I ran like hell, my legs barely keeping up with my pounding heart. Behind me, I heard my mother’s body hit the ground. A broken sob tore from my throat, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
I turned one last time—and what I saw shattered me.
Killian.
He was there, in the middle of the battlefield. But he wasn’t fighting. He was holding Lilith. His arms were wrapped around her, shielding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.
He didn’t look for me. He didn’t care if I lived or died. I was nothing to him.
I turned away, my vision clouded with tears, and ran into the woods. The rogues chased me, their growls closing in fast. I pushed myself harder, but my body was weak, my stomach aching with every step. My breath came in sharp gasps as the trees blurred around me. Then—I tripped. The ground disappeared beneath me, and I tumbled down a steep hill, branches clawing at my skin. My body crashed onto the damp earth, pain exploding through me.
I groaned, struggling to lift my head. The rogues stopped at the edge of the hill, their snarls fading into uneasy silence. They didn’t follow me. They just stood there, staring at the darkness beyond me. And then they turned and ran.
Confused, I tried to push myself up, but my body was too weak. My vision swam. My heart pounded. The last thing I saw before everything faded to black—The towering trees around me. The endless shadows creeping closer. The Forbidden Woods.
Pain. It was the first thing I felt when I woke up, a deep, throbbing ache radiating from every inch of my body. My limbs felt like lead, my head spun, and worst of all—my stomach clenched with sharp, unbearable cramps.
I groaned, forcing my eyes open. Darkness stretched in every direction, the towering trees swaying above me like silent sentinels. The damp earth was cold beneath me, the scent of moss and decay thick in the air. I was still alive. Barely.
I sucked in a shaky breath, my fingers pressing against my stomach. My baby. A fresh wave of nausea hit me as I tried to sit up. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. I had to move. I had to survive.
"Run, Seraphina. Protect your child." My mother’s dying voice echoed in my head, her final words branding themselves into my soul. Tears burned my eyes, but I forced them back. I couldn’t break. Not here. Not now.
The sound of rustling leaves sent a jolt of fear through me. My breath hitched as I froze, listening. The rogues had been right behind me before I passed out. If they were still hunting me… A low growl rumbled through the trees, deep and guttural.
Panic seized my chest. Move, Seraphina. Now.
I scrambled to my feet, but the second I stood, my knees buckled. A strangled cry left my lips as I collapsed against a tree, my body trembling violently. I barely had the strength to stand, let alone run. The growl came again—closer this time.
Fear clawed at my throat as I turned, expecting to see a rogue’s bloodthirsty eyes gleaming in the darkness. But instead, I saw him. A shadow detached itself from the trees, stepping into the dim moonlight filtering through the branches. My breath caught in my throat.
He was tall—easily taller than Killian—with a presence that sent a shiver down my spine. Power radiated from him in waves, thick and suffocating, unlike anything I had ever felt before. He wasn’t a rogue. He wasn’t one of Killian’s men, either. He was something else entirely.
Lycan.
I took a shaky step back, my pulse hammering. “Who… who are you?”
The man didn’t answer. His piercing eyes—so dark they were almost black—scanned me from head to toe, his expression unreadable. He was dressed in dark clothes, his broad shoulders and powerful frame making him look even more intimidating.
I swallowed hard, my fingers instinctively curling over my stomach. “Please,” I whispered. “I don’t want any trouble.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked.
And then, in one swift motion, he closed the distance between us. I barely had time to react before he grabbed my arm, his grip firm but not painful. Heat flared where his skin met mine, a strange, tingling sensation rushing through me.
I tried to pull away, but I was too weak. “Let me go,” I gasped.
He didn’t.
Instead, his gaze dropped to my stomach, lingering for a moment before flicking back up to my face. Something flashed in his eyes—something dark, unreadable.
Then, for the first time, he spoke.
“You’re coming with me.”
His voice was deep, smooth as velvet, but there was no kindness in it. Only cold, unwavering authority. And something told me I didn’t have a choice.
