Chapter 5 5

Nikky Lumpo

The forest swallowed us as we left Tobias behind, the echoes of the fight still humming in my bones. My legs carried me forward, but my mind lingered in the clearing. The moment Tobias had looked at me- possessive, desperate, furious- was burned into my thoughts.

Julio walked beside me, his stride steady, his breathing even as if he hadn't just fought one of the most feared Alphas I had ever known. He didn't speak, didn't press for answers, but I felt his presence like a shield between me and the storm brewing behind us.

Twigs snapped beneath my boots as I pushed ahead, focusing on the path instead of the memories clawing at my insides. Tobias had said I was his.

Had he meant it?

Had he regretted rejecting me all along?

I shook my head, banishing the thought. It didn't matter. I had walked away.

A shift in the air made me pause. Julio's arm shot out in front of me before I could react. His eyes swept the shadows around us, sharp and untrusting.

"We're not alone," he murmured.

The hair on my arms stood on end. My wolf stirred, restless. My instincts weren't as honed as his, but the weight of something unseen pressed against my senses.

Then I heard it. A soft rustle. A breath caught in the wind. Not an animal. Someone was watching us. Julio turned his head slightly toward me. "Run."

My pulse spiked. He didn't wait for me to argue. His body moved- a blur of speed and violence as he lunged toward the trees. A snarl cut through the night, deep and inhuman. I ran.

The wind tore past my ears, my heart pounding against my ribs as my feet barely touched the forest floor. I didn't know who or what lurked in the darkness, but I knew Julio wouldn't have told me to run unless it was something I couldn't handle.

I heard the fight before I dared to glance back. A monstrous figure, cloaked in shadows, met Julio head-on. Claws ripped through fabric and flesh. Julio didn't stumble. He countered-his body twisting mid-air, delivering a brutal kick to the creature's side. But the thing didn't fall. It barely even flinched.

I skidded to a halt, instincts screaming. Running was smart. Running was survival. But I couldn't leave him. Julio dodged another attack, fangs bared. "Nikky, go!"

I didn't. My wolf surged beneath my skin, my nails sharpening, power licking at my veins. I wasn't defenseless anymore. I wasn't weak.

A low, unnatural growl rattled the air. And then the creature stepped fully into the moonlight. My breath caught.

t wasn't a wolf.

Not entirely.

Its form was twisted, elongated limbs that didn't belong on a natural being. Its eyes glowed with an eerie silver light, wrong, hungry, ancient. The scent of rot clung to it, something sickly and unnatural.

Julio stilled. His stance shifted-not just defensive, but cautious.

Which meant he didn't know what it was either.

And that was a problem.

The creature's lips curled, revealing too many teeth. "She is marked."

The voice sent a chill through my blood.

Julio's expression didn't change, but I felt his tension.

Marked?

I had never been marked.

Unless...

My stomach twisted.

Tobias.

He had rejected me, severed our bond. But had some part of it lingered? Had he left behind a scent, a claim I hadn't even realized?

Julio stepped between me and the creature. "You don't belong here."

The creature tilted its head. "Neither does she."

The words hit like a punch to the gut. Julio moved before I could process them, his body a blur of motion. He attacked-fast, brutal, precise. The creature met him mid-strike, and this time, when Julio's claws tore into its side, it bled. Silver, like molten mercury. The creature laughed.

Julio didn't hesitate. His strikes became a deadly dance, every move meant to kill. But for every wound he inflicted, the creature barely reacted. And then it spoke again.

"Your claim will not protect her."

Julio faltered. It was a fraction of a second, but it was enough. The creature vanished-moving with a speed that defied everything I knew about wolves. Then it was behind me. Clawed fingers brushed my throat.

"Run, little Luna."

The whisper slithered into my ear before I felt nothing at all. The world tilted. Darkness swallowed me whole.

Tobias Mattheus

The scent of blood hit me first. Then came the fear. My wolf raged inside me before I even knew what had happened. One second, I had been trying to shove the humiliation of my loss into a box. The next, Nikky's scent-tainted with something unnatural-had sent my instincts into a tailspin. I ran. It wasn't a choice. It was instinct.

I followed the scent through the forest, past broken branches and the lingering scent of Julio's presence. I pushed harder, my breath ragged, my heart pounding. Then I saw her.

Julio knelt beside her, blood staining his knuckles. Nikky's body was too still. Everything inside me snapped.

I lunged before my mind could catch up with my actions, tackling Julio to the ground. My fist connected with his jaw before he could react. His head snapped to the side, but his eyes burned with something I hadn't expected. Rage. Not at me. At whatever had hurt her.

"She's alive," he said, voice rough. "But if you waste time fighting me, she might not stay that way."

The words yanked me back to reality. I shoved off him and turned to Nikky. Her breathing was shallow, her face pale, but she wasn't bleeding. There were no visible wounds, no signs of attack. And yet... Something was wrong. Her scent had changed.

Panic surged through me. "What happened?"

Julio wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes never leaving Nikky's face. "Something unnatural."

His voice was steady, but there was a shadow behind his gaze- one that mirrored the unease growing in my own chest. I reached for Nikky, fingers brushing against her cheek. She stirred. Relief slammed into me, but it was short-lived. Her eyes fluttered open, hazy, unfocused. And when they finally met mine... They weren't her usual shade. They were silver.