I should have run.

Every part of me screamed to move, to get up, to disappear into the shadows before whoever found me decided I was a threat.

But I couldn't.

My body refused to respond. The shift had drained everything, every bit of strength, every drop of energy I didn't know I had. Even breathing felt like dragging air with struggle.

Get up, my wolf whispered. Her voice weak but urgent. We need to move.

"I... can't..."

*Try.*

I did. I tried with everything.

My legs trembled as I tried to stand myself, but they gave out immediately. I fell back to the ground with a small , broken, pathetic whimper that sounded nothing like the powerful creature I'd been not so long ago.

The footsteps came closer.

Slow, careful, cautious. Like whoever it was clearly didn't want to startle a dangerous animal.

Smart.

"Easy," the voice said again, it was a man's voice, definitely male, with a rough edge that spoke of someone who'd lived hard. "I'm not going to hurt you."

A laugh wanted to bubble up in my throat. Not hurt me? I was a massive wolf made of literal shadows. the same creature who had terrified a pack of armed hunters only hours ago.

And yet here I was, helpless, too weak to even lift my head.

"You're injured," the voice continued, closer now. "That arrow wound on your shoulder it's still bleeding."

I blinked slowly, confusion mixing with exhaustion.

Was it really still bleeding?

I tried to look, but moving my head sent waves of dizziness crashing through me. Every part of me throbbed with pain. My bones felt broken, like they'd been crushed and then pieced back together the wrong way.

"I've got supplies. Medicine. Let me help." The man said.

*Don't trust him,* my wolf warned, but even she sounded exhausted. *Humans lie. Wolves lie. Everyone lies.*

But what choice did I have?

If I stayed here, bleeding, helpless, and weak, I'd be dead before sunrise-either from the wound or from whatever creature found me first.

At least if this stranger killed me, it would be quick.

I let my head drop back to the ground, too tired to fight anymore.

The footsteps stopped just a few feet away.

"Alright," the man said quietly. "I'm coming closer now. Don't bite me, okay?"

A shadow fell across my vision, and I forced my eyes open.

A man knelt beside me.

He was young, maybe in his early twenties, maybe. Sun-browned skin, amber eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness, dark hair pulled back in a messy knot. A jagged scar cut across his jawline, pale and raised. He wore simple clothes, dark pants, a worn jacket, boots that looked like they'd walked too many miles.

A rogue.

It showed in everything about him, the way he moved, careful and ready for anything. The scars along his arms and neck told stories of fights he'd lived through. The guarded look in his eyes said he'd been broken before and somehow kept going.

He'd been through hell.

"You're beautiful," he said softly, his eyes moving over my huge wolf body. "Scary as hell, but still beautiful."

If I could have laughed, I would have.

Beautiful? No. I was nothing close to that. I was a monster wearing a pretty disguise.

He pulled a pack off his shoulder and started digging through it until he pulled out some bandages, herbs, and a small bottle of clear liquid. "This will hurt," he said, pulling the cork out. "But it'll clean the wound."

He reached for my shoulder slowly, watching for any sign that I might attack him.

I didn't move.

When his fingers brushed against my fur, I flinched, not from pain, but from the shock of it.

Touch.

Gentle touch.

I couldn't remember the last time someone had touched me without the intent to hurt.

He poured the clear liquid over the wound, and pain tore through me like fire. I growled, snapping my teeth together as the burn spread down my shoulder.

"I know, I know," he said softly, his voice calm but steady. "Almost finished."

He moved quickly, cleaning and wrapping the wound with skill that came from experience. When he was done, he sat back and looked at me closely.

"You're not from here," he said, not asking but stating it like a fact. "Shadow Wolves have been gone for centuries. Or at least, that's what people believe."

I watched him carefully, unsure what he wanted.

Was he planning to hand me over? Sell me to the highest bidder? The Council would pay a huge reward for a Shadow Wolf, especially a living one.

"Relax," he said, like he could read my mind. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I'm not exactly on good terms with the Council myself."

He stood and swung his pack over his shoulder. "There's a camp about a mile east," he said. "Rogues stay there. Wolves without packs. You can come if you want."

