Chapter Eight:
Hazel's POV-
When my eyes flickered open, I expected the same throbbing agony that had wrecked me before. The claw marks. The wolfsbane burns. The bruises from fists and boots.
But as I blinked against the dim light of dawn spilling through the curtains, I realized something was wrong.
Or maybe… right.
I sat up slowly. No sharp pain. No bleeding. My hand brushed over my stomach where I'd been bitten, where wolfsbane had burned into my veins—and found smooth, unbroken skin.
"What the hell?" I whispered, yanking the blanket back. My arms, my legs, my ribs—all healed. Not even scars.
Flora stirred inside me, yawning in my head like she'd just woken from a nap. "Took you long enough, sleepyhead. Thought you'd never open your eyes again."
"Flora," I hissed. "I'm healed. Completely. That's… impossible."
"Not impossible," she corrected, tone sing-song and smug. "Just rare. Special. Divine, even."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop talking in riddles and tell me what's going on."
A long pause. Then Flora's voice softened, weightier. "It's time you know the truth, Hazel. About me. About what I am. About what you are."
My stomach twisted. "Go on."
"You've always wondered why I'm red," she said gently. "Why I grow larger every time you let me out. Why your healing is different. It's because I'm not an ordinary wolf. I'm a Red Wolf."
The way she said it made the words feel like a prophecy.
"A Red Wolf? And what does that even mean?"
"It means Selene touched us at birth," Flora replied, voice lilting again. "We're bound to the goddess in ways even the royals can't grasp. We carry fire in our blood and the promise of balance in our bones. We are protectors, Hazel—not destroyers. But mortals fear what they don't understand."
I frowned, fists clenching. "So that's why you grow so big. Because I'm… different? Because I'm red?"
"Because you're rare," Flora said, amusement curling through her tone. "Red Wolves rise when the world is shifting. Some say we carry Selene's laughter. Others say her fury. Both are true."
Her voice danced, mischievous and ancient all at once. I could almost see her grinning inside my head.
"Stop being vague," I snapped. "Am I dangerous? Will I hurt people?"
Flora's voice turned velvet-soft. "You're only dangerous if you're chained. Freedom makes us what we're meant to be. And no, Hazel—you're not cursed. You're chosen."
The word slammed into me like a blade turned warm. Chosen.
It didn't sound like a gift. It sounded like a sentence.
I pressed my palms to my eyes, growling. "Then why has my life been nothing but hell? Why give me to a family just to slaughter them? Why laugh while I bleed?"
Flora chuckled, but there was kindness under the sound. "Because Selene doesn't play by mortal rules. She doesn't coddle, she doesn't explain. She dances, she teases, she throws storms your way to see if you'll swim. But if you listen, her riddles always carry truth."
I grit my teeth. "Well, I'm done with riddles. I'm done being hunted. I'm done being the puppet of some lazy, useless goddess."
I got to my feet, heart pounding. For the first time in years, I felt strong—too strong, like something inside me had been unlocked. The sting of Caleb's rejection still burned, but I wasn't about to sit around as his prisoner.
"Flora," I whispered, pacing. "We're leaving. Tonight."
Her growl rumbled low in my chest. "No. Why would you leave our mate just after rejecting him? I will not help you."
I sighed. "Look, maybe you think you love him, but he hates us. I hate him. The goddess clearly hates us too. If we stay, the royals will get us. We'll be dead before sunrise."
"That's what you think, but Alice—"
"No but! Either help me or back off, because I'm leaving."
Flora growled louder, then went quiet. I smiled. That silence meant she'd help.
"Thank you," I whispered. She rumbled low in reply.
---
The castle was quiet. Guards patrolled the halls, but I'd spent half my life running, hiding, surviving. Slipping past them was child's play.
My bare feet made no sound on the marble floors. I moved through winding staircases and shadow-drenched corridors like smoke. Every step closer to the gates made my chest lighter. I could taste freedom.
"Careful," Flora warned. "You're healed, but not invincible. If they catch you—"
"They won't," I cut her off. "Not this time."
The outer gardens shimmered under the dying moonlight. Roses gleamed wet with dew. Steel fences glinted beyond them. And past the walls lay forest—wide, wild, and waiting.
My heart hammered. Freedom.
I crouched, ready to shift if I had to. Flora surged forward, claws scraping at the surface, eager to run.
"Go," she urged. "Go now, Hazel—"
A shadow moved.
My head snapped up.
Someone stood between me and the gates.
Broad shoulders. Black hair catching moonlight. His scent hit me like a storm of chocolate and honey, sweet and maddening all at once.
Caleb.
Of course.
My stomach dropped as his golden eyes locked on mine—burning, furious, hungry.
"Going somewhere, Thorn?" His voice was low, deadly calm.
The bond tugged hard, violent, like invisible chains wrapping around my chest.
Damn it.
I froze. Every instinct screamed to run, but the mate bond pinned me where I stood.
This was going to get ugly.