Sierra’s feet pounded against the forest floor, her breath quick and shallow as she pushed herself forward. The trees blurred around her, the familiar path on the border of Bloodveil territory stretching out ahead. She had been on patrol for what felt like hours, her mind a chaotic mess of everything that had happened recently. Rowan. Kellan. Isolde. The impossible pull between loyalty and desire that left her feeling like a stranger in her own life.
She had tried to escape the thoughts. Tried to bury them beneath the rhythm of her steps, the thud of her heartbeat in her chest. But they wouldn’t leave her alone.
And then, just as her thoughts began to swirl too fast, she heard the rustling behind her.
Her senses immediately went on alert, every nerve in her body tightening in anticipation. Who’s there?
The answer came quickly—Kellan.
He appeared from the shadows, stepping out from behind a thick clump of trees, his tall frame blocking the path. His eyes locked on hers, a strange intensity in them, and for a moment, Sierra froze. She didn’t want to face him. Not now. Not after everything. But there was no way around it. He was there. And he wasn’t going to leave her alone.
“Kellan,” she said, her voice cool, as though it didn’t matter that he was standing there. As though it didn’t matter that the mere sight of him made her stomach twist in anger and confusion. “What do you want?”
Kellan took a step closer, his lips curling into a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I just want to talk,” he said, but there was something off in his tone. Something too insistent. His steps were slow, calculated, as if he were savoring the moment.
Sierra’s heart pounded harder, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She could feel it now—the tension in the air, the way the world seemed to stop around them. She wanted to back away, to run, but there was nowhere to go. He was too close.
“I told you,” she said, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest, “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Kellan’s smile widened. He stepped closer again, too close now. His hand reached out to touch her arm, but Sierra jerked away, a surge of anger and panic rising inside her. She knew what was coming. She knew he wasn’t just going to leave her alone.
“Don’t touch me,” she said, the warning clear in her voice. But Kellan didn’t listen.
Before she could move, his hand shot out again, grabbing her wrist. The force of it made her stumble slightly, but she caught herself. His grip was too tight, bruising her skin as he yanked her toward him. She could see the glint in his eyes—something dark, possessive, like he was claiming her again.
Sierra’s breath hitched as he leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. “You think I’m just going to let you walk away from me? You’re mine, Sierra. You always have been.”
His words hit her like a slap. She tried to pull away, to break free from his grip, but Kellan’s hand on her wrist tightened even more. The last shred of control she had was slipping away, and she knew—this was it. This was the moment she couldn’t back out of.
“Let go of me,” she spat, her voice trembling with the fury she could no longer contain. She struggled harder against his grip, but it was no use. Kellan was too strong.
And then, just as Kellan’s lips hovered dangerously close to hers, as his breath mixed with the rain and the forest air, the familiar growl of a wolf broke through the tension.
Sierra’s head whipped around just in time to see Rowan emerge from the trees, his eyes glowing in the dark. The sound of his growl echoed through the woods, a warning. His presence was enough to stop Kellan for a brief moment. But then, just as quickly as the silence fell, it shattered.
Kellan snarled and lunged at Rowan, his anger taking over. The sound of the fight broke the stillness of the night, a clash of fur, muscle, and desperation.
Sierra froze, her heart in her throat, as the two of them collided in the chaos. Rowan’s growl filled the air as they fought, and the ground shook beneath Sierra’s feet. She wanted to run. She wanted to turn away, to leave them behind, but she couldn’t. Not when everything inside her was screaming.
And then it happened.
A sudden surge of power—raw, untamed—erupted from inside her. It was as if the storm inside her had finally broken free. The pain, the fear, the anger—it all coalesced into one overwhelming force. The need to protect herself, to stop Kellan, to end this now.
Sierra’s body shifted before she even knew what was happening. The wolf inside her surged to life, the transformation violent and intense. The forest around her seemed to fade as her senses sharpened, her muscles growing, her body changing. The shift was everything she had been waiting for, and yet it wasn’t. It was fire and fury, nothing like the peaceful transition she had imagined.
She let out a feral snarl as she lunged at Kellan, the wolf in her taking control. She wasn’t thinking anymore, wasn’t holding back. The bond she had been struggling to form with her wolf—had finally been severed, broken by the raw emotion coursing through her.
Kellan didn’t stand a chance. She bit down on his arm, her fangs sinking into his flesh, the taste of blood and the crack of bone filling her senses. The bond with him was broken. There was no turning back now.