Page 31

31

LANDON

T he wind had picked up by the time he reached the edge of the woods again, brushing the trees with a restless kind of whisper.

Landon stood still for a beat, letting the scent hit him full force—pine, smoke, and her.

Sonya.

He felt her before he saw the compound.

And he knew.

She hadn’t waited.

He shouldn’t have expected her to.

She never sat back when there was a fight to pick.

And hell, he admired her for it—loved that fierce streak that burned in her eyes when she was set on doing what was right, even if it scared the hell out of him.

She’d told him her plan, kind of.

That she wanted to return, rally the elders, expose Roman for what he really was.

She thought she’d be in and out before Roman could twist the situation.

She thought she wouldn’t get caught.

He should’ve known better.

Roman didn’t play fair.

Landon had just come from the rogue camp, his voice hoarse from hours of negotiation, his body still humming from the adrenaline of declaring himself to wolves who’d only known power through fear.

But they listened. They’d heard the truth in him, and maybe for the first time, they believed.

And when he got back to their makeshift camp and found it empty—her scent fading—his gut twisted with one word.

Too late.

Not this time.

He shifted mid-sprint, fur ripping through his skin in one smooth breath as fire surged through his blood.

The trees blurred past as he ran, paws silent against the earth, each heartbeat pulsing louder with urgency.

The compound was quiet.

Too quiet. But the guards didn’t see him coming.

One howled once before Landon slammed him into the ground, jaws around his throat—not killing, just enough to knock the wind from him and make sure he didn’t rise again.

He tore through the silver-laced wall like it was paper.

The scent of fear and blood gagged him.

And there she was—curled on the floor of her cell, wrists torn up, cheek bruised.

But still Sonya. Still strong.

“Landon,” she breathed as the door clanged open, her voice barely a whisper.

He shifted, breath coming fast, naked and shaking with adrenaline.

“You didn’t wait.”

“I thought I’d be quicker.”

“You weren’t.”

A ghost of a smirk played on her lips.

“You came anyway.”

He crossed the cell in three long strides and yanked the chains apart with a growl that rumbled from his chest. “Of course I did.”

Sonya collapsed into his arms the moment the metal gave way, her breath hitching against his skin.

“He knew. Roman—he planned it. Said he’d make an example of me.”

Landon’s jaw clenched.

“Let him try. He doesn’t get to touch you again.”

Her fingers curled into his arm, and for a second, all the fear and fire between them quieted.

“You got out… did you get them?”

He nodded, steady and sure.

“I did. The rogues. Half a dozen bloodlines that had disappeared into the hills. Even some of the old guards who left after Roman took control. They’re with us now.”

Her eyes widened, hope flickering through the pain.

“You mean?—”

“That’s only the beginning.”

She smiled then.

Really smiled. The kind that knocked the air right out of him.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said.

They didn’t run this time—they moved with purpose.

Two shadows slipping into the forest like they were born there, which maybe they were.

The alarms never sounded.

Roman’s men hadn’t expected him to come for her.

They would now.

And next time, they’d bring an army.