Knotting His Rejected Breeder

Kaelen turned and led the way down the southern path. Dane followed immediately, while Destiny hesitated for a moment before falling into step behind them, keeping a cautious distance between herself and Dane.

Behind them, Ramon had already made his decision—he was returning to BloodMoon with several men. If Vance was truly on his way there, someone needed to be present before he arrived. Dane hadn’t argued; there was simply no time for it with Aurora still somewhere ahead.

Kaelen moved quickly through the trees, following the route Garth and Torren had been tracking from a distance. As they pressed south, the forest grew denser and the familiar sounds of the river gradually faded, until all Destiny could hear was the crunch of leaves beneath their boots and the occasional snap of a branch.

Keeping her eyes on Kaelen, Destiny asked, "How much farther?"

"Not long," he replied, glancing back.

Dane’s voice called out from ahead. "You said Garth lost the trail here?"

"Not exactly." Kaelen slowed as he approached a narrow break between two trees. "He stopped following because the trail became difficult to read."

Destiny stepped closer. "Why?"

Kaelen crouched down.

The ground beneath the trees was soft from recent rain, marked by several sets of tracks that crossed through the mud—some clear, others already blurred by water.

He pointed. "These are the ones we were following."

Destiny looked down at tracks that were unmistakably wolf, but strange. They didn’t stay together. Some led toward the east, others continued south, and a few disappeared entirely beneath the thick roots of the trees.

Dane crouched beside Kaelen. "How old?"

"Some are recent. Some aren’t."

Dane followed one set with his eyes. "Which direction did Aurora go?"

"That way," Kaelen said, pointing south.

They continued in silence as the forest began to slope downward, opening enough for Destiny to see a stretch of rocky ground ahead.

Kaelen slowed before stepping onto it, raising a hand to stop them.

Dane caught the movement. "What?"

Kaelen was listening, and as Destiny strained to hear, a faint rustling emerged from somewhere beyond the rocks.

Kaelen reached for his weapon.

Dane stepped forward, commanding, "Stay behind me," though Destiny ignored him and moved right up to his side.

The rustling stopped, and a dark, matted wolf—far larger than the ones they had already encountered—stepped out from behind a cluster of trees.

Destiny’s breath caught as its eyes locked onto them.

It didn’t attack. It simply stood there until Dane slowly drew his weapon. At that, the beast backed away, turned, and disappeared into the trees.

"Why didn’t it attack?" Kaelen stared after it.

"I don’t know," Dane replied, lowering his blade slightly.

Looking toward where it had vanished, Destiny murmured, "Maybe it wasn’t alone."

Right on cue, a distant howl echoed through the trees.

The wolf they had seen hadn’t made a sound, but this call came from somewhere farther south, quickly answered by another, and then another.

Kaelen’s expression shifted. "That wasn’t happening before."

"How many?" Dane asked.

"I don’t know."

Another howl rolled through the forest, sounding dangerously close this time, making the hairs rise along Destiny’s arms.

"Are they calling to each other?"

"I don’t know," Kaelen repeated, shaking his head.

"Then we keep moving," Dane said, eyeing the south.

They pushed deeper into the woods as the howls continued.

Strangely, none of the wolves came after them—a realization that unsettled Destiny even more than an attack would have. It felt as though something was deliberately guiding them farther into the trees.

After several minutes, Kaelen stopped so abruptly that Dane nearly walked into him.

"What now?" Dane asked.

Kaelen pointed to an old wooden shelter between the trees, its roof partly collapsed and vines tangled across the doorway.

Before she even reached it, Destiny caught the wolf’s scent—strong and fresh.

"This wasn’t here before," she whispered.

"It was," Kaelen frowned. "We just didn’t come this far."

Dane stepped toward the entrance, but Destiny caught his arm.

He looked down at her hand, and she released him, warning, "Someone’s inside."

Nothing moved in the doorway, but then a low whimper came from within—not a growl, but a sound of pain.

Dane entered first with Destiny close behind.

The shelter was empty, its floor covered in old straw, broken wood, and a torn piece of cloth.

Kaelen stepped inside behind them. "There’s blood."

A dark smear ran across the floor, disappearing beneath a broken wall.

Destiny crouched and touched two fingers to the stain.

Still wet.

Her stomach tightened. "Someone was hurt here."

"Recently," Dane agreed, looking around.

A sudden crash outside made them all turn, and Kaelen rushed to the doorway.

"Dane!"

They stepped back out into the quiet forest, but the path was no longer clear.

Fresh paw prints covered the ground around the shelter—tracks that hadn’t been there when they entered.

Destiny stared. "They’ve been here."

"They followed us," Dane said, his expression hardening.

Kaelen looked toward the trees. "How?"

Dane didn’t answer.

A branch snapped behind them, but when they turned, there was nothing.

Another snapped to their right, then another behind the shelter, the sounds spreading in a tight circle around them.

Destiny slowly backed toward Dane. "We’re surrounded. We are surrounded by them, Dane. What should we do?"

"Stay close," Dane said, unleashing his claw. "Stay close, I’ll protect you. Bring out the Heartstone. Put your blood on it. Do your thing."

The wolves emerged one by one between the trees, watching rather than charging.

Destiny brought out the Heartstone and immediately but her palm to draw blood. Holding the stone with her blood it began to glow.

The first wolf came out large and nasty looking before the others; it was a matted wolf, but its behavior had changed. It kept looking past them toward the south as if waiting for something.

The wolves finished circling them but there was no Aurora.

"Stay back," Destiny warned, pointing the light of the Heart Stone at the wolves.