Then he turned and started walking away.

Wait, my wolf's voice echoed in my head.

"Wait," I tried to say, but it came out as a low whine.

He stopped and looked back at me.

I tried to shift, to change back into my human form, but my body wouldn't obey. My wolf held tight, protective, stubborn.

Let me take control, I told her. I need to speak to him.

You're not strong enough. It'll hurt.

I don't care.

For a moment, she was silent. Then she let go.

The world started spinning. My body grew smaller. Bones cracked and shifted back into place. My fur sank into my skin, and my claws turned into fingers. The pain was sharp and nonstop, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming until it was finally over.

When it was over, I was human again.

Naked.

Shivering.

Bleeding.

I curled into myself immediately, trying to cover as much as I could with my arms and legs, my cheeks burning with humiliation.

The man's eyes widened, but he didn't stare. Instead, he quickly took off his leather jacket and tossed it toward me.

"Here."

I caught it with trembling hands and pulled it on quickly. It was huge on me, falling almost to my knees, but it was warm and it smelled like pine and smoke and safety.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice dry and weak.

"Don't mention it." He kept his gaze carefully averted, looking at the trees instead of me. "You got a name?"

I hesitated.

Giving my name meant making myself real. Making this real.

But what did I have to lose?

"Selene," I said finally. "My name is Selene."

"Kael," he replied. "Kael Draven."

A long silence stretched between us, awkward and uncertain.

Then he spoke again, his tone careful. "So... Selene. What's a Shadow Wolf doing bleeding out in the middle of No Man's Land?"

I didn't know where to begin.

Where did I even start?

The rejection? The banishment? The hunters who'd tried to kill me?

"I..." My throat tightened. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

His expression softened. "Yeah. I know that feeling."

He crouched down to my level, keeping a respectful distance. "Listen. The camp I mentioned it's not much. Just a bunch of outcasts trying to survive. But it's safe. And we don't ask questions about where people come from or what they're running from."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked quietly. "You don't know me. For all you know, I could be dangerous."

"You are dangerous," he said bluntly. "I saw what you did to those hunters. Heard them screaming from half a mile away." He met my eyes, and there was no judgment there. Only understanding. "But dangerous doesn't mean evil. Sometimes it just means you've been hurt enough to fight back."

His words hit me harder than I expected.

I'd spent my whole life being told I was worthless, weak, nothing.

And now this stranger, this rogue who owed me nothing was telling me I was dangerous.

Like it was a good thing.

"I won't hurt anyone," I said quickly. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want-"

"To be left alone?" Kael finished. "To find somewhere you can breathe without constantly looking over your shoulder?"

"Yes."

He nodded slowly. "Then come to the camp. Stay as long as you need. And when you're ready to leave, you leave. No strings attached."

I wanted to believe him.

I wanted to trust that someone, somewhere in this cruel world, might actually help me without expecting something in return.

But trust was dangerous.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" I asked, my voice small.

Kael stood and extended his hand to me. "You don't. But you're hurt, you're exhausted, and you're in the middle of territory you don't know. You need help whether you want to admit it or not."

He was right.

I hated that he was right.

I stared at his hand for a long moment, weighing my options.

I could refuse. Try to survive on my own. Keep running until my body gave out completely.

Or I could take a chance.

Slowly, I reached out and placed my hand in his.

His grip was warm. Steady. Strong.

He pulled me to my feet, and I swayed immediately, my legs threatening to give out.

He helped me up, and my knees gave out immediately. Kael caught me before I fell. "Easy. When's the last time you ate?"

I tried to think. Yesterday? The day before?

"I don't know."

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse. "Okay. New plan. We get you to camp, get food in you, and let you sleep for about twelve hours. Sound good?"

It sounded like heaven.

"Okay," I whispered.

We started walking, Kael keeping pace with my stumbling steps. The forest was dark and unfamiliar, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going, navigating through the trees with practiced ease.

"So," he said after a few minutes of silence. "Shadow Wolf, huh? That's got to be a hell of a story."

"It's... complicated."

He smirked faintly. "The best stories usually are."

