The packs outcast Luna (Kaia and Theo) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 010

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was heat.

Not sunlight–too heavy, a little close.

A fire crackled somewhere nearby, the scent of smoke and herbs thick in the air.

The air felt clean, sharp, and unfamiliar.

I shifted.

Pain ripped through my shoulder, sharp enough to steal my breath. Sharp and cruel.

Someone had bandaged me, wrapped the wound tight.

The bandages were fresh. Whoever tended to me knew what they were doing–tight wrap, antiseptic herbs, clean stitching.

My eyelids fluttered open.

The walls were different. A bed. Voices outside.

I wasn’t dead. Yet.

This wasn’t the forest. Not the camp either.

Then, where am I?

Wait. Did I successfully get kidnapped by Liora’s men?

In that case, why would they get me treated?

They wanted me dead. Gone forever.

Confused. I don’t know what to think.

My throat was dry when I tried to speak. “Hello? Anyone?”

A rustle answered me from somewhere nearby.

A woman’s voice calm, measured. “You’re awake.”

–

I turned my head slightly, wincing as pain tugged at my stitches.

A doctor wearing a white coat,stood by my bedside, hands moving with practiced grace as she adjusted the cloth around my wound.

“Don’t strain yourself,” the doctor said softly. “You’ve been out for two days.”

“Two… days?” I replied, shocked.

My voice cracking with surprise.

—

The doctor nodded. “Your fever finally broke this morning. You’re safe now in Shadowclaw territory.”

I froze. Shadowclaw.

My heartbeat stuttered.

–

I’d heard the name before stories whispered even among Packs and wanderers.

A powerful pack.

Strict. Loyal. Not kind to strangers.

My fingers curled in the blanket. “Why… am I here?”

The doctor hesitated, studying my face for a moment before answering.

“Ask your rescuer. He hasn’t left the infirmary since he brought you in.”

I frowned faintly, struggling to recall the voice that had spoken to me in the car, calm and steady even through the haze.

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Chapter 010

You’re safe. Don’t move too much.

Theo.

Before I could ask more questions, footsteps echoed down the hall -firm, purposeful.

The doctor glanced toward the door, her tone lowering to a murmur. “If you have questions. You can ask him yourself.”

The latch clicked.

My pulse quickened as the door opened and Alpha Theo stepped in.

shadows catching on the edge of his black jacket, his expression unreadable.

When I saw him, I tried to sit up.

“Easy. Don’t sit up too fast.”

That voice.

Rough, controlled, and unmistakable.

Theo.

He sat across from me, arms folded, eyes fixed in that unnervingly calm way of his.

Even sitting still, he radiated aura–the kind that didn’t need to be spoken to be felt. Commanding. Quiet, impossible to ignore.

I blinked hard, trying to piece the world together.

“You’re awake.” He spoke again,softly.

I blinked through the haze.

Pretending. I asked. “Who are you?”

“The one who dragged you out of that mess,” he said simply. “You nearly bled out.”

I tried to push up, but his hand landed on my shoulder, firm but careful. “Don’t.”

“I didn’t ask you to save me,” I muttered.

“You sound disappointed,” he rasped.

“No. But I sure can take care of myself,” I corrected, though my tone didn’t quite convince him.

“Really. Yet, you stayed in that old cottage dying with fever. You should’ve left a note requesting to leave you alone” he spoke, his tone taunting.

I beckoned to him. “Help me up. My back is strained.”

I shifted upright with his help, teeth gritted.

“You should’ve left me. I was heading nowhere.”

He tilted his head slightly. “You saved my life once. That makes this balance.”

“Then we’re even,” I said.

His eyes flickered, something I couldn’t name glimmered.

“Even isn’t how I do things.”

I didn’t know what to say. But, I can’t stay.

Looking around. I asked,“Where am I?”

“Safe.”

“Not an answer.”

“I don’t owe you answers, Miss”

I hated how his voice could sound both dangerous and reassuring at the same time.

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My throat burned when I tried to swallow. “Why did you bring me here?”

“You were bleeding to death,” he said simply. “I don’t leave debts unpaid.”

Debts.

The word made something cold tighten in my chest.

Debt. That was all I am now.

“You could’ve left me,” I said. “It would’ve been easier.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “Maybe I don’t like it easy.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy with the things we weren’t saying.

He studied me like a puzzle he wasn’t sure he wanted to solve.

Finally, I broke it. “If this is your territory, I shouldn’t be here.”

