Chapter 14
Chapter 014
I walked back to my study in silence.
Everything was eerily quiet for some reason.
The silence was eating at my chest.
Something felt wrong.
I sat up, every instinct in me alert.
The bond between Alpha and territory thrummed uneasily my wolves were restless. Whispering. Searching.
It felt like I was losing my mind.
And then I realised why.
Her scent was gone.
Faint traces lingered – crushed herbs, exile, and something softly human. But the air was already losing her.
Kaia.
I was on my feet before I’d finished the thought.
Her room was as she’d left it.
The bed untouched, window open, the morning light spilling over an empty chair.
The shawl she’d wrapped around her shoulders last night fluttered in the wind – caught on the ledge like it didn’t want to let go either.
I picked it up, the fabric still faintly warm. It smelt of her.
I held it closely,like it was my last straw.
“Damn it, Kaia…” I whispered.
My Gamma, Ronan, appeared at the doorway, his expression guarded. “She’s gone, Alpha p>
“I can see that p>
“She must’ve left before dawn. No one saw her at the gates, but the patrols found tracks heading toward the
river trail p>
The Council’s words echoed in my head – You should’ve never brought her here.
She’s a liability.
Test her loyalty before it costs you your crown.
And yet, the only thing I could think of was the look in her eyes when she said, I’m not your enemy.
“Send two trackers,” I ordered, my voice sharper than I intended. “No one harms her. No one frightens her. Just find her p>
Ronan hesitated. “Alpha Theo, with respect… if she left willingly, it means she didn’t trust you. Moreover,this is good for the Pack and the people”
“I don’t care what it means p>
He lowered his head. “The Council will. They already doubt your judgment p>
“I said find her p>
Ronan bowed slightly, then left, leaving me alone in that echoing room – her scent, her absence, and the faint tremor in my hands.
My hands trembled with her shawl as I clutched it tighter.
My heart is pounding in my chest. With a dull ache.
Something I didn’t understand.
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Chapter 014
I turned to leave and that’s when I saw it.
A folded scrap of parchment left on the windowsill.
I knew her handwriting before I even opened it – clean, precise, with a healer’s steadiness.
Alpha Theo,
You’ve shown me more kindness than I deserve. But I’ve brought nothing but trouble since the day we met. I can’t repay your debt by ruining your place here. I will be fine. Please, don’t look for me.
-Kaia
I clenched the paper until it crumpled.
“Too late,” I muttered. “You already ruined me p>
By the time the sun had climbed above the Pack’s walls, my wolves were already running through the forest.
Every breath I took was thick with her dying scent, fading fast.
Ronan’s voice came through the mind–link, tense:
Alpha. We found blood by the riverbank.
My pulse stopped.
Human?
Yes. And Alpha… There are some rogue tracks too p>
I didn’t wait for more.
The bond snapped taut – the Alpha within me rising like a storm.
“Keep the trail alive,” I ordered, my voice dropping into that lethal calm only Alphas carried. “I’m coming for her myself p>
And for the first time in years, I didn’t care about the Council.
Didn’t care about the rules.
I just knew one thing.
If Kaia was hurt – I would burn the entire forest to the ground to get her back.
Kaia’s POV
Alone. Again.
The forest whispered my name as though it pitied me. Each step bled into the next – breath, ache, the pulse of regret against my ribs.
I told myself I wouldn’t look back.
Not at the Pack.
Not at Theo.
Not at the only place that had ever felt almost safe.
“Better he hates me than lose his crown,” I muttered under my breath.
The trees didn’t answer.
They didn’t have any answers for me.
Or they don’t care enough.
Hours passed before I caught the metallic scent blood. Fresh. Wolf.
Instinct pulled me toward it before my senses could argue. I found him half–buried in leaves, armor shredded,
a dark stain pooling beneath his side.
I recognised him from the trip.
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From the camp to the Packlands.
One of Theo’s scouts.
“Hey,” I whispered, dropping to my knees. “Stay with me p>
His eyes fluttered open, pupils blown wide with pain. “You-” he rasped. “You’re her. The outsider p>
“Yes,” I said, already tearing at his shirt. “And the only one here who can stop you from dying, so shut up p>
The wound was deep but clean a blade, not claws. Human–made.
