What He Wants

Truth shatters everything.

Kaitlyn

"Language," Mom scolds, her voice sharp.

"Are you serious? Engaged? To who?"

"Alpha Dorian Winston's son," Dad says. "It’s a powerful alliance."

"I’m not a pawn!" I snap, standing up. "You can’t just sell me off like cattle."

"We’re not selling you," Mom says, standing too. "This is about family honor. About your future."

"No. It’s about control. And I’m not going through with it."

Dad’s voice hardens. "You will do as you're told."

"No, I won’t! I don’t even know him! You didn’t even ask me—"

"We don’t need your permission," he says. "You’re our daughter—"

"you don't seem to care. how can you do this to me your own bloo—"

"You’re not even our blood!" Mom blurts.

The room goes silent.

her eyes are wild with frustration. its like a demon was released Into the room.

My mouth opens but no sound comes out. My heart stops.

Mom’s hand flies to her mouth. "Kaitlyn…"

I stare at her, then at Dad. "What did you just say?"

"We didn’t mean—"

" I don't quite understand."

"It doesn’t change anything, you're still my little girl." Dad says.

" I see now why you're so willing to sell me off."

I storm out, blinking through the sting in my eyes, not wanting them to see me cry. The corridor blurs as I make my way to my room. My legs are moving fast, but my mind is moving faster. Flashes of memories, moments, odd looks from older pack members, overheard whispers that never made sense—now they do.

I slam the door shut behind me and lean against it, trying to catch my breath. The walls seem to close in on me.

Adopted.

The word echoes through my skull like a drum.

It’s not that adoption is a bad thing—it’s that they never told me. My entire life, every part of who I thought I was... was carefully crafted by people who never gave me the truth. And now they want to marry me off? Without telling me where I come from? Who I even am?

I rip open my closet, yanking out a duffel bag. Clothes fly into it haphazardly—hoodies, jeans, underwear, a spare pair of sneakers. I toss in my toiletries from the bathroom, a charger, some cash, and a tattered photo of me and Yuna from the summer we went cliff-jumping. It’s curled at the edges, soaked from river water, but it’s real. It’s mine.

I change into sweats and a zip-up hoodie, pulling the hood low over my face. I move fast but with purpose. Every stomp of my foot on the floorboards is another layer of rage burning beneath my skin.

I take one last look at the room I’ve slept in since I was a child—the glittering chandelier I used to stare at before bed, the bay window where I’d sit and dream about what life outside the walls might be like. Now I know.

It was a cage.

I bolt.

Michael’s voice calls from downstairs, but I don’t stop. I slide down the banister and slip out the side door by the pantry. I half expect to hear the guards calling after me, but nothing happens.

I walk quickly, my chest heaving, until I’m clear of the property gates. Then I break into a run.

The only place I can go is Yuna’s.

Her apartment isn’t far. She lives in a smaller sector of the pack territory, closer to the center of town. I take a back path through the woods, not wanting to be seen. The night is humid, filled with the scent of pine and damp earth. My wolf stirs in my chest, agitated, restless. Even she doesn’t know how to process this betrayal.

When I reach Yuna’s front porch, I hesitate. What if she’s still hurting? What if she doesn’t want company?

I knock.

No answer.

I knock again. Harder.

After a few seconds, the door creaks open. Yuna stands there in oversized pajamas, her hair in a messy bun, eyes red-rimmed from crying.

She stares at me for two seconds, then pulls me into a hug so tight it knocks the breath from my lungs.

"What happened?" she asks against my shoulder.

I can’t hold it in. The words come spilling out in a rush—about the engagement, the argument, the reveal.

"They said I’m adopted, Yuna. Adopted. And they never told me. They just… they just said it, in the middle of a fight, like it didn’t matter."

She pulls back, eyes wide with shock. "Kate…"

I shake my head. "I can’t stay there. Not another minute."

"You’re staying here. No questions. Come in."

I step inside, the familiar smell of Yuna’s place wrapping around me like a blanket. Lavender and sage, always. Her apartment is small but cozy, filled with warm yellow light and shelves crammed with books and wolf trinkets.

I drop my bag beside the couch and sit. My whole body feels like it’s vibrating.

"I don’t even know who I am anymore. What if… what if they’re hiding more? What if there’s something wrong with me, Yuna? What if that’s why they never told me?"

She sits beside me and grabs my hand. "You’re Kaitlyn. Brave, stubborn, chaotic Kaitlyn who once punched a guy for calling me weird. You’re still you. And screw them for not telling you. You deserve to know everything."

A silence falls between us. It’s heavy but comforting.

"What are you going to do?" she asks softly.

I stare at the floor.

"Run. Disappear. Make my own life." I've always daydreamed about how it would be to live like humans.

Her grip on my hand tightens. "Then I’m helping you."

"Yuna—"

"No arguments. I’m not letting you face this alone. We’ll figure it out. Together."

For the first time in hours, I breathe.

"I have a stupid idea," I whisper. "But it might just work."

She raises an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"

"You remember Crescent Hill Academy? The one that just opened registration for their summer admissions?"

Her eyes narrow. "Kate, that’s a shifter military academy."

"Exactly. It’s the one place my parents wouldn’t think to look for me. Especially not under a fake name. Especially not if they think I’m a guy."

Her jaw drops. "Wait—you’re going to pretend to be a dude?"

"Only for a while. Just until I get in. Then I can figure out what to do next."

Yuna looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. Then she smiles.

"Okay. Let’s do it."

And just like that, the plan is born.