

She met my eyes without flinching. "Because I remember what it feels like to be silenced for someone else's fear."

Something about that made my chest tighten.

We talked for a while. About small things. About the pack. About how strange wolf politics were. She had a dry sense of humor that surprised me, and for the first time in days, I laughed.

But eventually, the silence crept back in.

And with it, the question I couldn't stop thinking about.

"Selene," I said slowly, "tell me the truth."

She stiffened slightly. "About what?"

"About Ramon," I said. "And the rogues."

Her gaze dropped to her hands.

That scared me.

"They sent a message because of me," I continued. "That's what he said. But this war didn't start with me, did it?"

She didn't answer right away.

"Selene," I pressed.

She inhaled slowly. "No. It didn't."

My heart sank. "Then why?"

She looked up at me, and something dark passed through her eyes.

"Because Ramon made a promise," she said. "And broke it."

The room felt colder.

"What kind of promise?"

She hesitated, then spoke anyway. "He promised marriage to the sister of the rogue wolf."

I felt like the floor shifted beneath me.

"What?"

"She was young," Selene continued. "She was strong and loyal. She believed in him. But he used her and when he was done, he discarded her like trash."

My throat went dry. "You're saying he... used her?"

"She was pregnant, Talia," Selene said softly. "With his child."

The words slammed into me.

"No," I whispered. "That's not.....he wouldn't....."

"He left her," Selene said. "Abandoned her. No explanation. No protection."

My hands began to shake.

"And when the child was born?" I asked.

Selene's jaw tightened. "The child died. So did the sister."

I felt sick.

"That's why the rogue pack wants blood," she continued. "Not territory. Not power. But Justice."

I backed away slowly, my chest tight, my thoughts spinning wildly.

"That doesn't sound like the man I know," I said, more to myself than to her.

Selene's eyes sharpened. "You don't know him, Talia. Not really."

I swallowed hard. "He told me he wouldn't take what I didn't choose. He said he wouldn't force me."

"Did he choose for her?" Selene asked quietly.

Silence swallowed the room.

My heart was racing now, confusion tearing me apart.

"Why would he do that?" I whispered.

"Because he's an Alpha," she replied. "And Alphas make decisions that destroy lives."

I shook my head. "That's not fair."

"Neither was abandoning a pregnant woman," Selene snapped.

Pain flashed across her face before she quickly masked it.

I stared at her. "Why are you telling me this?"

She stood slowly. "Because you deserve the truth. Because if you're going to stay here, you should know who you're trusting."

My chest burned.

I didn't know what to believe anymore.

Ramon the protector.

Ramon the liar.

Ramon the man who kissed me like I mattered.

And now this.

Selene walked toward the door. "Think carefully, Talia. Wolves don't forget betrayal."

She reached for the handle.

Then froze.

Her eyes widened slightly.

I turned slowly.

Ramon stood just outside the door.

His face was stone.

His eyes were locked on Selene.

"How long," he asked quietly, "were you planning to poison her with lies?"

My blood ran cold.

Selene's hand trembled on the handle.

And in that moment, I realized.....

This wasn't just a story.

It was a war of truths.

And I was standing right in the middle of it.

Talia's POV

"Let her go," I said.

My voice shook, but my eyes didn't leave Ramon's face. Anger burned through me, hot and sharp, cutting away every trace of fear.

"Let her go, Ramon."

For a second, he didn't move.

Then Selene slipped past him like smoke, her shoulder brushing mine as she rushed out of the room. She didn't look back. The door closed softly behind her, leaving only silence.

And him.

I folded my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how close he was. Too close. Everything about him felt like a lie now.

I didn't trust him.

Not anymore.

If he could promise marriage to a woman, leave her pregnant, and pretend nothing happened,what guarantee did I have that every word he'd said to me wasn't just another pretty lie?

"You believe her," he said quietly, folding his arms across his chest.

It wasn't a question.

"Yes," I snapped. "Why shouldn't I?"

His jaw tightened. "Talia..."

