Chapter 133

Lauren

The march started quiet, the weight of our choice starting to lay in from our rally.

This wasn’t just a rescue mission, it was, hopefully, the last one we would have to fight.

Our paws hit the dirt road like war drums muffled by nerves and wondering eyes. Leaves rustled overhead, whispering things I didn’t want to hear—like you’re too young, too soft, too scared for this.

I shook my head, focusing.

The moon followed us, full and watchful, as if judging whether I deserved her favor at all.

Alexander walked ahead of me, steady and sure, his broad shoulders cutting a path through the night like he knew where this all ended.

I envied him, just a little. His certainty. His calm. The way the pack moved around him like the world would tip over if he wasn’t leading it.

He was used to this, being a leader. And despite my speech, I wasn’t so confident the closer we got.

Behind us, a few wolves moved in quiet formation, their breathing controlled as they chatted low. We didn’t rally a large force—But it was enough. Get in. Get Mark. Get out.

With there voice low, this left my thoughts way too loud.

You’re going to mess this up.

You’re not ready.

You’re not enough.

“Careful, precious leader,” came a voice to my right. “You’re scowling hard enough to terrify small children.”

I turned sharply, and there he was.

Liam.

Of course it was Liam.

He strolled beside me with that same crooked grin he’d probably been born with, like nothing about this was serious. Even in his wolf form, that white as snow pelt and mane, his expression never seemed to change.

Always relaxed, like we weren’t heading into enemy territory with our lives hanging by a thread. His shoulders hung loose as we strolled, like he had zero concept of battle-ready posture.

“What do you want?” I muttered, not bothering to hide the hostility in my voice.

“Good to see you too, Lauren,” he said, completely unfazed. “Love how you still talk to me like I just murdered your favorite puppy.”

“Last I checked, we weren’t good. You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Last I checked, your dad—the Alpha King, remember him?—forbade this. Disagreed. And now you’re what, a loyal rebel? That’s new.”

“I didn’t come to rebel against him.”

My eyes narrowed. “It’s not like you ever got along. If not that, then why?”

He gave me a sideways glance. “Maybe I like danger. Or maybe I thought it’d be fun to march beside someone who looks like she’s one second away from snapping my neck.”

I rolled my eyes so hard it nearly gave me a headache. “You’re not funny.”

“Your laugh a few moons ago said otherwise.”

“Maybe because you used to be funny,” I shot back.

He laughed at that—an actual laugh, like he’d been waiting for me to say something that mean.

“I came because I believe in this,” he said, his voice softening slightly. “I always believed in you. And the pack. And change. My father’s views? They belong buried in the woods with all the other old bones we’ve outgrown. My mother… would want this.”

I didn’t respond right away. I wasn’t sure I believed him. Not fully.

So I said the thing I’d been chewing on for days.

“What about the commands, Liam?”

That shut him up.

I glanced sideways at him. “You kissed me like some villain, and you still hold two of them over me. Two magical, unbreakable commands. And you think I’m just going to forget that?”

His jaw flexed. “We’re still arguing about this?”

I stopped walking for a second, turning fully to face him, the others drifting ahead. “You didn’t need to use them. You chose to. That’s not nothing. You don’t get to act like you’re innocent in all this. Like we are okay.”

He met my glare, the amusement finally draining from his face. “I didn’t use them to hurt you.”

“Doesn’t matter. You still took away my choice.”

“I didn’t know what else to do!” he snapped, a little louder than necessary. “You were chasing a pointless problem, putting Abigail in danger back then. I was desperate, okay? I was watching the person I—” He cut himself off, his gaze softening. “I just wanted my best friend back. The woman I… the one I lost. And yeah. Maybe I got a bit lost, and thought I could fix things. But now…”

We both looked ahead, where Alexander walked at the front of the group, moonlight brushing across his shoulders like a crown.

Liam exhaled, the wind gone out of him. “Now I see I never had a chance. It was a mistake. And… I want us to be play again, for you to trust me.”

“I can’t do that when you hold my will over me!” I snapped.

Something in my chest twisted. Guilt, maybe. Pity. Or just the leftover ache from all the years we hadn’t said any of this out loud, how far we have split since saving my life all those years ago.

I didn’t know what to say.

So I kept walking.

We marched in silence for a while, the trees growing taller and the wind colder. Tension coiled in my stomach like a too-tight spring. My legs ached. My breathing felt wrong. Everything in me screamed that I was going to screw this up. That I wasn’t meant to lead anyone, let alone rescue my brother from a rogue stronghold.

Then Liam’s voice drifted in again, quiet, almost casual.

“Lauren.”

I looked over, surprised to see something serious settle into his expression.

“Command one,” he said. “Follow your heart, and be strong.”

My breath caught.

“I—Liam—”

“Command two,” he said quickly, as if reading my mind. “Don’t doubt what you know is true. And never lose that spark of yours, Lauren. Ever.”

Warmth flooded my chest.

I slowed to a stop again, blinking fast. “You just…”

“Used them,” he said, smiling faintly. “Now they’re gone. You’re free.”

“You… burned both commands on me? To give me a pep talk?”

He shrugged. “Could’ve used them to tell you to never punch me again, but I figured this was more your style.”

I laughed, a startled, choked little sound that escaped before I could stop it. “You’re an idiot.”

“True,” he said, grinning wider. “But I’m your idiot. Well. I was.”

I rolled my eyes again but couldn’t fight the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips.

We started walking again, and for the first time that night, I didn’t feel like I was dragging the weight of the entire pack on my back alone. My steps were lighter. My heart a little steadier. Like maybe I could do this.

Liam and I fell into step beside each other.

And for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel weird.

“You gonna keep walking this close the whole way?” I asked.

“Just making sure you don’t trip on your own importance.”

“Oh, bite me.”

“Tempting,” he said, smirking. “But I hear Alexander has claws.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “You’re still the worst.”

“And yet… you’re not yelling at me anymore.”

I glanced at him sideways, my grin a little sharper now. “Give it time.”

Alexander glanced back at us, but I was quick to give him a reassuring nod.

Our fight wasn’t between eachother tonight.