Zara's POV

The moment the gates closed behind us, everything changed.

The air felt strange, slipping into my lungs with every breath till it burned.

Even the wind sounded different out here, like it was trying to tell me something.

The road ahead was empty and dark.

My father rode down this same road to his death. I wonder what was on his mind; did he know he was riding to his death? Or did he think he would come back home to me?

Two days passed, and it still felt like we were nowhere close.

Elias looked more determined than ever, as if he had finally accepted it, but deep down, I wanted him to give up and go. But no matter how difficult I made things for him, he stayed.

On the third night, the road changed: trees began to appear on either side, scattered at first, then thicker, pressing in until the forest became a solid presence. Even the horses acted unusually slow, and twitched at sounds I couldn't hear.

Elias noticed it too.

"We should stop here; we will continue our journey at sunrise."

I didn't answer immediately. My finger tightened slightly on the reins instead.

Stopping felt wrong.

Nothing about this place felt natural.

"Ok, let's stop." I finally replied.

I got down from the horse, scanned the area, searching for a place where we wouldn't get caught.

Everywhere was quiet, too still, and something about that felt odd.

I fed the horse an apple, and my hands rubbed his neck briefly.

"Good boy," I murmured, more for myself than for it.

"I have set up the tent, come rest, and I will get the food ready," Elias said with a soft smile.

I stared at Elias, finding it so hard to believe that the person who hated the idea was the one doing everything to make this easier.

Safer.

And I hated that.

Elias sat across from me in silence for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"You haven't slept."

"I don't need to," I replied immediately.

"That's not true," he said.

I finally looked at him.

And saw what he was trying to hide in his eyes.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

"Get some rest, Elias. I will be on night watch today." I said.

"Ok then, we will do it together," Elias said.

A pause.

I hated the silence out here.

"I know this is not the right time to say this, but," Elias said, looking down.

"To say what?" I interrupted.

"Zara..." He hesitated, then exhaled. "I... love you," he said.

For a second, everything stopped, and I felt a bit of relief.

I stared at him, trying to process what he said.

Before I could let a word out, I heard a sound. Not too close but loud enough.

I stood up slowly.

Every instinct in me shifted at once.

Elias pulled out his sword immediately.

The forest felt different again.

Like it changed while we weren't looking.

"We are not alone," he said quietly.

My heart started racing faster. This was what I wanted, but my mind wasn't prepared for it. And somewhere deep inside of me. I regretted not listening to that feeling from the very beginning.

Everywhere went silent again.

Then it broke.

Not slowly.

Not gently either.

My eyes caught something moving fast.

It was just like a blur cutting through the trees. Before I could process it all. Elias was in front of me, and he was stepping between me and the unknown.

"Stay behind me," he said low and sharp, raising his sword. "I won't let anything happen to you," he added.

My finger tightened around my own weapons, but my body betrayed me and didn't move the way it should. Something was wrong. I felt it, not just danger, not just fear. Something heavier.

I closed my eyes, trying to remind my body what they did to my father, the way they killed him without showing mercy. I was going to do the same to them.

Shapes began to form in the darkness.

One.

Two.

More.

They don't step out at once. They came out, slowly, circling. Their eyes, the faint light glowed in the dark. My breath shortens as I count them without meaning to. Too many of them surrounded us.

My heart started pounding out like it's about to escape from my chest. This was what I came here for. This was what I had always wanted since the death of my father. Then why does it feel like I have walked into doom? I always knew I would not survive it, but I cannot die in the first fight.

"Zara..." Elias said quietly, as if he could hear my heartbeat. "Don't panic," he said, not taking his eyes off them.

One of them moves in our direction.

No warning. Just speed.

It launched straight at Elias.

Everything after that happened too fast and too slow at the same time.

"ELIAS!"

I didn't even realize I was screaming.

Elias tried to block it.

He really tried.

But the impact threw him back like he weighed nothing. His body slammed into the ground hard enough that I could hear it. The wolf was on him, his claw tore through his fabric, through his skin. I could hear Elias' cry for help.

"No... No, get off him!" I rushed forward without thinking, my sword in my hands. My tears blurred my vision.

Elias struggled beneath it, his hands pressed against its neck, as he tried to protect his throat from the wolf's teeth.

"Zara, stay back!" he shouted, his breath slowing down.

But I can't.

I yanked the crossbow off my back and loaded four arrows on it, without letting fear consume me. I aimed once and fired. The bolt sliced through the air at the wolf on Elias.

I ran straight to Elias, scanned the area for the other wolves, but they just stood still with their hands behind their backs. Just watching, like it's some test.

The wolf staggered, but it didn't fall.

It stood.

And then it changed.

Its bones started cracking, its body stretching. It rose higher and higher until it was no longer a wolf but something else entirely, something they didn't tell me back home. Something worse.

It was huge, easily over eight feet tall. He was not done transforming.

