RAYNA POV
"I thought you said they wouldn't come till the next full moon," I whispered, heart pounding as the scent grew stronger.
Rowan's jaw clenched.
"I guess I was wrong."
The forest erupted before I could respond.
Three wolves burst from the trees not Mistwood wolves.
Sterling wolves.
Magnus's wolves.
My stomach dropped.
Rowan pushed me behind him on instinct. "Stay close."
But I was already shifting my stance, my fingers curling around the dagger at my thigh.
"I can fight."
"Not alone," he growled.
Then the wolves lunged.
What followed wasn't a clean battle it was chaos, teeth and claws and blood splattering across the forest floor. Rowan shifted mid-attack, a massive hazel-eyed wolf slamming one intruder into a tree so hard bark exploded.
I ducked beneath another wolf's swipe, slashing upward, blade cutting across its shoulder. It yelped, staggering back.
A warning howl tore through the night Rowan's.
More enemies were coming.
The pack arrived seconds later, crashing into the fight with snarls and roars. Mira grabbed one wolf by the scruff, throwing him into the river. Caden pinned another down with a vicious growl.
Daven took a hit to the ribs.
Asha got knocked into a tree but stayed conscious.
Bren fought like a wall, taking hit after hit but refusing to fall.
They weren't dying…
But they were hurting.
I felt guilt slice through me because they were here for me. They were bleeding because of me.
The clearing slowly went silent as the last Sterling wolf retreated into the forest.
Rowan shifted back, panting, blood dripping down his arm.
"Everyone okay?"
Grunts. Nods. Weak affirmations.
I swallowed, stepping forward.
"They're close. Magnus sent scouts he's testing your borders."
Rowan wiped blood from his cheek.
"It wasn't a test."
My heart stilled.
"What?"
"It was a message," he said darkly. "He knows you're here."
A chill shot down my spine.
ROWAN POV
Mistwood had never felt this quiet.
The wind didn't move.
The trees didn't sway.
Even the wolves in the forest held their breath.
I stood at the mouth of the eastern border, every instinct screaming that something was wrong.
Rayna walked beside me, shoulders straight, face unreadable. But her scent… it was tangled with dread. And determination. Both sharp enough to sting.
"They came earlier than expected," she murmured.
I nodded. "Scouts don't come in waves like that unless Magnus is close."
Her jaw clenched. "Then let him come."
I turned to her fully. "Rayna, you're not fighting tonight. The pack is injured. You're still learning to shift"
"I'm not hiding while your people bleed because of me."
I exhaled, frustrated and… impressed her stubbornness, her courage, her scent, her heartbeat that matched mine.
"You stay behind me. That's the rule," I said.
"Rules are meant to break, Alpha."
I would've argued, but the forest ripped open with a howl.
They came like shadows.
Dozens.
Not scouts this time soldiers.
Sterling soldiers.
Magnus's soldiers.
My pack charged in first even injured, they fought like wildfire. Asha held Mira upright. Caden protected Jax. Bren used his body as a shield, taking blows that would've killed any other wolf.
Rayna unsheathed her blade moving with precision so deadly it froze me for a second.
She wasn't fighting like a wolf.
She was fighting like a weapon.
One Magnus made.
And I hated it.
Hated imagining her trained like this.
Hated knowing it shaped her.
But in this moment… she was saving us.
The night blurred into violence claws, teeth, blades, screams. My wolf roared inside me, already aching from earlier battles.
Then the Sterling wolves retreated as one a coordinated pull-back.
A bad sign.
"They're regrouping," Rayna breathed.
"No," I whispered. "They're making space."
"For who?"
A new scent hit the air.
Colder.
Sharper.
Familiar to her.
Rayna froze.
Magnus.
He stepped out of the trees like a phantom, bow in hand, expression unreadable.
His eyes landed on Rayna first… then me.
"Daughter of the broken moon," he said softly. "It's time to come home."
Rayna's breath hitched not from fear. From old conditioning.
She stepped back.
I stepped in front of her.
"Over my dead body."
Magnus smiled. "That can be arranged."
He raised his bow the arrow aimed straight at my heart.
I lunged, but another Sterling wolf tackled my legs. Pain exploded up my spine as I hit the ground hard.
"Rowan!" Rayna shouted.
I struggled to get up but the wolf pinned me with its weight.
I was helpless.
For the first time in years… helpless.
"Rayna!" I choked out. "Help me."
RAYNA POV
The moment Rowan hit the ground, something inside me cracked open.
Not fear.
Rage.
The wolf in me snarled, shaking my ribs, demanding I protect him.
But then…
A voice slid into my mind like a blade.
Step 3 of being an assassin…
When the enemy is vulnerable, you strike.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
No.
No, no, no.
Magnus's voice followed, smooth and poisonous:
Finish it, Rayna.
Kill the Alpha.
Complete the mission.
My body moved before I wanted it to a half-step toward Rowan, blade sliding into my palm.
Rowan's eyes widened not with fear, but heartbreak.
"Rayna," he whispered, voice rough, weak, desperate.
"Don't do this. He's lying to you. He's been using you your entire life."
My hand trembled violently.
Magnus's voice sharpened
Obey.
Rowan reached for me even while crushed beneath a wolf, even bleeding.
"Rayna… look at me."
I looked.
And the mate bond slammed into my chest like lightning.
His scent.
His heartbeat.
His eyes filled with trust he shouldn't have given me.
My fingers tightened on the dagger.
Kill.
Magnus's voice commanded.
No.
My wolf growled.
For the first time, my wolf disobeyed Magnus.
My chest burned as if my ribs were splitting open. Tears blurred my vision.
Rowan's voice broke.
"Rayna… choose me."
And I did.
I turned with a scream tearing out of my throat and hurled the dagger with every ounce of strength I had.
It didn't fly toward Rowan.
It flew straight at Magnus.
He jerked back the blade slicing across his Arms leaving a deep, bleeding mark.
His eyes widened.
"Rayna"
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" I roared, wolf energy crackling through me.
Before he recovered, I sprinted to Rowan, kicked the wolf off him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into the trees.
"Rayna-what-?"
"No time!" I hissed.
Behind us, Magnus screamed my name not with anger.
With betrayal.
But his voice faded as I pulled Rowan into the darkness of the forest, away from death, away from him, away from everything I used to be.
For the first time in my life…
I ran toward my mate
and away from my master.