I glanced at him. "What about you? What's your story?"

His jaw tightened. "Also complicated."

"But you're a rogue."

"Yeah."

"By choice?"

"No." The word was sharp. Final. "No one chooses this life, Selene. We end up here because everywhere else rejected us first."

The bitterness in his voice was familiar. I'd felt it myself less than twelve hours ago.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

He was silent for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer.

Then he said, "My pack was wiped out when I was sixteen. The Council's enforcers destroyed us for refusing to swear loyalty to the Alpha King."

My breath caught. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." But the pain in his eyes said otherwise. "I've been wandering ever since. Doing odd jobs, staying out of Council territory, trying not to get killed."

"Sounds lonely."

"It is." He glanced at me, something unreadable in his expression. "But maybe it doesn't have to be."

Before I could respond, the trees opened up into a clearing.

And I froze.

The camp was huge, rows of makeshift tents and shelters built from scraps. Fires flickered across the space, casting warm light on faces that looked tired, but alive. And everywhere I looked, there were wolves.

Not in wolf form. In human form, talking, laughing, cooking, repairing weapons.

Rogues.

All of them.

"Welcome," Kael said softly, "to the last place on earth that'll take us in."

I couldn't stop staring.

The rogue camp was nothing like I expected. It wasn't cold or strict like Bloodfang, where everyone feared making a single mistake. Here, everything was alive. Messy. Warm. Real.

A group of wolves sat by a fire, laughing and passing a bottle around. Near another tent, two women sparred playfully, throwing punches and laughing without anger. Children ran between tents, shouting and chasing each other in a wild game of tag.

Children.

In a rogue camp.

I didn't even know that was possible.

"It's not what you expected, is it?" Kael asked beside me, watching my face.

"No," I admitted. "I thought rogues were all violent and dangerous... that they lived alone."

"We are dangerous," he said softly. "Every wolf here has been through things that would break most people. But danger doesn't mean we can't live together. We protect each other. That's how we survive."

His words hit something deep inside me.

Protection. Community. Belonging.

Things I'd never really had.

As we walked farther into the camp, people began to notice us. Conversations stopped. Laughter faded. One by one, every face turned toward me.

I pulled Kael's jacket tighter, suddenly aware of how I looked, barefoot, bleeding, wearing only his coat. A stranger among them. An outsider.

"Who's that?" someone whispered.

"She's hurt-"

"Where did Kael find her?"

"Is she alone?"

Their voices buzzed around me. I fought the urge to run into the forest, to shift and disappear before anyone could stare any longer.

Breathe, my wolf whispered. They're curious, not hostile.

I wasn't sure if I believed her.

"Everyone," Kael said loudly, his voice firm, "this is Selene. She needs help, food, rest, and medical care. And before anyone asks yes, I'm vouching for her."

The camp went silent.

Then a woman stood up from near the fire. She was tall, lean, and fierce-looking, with copper-red hair that glowed in the firelight. Her green eyes were sharp but not cruel.

"You're vouching for her?" she asked Kael. "You don't even know her."

"I know enough."

"Do you?" She walked closer, her gaze locked on me. "Bringing strangers here is how people die, Kael."

"Lyra-"

"No." She raised a hand to stop him. "You might trust too easily, but I don't." She stopped right in front of me. "What pack are you from, girl?"

My throat tightened. "Bloodfang."

A murmur swept through the camp. Uneasy. Distrustful.

"Bloodfang," Lyra repeated, frowning. "Victor Hartley's pack."

I flinched when she said his name.

She noticed.

"What happened?" she asked, voice calm but cold. "Did you run away?"

"I was banished," I whispered.

"Why?"

The question hung heavy in the air.

I could've lied. Said something simple, something harmless. But I was tired of lying.

"Because my mate rejected me in front of everyone," I said quietly. "Then he exiled me. And when that wasn't enough, he sent hunters to make sure I didn't survive."

Silence.

Lyra's expression softened just a little. "Your mate rejected you?" she asked gently.

I nodded. "I barely made it out alive."

Lyra studied me for a long time before sighing. "Alright. You can stay. But if you cause trouble, you're gone. We don't do pack drama here. Understand?"

Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. "Yes. Thank you. I won't-"

"Don't thank me yet." She turned to the others. "This girl stays until she heals. Anyone got a problem with that?"

No one answered.

"Good," she said. Then, looking back at me, "Come on. Let's patch you up before you bleed all over my clean dirt."

Lyra's shelter was small but neat. Herbs hung from the ceiling, jars filled with salves lined a shelf, and the air smelled like lavender mixed with something sharp and medicinal.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing to a stool.

I sat, too tired to argue.

Kael lingered in the doorway. "Need me to stay?"

"I've got it," Lyra said, pulling out supplies. "Go let the guards know we have a guest. I don't want anyone panicking."

He nodded and left, but not before giving me one last look.

Lyra knelt and started unwrapping the bandage Kael had placed on my shoulder. When she saw the wound, she hissed softly. "That's deep. Arrow?"

"Yes."

"Silver-tipped?"

"I think so."

"Of course it was." She poured something on a cloth. "This'll hurt."

And it did.

The liquid burned like fire. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, tears spilling silently down my cheeks.

Lyra worked in silence until she finally spoke again. "So. Bloodfang."

I didn't answer.

"I've heard about Victor Hartley," she said. "Cruel man. Rules by fear."

"You know him?"

"Not personally. But stories travel." She began wrapping the wound again. "What I don't get is why he'd reject his mate. Alphas are obsessed with the bond."

I swallowed. "I was wolfless. He said I'd make him look weak."

Lyra froze. "Wolfless?"

I nodded.

"But you're not anymore, are you?"

I looked up sharply. "What?"

She gestured at my wound. "It's healing faster than normal. And the way Kael looked at you like he wasn't sure if you were dangerous or a miracle. You shifted for the first time tonight, didn't you?"

There was no point lying. "Yes."

"Late shifter, then. Rare, but not impossible." She dabbed salve on my bruises. "What kind of wolf?"

I hesitated.

Tell her and risk everything?

Or stay silent and let her find out anyway?

"Shadow Wolf," I whispered.

Lyra froze.

For a moment, she didn't move. Then she sat back slowly and stared at me. "You're joking."

"I'm not."

"Shadow Wolves are extinct."

"Apparently not."

She laughed once, sharp and humorless. "No wonder Victor rejected you. He had a Shadow Wolf for a mate and was too stupid to realize it."

"Gift?" I asked quietly. "You call this a gift?"

"Do you know what that means, Selene?" Lyra leaned closer, her green eyes bright. "Shadow Wolves were legends. They could control darkness, walk between worlds, and command power Alphas could only dream of."

"I don't feel powerful," I murmured. "I just feel... broken."

Her voice softened. "You're not broken. You survived things that should've killed you. Rejection, exile, a first shift, and a hunt-all in one night. You're not weak. You're just tired." She pulled a blanket over me. "Rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

"But-"

"Sleep," she said firmly. "That's an order."

I wanted to ask more, but exhaustion pulled me under. My eyes closed, and for the first time in forever, I felt something like safety.

I dreamed of fire.

Of my mother's cabin burning. Wolves with glowing eyes. Shadows rising from the flames.

And a deep, echoing voice:

The last daughter wakes. The hunt begins.

I woke with a gasp, heart racing.

Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the wall. Morning. I'd slept through the night.

Lyra was across from me, grinding herbs. She looked up when I moved.

"Morning," she said. "How do you feel?"

I tested my body, my shoulder ached but less, my bruises were fading. "Better."

"Good." Her tone shifted, serious now. "Then we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Three Council scouts were spotted near the border this morning." Her eyes met mine. "And they were asking about a Shadow Wolf."

My blood ran cold.

"They're looking for you, Selene," Lyra said quietly. "And it's only a matter of time before they find you."

I didn't want to wake up.

When I was asleep, I could pretend. Pretend that the rejection never happened. Pretend I was still in my small basement room back at Bloodfang, getting ready for another day where no one noticed me. Pretend my world hadn't completely fallen apart in just one day.

But my body didn't care.

