Chapter 4 A Hidden Life

Serena had no idea why she was following Riven Blackmoor. The rogue Alpha who came out of nowhere and offered her a safe place to stay while the rest of the world seemed to be closing in on her. But after days of running and being scared, the offer seemed too good to pass up.

"You're safe here." Riven's voice was low and steady, but it made her quiver. His dark eyes stared at her with a cold intensity that never changed.

Serena stood just outside the cabin door he had led her to and thought for a while. The walls were plain and the room was silent, but he was everything but basic. He was a guy of shadows and secrets, but she had nowhere else to go.

"I don't need charity," she murmured, crossing her arms. She wasn't sure if she was attempting to shield herself or push him away.

Riven's lips turned into a faint, inscrutable smile. "It's not a gift." You need to be safe. And so do I.

Her forehead wrinkled. "From what?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked behind her, as if he could sense something far away.

But suddenly his eyes softened, showing a glimmer of something darker.

"From everything," he finally said.

The days went by in a peculiar quiet. Serena stayed in the cabin and tried to remain occupied, but nothing felt right. Riven hardly said anything. He was always there, like a shadow she couldn't get away from. Even though they were far apart, she couldn't help but be pulled to him, even though she hated to admit it.

"Don't just stand there, Serena," Riven's voice burst through her thoughts one night when she was looking out the window. "You'll go crazy."

Serena turned and squinted her eyes. "I'm not the one hiding in the dark."

He walked into the room, and his presence was larger than life. Every motion he made was planned and deliberate. "Are you hiding? No. Maybe waiting. "Watching, of course."

His words hovered in the air like smoke. Serena couldn't look away; the tension between them grew stronger with every second. There was something about Riven that made her blood throb. The way he looked at her was dangerous, but there was also something deeper that she couldn't put into words.

"I didn't ask for your help," she murmured, and her voice was rougher than she meant it to be.

Riven looked her in the eye without hesitation. "No, you didn't." But I think you'll find that you need it more than you think.

She didn't know what to say, but she felt a pull, like an unseen thread pulling her closer to him.

The moon was high in the sky when Riven finally spoke out. The candlelight flickered and cast shadows on his face as he sat at the table.

"Why are you really running, Serena?" His voice was so quiet that it sounded like a command.

Serena stiffened and took a step back without thinking. "I already told you. "I'm trying to get away."

"Escape what?" He pushed, and his eyes got a little smaller.

She hesitated, not sure why she needed to tell him this. "From a past I can't change. From someone I can't trust. From a group that will never accept me.

Riven was quiet for a minute before he spoke again. His voice was low, almost soft. "I understand. It's easier to run than to stay. But the past has a way of catching up with you. It always does.

His remarks touched too near to home. The reality of them hurt Serena's heart. She wasn't only running away from Lucien and the wolves. She was running away from everything. From the prophesy that held her, and from the child inside her.

Riven's eyes softened, and for a second, she saw something weak there that she hadn't expected.

He responded, "I'll protect you," and his voice was firm. "But everything has a price."

Serena made a face. "How much?"

Riven's eyes grew dark. "My past. And my future. "Now it's tied to yours."

The pack had gotten bigger. As the number of wolves in Riven's area slowly grew, Serena could feel the tension in the air. His dominion used to be little, but now it was bigger and full of people who wanted to be safe under his guidance.

Riven strode through them, quiet and in charge. His gaze moved across the group with a hardness that made her uneasy. He was always on the go, always watching, and always thinking.

"Do they know?" One night, Serena broke the hush that had settled over them like a heavy cloak.

Riven, who was standing by the fire and staring at the flickering flames, didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was low and steady. "They don't need to know." But you do. They all owe their safety to me, and they stay because I let them.

Serena stood a bit further back, arms crossed, watching the pack grow. She could feel something in the air, something more than just safety. Riven's pack had a power, an energy that hummed just below the surface.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she turned to depart. The smell of Lucien's pack, which she couldn't forget, hung in the air.

Riven's eyes were icy and impenetrable as they stared at hers. "Lucien is close."

The night was colder than it usually is. Serena was in bed with her head racing and her thoughts all over the place. She had come here to escape, but something wasn't right. There were nights when her gut told her to flee and go far away from Riven's area. That night was one of those nights.

She sat up in bed and listened to the dense, oppressive silence that around her.

Then it came: a sudden, clear change in the air. That emotion was familiar to her. The feeling of dread in her stomach. The cold that crept up her spine.

Her hand raced to her stomach, where her child was growing, safe but weak.

She muttered, "Not again," but it was too late. The electricity in the air changed, and her heart raced. There was a commotion, a warning, and the smell of Lucien's pack hung in the air like a shadow, too close for comfort.

She sat up straight, breathing hard, as the presence appeared to grow.

There was a low growl outside the hut. It was mild, yet it was enough to scare her.

She ran to the window and looked out into the dark. She tried to control her shaking hands, but her breath fogged the glass.