Liam's voice cut sharply through the murmurs, dripping with scorn. "She's not just lost. She attacked one of us in the forest."
My head snapped toward him, my chest tightening with anger. "I was trying to survive!" I shot back, my voice trembling but fierce. "He came at me first!"
"You're in our territory," Liam retorted, stepping closer, his presence suffocating. "Surviving doesn't mean you get to break our rules, human."
"Enough."
Calder's voice boomed across the room, silencing everyone in an instant. The weight of his authority pressed down on me, making it impossible to speak, let alone breathe normally.
The room shifted uneasily, the villagers' sharp eyes darting between Calder and me. Calder's piercing gaze lingered on me for what felt like forever before he turned his attention to Maeve.
"What do you think?"
Maeve hesitated, her usual composure faltering as her eyes flickered toward me. "She's… different," she said, her tone careful. "But we don't know what that means yet."
Different? The word hit me like a slap. My stomach churned. What did they think I was?
Calder's sharp gaze returned to me, his expression unreadable. I forced myself to hold it, even though fear burned in my chest. "Then we'll find out," he said at last. "For now, she stays under our watch."
Liam scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "And if she's dangerous?"
Calder's jaw tightened, his voice dropping to an icy tone. "Then I'll deal with her myself."
The room fell into an oppressive silence. I could feel the tension simmering in the air, a storm waiting to break.
I couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Why are you keeping me here?" I demanded, my voice trembling but laced with defiance. "What do you want from me?"
Liam turned on me so quickly I instinctively flinched. "Keep your mouth shut," he snarled, his words sharp and cutting. "Or I'll give you something to fear."
I clenched my fists against the rope binding my wrists, biting back the urge to snap at him. Before I could say anything, Maeve cut in, her voice firm but measured. "Killing her won't solve anything, Liam. We need answers, not corpses."
Liam's lip curled in disgust, but he didn't argue. Calder's eyes darkened, his gaze locked on me again, as if trying to unravel some puzzle I couldn't see.
I stared back, my heart pounding like a drum in my ears. I couldn't let them see how terrified I was, even though every instinct screamed at me to run.
The tension shattered as a loud, sharp alarm rang through the hall, cutting through the heavy silence like a knife.
The entire room shifted, every head turning toward the source of the sound. Before I could even process what was happening, a wolf sprinted into the hall, his body tense and his voice hurried.
"Alpha," he panted, his breath ragged. "Intruders. From the Bloodmoon pack. They've crossed the northern boundary."
Calder's expression hardened instantly, his demeanor shifting from composed to commanding. His sharp voice cut through the chaos as he barked orders. "Reinforce the perimeter. Double the patrols. I want scouts reporting back every five minutes."
The room erupted into motion. Pack members bolted out the doors, their movements swift and precise. Boots thudded against the ground, voices called out commands, and the air buzzed with urgency.
Maeve started to follow, but she paused, her gaze cutting toward me. "Don't do anything stupid," she warned, her tone low but sharp.
I swallowed hard as she disappeared into the chaos, leaving me with Liam and a handful of others who lingered by the door. My mind raced, my instincts screaming at me to act. My hands were still bound, my leg throbbed with every movement, but the hall was thinning out, and no one was watching me closely.
This was my chance.
I shifted my weight, testing the rope's resistance, but before I could take a step, Calder's voice broke through. He hadn't left with the others.
"Keep her here," he ordered, his sharp eyes landing on Liam. "If she so much as moves, you end it."
My chest tightened, a chill settling over me.
Liam smirked, the satisfaction in his expression unmistakable. "With pleasure."
Calder left without another word, his commanding presence following him out the door. Maeve threw one last warning glance at Liam before disappearing into the chaos.
I was alone with him now. Liam leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, his sharp eyes pinned on me like a predator waiting for its prey to falter.
"So," he said after a moment, his voice dripping with disdain. "Do you think you're special? That you're some kind of exception?"
I glared at him but said nothing, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.
He chuckled, a low, dark sound that sent a shiver through me. "You're nothing but a liability. You shouldn't even be breathing right now."
I clenched my jaw, the rope biting into my wrists as I shifted. "Then why am I?" I shot back, my voice low but defiant. "Why hasn't Calder let you finish this yet?"
For the briefest moment, his smirk faltered. "You think this is mercy? You think Calder's protecting you?" He leaned closer, his breath hot against my ear, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Someone out there wants you dead. And it's not just me."
The chill in his words was like ice sliding down my spine. I kept my face as still as I could, forcing myself not to flinch. "Then why are you keeping me alive?"
He straightened, his expression hardening into something cold and unfeeling. "That's not my call. But trust me, human—your time's running out."
He turned his back on me, moving to stand guard by the door.
My eyes darted around the room, my pulse racing. I couldn't stay here. Not with him watching. Not with the clock ticking on whatever grim plan they had for me.
The chaos outside was growing louder. Shouts. Pounding feet. The distant, bone-chilling howls of wolves in their true forms.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I shifted my wrists. The ropes were tight, biting into my skin, but I felt the faintest give in the knot. If I could just—
"What are you doing?" Liam's voice snapped my focus back to him.
My heart jumped, and I froze. "Nothing," I muttered, forcing myself to sound calm.
His eyes narrowed, but before he could press further, a loud crash echoed from outside. His head snapped toward the noise, his entire body tensing.
I didn't think. I seized the moment, yanking hard against the ropes. Pain shot through my wrists as the fibers began to fray.
Liam turned back, his expression furious. "I said—"
Before he could finish, I lunged for the small table nearby. My fingers curled around a heavy, sharp object, and I swung it toward him with all the strength I had left.
The blow wasn't enough to knock him out, but it stunned him. His snarl of pain was like fuel, and I bolted for the open door.
"Stop!" he roared, but I didn't look back.
Adrenaline burned through my veins, pushing me forward even as my injured foot screamed in protest. Each step sent sharp, hot pain shooting up my leg, but I didn't stop.
Behind me, I could hear him—his pounding footsteps, his furious shouts.
The chaos outside swallowed me. Wolves in human and animal forms surged in every direction, too focused on the intruders to notice one desperate girl slipping through the cracks.
I didn't stop running. My lungs burned, my vision blurred, but I forced myself forward, past the edge of the village and into the dense forest beyond.
The trees closed around me, shadows swallowing the light. My breath came in ragged gasps, my legs threatening to give out.
Then, from behind, his howl cut through the trees—a sound so furious and wild it sent terror clawing through my chest.
I didn't look back. I couldn't. My escape had just begun.