Chapter 11 Eleven

Chapter 11

Sam’s POV

Pain.

That’s the first thing I feel when I open my eyes.

A raw, burning pain spreading across my chest like fire. The ground beneath me is cold, damp, and smells of dirt and blood. For a few seconds, I can’t remember where I am or why the air tastes like ash.

Then it all crashes back.

The rogues.

Ella.

And Chloe.

My body tenses at the memory of that blastdark energy slamming into me and throwing me across the clearing. I can still feel it crawling beneath my skin like poison.

A soft sound pulls me back to the present, a small, shaky breath.

Ella.

She’s kneeling beside me, her hands pressed to my chest, eyes wide and wet with fear. For a moment, I forget the pain. All I see is her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I rasp. My throat feels dry, every word scraping against it. “Go back. Now.”

Her brows pull together. “And leave you here to die? Not a chance.”

“I’m fine,” I lie, though my chest burns with every breath. “Just need a minute.”

Her trembling fingers hover near my shoulder. “She used magic, Sam. Real magic.”

“I noticed,” I mutter, forcing myself upright. My back screams in protest, but I grit my teeth. I can’t show weakness not in front of her, not again.

The moonlight filters through the trees, revealing the clearing around us broken branches, claw marks, blood smeared across the leaves. No sign of Chloe. No sign of rogues.

“She’s gone,” I say, scanning the shadows. “But she’ll be back.”

Ella wraps her arms around herself. “You know her?”

I meet her gaze, guilt twisting inside me. “She used to work in the pack kitchens. Quiet. Loyal. I thought she died during the first rogue raids.” I pause. “I was wrong.”

“She said she helped me escape,” Ella whispers. “That she was the one who left food in my cell.”

Her words hit me like a slap. My hands curl into fists. “She what?”

Ella nods. “She said she’d come back for me one day. I didn’t believe her.”

My mind races. Chloe… a traitor inside my own walls. I should have seen it. “If she’s still alive, then she’s been hiding for years waiting."

“Waiting for what?” Ella asks softly.

“For revenge,” I say. “And I think we’re the reason.”

A cold wind stirs between us, carrying the faint scent of blood again. My wolf growls inside me, restless. The bond between us is broken but not gone.

“Ella,” I start, my voice rough, “you need to go back to Green Wood. Tell your Alpha what happened. Stay out of this.”

She shakes her head, stubborn as ever. “No. I’m staying. This isn’t just about you anymore. Chloe came after both of us.”

I glare at her, but she doesn’t flinch. She never does. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

“I’ve been almost killed before,” she says quietly. “By you.”

The words slice deep, sharper than claws. I look away.

Before I can reply, something glows faintly on the ground beside me. I glance down and see a small, silver pendant half-buried in the dirt, a strange symbol carved into it, pulsing faintly with red light.

“What is that?” Ella asks, kneeling beside me.

I pick it up carefully. The moment my fingers brush the metal, a chill runs through me. My wolf snarls inside my head, uneasy. “It’s a seal,” I say slowly. “A demon mark.”

Her face drains of color. “Like my father’s?”

I nod grimly. “Exactly like his.”

She backs away, shaking her head. “No. That can’t be. He’s goneSam, he’s dead.”

“Then why is his magic still here?” I lift the pendant toward the moonlight. The red glow flickers stronger, almost alive. “Chloe didn’t make this on her own. Someone’s helping her.”

Ella’s eyes widened. “You think my father”

“I don’t know.” I pocket the pendant, rising to my feet. “But if he’s back, this isn’t just about revenge. It’s war.”

A rustle echoes behind us. Instinct kicks inI pull Ella behind me just as a shadow darts past. Something sharp slices across my arm. I hissed in pain, spinning, but the attacker had already vanished into the trees.

Blood drips down my forearm. The wound burns not like a cut, but like fire. I look at it closer and see black veins crawling outward from the slash.

“Sam!” Ella cries. “What’s happening to you?”

I stagger, pressing a hand to the tree. “Poison,” I grunt. “Demon venom.”

“Let me help”

“Stay back!” I bark. “It’ll spread if you touch me.”

She freezes, eyes wide, tears welling. “Please, don’t do this again. Don’t push me away.”

My vision blurs. Every heartbeat feels heavier, slower. The world tilts. I force myself to stay upright, gripping the tree tighter. “You have to go, Ella. Now.”

But she doesn’t move. She grabs my face, her palms cool against my feverish skin. “I’m not leaving you again. You saved me once. Let me save you.”

Something in her touch slows the pain. The black veins crawl slower, halting just below my elbow. A faint golden light glows under her fingers. I stare at it, stunned.

“What… what is that?” I whisper.

She looks down at her hands, just as shocked. “I don’t know.”

But I do.

It’s not ordinary healingit’s divine. Ancient. A gift no ordinary wolf should have. My wolf stirs, whispering words I can’t quite understand.

When the light fades, the wound is closed. The burning stops. Only the faint scar remains.

Ella looks at me, breathing hard. “Sam, what’s happening to us?”

Before I can answer, a scream splits through the night a distant, bone-chilling sound that makes every instinct in me snap to attention.

It’s coming from the direction of Wood Valley Pack.

I meet her eyes. “They’re under attack.”

She gasps. “By who?”

I glance toward the darkness, the pendant still glowing faintly in my pocket. “By whoever’s working with your father.”

The ground trembles beneath our feet, and far off, the night sky flashes red.

Ella grabs my arm. “Then we go together.”

I hesitate only a second before nodding.

As we run toward the flames in the distance, the forest behind us hums alive, whispering. The pendant burns hotter against my skin, as if calling to s

omething that hasn’t yet awakened.

And somewhere deep in the shadows, a voice murmurs low and familiar.

“Welcome home, daughter.”