Chapter 4

Being killed by those Hollowfangs would have been better than this.

The thought repeated over and over in Nova’s head as Kael carried her through the center of the compound

Every wolf they passed stared openly.

Some looked curious.

Others hungry.

A few looked outright disgusted.

Nova could practically feel their eyes dragging across the exposed blood soaking through her torn jeans.

Predators.

Every single one of them.

And she was bleeding in the middle of their territory.

Her stomach twisted violently.

Kael finally pushed through the heavy metal doors of the main tower The noise made Nova tense instantly.

The inside of the tower was warmer than outside, though barely. Old generators hummed somewhere beneath the building while dim industrial lights flickered overhead. The place smelled like smoke, metal, wet fur, and blood.

Kael carried her down a long hallway while several wolves moved out of the way the second they saw him coming.

No one challenged him.

No one even looked him directly in the eye.

That alone told Nova how dangerous he really was.

The gray-eyed beta followed close behind them. “You should let the medic see her now before the wound gets worse.”

“I know.”

“You also have elders waiting upstairs.”

Kael’s expression darkened instantly. “They can wait.”

“They won’t like that.”

“I don’t care.”

Nova frowned slightly at that.

The beta glanced between them carefully before lowering his voice. “Kael…”

That name.

Kael.

Something about it tugged faintly at the back of her mind.

But before she could think about it harder, Kael suddenly stopped in front of a metal door and shoved it open.

The room inside looked surprisingly normal compared to the ruined world outside.

A bed.

A couch.

Weapons stacked neatly against one wall.

Maps scattered across a large table.

Nova barely had time to take it in before Kael finally lifted her off his shoulder.

The second her feet touched the floor, she stumbled hard from the pain in her leg.

Kael caught her instantly.

One arm wrapped around her waist before she could hit the ground.

Nova sucked in a sharp breath as his hand pressed against her side.

“Don’t,” she snapped quickly, jerking away from him.

Kael let her go immediately, though his wolf growled softly beneath his skin at the distance she put between them.

Nova limped backward until the bed hit behind her knees.

Her eyes darted toward the door.

Toward the windows.

Anywhere that looked like an escape route.

Kael noticed.

“You’re safe here,” he said quietly.

Nova almost laughed at that.

“Safe?” she repeated sharply. “I’m trapped in a building full of wolves that look ready to eat me alive.”

“They won’t touch you.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“Yes,” Kael said calmly. “I can.”

The certainty in his voice unsettled her more than shouting would have.

The beta leaned against the doorway watching them carefully before speaking again. “I’ll get the medic.”

Kael gave a short nod.

The second the beta disappeared down the hallway, silence settled heavily inside the room.

Nova hated that silence too.

Because now the Alpha was staring at her again.

Not at her injuries.

Her.

Like he was trying to solve some impossible puzzle.

Finally Nova crossed her arms tightly. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.

“You really don’t remember me.”

It wasn’t a question.

Nova frowned immediately. “Should I?”

Pain flickered briefly across his face before it disappeared behind that cold Alpha mask again.

Just then the door opened.

A slim older man stepped inside carrying a worn medical bag in one hand. Round glasses rested low on his nose while streaks of silver cut through his dark hair. Unlike the others, he didn’t smell heavily of wolf.

But he definitely wasn’t human.

His sharp amber eyes immediately landed on Nova.

And widened.

“Well,” he murmured softly, clearly stunned. “That’s certainly not something I expected to see tonight.”

Kael’s expression remained hard. “Doc.”

The older man blinked once before straightening quickly. “Alpha, you called for me?”

“She was attacked by Hollowfangs.”

That instantly wiped the curiosity from the doctor’s face.

His gaze snapped toward the blood soaking Nova’s leg.

“How long ago?”

“Less than an hour.”

The doctor moved toward her immediately. “Sit down.”

Nova hesitated.

Every instinct screamed at her not to trust any of them.

Kael noticed the hesitation and spoke quietly. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

Nova shot him a look. “That’s easy for you to say.”

The doctor sighed tiredly. “Young lady, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t have spent the last fifteen years stitching up idiots who think fighting infected creatures barehanded is a good idea.”

From the hallway someone muttered, “In our defense, it usually works.”

“Get out,” the doctor snapped instantly.

The voice disappeared.

Nova blinked despite herself.

The doctor gestured toward the bed again. “Sit.”

Slowly, Nova lowered herself onto the edge of the mattress, wincing the moment pressure hit her injured leg.

The doctor carefully rolled up the torn fabric around the wound.

His expression darkened immediately.

“Those claws went deep.”

Nova swallowed hard as blackened veins stretched faintly beneath the skin surrounding the cuts.

Fear crawled up her spine instantly.

“No,” she whispered.

Kael stepped forward immediately. “What is it?”

The doctor studied the wound carefully. “That shouldn’t be happening this fast.”

Nova looked between them. “What does that mean?”

Neither answered her immediately.

Which was answer enough.

Her pulse spiked violently.

“What does that mean?” she repeated louder.

The doctor finally looked up at her, his face grim.

“Hollowfang infections spread aggressively through humans,” he said carefully. “Usually within a few hours.”

Nova’s stomach dropped.

“No.”

The doctor frowned slightly as he studied her more closely. “But…” He looked confused now. “Something’s wrong.”

Kael’s silver eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

The doctor touched the darkened veins cautiously before leaning back in disbelief.

“She’s fighting it.”

Silence filled the room.

Nova stared at him. “What?”

“A normal human would already be feverish,” the doctor muttered. “Disoriented. Early mutation symptoms would’ve started by now.”

Kael went completely still.

The doctor slowly looked toward him.

And suddenly the tension in the room shifted into something heavier.

Something dangerous.

“Alpha…” the doctor said carefully.

Kael already understood.

Nova could see it in his face.

Whatever this meant…

It was bad.