I tried to move Elias away to get help.

"Elias..." My voice barely came out.

He tried to push himself up, his hands pressing against the dirt, but he was trembling violently and slipping on his own blood.

I glanced over at the other wolves. They did not move. Just watched.

Nothing about this place added up.

A broken sound slipped out of Elias' mouth, and even breathing now seems so difficult for him.

And still...he looked at me.

Always me.

He let out a painful smile.

"Zara..."

Something inside of me cracked. I didn't realize when I started crying uncontrollably. "I am here," I drop beside him instantly, my hands hovering, not knowing where to touch that wouldn't make him hurt.

"I'm here, just... just stay with me, ok?"

A weak huff of breath left him. It sounded like a laugh.

"Still... giving... Orders..."

Anger flashed through me. I am going to lose my best friend, and it was all my fault.

"Don't start now. We are leaving. I will get help. I'm sure the General is looking for us. They will appear any second."

A shadow moved fast; it was huge; it was the same wolf, but different. Before I could react, he reached for Elias.

"NO!"

I lunged forward, but I was too late.

"Let him go!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I ran towards them, falling and getting back up.

His eyes found mine. And this time...

There's no argument in them, just something quiet.

"Run..." he breathes.

"No...I'm not leaving you." I shake my head, refusing to accept it.

I stepped forward to attack it and shot three silver arrows at it.

Its claw tightened.

Then...

It pulled.

A sound rips through the air.

My mind refused to understand what I was seeing. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be.

Elias' body...

It didn't move right.

It...

It...

"No!"

His body split.

And everything stops

Everywhere went quiet, as if the entire world went still to watch it happen.

Even the wind stopped.

My body didn't move.

I could not even breathe

I was too afraid to look at his body because it would mean accepting it.

My best friend is dead.

And it was my fault.

I started crying uncontrollably. My body had forgotten how to hold it in.

The wolf charged towards me like it was my turn.

I was supposed to give up.

But instead.

Something in me snapped.

Streams of tears rolled down my cheeks as I charged towards the wolf.

I didn't care if I died.

I didn't care if I won.

I wanted it to hurt.

"STOP!" a voice behind me echoed.

The wolf stopped immediately, and I hit it.

The hit landed hard enough to push it back.

I hit it again.

And again.

"I SAID STOP!" The voice was much louder than before.

A command.

The ground below me shakes.

And then I felt it.

That voice came from another wolf behind me, bigger than the one that attacked Elias.

The air shifts.

No.

This time, I understood what true fear actually was.

I could not run. I could not even move.

Everything about him says one thing.

Power.

Real Power.

He towered over everything.

Massive.

Undeniable, 11 feet tall in his wolf form.

His body was built like something that was never meant to be fought. My father told me about wolves like him.

He...Is

The wolf king, the one who killed my father.

I can't win this.

I know it

He knows it.

Everyone here knows it.

This is what the general was protecting everyone from.

And for the first time since I left the gates.

I regretted everything.

Zara’s POV

The cold was the first thing I felt.

It clung to my skin like a disease, settling into my bones.

My eyes opened slowly, but I was surrounded by darkness.

Not completely, a little orange dim light peeped somewhere beyond the bars in front of me.

I stayed still for a moment, trying to recall where I was, trying to place the pieces together.

The last thing I remember was the unbearable surge of the sheer intensity of his presence, which overwhelmed me, sending a jolt of fear through my veins.

In that moment, I was so paralyzed by it all that darkness enveloped me, and I found myself slipping into unconsciousness. Suddenly, memories came flooding back.

Elias’ death.

The wolf.

The attack.

Then that towering beast.

I pushed myself upright too quickly, pain tearing through every inch of my body.

Every muscle clenched in protest, my legs throbbing as if I’d been dragged across rough ground.

I sank back down, gazing into the darkness while memories flooded back. Hoping it would all just disappear.

I broke down, convinced that every horrible thing that had happened was my fault. A suffocating desire to give up took hold of me.

Two sets of wolves marched in and yanked my mind back to reality. They hauled me forward as if I weighed nothing, their grip pressing hard enough to rip my skin open.

My legs scraped against the ground as they dragged me down the floor, too large for humans to build.

Every step forward, the dark thickened around me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was stepping into the end of my life.

“I want to crush this human filth,” one of them said, tightening his grip around my arm.

“Careful,” the other said with a grin. “The human might break,” he added, laughing and shoving me hard.

My knees hit the ground, but I caught myself before I fell. I would rather die than show weakness in front of them. I straightened myself and lifted my head.

“I dare you to touch me again, ugly beast,” I said hoarsely, “and I will kill you where you stand.”

The wolf at my left hit me across my face, so fast I didn’t see it coming, and blood filled my mouth immediately.

They expected me to cry or beg them for mercy, but I didn’t. I stood up and spat blood on his face.

