Chapter 5 TENSION AND BETRAYAL

Chapter Five:

Tension and Betrayal

I stood by the massive wooden doors, watching Kane from the corner of my eye. He was in the middle of a tense conversation with a messenger from a neighboring pack, one that I'd never heard of before. His voice was calm, too calm for what I knew was a serious situation.

"Tell him we'll handle it," Kane said, his tone hard as stone. His eyes flickered to mine for just a second before he turned away, his expression unreadable. "I don't take kindly to threats on my land."

I had no idea what the messenger had said, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going to stay here and be Kane's prisoner much longer. Every second I was with him, I could feel the walls around me closing in tighter. But today... today something was different. The way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention-there was something in those eyes that made my skin crawl and my heart race, though I couldn't name it.

"Don't even think about it," Kane warned suddenly, his eyes flashing. I hadn't realized I was stepping toward the door, ready to run.

I stopped, my chest tightening, but I didn't back down. "You can't keep me here forever," I spat, my voice sharp. The last thing I needed was for him to think he had control over me.

He didn't respond, but his stare was heavy. The tension between us thickened, like a storm about to break. It felt like it had always been this way-constant. But I wasn't some fragile creature to be handled. I was strong. Even if I was a newly initiated wolf, I had my pride.

"Pack up," Kane finally muttered, ignoring my defiant stance. "We leave in an hour."

"What?" My heart skipped. "Leave? Where?"

The messenger had already gone, and Kane's back was turned to me as he moved toward the center of the room, gathering a few things. "We need to handle a situation." His voice was colder now, as if nothing about it mattered to him, as if my question hadn't even registered.

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to understand his intentions, but he gave me nothing. His silence gnawed at me. This wasn't just a "situation"-there was something in his words that made me uneasy. My instincts screamed at me to escape, but I'd learned the hard way that escape wasn't always an option. Not here. Not with him.

"We leave in an hour. Get ready," he repeated, his back to me as he prepared his gear.

I resisted the urge to storm off, but the idea of a trip, especially one with Kane, twisted something inside me. I didn't care about whatever mission he had. But I couldn't help the twinge of curiosity that gnawed at my insides. There was a new threat, and that was the only thing I could latch onto. If this pack truly posed a danger, maybe I could use it to my advantage.

***

The trip wasn't what I expected.

Kane and I, along with a small team of warriors, left the pack borders behind us and ventured into unfamiliar territory. The journey was brutal, the sun high in the sky, beating down on us as we made our way deeper into the wild. The dense forest was thick, suffocating, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us. But Kane-he was different, always alert, scanning the surroundings as if the forest itself was his ally.

I kept to the back of the group, staying out of his way, though I was aware of his presence at every step. He didn't say much, and I didn't want to speak either. Every word that came from my mouth had consequences-especially with him. The tension from earlier still hung between us like a thick fog.

We traveled for hours, my legs aching with the strain. Finally, we stopped. The air felt colder, and the forest grew unnervingly quiet, as if it were holding its breath. I could hear the distant howls of wolves echoing through the trees.

"Stay close," Kane ordered in a low voice, turning his head slightly toward me. His gaze locked on mine, an unspoken command in the way his eyes bore into me.

I narrowed my eyes but didn't respond. He didn't get to order me around. Not anymore. Not after everything.

A low growl suddenly reverberated from the shadows ahead. My heart skipped. I wasn't a seasoned fighter, but I could feel the power that stirred in the air. The tension was palpable, and my instincts screamed for me to shift, to prepare for whatever was coming.

Kane's posture shifted as he slowly unsheathed his blade, his eyes narrowing. "Stay back."

Before I could respond, the first rogue wolf lunged at us from the trees, its eyes wild with fury. The pack behind it emerged from the shadows, moving swiftly with lethal grace.

It all happened so fast-Kane met the first wolf head-on, slamming his fists into its skull with precision. I watched as the others joined the fray, and I froze, unsure of what to do.

"Shift, damn it!" Kane shouted at me over the chaos, his voice sharp and commanding. He wasn't asking.

I hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment. My wolf was still new, my control shaky at best. But there was no time to think. I dropped to my knees and let the shift take me.

The transformation was painful, my bones cracking as fur sprouted along my skin. It was overwhelming, but I managed to force myself to stand, my claws scraping against the dirt as I charged into the fray.

It felt wrong-so wrong. I wasn't ready for this. But there was no turning back. As the rogue wolves attacked with savage intent, I defended myself the only way I knew how-by attacking, striking, and hoping I wouldn't get killed in the process.

A rogue lunged at me, and I barely managed to dodge, my muscles straining to keep up. I swiped at the beast, my claws grazing its fur as it turned to face me with bloodshot eyes.

Suddenly, a heavy force slammed into my side, sending me flying across the ground. I crashed into a tree with a sickening thud, pain radiating up my spine. The world blurred around me, my vision swimming as I struggled to breathe.

Before I could recover, a wolf was on top of me, its fangs bared. I tried to scramble away, but the wolf's jaws closed around my throat. Panic gripped me, and I let out a strangled growl, helpless.

And then, just as quickly as it had come, the weight was gone. I blinked, and Kane stood there, his powerful form looming over me. He had torn the rogue off me with ruthless efficiency, his expression cold and calculated.

"Get up!" he barked, offering me a hand.

I took it, my legs unsteady beneath me. "I-"

"We need to get back to the pack. It's not safe here."

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. Instead, I just nodded, too exhausted to fight. Kane didn't wait for me to recover, pulling me along as we headed back toward the direction we had come from.

My chest burned as we walked, the night growing darker and colder with each step.

Then, through the haze of my own exhaustion, I heard the growls of more wolves closing in on us. Kane's grip tightened around my wrist, and I knew he wasn't going to let go-not now, not ever.

But as we neared the clearing ahead, I heard a voice-a deep, mocking voice that sent a chill down my spine.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The voice was thick with arrogance.

I looked up, my heart pounding in my chest, and saw him. Large body frame, a scar on his face and a deadly glare. He...he must be the rival Alpha.