“That’s true,” he said. “But the rogues who attacked”

Something flashed across his face–curiosity, maybe recognition–but it passed.

“The rogues?” I rasped.

“Dead,” he said. “But they weren’t acting like rogues. Too coordinated. Too quiet.”

I turned my head, staring into the flames. My throat ached. “They weren’t after you.”

He studied me for a beat. “Then who?”

Silence.

He leaned forward slightly. “You’ve got secrets, Kaia.”

I met his gaze, forcing calm. “And you don’t?”

That earned a faint smile. “Fair.”

The silence that followed was thick. He studied me.Not the way men usually did, not hungry or pitying. He looked like he was measuring me.

“You were ambushed,” he said finally. “Five rogues. All dead.”

“I counted three.”

“The rest fled. But there’s something else.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small token, the metal dulled with blood and dirt.

An emblem.

The Silvermoon crest.

My stomach twisted.

He watched me carefully. “Care to explain why rogues from Silvermoon territory are hunting you this far from their borders?”

“They weren’t rogues,” I said. My voice came out quieter than I meant. “They were sent.”

“By who?”

I met his gaze. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

I hesitated. Then, softly. “The Alpha Consort.”

Theo went still.

My stomach twisted. “Silvermoon’s Alpha Consort wants me dead.”

His expression didn’t change, but something sharpened in his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I know the truth about her.”

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He leaned forward. “Which is?”

I met his gaze, my voice low and steady. “That she’s no Luna. She’s a liar with blood on her hands. A power hungry monster who will erase anyone on her path to becoming Luna and I’m one of the obstacles”

Theo said, his voice low and annoyed.

“I heard she’s the Alpha chosen consort. Why is she still fighting for something else?”

I looked away, swallowing hard.

“She’s not what she seems. She plays the pious generous Queen in front of the Pack while scheming behind the scenes. She thrives on rot. I was the rot she needed to cut away to claim her crown.”

I don’t want to reveal my truth but I can’t help myself. Who knows who these people are.

What are they after? Is it a coincidence we met twice in a row?

He didn’t speak for a while.

My bandaged shoulder throbbed in sync with the silence.

Finally, he said, “Then it seems your ghost has long arms.”

I frowned. “Ghost?”

He leaned back. “Rumors have been spreading. Packs whisper about a woman who rose fast in Silvermoon’s court… then vanished after an Alpha’s Consort was attacked. No one knows the truth. Only that Consort forbade anyone from speaking the name of this woman.”

My pulse stuttered.

Liora was already cementing her place in the Silvermoon Pack and erasing me.

I expected it. I didn’t know it would come this fast..

Theo’s expression hardened. “Whoever she is, she’s dangerous. And she wants you erased.”

I met his eyes, steady. “Then she should’ve made sure I was dead.”

Theo studied me for a long moment, then murmured,

“She’ll regret not finishing the job.”

But the look in his eyes wasn’t just a warning–it was a promise.

My chest shifted. Not in discomfort but with surprise.

Silence hung between us thick like smoke, bitter and ruthless.

Then, I spoke. Calmly and cautiously.

“Arent you curious who I really am? Why did I become an outcast? I’m sure you can smell me. It’s not a secret. You don’t have to protend”

Theo answered. “I’m curious, yes but not cold–hearted. It’s obvious you don’t want to talk about it. At least, not yet.”

My heart warmed up.

This is a first. After my grandmother, he’s the first person who didn’t need me to explain myself.

He knew I’m an outcast. And somehow, he doesn’t judge me.

“You don’t even know me. What I did. And you

Theo didn’t look away, didn’t blink.

Then, softly too softly–he said, “I believe you.”

I frowned. “Why?”

”

He stood up, removing his thick jacket. It brushed the ground as he turned toward the door.

“Because the kind of woman who kills three rogues while half–dead isn’t the one who hides behind lies.”

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Chapter 010

My chest jumped with something -Something I can’t place my hands on.

“Get some rest,” he said finally, his tone softening. “You’re safe here.”

I didn’t believe that. Safe was a word for people who hadn’t lost everything.

But his words stirred something in me. Maybe. Just maybe, there is someone who believes me for once.

“Thank you, Alpha Theo,” I said when he was about to leave. “For saving my life”

“I should thank you,” Alpha Theo looks at me.“I’m leaving. Duty calls”

I watched him leave. My eyes stayed on him. Longing. Wishing he’d stay a little longer.

Stupid. What’s wrong with me?

I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I love whatever this is.

Atleast, it’s not a lie or betrayal.