Fabian wasn’t supposed to be out in the woods.
He’d slipped away from the suffocating hush of the palace—the unending talk of duties, alliances, and bondings he had no patience for. He needed air, solitude, sothing real to quiet the restless snarl in his chest.
Barefoot, shirtless, he walked beneath the towering pines, the moonlight slanting silver across his skin. Each breath tasted of cool earth and pine resin, calming the wolf prowling behind his ribcage.
And then—she hit him.
A blur of blonde hair, torn clothes, and ragged breath collided with him so forcefully that she nearly bounced off—nearly. She didn’t let go.
Her hands gripped the collar of his hoodie—he hadn’t realized he’d tugged it on—and her chest rose and fell in frantic gasps. He slled her before he saw her face. Warm. Spicy. Innocent. A scent that punched straight into his bones.
Mate.
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. His crimson eyes locked onto hers—startling green, wide with desperation and sothing fiercer than fear.
"Help ," she whispered. A single, shaking breath. Not a plea. A command in disguise.
Fabian’s lips curved into a dark, intrigued smirk. "What makes you think I will? That I can? That I’m not more dangerous than whoever’s chasing you?"
Her eyes didn’t waver. "I simply know," she panted. "That you are more dangerous. And that’s all I want. All I need."
God, she was bold. Reckless. And she wasn’t lying.
He leaned in, lowering his voice until it scraped the ragged edge of a growl. "What’s your na, little storm?"
"Daisy," she breathed, her voice trembling on the edge of a sob. But she held his stare.
Before he could answer, the crunch of boots on dry leaves cracked through the silence. His head snapped up. His wolf’s hackles rose.
They were close. Too close.
Fabian’s eyes flared crimson. He dropped an arm around her waist, lifting her effortlessly. "Hold on."
She didn’t argue. She clung to him tighter as he took off in a blur of speed.
Gunfire split the night.
The sharp crack of a rifle echoed through the trees, sending startled crows shrieking into the air. Fabian twisted mid-run, his body curling around Daisy as the first shot hissed past. It hit a tree with a violent burst of splintered bark.
Daisy let out a hoarse, terrified cry. "They’re shooting at !"
"No." His voice dropped to a savage snarl. "They’re shooting at us."
He skidded to a stop, setting her gently behind a wide tree trunk. She tried to follow, but he pressed her back with a firm hand.
"Stay down," he ordered, his voice low and final. "No matter what you hear, don’t co out."
"Fabian—"
He closed his eyes briefly as her na slipped from his lips—hoarse and raw. A vow.
"Stay down," he repeated, softer.
She nodded, eyes huge, tears trembling on her lashes.
He turned to face the n erging from the trees. Seven in all, thickset and grim, their eyes flat with purpose. They spread out, guns raised.
"That’s the Alpha Prince," one muttered.
"Doesn’t matter," the leader snapped. "The girl’s marked. Take her back. Kill him if you have to."
Fabian’s lip curled in a feral smile. "Try."
The guns fired.
The first volley blurred past as he lunged left, dodging bullets by inches. He closed the distance in two strides, his hand snapping out to wrench a rifle from the nearest man’s grip. The weapon cracked across the man’s skull with a wet thud.
A second attacker swung at him with a hunting knife. Fabian caught his wrist, twisted—and bone shattered with a scream.
More shots. He ducked low, driving his shoulder into the gut of another man. They crashed into a tree hard enough to rattle branches overhead.
Behind him, Daisy’s muffled sobs cut through the chaos. He moved faster. Harder.
The fourth man got a shot off. Pain seared across Fabian’s ribs—sharp and hot. He didn’t stop. He turned on the shooter with a snarl and drove his fist into the man’s jaw. The crack echoed louder than the rifle report.
"Why are you protecting her?" soone shouted over the fray, voice breaking with fear.
Fabian’s chest heaved as he turned, his face a mask of blood and moonlight. His eyes glowed like living coals. "Because she’s mine."
The last hunter fired.
With a roar, Fabian charged—nothing but a blur of speed and fury. He tackled the man into the dirt, fists driving down in punishing, rciless strikes. The fight ended in seconds.
Silence settled over the clearing. Only the ragged sound of Fabian’s breathing remained.
He stood slowly, crimson streaking his chest, his hands. Around him, the forest watched—cold, ancient, indifferent.
Then—
A tiny sound.
He turned.
Daisy peeked out from behind the tree, her eyes enormous, her lip trembling.
"You...you fought them all."
He drew in a ragged breath. "I brought them all down," he corrected. "And I’d do it again."
"For you."
And when she ran to him—throwing her arms around his neck—Fabian, Alpha Prince, reckless flirt, reluctant hero, closed his eyes and held her as though she were the one thing in the world he could never lose.
"We need to leave here," Fabian whispered, his voice rough with lingering adrenaline.
She didn’t answer, only stared up at him with wide, shaken eyes, her chest still heaving. Moonlight turned her hair into a pale halo.
Sothing about her silence—so vulnerable, so stubborn—made sothing raw tighten in his throat. He reached out, tangled his fingers in her silky hair, and tugged gently until her chin lifted.
"Where do you live?"
Her breath stuttered. "I... It’s not safe." she let out.
His eyes narrowed, searching her face. The forest around them slled of blood and gunpowder, the cold earth littered with fallen weapons.
"So you were running with nowhere to go." Fabian asked, almost like a revelation to him.
She looked away, lips trembling.
They stood like that—so close they were nearly touching, their heartbeats locked in so secret rhythm—until a low groan split the quiet.
Fabian didn’t look, didn’t need to. One of the n behind them was coming to.
Enough.
His hand closed firmly around Daisy’s smaller one. "We’re done here."
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