As he left, the calm shattered, and I moved swiftly, my heart racing. I grabbed my coat and waited until I saw his taillights disappear down the road. Quickly, I hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address I knew too well.
When we arrived, I watched as Daniel’s car parked outside her cabin near the eastern border. I saw her step out, running to him with a smile. My chest tightened as he pulled her into his arms, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, the gesture so familiar yet foreign.
With trembling hands, I hit record on my phone, capturing the evidence of his betrayal one last time. Clutching my belly, I made myself a promise: the moment I brought my pup into the world, we would leave. This wasn’t just betrayal—it was the death of the bond I had once cherished.
As the two of them drove away into the night, I whispered to my pup, “I’m fighting for us now. No one will take what’s ours ever again.”
The forest grew colder as night fell, shadows stretching longer, swallowing the little light that remained. I’d been walking for hours, every step taking me farther from the pack, from Daniel, and everything I’d ever known. But exhaustion clawed at me, and my body was beginning to give in. My child stirred within, a subtle but urgent reminder that time was running out. I needed to find a safe place to rest soon, but in the wilds, there was no such thing as safe.
A sudden, sharp sound cracked through the silence—a growl, deep and furious, echoing through the trees. I froze, my heart pounding as I pressed myself against a rough tree trunk, hoping to blend into the darkness. My senses were on high alert, catching every rustle, every whisper of movement.
Then I saw a figure, shadowed yet powerful, locked in a brutal fight with another. The stranger’s strength was terrifying, his movements sharp, calculated, each strike landing with deadly intent. His opponent, marked with a dark insignia on his shoulder, bore the cold efficiency of an assassin.
My breath caught. It couldn’t be. Has Daniel sent someone after me already? The thought chilled me to my core. I felt the urge to run, but something kept me rooted. A morbid curiosity, or maybe the hope that this fight would distract any threat from noticing me.