The weeks that followed were a blur. They traveled in silence, finding refuge in isolated forests, small villages, and caves. The constant tension in the air was palpable, and the unease in Selena's chest never faded. She could feel herself becoming more and more isolated, the distance between her and her allies growing as her inner turmoil continued to grow.
It wasn't just the physical distance—it was the emotional gap that had begun to widen between them. Kade and Aiden had their own demons to fight, but for Selena, it felt as if the fight inside her was the hardest of all. She could hear the voices of her past—Ryker's mocking words, the laughter of the wolves who had belittled her, the constant reminder that she was weak, that she wasn't enough.
But deep down, she knew that wasn't who she was anymore.
One evening, as they huddled around a fire, Selena sat apart from the others, staring into the flames. Her mind was racing, her heart unsettled. She had been silent for days, lost in her thoughts, replaying the battle, wondering if she had made the right decision to run. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ryker's smirk, heard his cruel words. And every time she heard them, the more she wanted to fight back. The more she wanted to make him regret ever rejecting her.
The wind stirred the trees, and Selena stood abruptly, her legs trembling beneath her. Kade and Aiden looked at her with concern, but she barely noticed. Her heart was pounding now, faster than it had ever been. She had made a decision. She would no longer keep running.
"I can't do this anymore," she said, her voice low but firm, filled with the determination that had started to swell within her. "I've been running from them for too long. I've been running from myself."
Aiden raised an eyebrow, but Selena didn't look at him. She was speaking to herself as much as to anyone else.
"I'm not the same person I was before. I've changed. And I'm not going to hide anymore." She turned to face them, her gaze meeting Kade's first, then Aiden's. "I'm going back. I'm going back to finish this."
There was a pause, an almost eerie stillness in the air as the fire crackled softly. Aiden and Kade exchanged a look, then both nodded, their expressions unreadable.
"You sure about this?" Kade asked, his voice softer than usual, though the worry in his eyes was clear.
"I'm sure," Selena replied, her voice growing stronger. "I've been running long enough. I'm done. This ends now."
Kade's lips twitched, a faint, approving smile breaking through his usually stoic demeanor. "Then we fight."
Aiden stood and stretched, his muscles groaning as he cracked his neck. "You're not going alone."
Selena smiled, the weight in her chest lifting ever so slightly. She wasn't alone. She had her allies, her new family—people who believed in her, even when she hadn't believed in herself.
That night, as they set off toward the battlefield, Selena's heart pounded with a mix of fear and anticipation. She knew what awaited her—the battle, the enemies, the ghosts of her past. But she was no longer afraid.
She wasn't the weakest wolf anymore. She wasn't the girl who had run from everything. She was a warrior. And warriors didn't run.