Chapter 6 The price of running

My legs trembled so much it felt like the ground was shaking under me.

I took slow steps backward, never turning my back to the wolves.

Their growls grew louder... deeper... hungrier.

I could feel their breath brushing my skin even before they jumped.

And they jumped together.

Like they rehearsed it.

Like they waited all night for this moment.

I screamed as they rushed toward me.

My legs wouldn't move.

Just when I tried to force it my feet slipped on the wet leaves.

My back hit the cold ground.

I shut my eyes tight as their paws hit the soil around me.

I thought that was it.

I thought this was how I would die - alone and unwanted in the middle of a cold forest.

But then-

A sharp, cracking sound ripped through the air.

A wolf cried out in pain.

I opened my eyes slightly... blinking through the blur... and saw a shadow moving faster than any human ever could.

I blinked again.

My vision cleared.

And I saw him.

Leon.

He was fighting three wolves at once.

Claws slashed across his skin.

Teeth snapped at his throat.

But he moved with a speed that didn't seem real.

His body twisted sharply.

His arm swung with deadly force.

He tore into their hides like they were nothing.

I lay frozen on the ground, my body trembling, but my fear began to shift into something else.

Shock.

Confusion.

A strange, cold ache that made no sense.

Leon was strong... stronger than any alpha I had seen.

He moved like a storm - fast, dangerous, unstoppable.

But the wolves were not weak either.

They attacked together.

They bit his legs.

They clawed at his sides.

But he still didn't stop.

Not once.

He fought like he was protecting something more precious than his own life.

He fought like he was protecting-Me.

One by one, the wolves fell.

Their bodies hit the ground with heavy thuds until finally-

Only Leon was left standing.

His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths.

Sweat dripped down his face.

His back was turned to me.

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.

I saw his shoulders shaking.

I saw his fists clenched.

I saw his rage... like a fire burning under his skin.

I curled myself tighter on the ground.

My lips parted, but nothing came out.

Then-

A sudden movement.

A shadow breaking through the bushes.

A wolf I didn't see earlier jumped out of the darkness, teeth bared, running straight for Leon's back.

"WATCH OUT!" I screamed with everything in me.

My voice cracked with fear.

Leon turned - but it was too late.

The wolf sank its teeth deep into his shoulder, slicing through Leon's back with claws.

Leon's scream tore through the night.

Not a weak sound.

Not a cry.

But a roar filled with pain.

And fury.

He grabbed the wolf and slammed it against a tree.

They rolled across the ground, biting and clawing.

This wolf was different.

Stronger.

Faster.

More vicious.

Leon was bleeding heavily now.

His breaths were unstable.

His movements grew slower with each second.

I watched him fight until my own lungs hurt.

But finally-

With one last burst of strength, he grabbed the wolf by the neck...

...and slammed it so hard the forest shook.

The wolf fell still.

Leon staggered forward, barely standing.

His legs trembled violently.

His breathing was sharp and uneven.

Yet he still tried to walk toward me.

I stood slowly, bracing myself.

I expected anger.

I expected shouting.

I expected him to grab me and throw me against a wall like Aaron used to.

My fists clenched hard.

"I-" I began to speak, ready for whatever came.

But his voice cut through my fear.

Soft.

Weak.

Barely above a whisper.

"Are you okay?"

My fists loosened instantly.

My entire body softened.

My heart stilled.

I looked into his eyes, searching for anger, searching for violence... searching for anything that looked like Aaron.

But there was none.

All I saw was disappointment...

And something that felt dangerously like worry.

He didn't shout.

He didn't blame me.

He didn't even look at my face too long, like he was afraid of scaring me again.

He simply took off his long robe, stepped close to me, and wrapped it gently around my shoulders.

Slow movements.

Shaky but careful hands.

He couldn't even look me in the eye. His silence weighed heavier on me.

Something sharp pierced my chest.

I didn't want kindness.

Not this kind.

Not from him.

Anger I could handle.

Pain I understood.

Violence I was used to.

But this-

This made me feel guilty.

This... hurt me more than any hit Aaron ever gave me.

I stayed silent as he adjusted the robe around my neck, making sure it covered me fully.

"Let's go," he said quietly.

But his voice shook.

That shake scared me more than the wolves.

"He's an alpha," I told myself silently. "A wolf cut shouldn't be so bad. He should heal fast... shouldn't he?"

We walked through the woods.

I could hear the leaves crunching under his unstable steps.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Then-

A loud thud behind me.

I spun around.

Leon lay on the ground, completely unconscious.

"LEON!" I screamed, running to him.

My heart pounded so violently it hurt.

I hadn't felt this kind of fear since the day my father abandoned me.

I lifted his head and placed it on my chest.

His skin felt cold.

His breaths were barely there.

"Leon... wake up," I whispered, slapping his cheek gently.

"Please... wake up."

But he didn't move.

My hands shook as I touched his shoulder.

My palms came back covered in blood.

"No," I whispered.

"No... no... no..."

He should've healed.

Why wasn't he healing?

I turned him slightly and saw the wound on his back.

It was black.

Dead-looking.

He was poisoned.

Wolfsbane.

A cold wave rushed through my stomach.

If he died...

It would be because of me.

I grabbed him from under his arms and dragged him through the woods with all the strength I had.

His weight pulled my muscles apart.

My ribs felt like they were cracking.

My wounds reopened and warm blood dripped down my sides.

But I didn't feel any of it.

I only felt fear.

"HELP US!" I screamed into the forest.

No one answered.

My voice broke.

"HELP!" I screamed again, louder.

My throat burned.

My chest ached.

My legs shook violently.

"I stopped crying three years ago," I whispered to myself.

"I don't know how to cry anymore..."

But inside, something felt like it was breaking open.

Finally-

I heard faint voices.

"Alpha Leon!" someone shouted in the distance.

Lights flashed through the trees.

Relief washed over me so suddenly I almost collapsed.

"OVER HERE!" I screamed with the last strength I had.

Guards rushed to him.

They lifted him from my hands.

The physicians carried him into the palace.

I sat outside the room, unable to breathe, unable to think.

I could hear him screaming from inside.

Every scream felt like it tore through my own skin.

Every cry felt like a stab to my chest.

This was my fault.

All of it.

Hours passed.

Maybe more.

Finally the physician stepped out with a tired sigh.

"He should survive," he said. "But he is weak. Very weak."

I didn't wait for more.

I pushed the door open.

My legs shook as I walked in.

Leon lay on the bed, breathing heavily.

His chest rose and fell with pain.

His lips were pale.

His skin was cold.

I froze at the sight.

Something inside me fell apart.

I moved closer, step by step.

My throat burned.

My heart felt too heavy for my chest.

I reached out and placed my hand softly over his.

His skin was warm but weak.

A terrible thought crossed my mind.

He wouldn't be here if he hadn't tried to stop me.

And if he kept trying to protect me...

He might get hurt again.

I shouldn't wait till alpha Aaron comes for me. Because I knew he's capable of destroying everything just to get what he wants.

Worse.

My heart broke quietly.

I knew what I had to do.

I had to leave.

I turned slowly, ready to walk away while he was too weak to stop me.

But then-

A soft grip wrapped weakly around my wrist.

I froze instantly.

My breath caught in my throat.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't think.

I didn't know what I felt - fear, guilt, pain, relief... maybe all of them at once.

His voice came out broken... soft... fragile.

"Don't go..."

Another breath.

"Don't leave me again, Brenda..."

My heart shattered.

Completely.