I pressed my palm to it, muttering every healer’s prayer I knew, even the ones I didn’t believe in anymore.
He groaned. “You’ll poison me p>
“Not before I save you.” I crushed willow bark and feverleaf from my satchel, fingers trembling. “Hold still p>
When the bleeding slowed, I pressed my ear to his chest. Heartbeat weak, but there.
Relief flooded me so hard I almost laughed.
Then a growl sliced through the forest behind me.
Theo’s scent hit first – cedar and smoke and something that always made
“Step away from him,” his voice thundered.
my chest hurt.
I turned slowly. Theo stood there with three of his men, jaw tight, eyes locked on the blood covering my hands.
“I can explain,” I said.
His gaze flicked to the scout. “Is he alive p>
“Yes,” I said. “Barely. He was ambushed. If I hadn’t found him p>
Theo was beside me in an instant, crouching, checking the man’s pulse. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. “Go get me the healers,” he ordered his men. “Now p>
They obeyed, vanishing into the trees. Only then did he look at me properly.
“You ran,” he said quietly. “Why? ”
I met his eyes. “Because I don’t want to be the reason you’re ruined”
Theo asked, his eyes searching for answers in mine.
“What are you talking about,Kaia? You saved my life. How could you be the reason for my ruins”
I didn’t mean to tell the truth but it came out anyway.
“I heard what they said. That I’d ruin you. That your Council would use me to break you.” My voice shook. “And they’re right. You have everything to lose p>
“Then let me decide what’s worth losing,” he cut in, sharper than I expected.
I blinked, stunned silent.
For a heartbeat, we both forgot to breathe.
The weight of his gaze softened – not forgiveness, but something dangerously close.
Behind us, the scout stirred and mumbled Theo’s name.
The Alpha exhaled, steady again.
“You saved him,” he said.
I shrugged, swallowing the lump in my throat. “It would’ve been easier to keep walking p>
Theo’s mouth twitched. “But you didn’t p>
“No,” she whispered. “I never can. That’s a problem of mine. Something I hope would kill not me in the future”
Theo took my bloodied hand.
“Trust me, Kaia. Nothing of that sort will happen. I will not let anything happen to you”
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I snatched my hand away.
Afraid, his action might weaken me.
“Alpha Theo,I can’t stay. Not when it can be a problem for you”
Theo smirked. “That’s too bad because I’m not letting you go anywhere,Kaia.
“You don’t understand, Theo. I can’t p>
“I understand. But, I don’t care what anyone thinks. You’re coming with me or I won’t return to the Pack at all”
“Don’t be so stubborn. Theo please”
Later that night, the Council chambers flared with tension.
Theo stood before them, I at his side, the scout alive but weak in the infirmary.
“She claims she found him by chance, ” one elder sneered. “Yet she bears his blood on her hands. What if she
caused it p>
Theo’s jaw clenched. “You’re grasping p>
“Or perhaps she’s clever enough to save the very man she harmed,” another said. “We still know nothing of her, Alpha. You risk too much p>
My stomach twisted, but I kept my chin high. “If saving a life is a crime, then yes
The chamber erupted in murmurs.
Theo’s gaze cut through the noise, landing on me – unreadable, proud, furious.
Something shifted.
I’m guilty p>
He took a slow step closer to me, shoulders squared, his voice calm and dangerous.
“If guilt means saving my men,” I said. “Then,perhaps you should pray to the moon goddess for more criminals like her”
“ Alpha Theo, you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Elder Marcus slammed.
I replied. Firmly. “I do. Perhaps, you have something else in mind”
Councilor Corwin chimed in.
“I believe this is a private meeting. Strays shouldn’t be here. Please escort her out”
I wanted to argue. To press further.
But Kaia nodded at me. Urging me to stop.
I breathed deeply.
Then,one of my men led Kaia out.
It hurts me to see this.
To see Kaia being treated like a stray.
Something she’s not.
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.