The run

Lily Pendleton

We ran.

Not through the forest this time. Damon had a plan—a car, hidden at the edge of academy grounds, keys in the ignition. He'd arranged it before he even found us.

"I have connections," he said, tossing Kael the keys. "Don't ask."

Kael caught them, smirked, and opened the passenger door for me.

"Your chariot, mute girl."

I rolled my eyes but climbed in. The car was old, beat-up, but it ran. Kael peeled out of the forest road, gravel flying, headlights cutting through the dark.

Damon sat in the back, arms crossed, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"So," he said flatly. "You two. Together. For real."

Kael glanced at me in the rearview. "For real."

Damon groaned. "I'm going to have a heart attack before I'm twenty-five."

I wrote on my notepad: You're the one who helped us escape.

"Because you're my sister," Damon said. "Not because I approve."

Kael snorted. "You'll come around."

"Don't push it."

I smiled despite everything. My brother. My mate. And a car full of tension that somehow felt like home.

---

We drove for hours.

Kael's hand found mine on the center console. He didn't let go. His thumb traced circles on my skin, and every touch sent sparks up my arm.

Damon fell asleep in the back. His snoring was surprisingly cute—like a giant puppy.

I turned to Kael. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," he said. "I have a place. A cabin my mother left me. Far from the packs. Far from everyone."

"Your mother?"

He was quiet for a moment. "She died when I was young. My father was... not good. The cabin is the only good thing she gave me."

I squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, glancing at me. "I survived. And now I have you."

My heart fluttered. "You're a sap."

"Only for you."

He pulled into a dirt road, surrounded by towering pines. At the end, a small cabin sat nestled in the trees—warm, rustic, lit by moonlight.

"Home sweet home," he said.

We carried Damon inside—he didn't even stir—and laid him on the couch. Then Kael led me to the bedroom.

It was small. A bed, a window, a wooden dresser. But it was warm. It was his.

"Stay with me," he said softly.

I nodded.

He closed the door, and then his hands were on me.

He kissed me slow, deep, like he was savoring every second. His fingers found the hem of my sweater and pulled it over my head. Then his own shirt followed.

"So beautiful," he whispered against my skin.

His mouth trailed down my neck, over my collarbone, to my chest. He kissed me through my bra, and I gasped.

"You're wearing too much," he said, his voice rough.

I reached behind me and unclasped it.

His breath caught. He looked at me—bare, open, trusting—and something raw flickered in his eyes.

"You're mine," he said. "Say it."

"I'm yours."

He kissed me, devouring me. His hands roamed my body—over my hips, my thighs, the soft places between. I arched into him, needy, desperate.

"More," I whispered. "I need more."

He groaned and pushed me onto the bed. His body covered mine, hot and solid. He kissed my stomach, my ribs, my inner thighs.

"Kael—"

"Let me taste you," he said. "Please."

I nodded, my face burning.

He pulled off my jeans, then my underwear. His eyes darkened.

"Fuck, Lily. You're perfect."

And then his mouth was on me.

I cried out, my back arching, my fingers tangling in his hair. He worked me slowly—teasing, licking, driving me insane.

"You taste so good," he muttered. "I could do this all night."

"Kael—please—"

"Not yet," he said. "I want you to come for me. I want to feel it."

His fingers joined his tongue, curling inside me. I shattered, gasping his name.

He kissed his way back up my body, his mouth tasting of me. He positioned himself between my thighs.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes. God, yes."

He pushed inside me slowly. I clenched around him, and he groaned.

"You're so fucking tight," he said. "So perfect."

He moved—deep, slow, grinding. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him deeper.

"Look at me," he said.

I did.

"I love you," he whispered.

My heart stopped. My body clenched. And then I was coming again, crying out as he followed.

He collapsed beside me, pulling me into his chest.

"I love you too," I whispered.

He kissed my forehead. "I know."

---

We woke up tangled together.

Damon was in the kitchen, making coffee. He looked at us, sighed, and handed us both mugs.

"Marcus sent a message," he said. "He's offering a truce."

Kael tensed. "What kind of truce?"

"Lily returns. She undergoes the binding ritual. She becomes his tool. And you," he said to Kael, "get to live."

I gripped Kael's hand. "No."

"I know," Damon said. "But it means he's desperate. If we want to fight him, we need allies."

"Who?" Kael asked.

Damon's eyes met mine. "The Silvermoon Pack. They're neutral. They don't answer to Marcus. And they're the only pack powerful enough to protect her."

"Will they help?"

Damon shrugged. "They might. But they'll want something in return."

I looked at Kael. Then at Damon.

"What do they want?"

Damon's expression went grim.

"They want her. For their Alpha. As his mate."

The air left the room.

Kael's eyes went silver. "Absolutely not."

"I know," Damon said. "But it's our only option."

I stood up, my legs shaky.

"I'm not going to be traded like cattle," I said. "I'm done being a weapon. I'm done being a prize. I'm choosing who I want."

Kael looked at me, his eyes softening.

"And who do you want?"

I walked to him, took his face in my hands, and kissed him.

"You," I whispered. "Only you."

Damon sighed. "Great. But we still need a plan."

Kael grinned, pulling me against his side.

"Then we make one.”