Pain pulled me awake - dull, deep pain that spread from my shoulder where the arrow had pierced me. My muscles hurt, like I'd been stepped on by something heavy. And underneath it all was a deep tiredness that made even opening my eyes feel like too much work.

Still I forced them open anyway.

Soft sunlight came through the thin walls of Lyra's tent, turning everything a warm gold. The air smelled of herbs, smoke, and food cooking somewhere close - a smell that made my stomach twist painfully.

How long had it been since I'd eaten? Two days? Maybe three?

I tried to sit up, but instantly regretted it. The world tilted, my shoulder burned, and for a second I thought I was going to throw up.

"Easy," a voice said.

Lyra appeared beside me, pressing a hand on my good shoulder to keep me from falling back down. "You lost a lot of blood. You need to rest."

"What time is it?" I asked, my voice rough and weak.

"Late afternoon," she said. "You've been asleep for almost sixteen hours." She helped me sit up carefully, propping me against the wall with gentle hands. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," I muttered.

She gave a small smile. "That's about right."

She moved to a small wooden table covered in jars and bottles. Her hands moved quickly and confidently as she worked. "Your wound's healing faster than normal," she said. "Your wolf's helping. But your human side still feels all the pain."

She poured something dark and steaming into a cup and handed it to me. "Drink this. It'll help with the pain."

I lifted it to my nose and sniffed. It smelled earthy and bitter, like crushed plants and dirt. "What is it?" I asked.

"Medicine," Lyra said. "Don't worry, it won't kill you. I've kept you alive this long, haven't I?"

She had a point.

I took a sip and had to force myself not to spit it out. It tasted even worse than it smelled-bitter, thick, and awful, coating my tongue like something rotten.

"All of it," Lyra warned when I lowered the cup. "Unless you want to feel half-dead for the next week."

I forced it down, I swallowed it all, even though it tasted awful. Every single drop went down like poison, but I didn't stop until the cup was empty.

When I finished, Lyra took the cup and replaced it with a bowl of something that actually smelled good, some kind of stew with chunks of meat and full of vegetables.

"Eat," she said. "But slowly. Your stomach's been empty for too long."

I didn't need to be told twice.

The first bite was heaven. Rich and savory and warm, a thousand times better than the cold scraps I used to get back at Bloodfang. I had to force myself to eat slowly, to remind myself not to devour it all at once.

Lyra watched me quietly, her sharp green eyes softening. "When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

I swallowed hard. "I don't remember."

Something flickered in her gaze-anger, pity, maybe both. "Your pack didn't feed you?"

"They did. Just... whatever was left after everyone else ate." I stared down at the bowl, heat creeping up my neck. "I was wolfless. I didn't deserve more than scraps."

"That's bullshit," she snapped.

I blinked, startled by how fiercely she said it.

"Every wolf deserves food. Shelter. Basic respect." She turned away, her movements sharp as she fussed with jars on the table. "Your Alpha was a cruel bastard. You're better off without him."

The words shouldn't have comforted me. They should have hurt, made me defensive.

But instead, they felt like permission-permission to finally be angry. To admit that what happened to me was wrong. That I didn't deserve any of it.

"Thank you," I whispered.

She glanced back at me. "For what?"

"For saying that. For... not making me feel crazy."

Her face softened a little. "You're not crazy, Selene. You were abused. There's a big difference."

The word hit me hard.

Abused.

I'd never thought of it that way before. To me It had just been life. The way things were. Normal.

But it wasn't normal, was it?

"Finish eating," Lyra said, her voice gentler now. "Then we'll change your bandages and get you cleaned up. You smell like blood, and that's not a good mix when you're surrounded by wolves."

The camp looked completely different in daylight.

Less intimidating. More... alive.

Lyra walked beside me as I looked around, her calm presence making me feel that I wasn't alone. The camp was larger than I'd thought, tents and shelters spread across a clearing, smoke rising from several small fires. Weapons rested on racks. People moved around through the space with purpose.

A group of women sat near one fire, mending clothes and talking in low voices. Two men were sparring not far away, their movements fast and controlled. I even spotted kids running around, laughing and chasing each other through the trees.

