Chapter 154
Kai POV
Darkness covered me like a heavy blanket, thick and suffocating. I tried to open my eyes, to move, to breathe, but my body wouldn’t respond. Was I dead? Did I fail to protect Lily? Did that bastard take her again?
I tried to listen again for Lily’s voice, wishing I could just open my eyes. But all I could hear was something—distant beeping, muffled voices, and beneath it all, a familiar heartbeat. Lily. My wolf stirred at the sound, but we remained trapped in this void between consciousness and oblivion.
Then, like a projector flickering to life, images began to form in the darkness. A forest, bathed in afternoon sunlight. The scent of pine and earth filled my nose, so vivid I could have sworn I was really there. My men flanked me in formation as we tracked rogue scents through the forest.
Three years ago. Before I had met Lily. Before my memories shattered.
The dream swept me into the scene completely, and suddenly I was there, living it again as if for the first time.
I was dressed in my fighting clothes and we were moving through a forest stealthily. Beside me, I spotted Liam and my grandfather, Marcus commanding what seemed to be another garrison facing the East-side of the forest.
One of the packs in the region which were our allies had radioed us two hours ago, to inform us they were under attack. Before we could get the clear message, they had gone silent. So, we couldn’t tell what kind of attack they were under.
Was it a rogue attack? Or another Alpha attacking them and trying to claim them as his. Or was it a trap?
I knew I couldn’t just sit back, waiting for the danger to come to us. We were going to scout the area first, access the kind of danger we were in before we take any action.
“Alpha, rogue scents are getting stronger,” my beta, Liam, reported, his eyes scanning the tree line. “At least three, maybe more p>
I raised my hand, signaling the patrol to halt. The forest had gone unnaturally quiet—no birdsong, no rustle of small animals. Hud – my wolf tensed; I could feel my hackles rising beneath my skin.
“Form a perimeter,” I ordered, my voice low. “We’ll flush them out p>
We spread through the woods, moving with a silent precision. The rogue scent was thick here, mingled with something else—blood. Fresh blood.
A crash in the bush ahead made us all freeze. A small figure burst from the bushes, practically stumbling out in the open. For a moment, I thought it was a child, but as she came into the clearing, I saw she was a young woman—petite, her white dress was stained with blood and her face streaked with tears.
“Halt!” Liam shouted; his weapon raised.
The girl skidded to a stop, her eyes wide with terror. They were the clearest blue I’d ever seen, like lake ice under the winter sun. Her hair fell in tangled dark waves around her shoulders, leaves and twigs caught in the strands. Blood stained the front of her dress, and bruises painted her arms purple and yellow.
“Please,” she gasped, her voice cracked. “Please don’t hurt me p>
“On your knees,” Liam commanded, advancing with his gun trained on her chest. “Hands where we can see them p>
She dropped immediately, as if her legs had given out, raising trembling hands above her head. Tears streamed down her face, leaving clean tracks through the dirt and blood.
“I’m not—I’m not with them,” she sobbed. “Please, they killed my family. They—they p>
“Stand down,” I ordered, stepping out of the protective circle. Something about her stirred Hud, made him pace restlessly beneath my skin.
“Alpha, she could be dangerous,” Liam protested.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Liam,” I said quietly still staring at the girl. “She looks like she’s in distress p>
“Aren’t they all?” Liam quizzed. “She’s coming right from the place we picked up rogue scents and you think she’s in distress. For all we know, she might even be one, working with them p>
“You know rogues let go of their human form when they transform, Liam. She’s not a rogue. Can’t you see from her appearance p>
“Still, this could be a trap. At least send a warrior or I could go down to interview her first, maybe ask a few questions before anything p>
I ignored him, approaching the girl slowly. She watched me with those startling eyes, terror mixed with something else in her expression. I crouched in front of her, careful to stay just out of reach.
“What are you doing here in the forest?” I started quietly. “Aren’t you aware it is dangerous? There were report of rogues a few hours ago p>
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, lowering her gaze. “It was either this or death p>
As I spoke, my eyes surveyed the area behind her, looking at the tree lines, watching for signs that this could be a trap and she was the bait.
On a second thought, I didn’t think it was a trap. The wounds on her body were too fresh and real for this to be a trap. There was a big gash on her knee as if someone had attacked her with a knife.
Her arms were filled with wounds that were bleeding and several bruises already going purple. This couldn’t be a bait. I couldn’t place the feeling but the urge to protect her suddenly overwhelmed me.
“What’s your name?” I asked gently.
“S-Sarah,” she whispered. “Sarah Matthews p>
The moment she spoke, it happened. Hud jerked with excitement, prancing around within me; Mate, he whispered, the word echoing through my mind with absolute certainty.
Our eyes locked, and I saw the same recognition dawn in her face. Her lips parted, and we both breathed the word at the same time:
“Mate p>
Then her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed forward. I caught her before she hit the ground. Her small body went limp in my arms. She weighed almost nothing, bird-boned and fragile, smelling of pine sap and blood that wasn’t her own.
“Alpha?” Liam approached me cautiously. “What should we do p>
“Get the medical kit,” I ordered, cradling Serena against my chest. Her pulse fluttered weakly against my fingertips. “And call off the hunt for now. We need to tend to her injuries p>