The wolves were already watching us.
The moment Rowan and I stepped into the clearing, I felt it.
Dozens of eyes. Some curious. Some cautious. Some openly suspicious.
The forest had slowly opened into a wide space between tall pines, and the ground here was clearly worn from constant movement. Paths branched in several directions, leading deeper into the trees where wooden structures stood partially hidden beneath the canopy.
Cabins. Training grounds. Fire pits.
This wasn't just a passing patrol. This was a pack settlement.
Of course it was.
My stomach tightened.
And somehow, without realizing it, I had walked directly into the center of another pack's territory.
Great. Just great.
The wolves surrounding the clearing had all stopped what they were doing.
Several stood near the edges of the open ground, arms crossed or resting casually at their sides. Others had paused in the middle of training exercises, their attention now fully fixed on the two strangers entering their space.
Or more accurately— On me.
Because Rowan didn't look like a stranger here.
He walked forward with the same calm confidence he had shown all night, completely unaffected by the dozens of eyes now following his every movement.
No hesitation. No explanation. Just steady, controlled steps toward the center of the clearing.
I slowed slightly behind him.
"This was your plan?" I muttered quietly.
Rowan didn't turn.
"Yes."
"That would have been nice to know earlier."
"You would have argued."
He wasn't wrong. Still..
Walking uninvited into another pack's territory was a dangerous gamble. Packs protected their land fiercely, and strangers were rarely welcomed without questions.
Yet something about the wolves watching us felt… off.
They weren't preparing to attack. They weren't even particularly tense. If anything, they looked confused.
One of the wolves near the training ground lowered the wooden practice staff he had been holding.
"Is that…?" he murmured to someone beside him.
The second wolf straightened immediately. And then something strange happened. Several wolves stepped aside. Not cautiously. Not aggressively. Almost… respectfully.
I frowned slightly. That was unusual.
Rowan kept walking. Two wolves approached from the far side of the clearing. Both were large, broad-shouldered men with the unmistakable posture of experienced fighters. Their eyes moved quickly between Rowan and me, assessing the situation in seconds.
The taller of the two stopped a few steps in front of us.
For a moment he didn't speak.
His gaze moved from Rowan to the bandage wrapped around my arm, then back to Rowan again.
Something unreadable flickered across his expression.
"You're back," he said finally.
Back?
I looked at Rowan.
Rowan gave a short nod.
"Yes."
That was it. No explanation. No greeting.
Just yes.
The second wolf stepped closer, clearly studying Rowan more carefully now.
"You were supposed to return yesterday."
"I was delayed."
The wolf's eyes shifted briefly toward me again.
"That obvious, huh?" I muttered under my breath.
The taller wolf noticed.
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Who is she?"
The question hung in the air.
For the first time since entering the clearing, Rowan paused.
I waited. So did everyone else.
Rowan glanced at me briefly.
"Elara."
That was all he said. Just my name. The wolves exchanged a quick look.
"That explains the rogues," the second wolf said quietly.
My head turned sharply.
I thought -They know about the rogues? How? And why they did not attack us?-
Rowan answered.
"We ran into them near the border."
The taller wolf's expression darkened.
"How many?"
"Four."
"And you handled them?"
Rowan shrugged slightly.
"They left."
The wolves nodded slowly. As if that answer made perfect sense. Which, apparently, it did.
I folded my arms, watching this entire exchange with growing confusion.
There was something strange about the way these wolves spoke to Rowan.
Not fear. Not hostility. Respect. The kind that ran deeper than simple politeness.
The taller wolf stepped aside.
"You should come inside," he said.
Inside? Rowan didn't hesitate. He continued walking toward the largest wooden structure near the center of the clearing. A hall of some kind.
The wolves around us parted easily to make space. And that was when I noticed.
No one questioned Rowan. No one challenged him. No one even looked surprised that he had returned.
Which meant one thing. He belonged here.
We approached the large building. Two wolves standing near the entrance straightened the moment Rowan stepped onto the wooden steps.
Their posture changed instantly. Backs straight. Shoulders squared. Like soldiers recognizing a commander. I stopped walking.
Rowan noticed immediately. He turned slightly.
"What?"
I glanced toward the wolves near the entrance. Then back at him.
"You said we were staying somewhere safe."
"Yes."
"You didn't say it was your pack."
Rowan held my gaze calmly.
"You didn't ask."
I stared at him.
"You're unbelievable."
"So I've been told."
The taller wolf from earlier stepped up beside us again. His eyes moved toward Rowan.
"The council has been asking about you."
Rowan sighed faintly.
"I expected that."
"They won't like that you disappeared."
"They rarely do."
The wolf nodded slowly. Then his gaze shifted toward me again.
"She's not from here."
"No."
Another pause. Then the wolf asked something that made my chest tighten slightly.
"Does she know?"
Know what?
Rowan's answer came immediately.
"No."
The wolf frowned.
"You plan to tell her?"
"Eventually."
Tell me what?
I looked between them.
"Okay," I said slowly. "I'm starting to feel like I'm missing an important part of this conversation."
Neither of them answered. Instead, Rowan stepped toward the door of the large hall and pushed it open. Warm light spilled out from inside. Voices echoed faintly within.
More wolves. Many more.
Rowan stepped inside.
Then paused when he realized I wasn't following. He turned back toward me.
"Elara."
I crossed my arms.
"You're hiding something."
"Yes."
"At least you admit it."
Rowan's expression softened slightly.
"For now," he said quietly, "trust me."
That was a dangerous request.
Trust.
After everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, trusting anyone felt like the worst possible idea.
And yet… My wolf remained calm. Not afraid. I sighed.
"Fine."
-You can trust a wolf that stayed by my side all night and fought alongside me- said the wolf inside me. Or at least, that's what I wanted to hear.
I stepped forward and followed Rowan into the hall.
The moment we entered, the conversations inside stopped.
Completely.
At least twenty wolves stood around long wooden tables, their attention now fully fixed on the doorway.
On Rowan.
The reaction was immediate. Several wolves straightened. One even stepped back instinctively.
Then someone spoke. Not loudly. But with unmistakable respect again..
"Alpha."
The word echoed softly through the hall. My brain froze.
Alpha?
I slowly turned my head. Rowan stood beside me. Unsurprised. As if that word belonged to him.
And suddenly… Everything made sense. The patrol. The wolves stepping aside. The respect. The authority. The quiet confidence.
My eyes widened slightly. Because the stranger I had met alone in the forest… The wolf who fought rogues without effort… The man who had walked beside me through the borderlands like it was nothing…
Wasn't just another traveler.
He was the Alpha of this entire pack.
And somehow— I had followed him here without realizing it.