The fragile moment of peace shattered with a howl.
From the north, Kael's pack thundered through the forest. Dark shapes sprinted between the trees, their growls vibrating in the earth. Selene stiffened—if they found her here, they would tear her apart before Kael could speak a word.
"You need to go," Kael said sharply, his amber eyes flashing with urgency.
Selene narrowed her gaze. "And what will you tell them? That you spared me?"
Kael clenched his jaw. His pack was loyal, but loyalty had limits. Protecting a vampire could cost him everything. Still, he stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"I don't know why, but I can't let them harm you. Run. Now."
For the first time in centuries, Selene hesitated. Trust was foreign to her kind. But something in Kael's tone—rough, desperate—struck a chord inside her. With one last glance at him, she turned and vanished into the shadows, swift and silent.
Moments later, the Silverfang wolves emerged, their fur bristling under the moon.
"Alpha," one of them growled, his muzzle stained with fresh blood from a hunt. "We smelled a vampire. Where is she?"
Kael's pulse pounded. Every instinct told him to protect his pack, to uphold their war-born hatred. Yet when he opened his mouth, the words came like a lie he was willing to carry.
"Gone," Kael said flatly. "I chased her out myself."
The wolves snarled, eager for blood, but they obeyed their Alpha. They turned away, but suspicion lingered in their golden eyes.
And somewhere in the darkness, Selene leaned against a tree, trembling. Not from fear—but from confusion.
Why had her enemy spared her?
And why did she feel a dangerous pull to see him again?