Chapter 6 The Wolf Below

Jamie's POV

The forest swallowed us whole.

The moment Andrew took off, I followed. Branches tore at my sleeves, the icy air burned my lungs, and yet-I didn't stop. There was something raw in his voice when he told me to keep up. Something that slashed beneath fear. Beneath confusion. It was like purpose.

The trees blurred around us, the shadows writhing, the scent of moss and pine thick in the air. But something else threaded through it now-something wrong. Wild. Metallic.

Blood.

I skidded to a halt when Andrew halted suddenly. His chest rose and fell in a slow, measured rhythm, too calm, too still. And then I saw it-his eyes glowed, not just blue this time, but bright, feral, inhuman.

He was hearing. Sensing.

"Rogue," he whispered. And again, louder, as a curse, "He's close."

I spun, heart racing, but the forest was still, aside from the wind. "Why me?" I whispered, hardly audible, more to the wind than to him. "Why now?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to me-fully turned to me-and what I saw in his face quieted every part of me.

His jaw clenched. "Jamie, listen to me. No matter what happens, don't run from me. No matter what you see. Do you hear me?"

I nodded, even though my mouth had dried up.

Then I felt it.

A presence-dark, vile-bursting through the underbrush. The ground seemed to tremble under its step. My feet stepped backward of their own accord.

A flash of black. Eyes glowing red. A deformed snarl that made bile creep up my throat.

The rogue.

Its body was deformed, patches of fur gone, teeth too long for its jaw. This wasn't a wolf-it was a monster. Diseased. Enraged.

I didn't scream.

Andrew moved in front of me, slow and deliberate. "Get behind the cedar," he said. "Now."

I did.

And then it happened.

With one final breath, one long look back at me-he let go.

Bones snapped. Muscle flexed. His back bowed, hands becoming claws, skin rippling and stretching tight. I watched, appalled, mesmerized... and captivated. His clothes shredded from him in tatters, but I could barely drag my eyes from the transformation itself. It was not hideous. It was not grotesque like the rogue. It was. beautiful.

Where Andrew had stood was now a giant wolf, his coat a gleaming silver that caught the moonlight like armor. His eyes still burned that same brilliant blue, and power emanated from him in waves.

Alpha. That was the word.

Not just a wolf. The wolf.

And despite the anger, despite the chaos-I didn't feel fear. Not from him. I felt. safe.

The rogue attacked.

Andrew caught him midair. There was a flash of fur, claws, and fury. I had to get away. My body begged me to, but something rooted me to the earth. My wolf. It was whispering, watching.

Sparks flew as the two collided, teeth bared into flesh, paws ripping against bark and bone. The rogue snapped at Andrew's side, but he moved with grace, with lethal precision. I could barely follow the rhythm of the fight, but I felt every blow in my chest.

Andrew held the rogue to the ground with a feral snarl, his jaws locking around its throat. One snap-and it was over.

Silence.

His chest heaved, his silver coat muted by smears of blood-not his. Then he turned to me.

And in that moment, I saw him. Not just the wolf. Andrew.

I stepped closer to him, opposite to instinct. My heart raced. I wasn't sure what was happening within me, but something shattered open. My chest hurt. My skin tingled.

And my wolf... it howled.

I dropped to my knees, gasping. Every cell in my body exploded awake. Something was happening-finally.

I lifted my eyes, meeting Andrew's.

"I felt it," I gasped. "I think... I think my wolf saw you."

And for the first time since all this began, I wasn't afraid of what that would entail.