Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 63: 63

She shook her head, as if what he had done for me meant nothing, as if it was nothing more than an obligation.

He pulled out the chair from the end and sat down, the wooden legs scraping against the floor with a sound that echoed in the tense silence. His movements were fluid, confident—the natural grace of a predator even in this most mundane of actions. I followed suit, taking the seat to his right.

We began our dinner in silence. Steam rose from the carefully arranged plates, carrying the rich aroma of spiced meat and cabbage throughout the room.

I watched every fleeting reaction on his face—the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, the almost imperceptible nod of approval. He seemed satisfied, swallowing each bite of sarmale with great pleasure, his throat moving in a smooth, deliberate motion. The traditional

Romanian dish seemed to bring him comfort, perhaps reminding him of simpler times before I had stumbled into their territory.

I cleared my throat, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet room. My fingers fidgeted with the edge of the tablecloth. The weight of my worry pressed down on me, making each second of silence unbearable.

"Do you think you can find my sister?" I asked after a while, breaking the silence that had stretched between us like a fragile thread.

He put his cutlery down beside his plate with deliberate care and looked at me. His eyes, amber in the warm light of the dining room, seemed to peer straight through my façade of composure, examining the panic that lay beneath.

"Where did you see her last?" His voice was low, measured, a stark contrast to the chaos of emotions swirling inside me.

I rubbed my tongue against my teeth, thinking about how I would tell him that I had broken into a house. The confession felt dangerous, even now. I shifted in my seat, weighing each word carefully before speaking.

"We... were living in a cabin in the middle of the forest," I began hesitantly. "I think it belonged to some hunters, but they never showed up..."

"Of course not," he interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact. "We killed all of them."

I gasped, the air catching painfully in my throat.

"I was always afraid they might come back," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I never transformed because of that."

"Some years ago, they killed one of our wolves," he explained, his eyes darkening with the memory, "so we hunted them down. One by one. We killed them all and spread the rumor that the forest is cursed." A shadow of satisfaction crossed his face. "Every now and then, some fool shows up, but they never make it home to tell the story."

I couldn't say how relieved I was to hear that.

Selena still hadn't gone through the transformation; she had a few months ahead before the change would take her. But I was afraid something might happen to her, that she might undergo the mutation before her time and be caught unaware, vulnerable and alone. And beyond that natural danger, I feared every time I thought of Hunter getting his hands on her—Hunter with his cold eyes and calculating smile, who had tracked us across three states with a determination that bordered on obsession.

I would never forgive myself if something happened to my sister, the only family I had left in this world of teeth and shadows.

"She worked at a bar in the city when I came to the forest," I added, fixing my gaze on him. "That's why I went so deep in. I tried to keep as much distance as possible between the two of us. In case the wolves caught up with me, she would be free."

He nodded.

"Because she's not a transformed wolf, she can go unnoticed," he commented, and I confirmed. "But she must be looking for you..."

"She certainly is. That's why I went to the forest earlier. I wanted to spread my scent, mark the territory. Try to send my location to her somehow."

He drummed his fingers on the table, deep in thought.

"And what if Hunter is with her?"

A shiver ran down my spine at that possibility, leaving me trembling.

"If he were with her, he would make sure to let me know. He'd use it to his advantage. His wolves never mentioned Selena, Hunter must think she's with me."

He exhaled.

"Selena is a secret that must be kept," he stated, pursing his lips in a grimace. "If there's really an informant in the pack, they'll use that against you. They might lie, but there will be no way to know if it's true or not. That way, you'll become an easy target to capture."

He was right. If any of Hunter's wolves mentioned my sister's name, I would go with them without objection. If there really was an informant in Dăneşti, my sister's name hadn't been mentioned, because I had never spoken of her to anyone.

"But... how will I find her?"

"I'll send only the men I trust most. They'll search for her." He leaned back, folding his elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand, rubbing his thumb on his chin, and keeping his gaze locked on mine. "I suppose she's been keeping herself well hidden, since she hasn't been captured yet."