It was strange seeing rogues act... normal. Happy, even.

And me? I just felt out of place.

"Stop overthinking," Lyra muttered. "You belong here as much as anyone else."

"Do I?" I asked quietly. "Everyone keeps staring."

"Of course they are. You're new. And you showed up covered in blood in the middle of the night. Give them time."

As we walked past a fire, a few wolves eating there looked up. One woman with short black hair and a long scar across her cheek frowned when she saw me.

"That's her?" she asked Lyra. "The one Kael brought in?"

"Her name is Selene," Lyra said, her tone sharp. "And yes."

The woman studied me, suspicion clear in her eyes. "Where'd she come from?"

"Does it matter?" Lyra shot back.

"It does if she brought danger with her."

My stomach turned. She wasn't wrong to worry. The Council would definitely be looking for me.

"Relax, Maya," another woman said gently. She was younger, maybe nineteen or twenty, with warm brown skin and soft eyes. "She looks like she's been through enough. Give her a break."

Maya gave a short laugh. "You're too soft, Zara."

"And you're too paranoid."

"Paranoia keeps us alive."

"So does kindness." Zara got up and walked over to me, extending her hand. "I'm Zara. Don't mind Maya, she doesn't trust anyone at first, She's suspicious of everyone."

I hesitated before taking her hand. It was warm and steady.

"Selene," I said quietly.

"Pretty name." She tilted her head, studying me. "You're from a pack, right? I can tell by the way you hold yourself. All tense, like you're waiting for someone to hit you."

I flinched.

Her face softened. "I didn't mean that in a bad way. Sorry, that was rude."

"It's okay," I lied.

"No, it's not. But for what it's worth-" she glanced back at the others around the fire, "-we've all been where you are. Lost. Scared. Trying to figure out how to survive without a pack structure. It gets easier with time."

"Does it?"

"Eventually." She said with a small. "Come on. Let me introduce you to some people who aren't grumpy as Maya."

Over the next hour, I met more wolves than I could keep track of.

There was Marcus and Finn, the brothers Kael had mentioned, both friendly in a rough, teasing way that reminded me they could probably snap me in half without effort.

There was Old Thomas, a gray-haired wolf who looked like he'd seen everything and found it all amusing.

There was Elena, a quiet woman with silver-streaked hair who watched everyone with sharp, assessing eyes but offered me a genuine smile when Zara introduced us.

And then there were the kids.

Three of them, maybe between five and ten years old. They stared at me with open curiosity, whispering to each other until the oldest, a bold little girl with messy curls stepped forward.

"Are you really a Shadow Wolf?" she asked.

The whole camp went silent.

I froze, my heart hammering. How did she-

"Mira," Elena said sharply. "That's rude."

"But Kael said-"

"Kael says a lot of things. Come here. Now."

Mira obeyed, though she didn't look happy about it.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Waiting. Wondering.

Zara cleared her throat. "So, uh. Want to help me with dinner prep? We could use an extra pair of hands."

It was an escape. A way out of the suddenly attention.

I took it gratefully.

Helping with dinner meant sitting by the fire, chopping vegetables while Zara and two other women-Nora and Beth-handled the meat and stirred a huge pot of stew.

It was simple work, but it felt good to do something.

They talked while they worked about who had night watch, whether the old shelter needed fixing, and if Marcus was actually flirting with Nora. she denied it, the others teased her

It was normal talk. Easy. Warm.

It reminded me of a pack but without the fear, without the constant reminder of rank or punishment.

It felt strange. Unfamiliar.

But... nice.

"So," Beth said casually, still focused on her knife. "You're from Bloodfang, right?"

I almost dropped what I was holding. "How did you-"

"Kael told us," she said. "Said your Alpha rejected you." Her voice softened. "That's tough."

"That's one way to put it," I muttered.

"Victor Hartley's a real piece of work," Nora added, stirring the pot. "Heard he's obsessed with maintaining his reputation. Probably couldn't stand the thought of a mate who didn't fit his perfect image."

Her words should've hurt.

Instead, they made me angry.

"He didn't even give me a chance," I said before I could stop myself. "The bond formed, and five minutes later, he was rejecting me in front of everyone."

