Fated To The Alpha

04

Kane's Pov

“She’s mine.” My voice cut through the darkness like a blade, sharp and cold.

I could feel the tension in the air, thick with the scent of blood and fear. My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, its rage barely contained.

The thought of someone touching her, my mate, Maya was enough to drive me over the edge. I’d been tracking her for weeks, feeling her wolf stir, sensing her confusion. But this? Seeing her in danger? It ignited something primal.

The rogues surrounding her didn’t even flinch at my voice. Fools.

A snarl ripped from my throat as I stepped out of the shadows, the night air biting at my skin, but the heat of my fury burned hotter. There they were, two of them, closing in on Maya. One had already pinned her to the ground, his claws sinking into her skin, blood trickling from her shoulders.

My vision blurred with red.

She was fighting, but her wolf wasn’t fully awake. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t know how to shift, how to protect herself. But I did. And I’d make them pay for even thinking they could touch her.

I didn’t give them time to react. In one fluid movement, I shifted. bones cracking, muscles tearing, my wolf exploding free. My dark fur bristled as I lunged, claws extended, teeth bared.

The rogue who had his claws in Maya barely had time to turn before I was on him. I tore into him with savage force, my jaws closing around his neck, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone beneath my teeth. He let out a gurgled cry, his body going limp in seconds.

One down.

The second rogue growled, backing away from Maya as I turned on him. His eyes gleamed with fear, and he knew, he knew what was coming. There was no escape. Not from me. I was the Alpha.

He made a pathetic attempt to fight, swiping at me with his claws, but I was faster. Stronger. I slammed into him, throwing him to the ground, and in seconds, he was nothing but blood and broken bones.

Silence fell.

I shifted back, my body shaking with adrenaline, my chest heaving. The smell of blood filled the air, and I could feel the power of the kill buzzing through my veins. But I wasn’t done. I turned, my eyes locking on Maya.

She was on the ground, her breath coming in short gasps, her eyes wide with shock. Blood streaked her arms and shoulders, her skin pale, but her gaze was still fierce, full of fear, confusion, and something else. Something primal.

She was on the verge of shifting, I could see it. I could feel it. Her wolf was clawing its way to the surface, but she was fighting it, resisting the change. She didn’t know how to let go, how to release the beast inside her. Not yet.

I crouched beside her, my voice low but commanding. “Let it out, Maya. Don’t fight it.”

Her eyes snapped to mine, wild and filled with pain. “I…I can’t.”

“You can,” I said, my hand brushing against her trembling arm. I could feel the heat of her wolf, simmering just beneath her skin, begging to be unleashed. “It’s who you are. Stop resisting. Let your wolf free.”

“No.” Her voice was a strangled whisper, her hands clutching the ground as if she could hold onto her humanity, as if that alone could save her. “It hurts... it’s too much.”

I clenched my jaw. The first shift was always painful. Always brutal. But once she accepted it, once she let her wolf take control, the pain would stop. She needed to stop fighting it. She needed to stop fighting herself.

“You need to trust me,” I growled, leaning closer, my breath warm against her skin. “Your wolf is ready. You’re ready. Let go.”

Her body convulsed, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as the shift began to force its way out.

She groaned, the sound filled with pain and frustration, but I could see it, her eyes changing between gold and brown, her muscles twitching as the wolf tried to take over.

……but she was still holding back.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, frustration boiling over. “If you don’t let it out, they’ll keep coming for you. They’ll smell the weakness. You have to be strong. For you. For our child.”

That hit her. I saw it in her eyes, the flash of recognition, the understanding of what was at stake. She wasn’t just fighting for herself. She was fighting for our child, the life growing inside her, a life more powerful than she could imagine.

Her lips parted, a pained cry slipping out as her body spasmed. Bones shifted, twisted. Her skin rippled as fur began to break through. I could hear the cracks, the painful transition starting, but it was slow. Too slow.

“Maya,” I growled, trying to focus her through the pain. “You need to let go. Now.”

Her hands clawed at the earth, her body trembling, her wolf fighting to break free, but the resistance, the fear, was holding her back. The scent of blood mixed with the raw, electric energy of her wolf trying to push through, but she was terrified. She was battling the change instead of embracing it.

Suddenly, her breath hitched. Her body stilled for a moment, her eyes locking on mine, wide and filled with a mixture of fear and something deeper.

“Help me,” she whispered, her voice small and desperate.

I didn’t hesitate.

I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her closer, my voice a low growl. “I’ve got you. Trust me. Let your wolf go.”

The connection between us surged, electric and undeniable, the bond snapping tight. She gasped, her body tensing against mine. And then, slowly, I felt her let go. I felt her surrender.

Her body began to shift again, faster this time, her bones cracking, her skin rippling with the transformation. I held her steady, my arms wrapped around her, guiding her through it, feeling every tremor of pain, every ripple of power.

She groaned, her hands digging into the dirt as her muscles twisted, her body reshaping itself into something more, something stronger. The first shift was always the hardest, the most excruciating. But she was doing it. She was letting it happen.

But before the shift could complete, before her wolf could fully break free, I felt it, another presence.

My head snapped up, and my eyes narrowed as the scent hit me.

We weren’t alone.

A shadow moved at the edge of the trees, barely visible in the darkness, but I didn’t need to see it to know who it was.

Someone far worse than rogues. Someone I had been tracking for months.

The voice that drifted from the shadows was low and filled with malice.

“I told you, Kane,” the figure said, stepping into view, his eyes gleaming with red. “I always get what I want.”

My blood turned cold.

Viktor.

He was here.