Chapter 5 FIVE

KAI'S POV

The air was thick with the fresh scent of blood and the sharp sense of fear. But of all things I could focus on, my attention fully was on her.

Her.

The dashing she-wolf who had just fought men twice her size like a storm. I had compared her to a storm because of how wild, fierce, and unstoppable she had been effortlessly. She was now standing a few feet away, her chest heaving and puffing as she struggled to catch her breath. Her eyes were blazing while a crimson light still faintly glowed at her fingertips.

Her name was Selena Ashford, and she was just like a puzzle being presented to me-delicate and deadly, vulnerable yet untouchable, all at the same time.

At such a moment, I should have been focused on the battle, on the bodies lying at our feet, and the threat that might be lingering in the area, but my thoughts were fixed to her. I had never seen anyone-man or woman. I had seen no one fight with such immense power, and such control. She was dangerous, and yet her hands trembled, letting me know that she was still afraid, somehow.

How could someone so small create such an impact?

"You good?" I asked, forcing a casual tone, though my pulse was thundering in my ears.

She wiped her hands on her pants, leaving crimson stains. "Define 'good.'"

I chuckled, and I was glad it came out dark and low just like how I wanted it to sound. "Still breathing, for starters."

Her blue eyes moved cautiously and curiously to meet mine. "Oh, then I'm barely good." She said before looking away.

Despite the corpses on the floor, a grin tugged at the corners of my lips. I took a step toward her, the crunching of leaves and breaking of small branches beneath my boots the only sound between us. "I've never seen anyone fight like that before. What are you?"

Selena stiffened, her boldness flaring as she lifted her chin to meet my eyes once more. "What do you think I am?"

I couldn't help the smirk that curled on my lips. "Something more than you're letting on. Normal werewolves don't incinerate skulls with crimson light."

She didn't reply. She only crossed her arms, trying to appear unaffected. But the slight quiver in her fingers betrayed her coolness. She was afraid... of me, of herself. It was fascinating.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed her brother stirring on the floor. The coward who had tried to trade her like some cheap commodity was lying and groaning in the dirt, alive but broken. The other men weren't so lucky, though. Selena had made sure of that. With one swing of her hand, she had decimated them into pieces.

I glanced back at her, still marvelled by how she was. "This power you've got," I said in a low voice, "does it scare you?"

Her eyes flashed. "No."

It was a lie. I knew.

I stepped closer, closing the gap between us. "It should."

She didn't flinch. Her jaw tightened, and her gaze hardened, but I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes. Exactly what I was waiting for-that crack in her armor was all I needed.

"You don't belong out here," I said, softer now, my tone shifting from teasing to something more sincere. "Alone, and hunted. Come with me."

Selena's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you need answers," I said simply. "And I can help you find them."

She laughed out loud, but it was a bitter one. "You don't even know me."

"No," I admitted, "but I know what I saw. A girl who looks like she should break under the weight of the world but instead breaks the world around her."

Her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, I saw the uncertainty flashed obviously across her face.

"And?" she asked in a much softer voice now, almost like a whisper.

"And," I continued, "you've got something inside you that no wolf I've ever met should have. Something big. Something dangerous. You're not just running from them." I gestured to the corpses scattered around. "You're running from yourself."

Her silence was telling, and I could feel her uprightness weakening.

"I'm not asking you to trust me," I said, if she had been thinking in that direction. "I'm asking you to let me help."

Selena swallowed, her eyes darting to the forest, where the night shadowed us. She was weighing her options, and I knew she was considering the danger I might come in hand. But I also knew she wouldn't survive out here alone. Not for long.

"Why would you help me?" she asked finally, her voice laced with doubt.

I tilted my head, watching her, and trying to decide how much of the truth I should reveal. "Because you intrigue me."

Her eyes snapped to mine, and I saw the spark of anger flare. "So, I'm just a curiosity to you?"

"No." I shook my head. "You're more than that. You're... different."

She took a step back, distrust clouding her face again. "Different how?"

I hesitated, then sighed. "I can't explain it yet. But there's something powerful inside you. Something... ancient."

Selena's lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought she might walk away, leaving me standing there. But instead, she crossed her arms with her tensed shoulders.

"If I go with you," she said slowly, "what happens to me?"

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I took a step closer, just enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off her. "You'll be safe," I promised. "And maybe, together, we'll figure out what you really are."

She studied me, her gaze piercing, as if trying to determine if I was lying. Finally, she let out a soft sigh. "Fine. But if you try anything, I'll burn you."

I grinned. "Noted."

She rolled her eyes, but I could see the light smile tugging at her lips. I made sure to give out a brighter smile to make her relax before I gestured to her so-called brother.

"What should we do to him? He seemed to have escaped your fire." I said, and she bit lips that looked pale pink under the moonlight as she glanced at her brother who groaned inaudibly.

I couldn't tell whether he was begging for mercy or saying something else. All I knew was that whatever was coming out from his bruised mouth was painful and he deserved the sting of each pain.

"Nah," she shook her head. "I didn't miss my target, I spared him. After all, everyone deserves a second chance." she smiled dryly at the end of the sentence.

She had said the last two words as if it really concerned her. For the first time since we were together, my inner wolf finally moved around in excitement. There was this inexplicable string of emotion tied to her that I couldn't break.

Maybe that was really why I wanted to bring her to my pack. I wanted to know who she was, and if she were a present from the moon goddess.

As I led her in the direction of the pack territory. I finally broke the silence between us with a slow exhale. Then, I let the truth slip.

"I'm not just a rogue, Selena," I said. "I'm the Alpha of the rogue wolves."

Her breath caught, and I watched as shock, fear, and something else-something like awe-flickered across her face.

I took a step away from her, letting her absorb the revelation.

"Welcome to my world, Selena," I said, my tone laced with a hint of a challenge. "Let's see if you can survive it."