Silence.

Then Zara reached over and gave my hand a light squeeze. "His loss."

"Exactly," Beth said firmly. "Any Alpha who'd throw away his mate over his image doesn't deserve one."

"Besides," Nora said, smiling a little, "you're better off here. Packs are overrated anyway."

I wanted to believe that.

God, I really wanted to.

By the time the sun began to set, I was exhausted. The medicine Lyra had given me was wearing off, and the ache in my shoulder had turned sharp and steady.

I was helping clean up after dinner when Kael appeared beside me.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Got a minute?"

I nodded, grateful for an excuse to get away for a bit.

He led me to the edge of the clearing, where the forest was dark and still.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm... okay, I guess. Everyone's been nice. Nicer than I expected."

"We're not monsters, Selene. Just wolves who never fit anywhere else." He leaned against a tree, watching me carefully. "I wanted to check in. Make sure you weren't overwhelmed."

"I am overwhelmed," I admitted. "But in a good way? Maybe? I don't know. Everything's so different here."

"Different how?"

"At Bloodfang, everything was about hierarchy, dominance, knowing your place and staying in it. But here..." I looked back toward the camp. "People just... talk. Help each other. It's like they actually care."

"We do care. That's how we survive." He was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why didn't you fight back? At Bloodfang, I mean. You're clearly not weak, you're strong. I saw what you did to those hunters. So why did you let them treat you like you were nothing?"

The question hit hard

"Because I believed I was nothing," I said quietly. "I was wolfless. In a world where your wolf is everything, that made me worthless. And when everyone tells you that for eighteen years..." I swallowed hard. "Eventually you start to believe it."

"But you're not wolfless."

"I know that now," I said. "But then, I didn't. And even now, I still don't understand what I am or how to control it."

Kael straightened, his voice steady. "You're a survivor. That's what you are. And the rest, you'll figure out. We'll help you."

"Why?" The word came out more desperate than I intended. "Why are you helping me?"

He was quiet for a long moment.

"Because someone once helped me," he said finally. "After my pack was destroyed, I was alone. A rogue found me. She fed me, taught me to live again. Before she died, she made me promise I'd help someone else the same way." He looked at me. "So that's what I'm doing."

Something in me cracked at his words.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He gave a small, real smile. "Don't thank me yet. Tomorrow, you start working. Training, chores the usual. Nobody gets a free pass here."

"I wouldn't expect one."

"Good." He pushed off the tree. "Get some sleep, Selene. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

He walked away, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I stood there for a moment, breathing in the forest air, feeling the presence of my wolf stirring beneath my skin.

We're safe here, she murmured.

Are we?

For now. That's enough.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe for now, safe was enough.

I turned back toward the camp, watching the glow of the fires and the sound of laughter, where wolves laughed and talked.

And for the first time in my life, I thought maybe, just maybe I could belong somewhere.

I was halfway back to Lyra's shelter when I saw her.

A small figure standing near the edge of the firelight, watching me with wide, curious eyes.

Mira. The little girl who'd asked if I was a Shadow Wolf.

She shouldn't have been out there alone. It was getting dark, and children were supposed to stay close to the fire cause the fires were the only safe place.

"Mira?" I called softly. "You should get back to-"

"Is it true?" she interrupted, her voice small but determined. "What they're saying about you?"

My stomach dropped. "What are they saying?"

"That you're cursed. That you'll bring death to everyone here." She took a step closer, and I could see tears glistening in her eyes. "My mama says Shadow Wolves killed her whole pack. That they're monsters who feed on fear and darkness."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

I opened my mouth to deny it, to tell her she was wrong that I wasn't a monster, that I'd never hurt anyone.

But the words wouldn't come.

Because I didn't know if they were true.

I didn't know what I was capable of. What the shadows inside me could do. What I might become.

Mira stared at me, waiting for an answer I couldn't give.

Then she turned and ran back towards the light

I stood there alone in the darkness, my hands trembling, and for the first time since arriving at the camp, I wondered if Kael had made a mistake bringing me here.

If maybe everyone would be safer if I just... disappeared.