Chapter 21
586words
"Not here," she whispered, glancing nervously. "Please. I know I've done terrible things, but I want to make it right."
I could feel Derek's suspicion through our bond, mirroring my own.
"The old hunting cabin," Derek finally said. "One hour. We'll hear what you have to say."
As Kayla hurried away, I turned to Derek. "Do you trust her?"
"Not for a second," he replied, his eyes hard. "But we need that information."
---
The forest was unnaturally quiet as we approached the hunting cabin. No birds sang, no small creatures rustled in the underbrush.
"I don't like this," I whispered, my wolf senses on high alert.
The cabin door stood slightly ajar. Derek pushed it open slowly, revealing the dusty interior. A single lantern burned on a rough wooden table.
"Kayla?" Derek called.
"I'm here," she emerged from a back room, her face pale in the dim light. "Thank you for coming."
"What information do you have?" Derek demanded.
Kayla's eyes darted to the windows. "My father wasn't working alone. There's a group—they call themselves the Silver Hunters. They've been searching for silver wolves for decades."
"Why?" I asked, a chill running down my spine.
"Because of what you can do," she replied. "The healing is just the beginning. When a silver wolf bonds with an Alpha..." She hesitated. "The power you two could wield together—it terrifies them."
A sad smile crossed Kayla's face. "You don't find them. They find you." She glanced at her watch. "They should be here any minute now."
My blood ran cold. "Derek—"
The door slammed shut behind us. The sound of multiple footsteps surrounded the cabin.
"I'm sorry," Kayla whispered, tears in her eyes. "He was supposed to be mine."
The door burst open, and Victor strode in, flanked by six armed men. His wrists, which should have been bound with silver chains, were free.
"Did you really think I wouldn't have allies within your pack?" Victor laughed.
Derek shifted instantly into a fighting stance, his eyes glowing with Alpha power. I felt his strength surge through our bond, and my own wolf responded, silver energy crackling between us.
Victor's smile faltered for a moment as he sensed our combined power. Then he nodded to someone outside.
Two more men entered, dragging between them a terrified young wolf—Ryan, one of the pack's youngest members, barely sixteen. A silver knife pressed against his throat.
"Such power," Victor said softly. "Impressive. But are you willing to sacrifice the lives of your pack members to test it?"
Derek froze, his muscles tense. Through our bond, I felt his rage warring with his responsibility as Alpha.
"Let him go," Derek growled. "He's just a boy."
"Drop your defenses," Victor countered. "Both of you. Or the boy dies first."
Ryan's eyes were wide with fear. "Alpha, don't—"
The knife pressed deeper, drawing a thin line of blood. The boy whimpered.
I looked at Derek, our eyes meeting in silent communication. We could fight—might even win—but not before innocent blood was spilled.
"Wait," I said, stepping forward. "If we surrender peacefully, you guarantee the safety of the pack?"
Victor smiled. "My quarrel isn't with them. It's with you—or rather, what you represent."
Derek's hand found mine, squeezing tightly. *We could take them,* his thoughts reached me.
*Not without casualties,* I replied silently. *Not without Ryan dying first.*
I felt Derek's anguish through our bond—the Alpha in him raging against submission, the leader in him unwilling to sacrifice even one pack member.
