The Call of the Pack.

Chapter 3

The battle was over, but the tension between Ember and Derek was far from gone. As the Nightshade Pack retreated, Derek and Ember stood in the aftermath, surrounded by the remnants of a hard-fought victory. The air was thick with the scent of blood and sweat, but beneath it all, a quiet calm settled in.

Ember turned to Derek, her heart still pounding in her chest from the fight, but now for a different reason. She could feel the steady pulse of his presence beside her, grounding her, reminding her that they had made it through together. His strength had been her anchor, and now, as the danger faded, so did the barriers she had kept between them.

“You saved me,” she whispered, her voice barely louder than the wind that rustled through the open windows of the industrial complex.

Derek shook his head, stepping closer to her, his green eyes intense and unwavering. “We saved each other,” he replied quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion but filled with conviction.

The world seemed to still around them, the chaos of the fight disappearing into the background as they stood there, just inches apart. The weight of what had happened hung between them, but so did something more—something unspoken yet undeniable.

Ember's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at Derek. His face was bruised, blood smeared across his cheek, and his hair disheveled from the battle. But to her, he had never looked more real, more alive. She had been alone for so long, convinced that no one could understand her pain or her struggle. But Derek—Derek had shown her that she wasn’t alone anymore.

She reached out, her hand trembling slightly as her fingers brushed against the side of his face. Derek stiffened at the touch, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, his eyes softened, the hardness that usually guarded them melting away as he leaned into her touch.

“I was so afraid,” Ember whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “Not just of them—but of losing you.”

Derek’s hand came up to cover hers, his touch warm and reassuring. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Not as long as you need me.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. It wasn’t just about the pack anymore. It was about them—about this connection that had grown between them, forged in battle but now blossoming into something more.

“I need you,” Ember admitted, her voice barely above a breath. She felt vulnerable, raw in a way she hadn’t been in a long time, but she didn’t care. This moment, this feeling—it was too real to hide from.

Derek’s eyes flickered with something deep, something that matched the storm of emotions swirling in her chest. He took a step closer, their bodies just inches apart now. The air between them crackled with electricity, a tension that had been building since the moment they met finally coming to a head.

His hand slid down from her face to the back of her neck, his fingers threading through her hair. Ember’s breath hitched as she felt the heat of his body so close to hers, her pulse quickening in response.

“Ember,” Derek murmured, his voice rough but tender, like he was fighting against the walls he had built around his heart. “I—”

But before he could finish, Ember closed the distance between them, her lips pressing against his in a kiss that was soft but insistent, filled with all the emotions she couldn’t put into words. It was a kiss of relief, of gratitude, of longing. It was the culmination of everything they had been through—every fight, every moment of trust, every stolen glance.

For a moment, Derek froze, caught off guard by the suddenness of it. But then his hands tightened around her, pulling her closer as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss with a hunger that mirrored her own. His lips were warm and firm against hers, and Ember felt herself melt into him, all of the tension and fear from the battle fading away in the heat of the moment.