Chapter 5 The Wolf Behind the Mask

Morning came with the scent of damp earth and fresh pine. The night's events still echoed in my mind-the rogues, Ronan's cold power, and his words.

"She is mine."

I knew it was just to scare them off, but those words kept playing in my head. My mate had rejected me, tossed me aside like I was nothing. So why did hearing Ronan say that make my heart pound?

I shook off the thought as I got out of bed. My body was healing faster now, thanks to my wolf, but I was still weak. The rejection had drained me more than any wound ever could.

I stepped outside the cabin, hoping to find Ronan, but he wasn't there.

Instead, I found something else.

Blood.

Dark red stains on the ground, fresh and still wet. My stomach twisted as I followed the trail into the forest.

I found Ronan a few feet away, leaning against a tree. His shirt was torn, and a deep claw mark ran across his side. Blood dripped onto the ground.

"Ronan!" I rushed to him, but he barely reacted. His breathing was steady, but his face was pale.

"I'm fine," he muttered, pushing off the tree.

I frowned. "You're bleeding."

"It's not the first time."

He tried to walk past me, but I grabbed his arm. "What happened?"

He hesitated, then sighed. "The rogues from last night weren't alone. More of them were watching."

My stomach clenched. "They attacked you?"

"They were looking for something... or someone." His silver eyes met mine. "You."

Fear shot through me. "Me? Why?"

"I don't know yet."

I swallowed hard. I was no one. A rejected Luna with no pack, no future. Why would rogues be searching for me?

Ronan pulled away and started walking back toward the cabin. His wound was still bleeding, and his movements were slower than usual.

"Let me help," I said.

"I don't need help."

I rolled my eyes. "Your side is bleeding, and you look like you're about to collapse. Stop acting tough."

His lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smirk, but he let me guide him inside.

---

I cleaned his wound as best as I could, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking. The scar on my neck-where Kieran had marked and then rejected me-throbbed as I focused on Ronan's injury.

He barely flinched. His body was built for battle, his skin rough with old scars.

"You've been through a lot," I murmured.

His silver eyes flickered to me. "So have you."

I hesitated. No one had ever said that to me before.

"You don't have to tell me your story," Ronan said after a moment. "But I know the look of someone who's been hurt too many times."

I bit my lip, my chest tightening. Did he see through me that easily?

I focused on wrapping his wound instead. "You never told me why you live out here alone."

He didn't answer right away. Then, finally, he said, "Because the world isn't safe for people like me."

I frowned. "People like you?"

Ronan's jaw tightened. "People with power."

I stared at him, my mind racing. I had felt it before-the strength in his presence, the way even the rogues had feared him. But he wasn't an Alpha. Or at least, that's what he had claimed.

"Who are you really, Ronan?" I asked softly.

His silver eyes darkened. For a long moment, I thought he wouldn't answer.

Then he said, "Someone the world would rather forget."

A chill ran down my spine. There was so much he wasn't telling me.

But before I could ask more, a howl echoed through the forest.

A warning.

Ronan's body tensed immediately. He stood up, ignoring the pain from his wound, and grabbed a dagger from the table.

"Stay inside," he ordered.

But I wasn't about to just sit and wait.

I followed him out the door, my heart pounding. The forest was silent now, but I could feel something in the air. Danger.

Then I saw them.

Wolves.

Not rogues.

Pack warriors.

And at the front was the last person I ever wanted to see.

Kieran.

His golden eyes locked onto mine, burning with something unreadable. For a moment, I thought I saw shock-maybe even something else.

But then his gaze shifted to Ronan, and his expression darkened.

"You should have stayed dead, Selene," Kieran said coldly.

Anger flared inside me. "And you should have left me alone."

He took a step forward. "You belong to me."

Ronan moved before I could even react.

His body tensed, his aura dark and overwhelming. He stepped in front of me, blocking Kieran's path.

"She belongs to no one," Ronan said, his voice low and deadly.

Kieran's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?"

Ronan smirked. "Someone you don't want to fight."

The air between them grew thick with tension. Power crackled like lightning.

Kieran's warriors shifted uneasily, sensing the danger.

I clenched my fists. I had spent years standing in Kieran's shadow, letting him control my life. But I wasn't that weak Luna anymore.

I stepped beside Ronan, meeting Kieran's glare. "You rejected me, remember? So turn around and leave."

Something flickered in Kieran's eyes-rage, frustration... and something else I couldn't name.

He took another step forward. "Come back to the pack, Selene. This is your last chance."

I felt Ronan stiffen beside me, his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.

And for the first time in my life, I smiled at Kieran.

"I'd rather die than go back to you."

His golden eyes flashed with fury, but before he could say another word, Ronan moved.

In a blur of speed, he was right in front of Kieran, his hand gripping the Alpha's throat.

"You heard her," Ronan growled. "Now leave before I decide to kill you."

Kieran struggled, his body trembling as he tried to fight Ronan's grip.

The warriors behind him didn't move. They knew.

They knew who Ronan really was.

And so did Kieran.

Because when Ronan finally let him go, Kieran staggered back, his face pale.

His voice shook as he whispered, "You're supposed to be dead."

My heart pounded as I looked at Ronan.

Who the hell was he?

And why was Kieran so afraid of him?