Nemesis 5

Chapter 5 

I gripped the silver dagger my father had given me with the last of my strength. 

I couldn’t afford to collapse now. Forcing my senses to stay sharp, I scanned the forest with wary, calculating eyes. 

Since becoming a Rogue, my instincts had grown unnaturally acute. I could smell the decay of distant leaves, hear the faintest rustle of insects beneath brittle branches. 

Today had pushed me past my limits. My mate had rejected me. My father had cast me out. My wolf, once tethered to my reason, was slipping free, threatening to consume what was left of my humanity. 

I needed shelter soon, or I’d lose control and become a creature of pure bloodlust. 

I didn’t know how far I’d gone when a strange scent hit me. It was powerful and heavy, like a mountain pressing down on my chest. I should’ve braced for danger, but instead, both my body and my wolf stilled calm, even welcoming. 

I staggered, knees buckling. My vision blurred as my mind slipped in and out of darkness. The pain of rejection still tore through me like silver needles in my soul. The forest floor smelled of rot and damp earth. I felt cold and suffocating, my breath frosting in the night air. 

This was how Rogues died: alone and forgotten. And I was ready for it. But that scent wrapping around me was warm, smoky, laced with cedar. It was stronger now, even closer, like a hand pulling me gently forward. 

It stirred my wolf awake. No longer mourning, it growled alert and curious. 

My heart raced. My thoughts vanished, replaced by that scent. 

It couldn’t be… 

A mate. 

No. 

Impossible. 

The Moon Goddess wouldn’t grant me a Second Chance Mate, not after everything. 

Footsteps approached steadily and deliberately, then stopped. With the last of my strength, I forced one eye open. 

Black leather boots, muddied and wet, came into view. Through my teary vision, I saw a crouched figure. His face was sharp, with long–lashed eyes and a strong jaw. His hair, black as midnight, glinted under the moonlight. And his piercing silver–gray eyes looked as if they’d been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. 

Power rolled off him in waves. He was an Alpha, and stronger than my father had ever been. 

He stared at me, brows drawn. 

“Rogue?” His voice was low and smooth, like velvet wrapped in steel. He reached out, and I flinched. 

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” he said softly, a strange comfort in his tone, as if my fear was something he refused to allow 

near me. 

Something in me loosened at the sound. In the middle of a cold, deadly forest, I felt safe. 

He touched my forehead. His palm was broad, fingers warm. At his touch, energy sparked through my skin like lightning, lighting up every nerve. My wolf howled in joy. 

That scent. His eyes. His touch. 

It was fate. 

1/2 

Chapter 5 

+15 Bonus 

The bond was real. 

He felt it too, because I saw it in the shock that widened his silver eyes. 

“You…” he breathed. 

My body finally gave out. Darkness wrapped around me like a blanket. But before it claimed me, I heard him again–his voice low, certain, filled with disbelief and something deeper. 

“Mine,” he said, as if the word alone could shatter worlds.