Chapter 6

The smell of blood and splintered wood clung to the air. The cabin, once Riley's last safe place, now felt tainted and violated by the presence of wolves who had no right to be there. The broken window let in a cold draft, sending a shiver through her as she stood in the wreckage of what had once been her father's refuge.

The silence after the attack was almost worse than the fight itself.

Nova sat slumped in a chair, rubbing her temples like she had the world's worst migraine. Kieran was still standing, but barely his body swayed slightly, his hand gripping the edge of the couch for balance. His golden eyes remained locked on the shattered doorway as if expecting the wolves to come back.

"They won't return tonight," Riley said, trying to convince herself as much as them.

Kieran didn't respond right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was raw, edged with barely restrained fury. "No. But they will come back."

Riley swallowed hard, glancing at Nova, then back to Kieran. "Then we leave. Like you said."

Nova let out a humorless laugh. "Right. Because running has worked so well for us so far."

Riley shot her a sharp look. "Do you have a better idea?"

Nova sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. "No. But I'm not loving the plan we've got either."

Kieran exhaled heavily and sank onto the couch, wincing as he did. Riley hesitated before moving toward him, kneeling in front of where he sat. His injuries were bad. The bandages she had wrapped around his torso earlier were already soaked through with fresh blood.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," she muttered, reaching for the bandage on his shoulder.

Kieran caught her wrist before she could touch him. His hand was warm despite the chill settling into the cabin. "I'm fine."

Riley narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Because bleeding all over my floor is a normal, healthy thing to do."

Kieran's lips quirked, but there was no real humor in it. "I've had worse."

"That doesn't make it better."

His golden gaze flickered with something unreadable, but then he let go of her wrist, allowing her to check his wound. Riley carefully peeled back the soaked bandage, suppressing a grimace at the sight beneath it. The gash was deep, the edges jagged. It should have already begun healing.

It wasn't.

Riley frowned. "This isn't normal, is it?"

Kieran was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

Nova leaned forward. "Wait, what do you mean no? You're a werewolf. You're supposed to heal fast, right?"

Kieran's jaw clenched. "Usually."

A pit formed in Riley's stomach. "Then why aren't you?"

Kieran didn't answer. He didn't have to.

They all knew the reason.

The mark.

Ever since he had marked her accidentally or not something had changed. And now, that something was affecting him.

Riley pressed a hand against the wound, applying pressure. "Is there anything we can do to fix this?"

Kieran let out a slow breath. "We don't know what this is. And we don't have time to figure it out."

He was right. Dawn was only a few hours away.

Riley took a deep breath and stood, forcing herself to focus. "Okay. We move now. Grab only what we need. We'll figure out the rest later."

Nova snorted. "Fantastic. I love having absolutely no plan."

Kieran pushed himself to his feet, his face betraying the pain he was trying to hide. "We're not going far. Just enough to get off the pack's radar. I know someone who might be able to help."

Riley frowned. "Who?"

Kieran hesitated, but then said, "An old friend."

Nova arched a brow. "Do we trust this old friend?"

Kieran didn't answer immediately, which wasn't exactly comforting.

Riley crossed her arms. "Kieran"

Finally, he exhaled. "We don't have a choice."

The weight of those words settled over them.

Nova groaned. "Awesome. Love that for us."

Riley moved toward the hallway, grabbing a backpack she had stored in the closet. Her father had always kept supplies here extra food, medical kits, and emergency cash. He had never explained why, but now, she wondered if he had known something like this could happen.

The cabin was falling apart. Not physically the structure was still standing, barely but the illusion of safety it once held had been shattered, broken just like the window the wolves had crashed through.

Riley could still feel the weight of Callum's warning, his voice replaying in her mind:

"You don't belong in this world, Riley Hayes. But if you insist on staying, Callum is more than happy to rip you apart."

She hated the way his words lingered, slithering under her skin like poison.

They needed to move now.

She turned away from Kieran, her pulse hammering as she grabbed the old backpack from the closet. Her fingers shook slightly as she pulled open drawers, stuffing whatever supplies she could find inside. Water bottles, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, extra clothes anything that might help them survive out there.

Nova, finally pulling herself together, walked over and leaned against the wall, watching Riley pack. "So, just to clarify, we're running again?"

"We're regrouping," Kieran corrected, though he sounded as exhausted as he looked.

Nova snorted. "Sure. Because that sounds way more badass than fleeing for our lives."

Riley shot her a glare before zipping the bag shut. "Would you rather stay here and wait for the pack to burn this place to the ground?"

Nova lifted her hands in surrender. "Nope. Just making sure we all understand how much our lives suck right now."

Kieran exhaled sharply. "Not for long."

Something in his tone sent a chill down Riley's spine.

Determination.

Vengeance.

Whatever Kieran was planning, it wasn't just about survival anymore.

She wanted to ask him what he meant and what exactly he intended to do but there wasn't time for more questions with no answers.

She slung the backpack over her shoulder. "We need to get moving."

Kieran nodded, but when he took a step forward, his body swayed slightly. Riley instinctively reached out, steadying him with a hand on his arm.

He stiffened under her touch, golden eyes flicking to hers.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

Riley raised a brow. "Yeah. That's why you almost fell on your face."

Kieran scowled. "I've been through worse."

"Not with wounds that aren't healing."

Silence.

Riley felt his arm tense beneath her fingers. He wasn't used to being vulnerable, wasn't used to needing help. But she wasn't going to let him do this alone.

Whether he liked it or not.

Nova, clearly done with their little moment, groaned. "Ugh. Can you two not flirt while we're being actively hunted?"

Riley immediately dropped her hand and took a step back, ignoring the heat rising to her face. "We're not"

Nova rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Save it for after we survive."

Kieran let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

Riley scowled. Unbelievable.

"Let's go," she muttered, stalking toward the door before Nova could make any more annoying comments.

The cold air hit her as soon as she stepped outside. The scent of pine and damp earth filled her lungs, but beneath it, she could still smell the wolves.

They weren't here anymore.

But they had been.

And they would be back.

Kieran stepped up beside her, his gaze scanning the tree line. "Stay close."

She didn't argue.

Because for the first time, she realized she wasn't just running from the pack anymore.

She was running from whatever she was becoming.

And she had no idea if she could outrun it.