Chapter - 18

  The wind swept through the treetops. Nova sat on the ledge, her chest still tight with the weight of what had just happened. Athena. The name lingered in her mind, settling deep, like something she had always known but never spoken aloud.

  Kael sat beside her, quiet. His usual smirk was absent, his gaze fixed on the valley below. He hadn’t said much since she told him the name, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he was thinking or if he was giving her space to process it herself.

  Then, without warning, his body tensed.

  Nova noticed immediately. The easy stillness between them evaporated, replaced by something sharper. His head tilted slightly, nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. His eyes narrowed, scanning the forest below.

  “What is it?” she asked, instinctively lowering her voice.

  Kael didn’t answer right away. He stood, his movements slow, deliberate. His gaze flicked over the trees again, as if searching for something just out of sight.

  “Go back to the cave,” he said, his voice firm but calm. “I’m going to do a patrol.”

  Nova frowned, shifting onto her feet. “I can come with you.”

  Kael shook his head. “I won’t be gone long. Just make sure everything is still secure. If anything feels off, stay put. I’ll be back before sunrise”

  Nova hesitated. Something about the way he said it unsettled her. He was acting cautious, careful, like he didn’t want to worry her, but he wasn’t giving her a choice either.

  Her lips parted in protest, but he was already stepping away, his movements smooth and sure as he disappeared into the trees.

  She wasn’t about to chase him down like a lost pup. Instead, she turned away, mumbling under her breath as she made her way back toward the cave.

  "Grow up, Nova," she muttered to herself. "If the gods decided you were old enough to be eternally bound to someone, you're old enough to be alone for a few hours."

  She turned back, and sat by the fire, forcing herself to sit and meditate, breathing deeply, focusing on the sounds of the forest, the whisper of leaves rustling, the distant call of birds, the rhythmic pulse of the land beneath her. For a while, it worked. She cleared her mind, centering herself.

  But the minutes turned into hours.

  She stood and moved through their training drills, stretching her muscles, striking at the air with the precision Kael had drilled into her. When that wasn't enough, she pushed herself harder, punching at tree trunks until her knuckles bled, sprinting short distances to burn the restless energy coursing through her. Sweat trickled down her spine. The sun began to rise, the sky bleeding into oranges and pinks.

  And still, Kael hadn't returned.

  Nova paced, her boots pressing into the dirt with impatient steps. "Any minute now," she muttered. "He said before sunrise." But as the sky lightened, doubt nagged at her. Athena stirred inside her, restless and agitated.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "Sitting here accomplishes nothing." Her wolf's voice was a growl in the back of her mind, filled with urgency. "His trail will fade. We don't have time to hesitate."

  "Athena?"

  Athena cut her off. "What if he's hurt? What if he's…"

  "Stop!" Nova snapped back, frustration bubbling over. “You have hardly spoken two words to me and now you want me to just follow your lead?

  Athena snarled. "You're hesitating when we should be running."

  The decision was no longer Nova's.

  Athena surged forward, seizing control. Nova gasped as her body trembled, shifting seamlessly into her wolf form. Her limbs lengthened, her muscles coiling with power as her fur bristled against the evening air. No, Athena! she snapped internally, but her wolf ignored her.

  "Not now, little wolf. He's mine too, and I'm not waiting any longer."

  And with that, she bolted.

  The wind howled past her ears as she tore through the underbrush, Kael's scent guiding her like a beacon. He'd taken the main trail, but he had veered off, cutting through ravines, weaving between thickets, masking his tracks with practiced skill. Clever, Athena thought, admiration flickering beneath her urgency.

  But it wouldn't be enough to keep her from finding him.

  She raced forward, swift and silent, her paws barely touching the ground. The forest blurred around her. What would have taken them hours to walk, she covered in a fraction of the time.

  The first flicker of unease came when the scent of water thickened, he'd reached a stream. Athena slowed, sniffing the air, following the faintest hints of his presence.

  And then…nothing. Her ears flattened. The trail vanished.

  Backtracking to throw off someone following you?

  She prowled the edge of the stream, focusing, her mind sharpening like a blade. There. A single displaced stone, a faint disturbance in the damp soil. He had crossed, doubled back, then moved north.

  The farther she traveled, the worse the scent became. Her wolf senses sharpened, her muscles grew tighter with every step. The air carried something new, that made her stomach drop.

  Blood. The sharp, metallic tang flooded her senses, making her lips curl.

  Kael's blood. Athena's body went rigid. Nova's panic rose in the back of her mind, clawing at the edges of their shared consciousness. Athena, what's happening?

  "Not now, Nova," Athena growled.

  Her paws carried her forward, faster, more desperate. She crashed through the trees, the forest opening to a small clearing, and there, the signs of a fight. The earth was torn apart. Broken branches and uprooted bushes littered the ground. Claw marks scored deep into the bark of surrounding trees. The dirt was churned up from heavy bodies moving violently against it. And the smell, blood, sweat…and humans.

  She padded forward, analyzing the scene with razor-sharp focus.

  Kael had been here. His scent was thick in the air, mingling with the blood. But it wasn't just his. There were other paw prints surrounding the area, multiple sets, large and deep. Not just one attacker.

  Why were there both wolves and humans?

  Athena's hackles rose, her body tense with fury.

  She tracked the scuffle, her sharp eyes piecing together the fight. The way the soil was disturbed, the streaks of blood trailing away, it painted a grim picture. Kael had fought hard, but he had been outnumbered.

  And now he was gone. A deep snarl built in her chest, her breath heaving. Where is he? Her claws dug into the earth as a violent protectiveness roared through her. She had found his blood. She had found the struggle.

  But Kael… Kael was nowhere to be seen.