Page 26 of The Cursed Wolf King

“You should get out of here,” she hissed. “If you want to stay alive.”

I was unsure what to make of her words. Was she trying to warn me or gloat? The expression on her face was hard to read, a mix of impatience and worry—though I doubted that was for me.

I glanced back at the fight, where Logan and Damian’s wolves were locked in a fierce struggle, rolling across the café floor with claws and teeth flashing in the dim light. It was easy to see that whatever the end of this fight would be, it was coming soon.

This was my last chance to slip away, to leave and not look back.

Sable felt surreal beside me, like I’d fallen into some alternate version of reality. I searched her eyes for a hint of her motives. Her face was set, her jaw clenched. She wasn’t looking at me but at the fight.

For years, she’d been there at my lowest, watching with that same detachment as I tried to navigate life in the Heraclid pack. She hadn’t lifted a finger to help me then; she’d only added to the weight pressing down on me. She’d whispered rumors, thrown the first insults, been the quickest to remind me I was an outsider. But here she was, telling me to run.

“Why?” I asked.

“Don’t waste time asking stupid questions,” she snapped. “I don’t care what happens to you, but if you stay… well, if Logan wins, and you’re still here, Damian’s death won’t be the last. You know Grayson won’t let you walk away if his son dies because of you.” A bitter edge crept in as she spoke. “Don’t think you’re worth anything more than the role they assigned you. Grayson will hunt you down and bring you back. Take your last chance andleave. This is as close to freedom as you’re ever going to get. Enjoy it while you can.”

My gut twisted with suspicion. Part of me recognized the truth in her words. No matter who won this fight, there would be consequences for me. If I stayed, I’d have no control over what happened next.

I looked back to the wolves, their bodies a blur of motion, blood, and fury. Logan’s wolf had Damian pinned again, jaws snapping close to his neck. The end was closing in, an inevitability humming in the air, and Sable’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“Get out,” Sable said, and something in her tone hit my heart in a way I didn’t recognize. She was sincere. “Before it’s too late.”

The choice stretched before me, but time was running out.

With my every breath echoing in my ears, I felt the truth of Sable’s words. I knew nothing of Logan beyond what I’d seen in my visions. My whole life I had been a plaything of shifters with power. Would I now be letting Logan do to me exactly what Grayson and Damian had always done?

If I was going to survive, I had to get out of here. Alone.

Logan’s muscles were bunched and taut as he moved in for the final bite, fangs flashing toward Damian’s exposed neck. It was going to happen. Damian’s end.

The room held its breath, a dense silence falling over the watching crowd.

I didn’t stay to watch.

Heart pounding, I turned and pushed through the sea of supernaturals, weaving between blurred faces. Someone stepped in my way, wide-eyed. I ducked under their outstretched arm and pressed forward, forcing myself through the crowd until I reached a narrow hallway and spotted a back door leading to an alley. With a final shove, I burst through the door into the cool air.

And I ran.

I didn’t stop to consider which direction to take. I just moved, one foot in front of the other, faster, pushing every thought aside as I slipped through the city, keeping to the edges of the street. I passed storefronts and empty streets, darting down narrow passageways until even the distant murmurs of the city faded to nothing.

All I could hear was my own breath, sharp and loud in my ears. The scent of asphalt and dampness filled my senses, covering up everything else—the adrenaline, the metallic tang of blood that still lingered in my nostrils. It didn’t matter where I was heading. I needed distance. Space. I needed to feel the freedom I’d fought so hard to reach.

And that’s when it hit me.

I was free.

The realization washed over me like a tidal wave, crashing into every part of me, filling my lungs with air I hadn’t been able to breathe in years. No more chains, no more invisible leash, no more Damian stalking my every move. This was the first moment I had truly been on my own, no longer bound to anyone’s will but mine. Thethought filled me with a fierce sense of liberation, a wildness that made my pulse race.

This was what I’d dreamed of for as long as I could remember. At last.

I slowed my pace, staring at the road ahead, not sure where it was even leading me now—when a thought as heavy as a stone sank into my stomach. I didn’t want to believe it, that after all this time, I’d reached the one thing I’d always wanted, only to find it hollow.

I was free. Free at last.

And I felt empty.

13

LOGAN

---