Chapter 4

I froze, pushing him away almost instinctively.

This would ruin my plan. If he stayed here watching me, how would I find a chance to escape?

Ryker caught my subtle hesitation at once.

His eyes darkened. "Elara," he said, his voice laced with an uncertain, probing tone, "you… you don't want me to stay with you?"

I threw my arms around his waist and stood on my toes, lightly nipping his jaw the way he often did to me. "Ryker, you're my mate. Of course I want to be with you for all eternity."

Hearing this, the wariness in his eyes melted away.

He closed his eyes and gave a helpless little laugh. His rough thumb brushed against my lower lip as he repeatedly warned me not to wander off.

Only then did he turn and leave, his mind seemingly at ease.

The moment his back disappeared beyond the treeline, I began to move the escape supplies I had prepared. There was the bundle of animal sinew he had used for the logs and some dried meat for sustenance.

And the small pinch of white powder.

This time, I had to succeed on the first try.

But just as I was dragging the fur-wrapped bundle toward the cave entrance—

"Elara, what are you doing?"

Ryker was already back, blocking the light at the entrance like a mountain.

He strode toward me, his face thunderous. "I told you not to wander off. Where do you think you're going with all this?"

His gaze was fixed on the bundle of supplies.

Without another word, he scooped me up from the ground, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me back into the cave.

Ryker tossed me onto the furs, his eyes blazing with a predatory red glow. His body pressed down on me. "You want to leave me?"

I shook my head, frantically pulling the waterskin from my clothes, my voice trembling.

"I was just packing supplies… I was afraid you'd get thirsty out there, so I wanted to bring you some nectar."

I deliberately pushed up my sleeve to reveal a fresh, bleeding cut on my finger, where a sharp rock had scraped it as I moved the bundle. Tears welled in my eyes and streamed down my face.

The sight of the blood made Ryker's breath catch, his composure shattering. He reached out and took my trembling hand, his brow furrowed as he leaned down to gently kiss the blood away. "Did you get hurt?"

The bloodred glow in his eyes faded, replaced by that familiar, false concern.

I held the waterskin to his lips. He tilted his head back and, in one long drink, swallowed the entire contents, which were laced with the high-potency sleeping powder.

A few seconds later, the drug took effect. His body swayed violently, and a shattered, nearly voiceless, "Elara…" escaped his lips.

I slapped his hand away and bolted from the cave without a second glance.

Fighting through the tearing pain in my leg, I followed my planned route, sprinting toward the river of death at the border.

That small amount of powder wouldn't last long. I had to jump before his wolf burned through its effects.

Not long after, Ryker jolted awake in the cave.

When he realized I was gone, he stared in disbelief.

Then, a panic he had never known threatened to shatter his sanity. He frantically searched for my scent, knocking over piles of furs and smoking racks.

Following the messy footprints, he was forced to accept the truth: I had run away.

He snatched the communication crystal, his knuckles turning white. "Elara is gone! Activate the bloodline tracking totem and find her, now!"

Just as his vision swam with red, a group of heavily armed pack warriors in armored vehicles descended upon the cave, blocking his path.

Selena's men had arrived first.

Ryker's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Alpha Ryker, Lady Selena has ordered us to evacuate you immediately," the lead warrior said, bowing his head.

"The elemental array at headquarters sent out an emergency alert a week ago. This blood moon storm is going to tear this whole place apart. We have to get you out of here now."

"Bullshit! The array in the cabin showed no warning!"

In the next instant, he remembered something.

I was a once-in-a-century Healer of the Nightbane pack. I understood elements, herbs, and every rune in an array better than anyone. I had erased the warning in the cabin.

I knew everything.

"Find Elara! Find her now!" Ryker roared.

The lead warrior grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Alpha Ryker, calm down! The storm is right on top of us! If we don't leave now, we'll all die in this forest!"

"Get off me! If Elara can't get out, I'll die here with her!" The sensory map on the wall finally flared with a brilliant red light, locking onto my position.

At that moment, I stood on the edge of a windswept cliff. The storm was upon me, the blood-red moonlight swallowed by shredded dark clouds.

Below me, the river of death churned with white foam, its roar devouring everything in its path.

"Elara, come back!" Ryker howled from the base of the cliff. His voice tore through the wind, ripping away the smooth, careless facade he had always maintained.

In the stretching silence, he stared up at me on the clifftop, his eyes filled with a raw desperation.

Without a backward glance, I stepped off the edge, letting the roaring abyss swallow me whole.