"Why are you so stubborn?"
Luna's whisper was barely audible against Javrian's chest, her words carrying the exhaustion of someone who had given up fighting fate.
She didn't lift her head to meet his eyes, remaining under the weight of his chin—couldn't bear to see whatever expression might be there.
The pack tensions hung heavy in the mountain air around them, but all she could focus on was the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her ear and the incomprehensible fact that he hadn't abandoned her yet.
'Everyone always leaves,' she thought, her fingers unconsciously tightening in the fabric of his cloak not because she was sad but more like she had gone numb after all the suffering thrown at her by life.
If she was weak, then she would have vanished long ago under the torment of her sister and family, but she still arrived at this point in her life where even knowing her husband's affair with her sister, she planned to collect information and even recorded those last moments of Victor to use as a bargaining chip to save herself from the arriving beast, Javrian.
Maybe after the aphrodisiac event, and seeing how her body and mind were numbing, she thought it would be better to just submit to death in this beast's arms.
But he was too gentle, unlike how he looked.
So she was definitely not weak, just guarded to avoid getting hurt.
'Why won't you just leave too and make this easier?'
Now that her mind had gained clarity, she could clearly see through his actions when he arrived at her statement of being alone, acted this way, and kept her with him when he alone could have left her behind.
From the official records, she had read about him being a monstrous, savage wolf, but she still had yet to see where that side was.
Until now, she had only seen the fire that, instead of burning, was giving warmth to her.
But before anyone could respond to her quiet question, the first golden rays of dawn began creeping over the jagged mountain peaks.
"Shit," Kael's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "The sun's coming up."
As if summoned by his words, the distant sound of hoofbeats and armor clanking echoed from the valley below. Empire reinforcements—earlier than expected.
"We need to leave! Now!" Vera's urgent shout sent everyone into motion.
Javrian's arms tightened around Luna protectively. "Everyone, sprint formation. We head for the northern border."
Without another word, the pack exploded into movement. Bodies shifted and stretched as they prepared to run—not in wolf form, which would be too conspicuous in daylight, but with the enhanced speed their supernatural strength allowed.
Luna felt herself being adjusted in Javrian's arms as he began to run, his long strides eating up the rocky terrain with inhuman grace.
The morning air whipped through her hair as trees and boulders blurred past, giving the crimson color making Javrian look as if he were really moving with fire in his arms—so that was her.
One Hour Later
The sun climbed higher, painting the border wilderness in shades of gold and amber.
They'd been running for an hour straight, putting distance between themselves and the Empire forces, but they still had miles to go before reaching safe territory.
Luna noticed that Javrian had begun maintaining a subtle distance from the others—still close enough to protect her, but far enough that their conversations couldn't be overheard.
She also noticed how he kept glancing down at her.
Those silver eyes would drift to her face every few minutes, studying her with an intensity that made her stomach flutter with uncomfortable awareness.
Each time their gazes met, she narrowed her eyes, and he just averted his eyes back to the path.
"Stop looking at me like that," Luna whispered, unable to keep the words inside any longer.
Instead of apologizing or looking away, Javrian's arms simply tightened around her, drawing her closer to his chest.
"Like what?" His voice was low, meant only for her ears.
"Like..." She struggled to find the words, her cheeks warming despite the morning chill.
She would have judged him if not for his eyes looking straight into hers, rather than down or anywhere else—making her even more restless.
"Like you see something that isn't there," she muttered.
His steps never faltered, but something in his expression shifted. When he spoke again, his voice carried a weight that made her breath catch.
"You think so little of yourself that you'd rather make everyone hate you than believe someone could choose you."
'Ugh... this damn wolf...' The words hit Luna like a physical blow, stealing the air from her lungs.
Her crimson eyes widened, reflecting the morning sunlight as the truth of his statement crashed over her.
'How does he...' Her chest tightened painfully. 'How does he see through me so easily?'
"That's not—" she started to deny, but the words died in her throat.
Because if she explained herself that she feared getting hurt, it would be the same as putting trust in this man... whose result for her always ended in hurt.
"I just did because they were blaming you," she whispered, the admission torn from somewhere deep inside her chest.
"And why does it matter," Javrian took his time, his silver eye intense as it held her gaze before completion. "Why does it matter to you if they blame me... my dear wife?"
'!'
"W-who's wife—!"
Behind them, the pack had been watching this quiet exchange with varying degrees of concern and suspicion.
Kael, running alongside them with his massive stride, finally spoke up as he caught up to them. His voice carried the weight of years fighting beside Javrian.
"Whether she manipulated us or not," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "the choice is still yours, Javrian. We'll follow your lead."
"I will need time to observe her before accepting her... but for now, I will follow your lead, Javrian." Vera nodded, her gray eyes studying Luna with new understanding.
But it was Lila who reached her breaking point.
The silver-haired woman had been running in tense silence, her pale eyes burning with a fury that had been building since the moment she'd seen Luna in Javrian's arms.
"Enough!" Lila's snarl cut through the morning air as she suddenly stopped running, forcing the entire pack to halt.
"I can't listen to this anymore!"
"Then just cover your ears...."