Chapter 5 5

Reece had seen many things as Alpha of the Redclaw pack- ambushes, betrayal, rogue attacks, and the slow decay of loyalty. He had stared death in the face and walked away more times than he could count. But nothing unnerved him more than what he found by the edge of his territory just before dawn.

A body.

A girl.

Barely breathing, crumpled in the shadows of the forest where the border stones whispered their old magic into the earth.

He had caught her scent first- blood and pine smoke, with a touch of fear so sharp it cut through the morning chill. His wolf stirred immediately, alert and anxious, pulling him forward with an urgency that made no logical sense.

Reece rarely acted on instinct alone. Instinct got you killed. Strategy, discipline, and strength kept you alive. But this... this wasn't just instinct.

It was pull.

Magnetic. Unnatural.

Familiar.

He knelt beside her, eyes scanning the torn fabric of her clothes and the deep wound in her leg. Her ankle was swollen, her arm bruised. Her brown hair was tangled with leaves and dried blood. He hesitated only briefly before lifting her gently into his arms, trying to ignore how light she felt, how fragile and how his chest ached at the sight.

She could be a trap.

The thought came unbidden, cold and sharp.

It wouldn't be the first time someone was sent across the border, baiting him with weakness only to turn rogue the moment his back was turned. And the Bloodmoon pack wasn't exactly known for their hospitality. Especially not its Alpha.

Ryder.

Reece's jaw tightened at the memory of that name. The betrayal. The blood. Maya.

But this girl was not Maya.

No, this girl was something else entirely.

He carried her back to the packhouse himself, ignoring the questioning eyes of the guards and pack members who had begun their early patrols. The moment he entered the healer's ward, his Beta, Cassian, rushed to meet him.

"Who the hell is that?" Cassian asked, brows furrowed.

"I don't know yet," Reece replied, voice low.

"She crossed the border?"

"Collapsed on our land. Bleeding. Half-dead."

Cassian's nostrils flared. "Could be a trap."

"I know."

"But?"

Reece didn't answer immediately. He laid the girl down on the healer's table, his movements uncharacteristically gentle. His gaze lingered on the claw marks across her back, fresh, deep, savage.

"She's not one of ours," he said finally. "Smells like Bloodmoon. But there's more to it."

Cassian's eyes narrowed. "You feel it too?"

Reece didn't answer.

Because if he did, he'd have to admit the truth: yes. He felt something, a thread between them that pulled tight the moment she fell into his arms. It wasn't a mate bond. He knew what that felt like. This was... different. Quieter, but just as potent. It made his wolf restless.

But Reece didn't trust feelings. Not after Maya.

Especially not after Maya.

He straightened. "Wake me if she stirs. I want to be there when she opens her eyes."

Cassian hesitated. "You think she's dangerous?"

Reece's expression was unreadable. "I think... she's important."

*****

The girl, Lauren, he would later learn, slept for nearly two days.

The healers worked around the clock to stop the bleeding and flush the poison from the infected bite on her leg. Whatever wolves had chased her hadn't just been following orders, they'd wanted her dead. Torn flesh, shredded clothes, bruised ribs... she'd fought like hell.

That impressed him.

And worried him more than he let on.

What kind of monster chased down an omega with this kind of violence? Unless...

Unless she ran from something worse than death.

Reece kept watch from the far end of the room, arms crossed, eyes fixed on her every twitch, every sigh. She was young, maybe barely eighteen. But her expression, even in sleep, was guarded. Hardened. The kind of face that had known too much pain for its years.

It reminded him of himself.

Of the man he became after the curse.

And that made him want to look away but he couldn't.

Not when his wolf had gone eerily silent the moment she arrived.

******

On the third day, her eyes fluttered open.

They were a rich hazel, the color of burnt honey and shadows. They blinked slowly as if seeing light for the first time in weeks.

She turned her head and saw him.

Tension flashed through her like lightning. Her body jerked despite the pain, and she tried to sit up, immediately wincing. Her arm gave out, and Reece was beside her in an instant.

"Don't," he said firmly. "You're safe here."

Her lips parted. Her voice was hoarse. "Where... where am I?"

"Redclaw territory. You crossed the border."

She blinked at him, confused and disoriented. Her eyes darted around the room before returning to his face. "You're... you're Reece."

He nodded once. "And you are?"

"Lauren," she said, swallowing. "From Bloodmoon."

Cassian, who had entered quietly, raised a brow at the revelation. Reece didn't take his eyes off her.

"Why were you running, Lauren?"

She hesitated. Her fingers dug into the blanket. "Because I didn't want to die."

Reece tilted his head slightly. "That's vague."

"He marked me," she said softly, almost too softly. "Ryder. He's my mate."

Reece froze.

Even Cassian's breath caught.

Lauren continued, her voice shaking now. "I didn't want him. He... he forced the bond. Said I was nothing. Said I was his to break, to use."

Her voice cracked. "So I ran."

Reece took a slow breath, feeling the fire of old grudges rise in his chest. Ryder hadn't changed. Still a monster. Still branding people like cattle.

Lauren met Reece's eyes, trembling now. "Please. I don't want to go back."

Reece stared at her for a long moment.

Then, with a slow nod, he said, "You won't."

Something in her broke then. Her shoulders sagged. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn't sob. She just looked... relieved. Like someone who had carried the weight of the world and had finally been told to rest.

Cassian cleared his throat. "Reece-can we talk?"

Reece followed him outside.

Cassian lowered his voice. "You sure about this? If Ryder finds out we're sheltering his mate..."

"He won't," Reece growled. "Not yet."

"You believe her?"

"I believe her eyes," Reece said. "And the scent of terror all over her."

Cassian hesitated. "You feel... something, don't you?"

Reece said nothing.

But in truth, he felt everything.

And that terrified him more than Ryder ever could.

*****

That night, Reece returned to her room.

Lauren was still awake, staring at the ceiling.

He pulled up a chair beside her bed and sat.

"You won't be forced here," he said. "Not by me. Not by anyone. But if you stay, you follow Redclaw law. You pull your weight. Earn your place."

Lauren nodded slowly. "That's all I ever wanted."

Reece studied her for a long moment before standing. "Then sleep well."

Lauren's lips curved into the faintest smile. "Thank you... Alpha."

Reece nodded once and left before he let the pull in his chest do something reckless.