He clenched his fists, going for a harder punch, but the other one stopped him.

“Leave it. They always bite before they die; it's not worth it.”

A quiet laugh followed.

“I am sure the alpha has something better planned for her.”

The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt it.

Not just hatred.

It wasn’t just anger.

Bloodlust.

The wolves turned to face me, their gaze following my every step, sharp and intent.

They looked human, but their eyes said otherwise, revealing a darker spirit within.

Each step I took drew their attention.

The air felt heavier, as if it were waiting for chaos.

A low murmur passed through them.

Their voices overlapped, quiet but tense.

“How dare she stand before us?”

“She shouldn’t be alive.”

“How did she make it this far?”

I remained silent, staring straight at them.

I refused to show them any form of weakness.

I wouldn't give them anything to mock me for. I was determined to demonstrate that humans are not just powerless filth, but better and stronger in every way.

Then I saw him.

The one who killed Elias.

He stood near the center steps, broad shoulders wrapped in dark leather, his eyes found mine instantly.

Anger was burning inside me. If hate could take a form, it would have looked like me.

I wanted to end his life, but I knew any wrong move would lead to a painful death.

“Well,” he said, voice low and rough. “It woke up.”

I bared my teeth at him, “Still alive, I see. That’s unfortunate.”

A few wolves laughed in disbelief. Karl did not. His expression changed, then he started walking toward me.

He came closer until I could see his pulse beating in his neck.

“I killed your little boyfriend.”

“And I would like to return the favor.” I interrupted immediately.

His hands went around my throat, raising me and slamming my back so hard the impact rang through my bones.

He raised me again, my feet barely touched the ground, as he held me there, fingers tightening, reminding me how quickly he could end me.

“Say that again,” he murmured, low yet dangerous.

“You heard me.” I forced out, my voice rough yet steady.

His grip around my neck tightened enough to end my life.

“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” he said.

I was gasping for air, and my legs were shaking violently. I knew I was going to die tonight, but not like this. Not this easy.

“That’s enough, Karl.”

The words didn’t come out loud.

It didn’t need to.

Everything stopped.

Karl’s hands stilled.

The murmurs of the other wolves stopped, and the silence was deafening. I didn’t need to turn to know who had just walked in.

But I did anyway.

It was the same wolf that stopped Karl.

The wolf king.

The alpha.

It was my first time seeing him in human form, but even from a distance, the difference was obvious. He wasn’t just another wolf. He was the one who couldn't be challenged.

His gaze moved slowly and deliberately across the room. The other wolves dared not meet his eyes.

His gaze finally landed on me.

Karl released me immediately.

The impact knocked the air out of me.

My body hit the stone. I dropped to the ground hard, hard enough to send a sharp vibration through my spine, hard enough to paralyze me.

I stayed where I fell longer than necessary, forcing my lungs to steady, begging my body to hang on a little longer while my throat burned from his grip.

I ignored the pain and rose anyway.

I would not kneel.

Not in front of them.

Not in front of him.

“So, this is the great alpha,” my voice scraped, worn thin from lack of air, “I expected more.”

Murmurs ran through the hall once again,

“Kill her.”

“How dare she?”

“End her,”

Their voice layered together, thick with hatred and bloodlust. Pressing in from every side.

But I didn’t look away.

I kept my eyes on him.

He didn’t react to them or to me.

He just watched. And the stillness in his face made my anger burn hotter.

“You came this far to die,” he said at last.

As soon as he spoke those words, all murmurs ceased.

His voice wasn’t raised,

It was controlled,

Unreadable.

Cutting clean through every other sound.

“I came to kill you,” I said.

A ripple moved through the room. I felt it in the way the air seemed to tighten around us.

Then silence.

Real silence.

The kind that presses against your ears.

I could hear Karl’s heavy breathing from a distance.

“Please, Ryan, let me end this,” Karl said, his eyes locked on me like he was already imagining it.

Ryan.

So that’s his name.

He didn’t even look at Karl.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly, sharpening his gaze on me as I had just become…interesting.

"Kill me? You fainted when you saw the real me," Ryan said.

He was right.

My fingers curled at my sides.

"Not even a thousand humans can stand where you stand," he added.

There was no pride in it.

No Arrogance.

He just stated facts.

I snatched the dagger hidden in my boot and lunged straight for his throat.

I got just one step.

Then pain exploded through my sides as someone struck me mid-air.

Karl was fast.

He lifted me by my neck, his grip tighter than before.

“I should kill you slowly,” he said, his voice low against my ear. “Piece by piece.”

My breath began to slow down.

My hands went to his wrist, not to beg. Never that. But to hold on long enough to speak.

“You are just a nobody who can't think without permission.” I forced out the words, barely coming out of my mouth.

The wolf king stepped closer, close enough that I could see the faint scar on his face. “Leave us.”