His Gaze
976 Words
The sun hadn’t fully risen when Arya woke to the sound of growling outside her window.
Low. Animal. Threatening.
She rolled from her bed, knife already in hand. Not the hunter’s blade — that one stayed hidden. This was a kitchen knife. Simple. Innocent.
She crept to the window and peered out.
Two wolves stood near the perimeter fence — one black, one russet. Circling something in the dirt. Tension coiled in the air.
A third figure stepped between them. Human form. Shirtless, tattooed shoulder, dark hair tied back.
Silas.
Kade’s third-in-command.
And the one person who hadn’t bought her story since day one.
He looked up suddenly, straight toward her window. Met her eyes.
Arya ducked back, heart racing.
He knows. Or he’s close.
She pressed her back against the wall and breathed through her panic. She couldn’t afford suspicion. Not yet.
She still needed Kade to trust her. Still needed access to his war plans, his rotation maps, his weakness.
And worse than that—
She still wanted to feel his hands on her.
Her thoughts twisted, turning against her like barbed wire.
You’re losing focus.
She clenched the knife tighter, jaw locked. You came here to kill him. Not love him
Later that morning, Dira pulled her aside while sweeping the front of the healer’s hut.
“You’re being watched,” she whispered.
Arya kept sweeping. “By who?”
“Silas. He’s been following you on patrol, sniffing around your tasks, asking where you’re from.”
Arya’s stomach turned. “Did you say anything?”
“No. But there’s nothing to say, right?.”
Dira paused, glanced around, then leaned in.
“Don’t take this the wrong way… but if you’re lying about who you are, you need to be very careful.”
Arya looked at her sharply. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I’ve seen the look in the Alpha’s eyes. The way he wants to believe you. And if he finds out you’re playing him, it won’t be pretty.”
Dira hesitated, then added, “Especially not with the war rumors.”
Arya blinked. “What rumors?”
“They’re saying hunter scouts were spotted near the border last week. Cloaked. Armed.”
Aria’s mouth went dry.
That couldn’t be her clan. The next drop wasn’t scheduled for another month. Unless…
Unless they didn’t trust her to finish the job.
That night, Kade couldn’t sleep.
He prowled the Alpha’s quarters like a caged animal, shadows bleeding through the windows.
He could smell her. Even from here. Arya. That maddening mix of earth and crushed mint.
The bond was pulling tight again — like a string through the ribs, tying her heartbeat to his.
He slammed a hand on the window frame and closed his eyes.
Why now?
Why her?
It had been two years since the last war. Since he buried half his pack in cold graves. He didn’t have time for destiny or dreams.
And yet…
When she looked at him with those cautious eyes, something ancient stirred.
He didn’t want to believe her story.
But his wolf did.
At midnight, Aria slipped from her room and crept through the west halls.
She had memorized the guard rotation. Two sentries at the eastern gate, one at the watchtower, and the rest cycling between rest and perimeter.
The council chamber would be empty.
The maps inside wouldn’t be.
She moved like shadow — silent, light, calculated.
The door creaked open. She slipped inside.
Moonlight filtered through the stained glass. Battle diagrams covered the far wall — arrows, red lines, marked territories. Patrol shifts. Alarm signals. Kade’s entire strategy laid out in ink.
She approached slowly, eyes scanning everything, committing it to memory.
There. That ridge path. The narrow crossing. If her clan knew where to strike—
A creak behind her.
She froze.
“You’re not supposed to be in here.”
Silas.
His voice cut through the dark like a blade.
Arya turned, slowly, carefully. “I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to see where decisions were made.”
“At midnight?”
“I was just looking.”
He stepped into the moonlight. His eyes weren’t gold like the others. They were green, cold, and knowing.
“You’re lying.”
Arya tilted her head. “I am not.”
He took a step closer. “You don’t smell like any omega I’ve ever met.”
“That’s rude.”
He didn’t smile. “You’re hiding something. I don’t know what. But I will find out.”
Arya let her shoulders relax, softened her tone. “Is this what you do? Scare new packmates in the dark?”
“I scare threats,” he said.
Their eyes locked — neither flinched.
Then, just as fast, he turned and walked out, leaving the door open.
Arya stood there, heart hammering.
He’s onto me.
She would have to move faster.
And more carefully.
Because one misstep now…
And she wouldn’t live long enough to see the war.
Meanwhile, outside the pack territory, indeed three cloaked hunters crouched in the trees.
They watched the distant lights of Black Hollow flicker against the night.
“Are we sure she’s still in there?” one of them asked.
The leader — older, lean, with a scar across his jaw — pulled out a small vial. Inside, a strand of hair floated in dark liquid.
He watched it swirl, slow and steady.
“She’s in there,” he said. “But something must have changed.”
Another hunter growled. “We should’ve pulled her out weeks ago.”
The leader shook his head. “No. Let her get closer. Let her weaken the Alpha. Then we strike.”
He tucked the vial back into his coat.
“Besides,” he said. “If she fails, we’ll burn the pack down ourselves”.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD