Chapter 138: The Exiles

Rosalie:

The moment the first branch snapped in the distance, every instinct inside me screamed that something was terribly wrong.

A cold, suffocating certainty settled deep inside my bones. My wolf, who had remained strangely quiet ever since my shift ended, suddenly stirred awake again. She wasn’t growling or panicking like before. Instead, she had gone completely still, every one of her instincts focused on whatever was approaching us through the trees.

Danger.

The word echoed inside my mind.

I swallowed hard, my throat burning from all the crying I’d done. "E-Eiden..." My voice came out hoarse, barely louder than a whisper. "What’s... wrong?"

He immediately turned toward me and his eyes softened the instant they met mine. But he didn’t answer. He didn’t speak a single word. Instead, he crouched in front of me and carefully adjusted the blanket wrapped around my shoulders. He tucked it securely around my body, making absolutely certain not an inch of my skin remained exposed before slipping one arm beneath my knees and the other around my back.

Without any effort whatsoever, he lifted me into his arms.

The movement was so smooth and familiar that I instinctively curled closer against his chest. His heartbeat was steady, but the muscles beneath my cheek had gone rigid.

"Eiden..."

"Don’t worry."

Those were the only two words he spoke. Behind us, I heard Zaiden take one slow step forward.

"There isn’t enough time," he said quietly.

I frowned. "Time for wh-" The words died in my throat as five figures stepped out from between the towering pine trees. They weren’t in any hurry, nor did they look cautious. If anything, they almost seemed like they were out on a leisure walk through the forest.

Every hair on the back of my neck stood upright. Eiden’s hold around me tightened instinctively, and without thinking, I buried my face against his neck.

I trusted my own instincts. But I trusted theirs even more. If both Zaiden and Eiden looked this alert, then whoever these people were... they were dangerous.

Even without looking at them anymore, my newly awakened senses told me everything I needed to know. The five of them were also werewolves. Their scent carried traces of blood, damp earth, old scars, and something darker that made my wolf uneasy.

Silence lingered for several long seconds before one of the newcomers laughed softly.

"Well..." His voice was smooth. Too smooth. "What an unexpected morning."

I felt Eiden’s chest rise beneath my cheek.

The man continued walking until he stopped several metres away. "Alpha Zaiden." He acknowledged Zaiden, then paused for just a second. "Alpha Eiden."

Though his words were respectful, his tone said otherwise.

Then...I felt his eyes settle on me. Even without lifting my head, I could feel his gaze lingering just a little too long. Enough that every muscle in Eiden’s body became noticeably harder beneath my hands.

The man chuckled as he muttered, "Interesting." His amusement only deepened. "Tell me, Alpha Nightfang... have you forgotten your own borders?"

Silence.

"Our territory began almost five miles ago." His boots crunched softly against the snow. "I was beginning to think the great Alpha of Nightfang had decided to pay the Exiles a social visit." Another laugh. "If that’s the case, would you gentlemen care to join us for an early morning hunt?"

Exiles.

The word struck me harder than anything else he’d said. My heartbeat skipped as realization dawned. No wonder Zaiden and Eiden had reacted the moment they’d sensed the group’s presence.

Though Zaiden ruled the Rogue Community, he had only united wolves who had been abandoned by their packs and the ones who had nowhere else to go. But there had always been one condition - no criminals. Anyone guilty of murder, torture, trafficking, or other unforgivable crimes was never accepted under Nightfang’s protection.

Those wolves who got banned even by the Rogue Community became Exiles. They were feared by every pack, answered to no law, and lived only by violence.

I felt myself instinctively clutch Eiden’s shoulder tighter. This was my fault. I’d run, I’d crossed into their territory, and I’d dragged both my mates here.

Zaiden finally spoke and his voice remained calm, enough that if I hadn’t been connected to him through the mate bond, I would have assumed he wasn’t worried in the slightest. But the bond told a different story. It wasn’t fear, but calculation. Every possibility was already unfolding inside his mind.

"One of ours crossed the border by accident." His tone remained polite. "We came to retrieve her." He paused just for a moment before adding, "My apologies for the intrusion."

The apology hit me like a physical blow. He was apologizing because of me. Guilt twisted painfully inside my chest. If I’d simply listened yesterday and had stayed with them, none of this would have happened.

The silence that followed stretched unbearably long.

Then, I felt those eyes settle on me again. He exiled watched me slowly, deliberately, almost as though he was trying to see through the blanket wrapped around me.

A shiver ran through my entire body. But before it could grow worse, Eiden lowered his head ever so slightly. His lips brushed lightly against my hair. "I have got you," he whispered so quietly that only I could hear.

They were three simple words. Yet somehow, I believed them completely.

The stranger clicked his tongue, the sharp sound echoing through the silent forest. "What a shame." His voice dripped with amusement.m"It must be someone incredibly important for both Alphas of Nightfang to personally wander this far into Exile territory..." He tilted his head as he added, "...she must be quite special."

I finally risked lifting my eyes.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered. His long dark hair reached past his shoulders, tied loosely behind his neck. A jagged scar ran from the corner of his left eyebrow down across his cheek, disappearing beneath the collar of his coat. Cold amber eyes studied me with unsettling curiosity and his smile never reached them.

I didn’t know his name. But something told me this wasn’t an ordinary Exile.

Zaiden stepped in front of me, shielding me from the Exiles gazes. Then he smiled. And it wasn’t the warm or friendly smile. Instead, it was the same smile I’d once seen him wear during a business negotiation when the other side had unknowingly crossed a line.

"She is." His voice remained perfectly composed, but the smile disappeared. "And because she is, this conversation ends here."

Nothing else. No threat. No raised voice. No display of power. Yet the effect was immediate. Every one of the five Exiles went completely still. Even the man with the scar - who only moments ago had looked thoroughly entertained - lost his smile and took one slow step backward. The others unconsciously followed.

The silence became almost suffocating.

Without another word, Zaiden turned around. And Eiden did the same, never loosening his hold around me for even a second.

Still wrapped securely inside the blanket and protected within Eiden’s arms, I kept my face hidden against his neck as the three of us quietly walked away from the Exiles’ territory.

Not once did either of my mates look back. And behind us, not a single one of the five Exiles dared to follow.