CHAPTER 198: CHAPTER 198: THE WOLF I CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND

Kieran’s POV

I stared at her.

Lorraine.

Covered in dirt and blood, daggers still clutched in both hands, chest heaving, eyes wild with adrenaline and terror, and yet still burning with that stubborn fire I could recognize anywhere. She looked like she’d been carved into existence just to defy the world.

My heart wasn’t supposed to be reacting like this.

It hammered against my ribs so hard it almost hurt. My pulse was loud, thundering in my ears louder than the crackle of the dying flames or the whimpers of the wounded soldiers at my feet.

I had promised myself, I swore that I wouldn’t think about her.

I didn’t have the luxury of attachments.

Not when my father might still be out there somewhere, imprisoned, tortured.... alive.

But the moment her scent hit me, fierce and filled with desperation, every vow vanished.

I had been walking through the thorn filled woods, alone. My thoughts had been full of maps and caves and the fading memories of my mother’s voice telling me, He’s alive, Kieran. Find him.

Then it hit me.

Her.

Her scent slammed into my senses so suddenly I stopped breathing.

Lorraine.

And that was all it took.

The next second, my vision bled into crimson and I surged forward, allowing my beast to take the reins.

I super-sped through the forest, every thorn slashing across my arms ignored as I followed the trail straight toward her. Toward danger. Soldiers. Fire. The sound of her heartbeat, fast, terrified, vibrating against my skull.

When I saw them circling her, blades raised, fire ready to swallow her alive.... something inside me snapped.

I didn’t think.

I didn’t restrain.

I didn’t hold back.

I butchered every single one of them. Their blood stained my claws, my shirt, my skin, and I didn’t care. All I cared about was that none of them ever put their filthy hands anywhere near my woman again.

My woman.

Even in my own head, the thought was possessive. Dangerous. But true. No matter how I tried to avoid it.

"Kieran...."

She mouthed my name like she wasn’t sure I was real.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Because if I opened my mouth, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from saying too much.

"Your Majesty!" Varya’s voice cut through the moment as she sprinted toward me.

Alistair and Felix ran after her, breathless and shaken but alive.

I dragged my eyes away from Lorraine long enough to look at them, my gaze was colder than I intended.

"What are you all doing out here?" I demanded.

Alistair answered first, shoulders squared despite the fatigue showing in his every movement. "When Lorraine woke up and heard you were nowhere to be found, she insisted on sneaking out to come and find you."

My eyes flicked back to her. Her chin rose, defiant. Of course she’d insist.

"But we couldn’t let her go alone," Varya added with a tired smile. "So here we are, and who would’ve thought we’d actually find you this early?"

"We didn’t find him," Felix muttered, wiping sweat and blood from his face. "He found us."

I grunted. He wasn’t wrong.

"You shouldn’t have left the academy at all," I said, my voice low. "It’s dangerous out here. The Lycan pack is in shambles. Enemies are everywhere."

Lorraine stepped forward, just a single step, but it punched the air straight from my lungs. Her eyes locked with mine like she was daring me to look away.

"Since it’s so dangerous," she said, voice steady as a blade, "then maybe you shouldn’t be out here either."

My jaw tightened. "I am an Ascended Lycan wolf, Lorraine. I’m capable of taking care of myself."

Her eyes narrowed. "My wolf is an extension of the Moon Goddess herself. So I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself too."

Everywhere fell silent. The atmosphere felt thick and charged.

My chest rose and fell too fast as we stared at each other, a pull between us as inevitable as gravity. I felt it drag me closer, felt the warmth of her breath in the cold night air, felt her wolf thrumming beneath her skin in answer to mine.

If I let myself move even an inch closer, I wasn’t sure I could hold back the urge to grab her and....

Felix cleared his throat loudly, ruining everything. "We promised Cyrin we’d bring you back to the academy. Now that you are here yourself, we should probably.... you know... head back."

I exhaled sharply, as if someone had just broken a spell.

"You all can go back," I said, the authority in my voice making Felix flinch. "I’m not returning."

Alistair looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I need to find my father," I replied. "To do that, I have to search through all four councils of the Kingdom. I’m heading toward the Lycan territory now. Not the academy."

There was a heartbeat of silence, then Lorraine spoke.

"Then we’re coming with you."

I stared at her. Hard.

If she expected me to say yes easily, she didn’t know me as well as she thought.

"Lorraine...." I began but she stepped closer again, cutting me off mid word.

"No, Kieran."

Her voice trembled, but not with fear. With determination. "We’re not leaving you alone. I am not leaving you alone again. So you can peacefully agree...."

She lifted her chin, defiant and beautiful and maddening.

"...or I’ll forcefully trail you around. Your choice."

Something warm spread through my chest, unwelcomed and unstoppable. A smile tried to tug at the corner of my mouth, traitorous and small, but real.

Goddess, she was impossible.

Stubborn. Fearless. Infuriating.

And somehow she had clawed her way past every protective wall I ever built, straight into the softest parts of me I didn’t even know were still alive.

She didn’t need to transform to be powerful. She already was.

"Fine," I said finally, my voice gentler than I intended. "Suit yourself..."

My gaze dropped to her lips for just a split second too long.

"...little wolf."