Chapter 3: A Hunter's Shadow (Sabine POV)

The forest wrapped around me like a protective cocoon, its dense canopy shielding me from prying eyes. I crouched low behind a cluster of ferns, my chest heaving as I struggled to calm my racing heart. My legs ached from the frantic sprint, but I couldn't stop trembling.

I had been so careful, so sure that I could blend in. Towns like this one were my lifeline, a rare opportunity to stock up on supplies and hear whispers of the world beyond the woods. I'd always slipped in and out unnoticed. Until today.

Until him.

The memory of his gaze seared into my mind, bright and impossible to ignore. Those eyes-amber and piercing-had held me in place like a snare. And that voice, steady but commanding, had sent a shiver through me that felt more like recognition than fear.

Mate.

The word had come unbidden, a whisper from the part of me I rarely let surface. My wolf had stirred, restless and eager in a way she hadn't been in years.

He's dangerous, I told myself firmly, gripping the bark of a nearby tree to steady my hands. He had to be. No one else would have pursued me like that. The way he'd shouted after me, the sheer determination in his voice... I had no doubt he was hunting me even now.

I inhaled deeply, trying to center myself, but the faint scent of him clung to the air even here. Earthy, like cedar and smoke, it lingered just enough to make my pulse quicken again.

Stop it, I scolded myself. This wasn't some fairy tale where mates met and everything magically worked out. He was pack-a beta, no less-and I was rogue. That was all the reason he needed to see me as a threat.

But if that was true, why hadn't he shifted to catch me? Why hadn't he raised an alarm?

The questions gnawed at me as I sat there in the shadows, my back pressed against the trunk of a towering oak. Maybe he wanted answers. Maybe he thought I had information about rogue movements. Whatever the reason, I couldn't let him find me.

I clenched my fists, the rough scrape of my nails against my palms grounding me. My parents had drilled survival into me from the day I could walk. Rogues didn't have the luxury of trust. We didn't form bonds. We didn't stop moving.

But something about him...

I shook my head, trying to dispel the pull that was quickly becoming unbearable. I could still feel the thread between us, faint but undeniable, like a strand of silk tugging me back toward the town. It was maddening, and my wolf was no help.

Go back, she whispered, her voice low and insistent. He won't hurt us.

"You don't know that," I hissed under my breath, as though arguing with her would change anything.

The sound of snapping twigs jolted me upright. My body went still, every sense on high alert as I scanned the forest around me.

There it was again-a soft rustle, faint but deliberate. Someone was close.

I pressed myself deeper into the shadows, barely daring to breathe. My fingers itched to shift, but I held back. Shifting here would make me faster, but it would also leave me exposed, my scent easier to track.

The footsteps grew louder, steady and methodical. Whoever it was, they weren't trying to hide.

Him, my wolf whispered, and I bit back a curse.

I could see him now, moving through the trees with the kind of confidence that came from years of command. His shoulders were broad, his movements fluid despite the weight of his presence. He stopped a few yards away, his head tilting slightly as he sniffed the air.

I held my breath, willing my pounding heart to quiet.

"Sabine."

The sound of my name on his lips made me flinch. How did he know it?

"Please," he said, his voice softer this time, as though he knew how fragile this moment was. "I just want to talk."

I stayed silent, my fingers gripping the rough bark behind me. He turned slowly, his eyes scanning the forest, and I shrank further into my hiding spot.

"You're not far. I can feel it," he continued, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just-" His voice caught, and for the briefest moment, he sounded unsure.

"I need to understand," he said finally, his tone heavy with something I couldn't name.

For a heartbeat, I almost believed him. But then the image of his eyes locking onto mine flashed through my mind, and fear pushed the thought away. He might be speaking softly now, but he was still pack, and I knew what that meant. Packs saw rogues as enemies, as dangerous anomalies that needed to be eliminated.

I wasn't about to give him the chance.

He stood there for a few moments longer, his expression tight with frustration. Then he exhaled and stepped back, his shoulders tense as he scanned the trees one last time.

"I'll find you," he said quietly, almost like a promise.

The moment he disappeared into the distance, I let out the breath I'd been holding. My body sagged against the tree, exhaustion crashing over me like a wave.

I knew I couldn't stay here. He'd search until he found me, and with a bond this fresh, it was only a matter of time.

But where could I go?

The forest stretched for miles in every direction, but the pull of the mate bond would make it harder to disappear completely. Still, I had to try.

I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the ache in my legs as I forced myself to keep moving. One step, then another, deeper into the shadows where even his determination couldn't reach me.

Or so I hoped.

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