"No," I cut in, stepping forward. "Tell me. Give me one very good reason why I shouldn't believe her."

He held my gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"You kidnapped me," I continued, my voice rising. "Dragged me out of my life. Brought me here. Locked me in a den full of wolves. And then you fed me some fucking cock-and-bull story about fate and mates like that was supposed to make everything okay!"

"That's not...."

"You didn't even tell me why those people attacked you!" I shouted cutting him shut. "You let me think they were monsters, when maybe they were just people who wanted justice!"

His face hardened.

"You're a bastard," I said, the word ripping out of my chest. "You're no better than them."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Pain flickered across his face, quick but real.

"I didn't abandon anyone," he said finally.

I laughed. A sharp, broken sound. "Oh, please."

"I'm telling you the truth," he insisted. "I never slept with her."

My chest tightened.

"She told you she was pregnant," he continued. "And I knew she wasn't carrying my child."

I stared at him. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "Because I know my own actions."

I shook my head. "Convenient."

"I noticed the signs," he went on, his voice controlled but strained. "Her scent. The timing. It didn't align with anything between us,because there was nothing between us."

"Then why did she think she could claim you?" I demanded.

"Because her family wanted power," he said. "They wanted my name. My pack. A union that would make them untouchable."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"I tried to explain," he said sharply. "To her brothers. To her parents. I told them the child wasn't mine."

"And what?" I challenged. "They just didn't like the truth?"

"They chose to believe her instead," he replied. "And when I refused to marry her, they turned against me."

My heart pounded violently.

"Do you know what they did?" he continued. "They attacked my borders. Killed my people. Declared me a liar before I could defend myself."

I shook my head again, tears burning my eyes. "You're twisting this."

"I'm not," he said softly. "I never abandoned her."

"Then why did she die?" I screamed.

He went silent.

That silence was louder than any confession.

"You left her unprotected," I whispered. "Didn't you?"

"I couldn't protect someone who wasn't mine," he said, pain cutting into his voice. "And doing so would've meant lying to my entire pack."

I stepped back like he'd struck me.

"So she was disposable," I said bitterly. "Because she wasn't yours."

"That's not what I said."

"That's exactly what you said!"

Something inside me snapped.

I grabbed the first thing I could reach, a small carved cup, and hurled it at him.

"Get out!" I screamed.

The cup shattered against the wall beside him.

"Talia..."

"Get out!" I shouted again, grabbing another object and throwing it. "I don't want to hear another word from you! I don't want your explanations, your lies, your stupid rules!"

He didn't dodge. He didn't move.

"I don't believe you," I cried. "I don't trust you. And I never will!"

"Talia, listen to me," he said urgently, stepping forward.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at his chest. Then another.

"Get out of my room!" I screamed, my voice breaking. "You don't get to stand there and rewrite the truth to make yourself feel better!"

His hands clenched at his sides.

"I never touched her," he said again, his voice low and rough. "And I swear on my life, on my pack, on everything I am, I never will touch you unless you choose me."

I froze.

The words hit me harder than anything I'd thrown.

But I couldn't stop now.

"Leave," I whispered.

For a long moment, he just looked at me.

His eyes weren't cold.

They were devastated.

"If you walk away from me now," he said quietly, "you're walking away from the only truth standing between you and something far worse."

"I don't care," I said, tears spilling freely now. "Get out."

He took a step back.

At the door, he paused.

"They didn't attack because of the past," he said without turning. "They attacked because of you."

My heart stuttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked shakily.

But the door closed behind him.

And a second later..

A horn sounded outside.

Long, Low and Violent.

The sound of an alarm.

My blood ran cold.

Then I heard shouting.

Footsteps.

Claws scraping against stone.

And a voice outside my door yelled...

"The rogues are inside the borders!"

I staggered back, my heart slamming wildly in my chest.

And the last thing I realized, before fear swallowed everything,

If Selene was lying...

Or if Ramon was telling the truth...

I might have just pushed away the only person who could keep me alive.