Of course it was Killian.
My luck was complete trash.
Why, out of all of them, did it have to be him? The one who could barely look at me without scowling with disgust. At least I didn't have to worry about him trying to claim his prize. Killian wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole if he could help it.
So why was he even bothering to chase me?
Then I remembered the muffled argument I had eavesdropped on earlier. Cade ordered him to, that's why.
And yet…hewas the one on my heels.
His massive form passed below me, silent and powerful. A painful twist pulled at my chest as I watched him. Shaggy black hair whipped behind him as he moved, and I yearned to run my fingers through it like I used to.
When his footsteps finally faded, I let out a slow breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My limbs felt stiff from staying statuesque for so long, so I stretched them out, blood prickling painfully back into them.
As much as I wanted to stay hidden in the safety of this tree forever, that was not an option. I had to move before someone else started tracking me. Or worse. Killian could realize my scent suddenly stopped and double-back.
I carefully lowered myself down the tree, boots slipping once on the smooth bark of the ramp branch. My heart lurched into my throat as I caught myself, hugging the trunk until I found balance.
I hit the forest floor quietly, nerves buzzing. I spun in a frantic circle, trying to decide which direction to run next—
That's when something caught my attention.
An enormous shadow in my peripheral vision.
Every muscle in my body went still.
Killian was just standing there, leaning against a nearby tree, watching me with his arms crossed.
How?!
I was sure I would have heard him double back!
Clearly, I still hadn’t learned to focus or control my new senses, and I’d underestimated just how quietly the big guy could move. From the way he stood there, leisurely waiting for me to climb back down, it was obvious he’d known exactly where I was the whole time.
When our eyes met, he pushed off the tree. His body went tense, and for a moment we just stared at each other. The air between us felt charged, heavy with something unspoken.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. My voice came out breathy, uneven, barely a whisper. Then, to cement my apology, I signed the words using the same motion he had first signed to me.
I'm sorry.
At first, he didn’t answer. His expression stoic and jaw tense as he weighed the apology, at war with himself. For a moment, I thought he might just turn and walk away.
Then he finally spoke, the words scraping out of his unused throat, rough and raw. “Not as sorry as you’ll be when I catch you.”
Shifting his stance, his muscles coiled, ready to spring. My flight instinct responded to his motion, and I bolted. Treespassed in a blur, and Killian's heavy footsteps thudded behind me. Fear pounded through my chest, but somewhere beneath it, my heart skipped.
He was finally responding to me for the first time since I’d betrayed him. I knew chasing me didn't mean he had accepted my apology, but at least he wasn't ignoring me anymore. At least I existed to him again.
There was no time to think, decide, or plan. I just ran, moving in ways I couldn't consciously. There was something freeing about my feet flying and the wind whipping through my hair. For a moment, I forgot I was being chased, breathing in deeply, reaching for my wolf, who finally stirred in response.
A tingling sensation spread through me, which I recognized as the start of the shift. But before it could take hold, Killian’s massive form crashed into mine. His arms locked around my waist, and the impact sent us both tumbling to the forest floor.
He twisted mid-fall, shielding me with his body, trying to take the brunt of the impact. The collision knocked the air from my lungs. We rolled through the leaves, momentum carrying us, until he planted his arm and braced himself above me.
Then we were still.
He stared down at me with an intensity that sent electricity through my veins. His icy blue eyes nearly glowed, so filled with emotion. I reached for him, desperate to rebuild the bridge I had burned.
