Kael's boots pounded the forest floor, each step a fight to outrun the scent burned into his soul. Honey and cedar. Lena. It clung to him, stronger than the pine and damp earth of Silverfang territory, twisting his wolf into a frenzy. He'd barely slept since last night, his body wired, his control fraying like a rope stretched too tight. Saving her from that mugger had been a mistake—not because she didn't need it, but because hearing her voice had snapped something inside him. Something he couldn't claw back.
He stopped at the ridge overlooking the pack's stronghold, a sprawl of cabins and firepits hidden deep in Blackwood Forest. Dawn bled through the trees, painting the mist gold, but it did nothing to calm the storm in his chest. His wolf snarled, pacing, demanding he turn back to Crestwood. To her. Mate, it growled, over and over, like a drumbeat he couldn't silence.
"Get a grip," he muttered, dragging a hand through his black hair. He was Alpha, not some pup chasing instinct. Silverfang law was clear: human mates were forbidden. Weak. Dangerous. A century ago, a human mate had betrayed the pack, spilling their secrets to hunters. The bloodshed had nearly wiped them out. Kael's father had carved that lesson into him, duty over desire, pack over self. But Lena's eyes, hazel and sharp, kept cutting through his resolve.
A twig snapped behind him. Kael didn't turn, but his claws flexed, ready. "Speak, Rhea."
His beta stepped forward, her silver braid catching the light. Rhea was all lean muscle and scars, her loyalty to the pack matched only by her bluntness. She crossed her arms, green eyes narrowing. "You're off, Kael. Snapping at everyone, running patrols alone.
What's got your wolf so riled?"
"Nothing." He kept his gaze on the stronghold, voice flat. But Rhea wasn't stupid. She'd been with him since they were kids, fighting side by side to keep Silverfang strong.
"Don't lie to me." She stepped closer, her tone low but sharp. "Last night, you were in Crestwood longer than you needed to be. Torin said he saw you near that coffee shop.
Watching someone."
Kael's jaw tightened. Torin, the enforcer who'd been sniffing for a promotion, had a mouth too big for his own good. "Torin should focus on his job, not mine."
"He's not wrong." Rhea's voice softened, but it carried an edge. "I smelled it on you when you got back. Human. Female. Strong enough to notice." She paused, letting the words sink in.
"Tell me it's not what I think."
He didn't answer. Couldn't. The mate bond was a live wire in his veins, sparking every time he thought of Lena—her defiance, her scent, the way her wrist had felt under his grip.
Rhea's silence grew heavy, and when he finally met her eyes, they were hard with warning.
"Kael, a human mate?" she said, barely above a whisper. "You know the law. The pack won't stand for it. Not after what happened with your father's brother. And the Thornclaws are already circling, they'll use any weakness to gut us."
"Don't lecture me on my enemies," he snapped, his wolf's growl bleeding into his voice. "I know what's at stake."
"Do you?" Rhea didn't flinch, even as his eyes flashed gold. "The pack's restless. That rogue last night wasn't random, it's the third this month. Whispers say someone's stirring them up, testing our borders. If you're distracted by a human, if you choose her..." She shook her head. "They'll tear you apart. And her."
Kael's fists clenched, nails biting into his palms. He wanted to argue, to say Lena wasn't a weakness, but the words stuck. Rhea was right, the pack would never accept a human.
His beta, his enforcers, even the elders who'd raised him, they'd see Lena as a threat. And the Thornclaws, those bloodthirsty bastards, would smell blood in the water the second they caught wind of her.
"I'm not choosing anyone," he said finally, the lie bitter on his tongue. "It's under control."
Rhea studied him, her silence louder than words. "Good. Because if it's not, I can't protect you. Not from them." She jerked her chin toward the stronghold, where smoke curled from the cabins below. "Keep your head clear, Alpha."
She turned and left, her boots silent on the moss. Kael stood alone, the forest pressing in.
His wolf howled, defiant, picturing Lena's face
—her stubborn glare, the spark in her eyes that wasn't just human. Rhea's warning echoed, but it couldn't drown out the truth: Lena was his mate, forbidden or not. And walking away wasn't an option anymore.
He spent the day burying himself in pack business, checking borders, grilling scouts about the rogue, ignoring the stares from Torin and the others. But every quiet moment brought her back. Her scent. Her voice. The way she'd stood her ground against him, fearless in a way that made his blood sing. By dusk, his wolf was clawing so hard he could barely breathe.
He needed to see her. Just once. To prove he could stay in control.
Against every shred of sense, Kael found himself back in Crestwood as night fell. He stayed in the shadows, away from Moonlit Brew's windows, but her scent hit him anyway, pulling him like a leash. She was inside, pouring coffee, laughing with a customer. The sound twisted something in his chest, sharp and unfamiliar. He leaned against a brick wall, forcing himself to stay put. Just watch. Then leave.
But his wolf had other ideas. It surged, picturing her in danger, the mugger, the rogue, whatever had left those claw marks.
Kael's claws dug into the brick, crumbling it.
He couldn't protect her from across town.
Couldn't protect her at all if the pack found out.
A howl rose in the distance, low and mournful.
Not Silverfang. Not Thornclaw. Something older, wilder. Kael's head snapped toward it, his wolf on edge. The sound faded, but it left a chill he couldn't shake. Whatever was out there, it wasn't just his enemies. It was tied to her, he felt it in his bones.
***
Lena bolted upright in bed, her heart racing.
The apartment was dark, the radiator hissing faintly, but her skin was clammy with sweat.
She clutched her blanket, trying to shake the dream that still clung to her.
She'd been running through a forest, branches clawing at her arms, her breath burning. No moon, no stars, just endless trees and the feeling of being hunted. Then she'd stopped, frozen, as a wolf emerged from the shadows.
Massive, black as night, with eyes like molten gold. It hadn't attacked. It had watched her, its gaze heavy, familiar. Like the man from last night. Kael.
The wolf had thrown back its head and howled, a sound that tore through her, not with fear but with something deeper, like it was calling her name. She'd reached for it, her fingers trembling, and then—
She'd woken up.
Lena rubbed her arms, goosebumps prickling
her skin. The dream felt too real, too sharp.
Those eyes... they were his. She saw them every time she closed her eyes, along with the claw marks she'd found in the park. Her stomach twisted. She wasn't crazy. Something was wrong in Crestwood, and Kael was part of it.
Outside her window, a howl echoed, faint but unmistakable. The same one from her dream.