The screams woke her.
It was still dark, but a fiery glow lit up the cracks in the walls. Sienna sat up fast, heart pounding. She heard panic outside shouting, howling, and the unmistakable roar of fire.
Then came a new sound.
"A pup! There's still a pup inside!"
Without thinking, Sienna ran to the bars of her cell. "What's happening?" she shouted.
No one answered. The scent of smoke drifted into the cell. The air thickened.
Then — a mistake.
The guard who'd brought her food had forgotten to lock the inner gate. Her cell was still locked, but the gate to the hallway stood wide open.
Her heart thumped hard.
This is my chance…
She pushed the door open. No one stopped her.
The hallway was empty.
She ran.
The fire blazed through a wooden house just beyond the edge of the village. The pack was working to put it out. Water buckets. Earth wolves howling commands. But in all the chaos, no one saw her slip through.
She ran straight for the burning home.
"Sienna, no!" someone shouted — Sage, maybe — but she didn't stop.
Smoke stung her eyes. The heat was unbearable. But inside, she heard whimpers.
She found him in the corner — a tiny boy, barely more than three, hiding behind a chair.
Sienna coughed. "It's okay, I've got you," she whispered, wrapping him in her arms.
The ceiling groaned above them.
She ran.
Just as they reached the door, the roof collapsed behind her — fire rushing in like a wave. The force knocked her to the ground, but she held the child tight.
Everything went black.
When she woke up, the pup was safe in his mother's arms.
And the entire pack stood in a stunned circle, staring down at her burned, unconscious body.
No one could understand it.
Why would the cursed girl risk her life to save a pup?
Especially when she could've used the fire to escape?
Daemon watched from the shadows, jaw clenched.
Something wasn't adding up.
And for the first time since Sienna crossed into his land… doubt crept in.