A sincere smile appeared on my face as I thought of her.

"Selena is smart. She knows the right moment to run." I shrugged, trying to project confidence I didn't entirely feel. "And Hunter's wolves know my exact location, they wouldn't have any reason to go after her, since I'm the primary target."

My fingers absently traced the grain of the wooden table, following its natural curves and whorls. Each line told a story of growth and survival, not unlike my own.

"You're right," he agreed, his deep voice resonating in the quiet room. There was something in his tone—a gentleness that seemed at odds with the predator I knew him to be. "But she's still a weakness of yours, lost out there. So, she interests me too. That bastard can use her against you, and I won't allow that."

The possessiveness in his words should have alarmed me, but instead, I felt an unexpected warmth bloom in my chest. Protection was a luxury I'd forgotten existed. For months, I'd been the protector, the one looking over my shoulder, the one making impossible choices.

I swallowed hard and lowered my eyes to my hands resting in my lap. They were scarred now, testament to my desperate flight through the forest. The silvery marks caught the light, shimmering like tiny rivers across my skin.

"She's the only family I have left, Fenrir," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. The admission felt like exposing my throat to a predator, but I continued anyway. "I'll live in peace and safety for the rest of my days, accepting this reality, my reality, as long as I have her by my side."

He leaned in, coming closer to me. The scent of him—pine and earth and something wilder—filled my senses. His proximity should have been threatening, but instead, it felt like shelter.

"And as I said, Savannah, I'll do everything I can to make your life pleasant." His eyes, amber flecked with gold, held mine with an intensity that made it impossible to look away. "There are many things I can't offer you, things that might have been part of your plans, but are out of my reach. But anything I can give, ask, and it will be yours."

The candlelight cast half his face in shadow, yet I could see the sincerity etched in every line. This man, this wolf, had killed without remorse—had admitted as much over dinner—and yet here he was, offering what comfort he could in a situation neither of us had chosen.

Every cell of my body felt the truth in his words. The bond between us, strange and unwelcome as it had been at first, now vibrated with a certainty that transcended language.

That's why I confessed my greatest secret to him. Fenrir was trying to evolve, accepting the fact that I was now part of his life, just as I had been accepting that reality. Two creatures, circling each other warily, yet inevitably drawn closer.

"Thank you," I whispered, grateful.

"There's nothing to thank, we're just trying to make this work," he said, half-smiling. The expression transformed his face, softening the hard angles into something almost boyish. It was a glimpse of who he might have been in another life, one untouched by the curse that had shaped us both.

It meant that the conversation was over and that his drunken state had passed. There would be no more talk of Catalina or revelations about the past—those ghosts had retreated for now, back into the shadows where they belonged. Questions still burned within me, but they could wait for another night.

I was too... calm to get upset with him and start a new fight. The tranquility between us felt as delicate as spun glass, beautiful and easily shattered.

Things were finally good, for the first time in weeks.

For this reason, I got up and started clearing the table, with his help. Our movements fell into an easy rhythm, dishes passed and stacked without need for words.

We were both silent, isolated by our own demons yet connected by the mundane task. My fingers brushed his as I took a plate from his hands, and neither of us flinched at the contact.

When we finished, Fenrir went back to the couch, his form silhouetted against the dying embers in the fireplace. I watched him for a moment, this man who was both captor and protector, enemy and ally.

The contradictions should have troubled me, but tonight they seemed part of a larger pattern I was only beginning to understand.

I turned away and went upstairs to my room, each step taking me farther from him yet somehow not breaking the fragile thread that had formed between us. The bedroom, with its unfamiliar scents and textures, no longer felt like a prison. Even after everything that had happened—the chase, the capture, the revelation of what I truly was—it would be the first night I would actually sleep in peace. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new fears, but tonight, I would rest.