The Half Breed

EPISODE FIVE: SLIPPING BACK IN

The packhouse was as lively as ever, voices overlapping, the scent of roasted meat and burning firewood thick in the air. The familiarity of it should have been comforting, but to Kaya, it felt… off.

She walked into the pack house, beside Kady, her sharp gaze taking in the bustling common area. Warriors lounged around, some discussing training schedules, others locked in quiet conversations. A few heads turned when they noticed her. Some offered nods, others merely observed, their curiosity evident.

“Look who decided to grace us with her presence,” a teasing voice rang out.

Kaya turned to see Lana, one of the pack’s older female warriors, smirking at her from across the room. She leaned against the stone fireplace, arms folded, clearly enjoying herself.

“Miss me that much?” Kaya shot back.

Lana chuckled. “You wish. Kady’s the one who’s been looking like a lost pup.”

Kady shook his head, his expression relaxed. “Ignore her.”

Kaya smirked but didn’t respond. The last thing she wanted was the pack speculating about their relationship.

She made her way toward the food table, filling a plate with roasted venison. As she moved to sit, another voice stopped her.

“You’re back.”

Kaya turned to find Garen, one of the pack’s trackers, watching her closely. His tone was unreadable, neither welcoming nor hostile.

She arched her brow. “And?”

Garen shrugged, taking a bite of his food. “I'm just making sure you are. You’ve got a habit of running off.”

A few chuckles rippled through the nearby wolves, but Garen didn’t seem fazed. He just gave a knowing smirk before turning back to his meal.

Kaya exhaled, rolling her shoulders. She hated this, the feeling of being watched, analyzed. As if they were waiting for her next act of rebellion.

Kady must have sensed her tension because he leaned in, his voice low. “Eat first. Ignore them.”

She nodded, even though her appetite had disappeared. Settling back into pack life wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d hoped.

And deep down, she knew why.

She doesn’t belong here anymore.

Or maybe she never truly did.

Kaya finished her meal slowly, the warmth of the pack house pressing in on her. Conversations overlapped, wolves laughed, and the fire crackled in the hearth, yet she felt distant like a ghost watching from the edges.

Before she could retreat to her room, Maya slid into the seat beside her.

“You actually came back,” Maya teased, nudging Kaya’s arm.

Kaya smirked. “Miss me that much?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “More like, I was betting on you staying away longer. You know, keeping everyone on edge, making a dramatic entrance after a full moon or something.”

Kaya huffed a quiet laugh. “Tempting. But I figured I’d give them a break.”

Maya studied her, amusement fading just slightly. “Are you okay?”

The question was simple, yet it pressed against something heavier inside Kaya. She masked it with a smirk. “Of course. Just tired from the trip.”

Maya didn’t push. Instead, she leaned back, stealing a piece of meat from Kaya’s plate. “Well, you didn’t miss much. The pack’s still the same. Garen’s still barking orders, and Zane swears he’s grown stronger since you left.”

Kaya glanced toward the training area, where Zane, one of their stronger pack warriors, was chatting with a few others. He caught her gaze and smirked, lifting his chin in greeting. Kaya nodded back, but her mind was elsewhere.

It wasn’t just the same. It was suffocatingly the same.

Kady hadn’t come to sit with her yet, but she knew he was watching. He always did.

Later that night, after enduring a few more polite conversations, Kaya finally slipped outside. The air was crisp, carrying the familiar scent of pine and damp earth. She leaned against the wooden fence bordering the training field, exhaling.

“Didn’t take you long to run,” Zane’s voice came from behind.

Kaya didn’t turn. “Didn’t take you long to follow.”

Zane chuckled, stepping beside her. “Kady asked me to check on you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course he did.”

Silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sounds of howls in the forest.

Zane crossed his arms. “You always look like you’re waiting for something.”

Kaya glanced at him. “Maybe I am.”

Zane smirked. “You left, but you still came back. So whatever you’re waiting for, it must not be out there.”

Kaya didn’t reply. Because he was wrong.

It was out there.

And she had left it behind.