CHAPTER 13
1239 Words
“What do you think I should do, Grace? I’m not even sure he feels the same way.”
I told Grace about my feelings for Seth. Normally, she was the last person I would ask for love advice, but I needed someone to talk to, and she was the only one available.
“Just tell him,” she said without hesitation. “I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”
“And how are you so sure about that, Grace?” I asked. “Don’t give me false hope. It hurts more when things don’t work out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Then what are you going to do? Keep your feelings to yourself and watch someone else take him away? Will you really be happy with that?”
“As long as he’s happy, I will be.”
Grace stared at me for a moment before groaning dramatically.
“You are the most stubborn she-wolf I have ever met.”
“What if his mate is someone else?”
“You’re impossible,” she said. “Was Louis your mate?”
“No.”
“Exactly. You never had a mind-link with him, yet you still married him. This is different.”
I frowned. “How?”
“Because you already linked minds with Seth,” she said, cutting me off before I could argue. “That means he’s your fated mate.”
I fell silent.
“You told me a black wolf saved you in the forest years ago,” Grace continued. “You said your minds connected when you couldn’t reach anyone in your pack. Then you told me Seth is a black wolf. Don’t you see it? He’s probably the one who saved you.”
“Maybe it was another black wolf.”
Grace shook her head.
“There’s only one black wolf in every generation. It’s mentioned in countless books and legends. That makes Seth the only black wolf of our generation.”
I stared at her in surprise.
“How do you even know all this?”
“There are books, Jade,” she replied with a smug smile. “You should try reading them sometime.”
I ignored her teasing.
“Whether you believe me or not,” she continued more seriously, “Seth is your mate.”
Part of me wanted to believe her. Desperately.
But what if I was wrong?
What if the mind-link had been a coincidence? What if Seth could connect with anyone because he was a black wolf? Grace’s theory made sense, but there was still one thing it didn’t answer.
Even if he was my mate, what if he didn’t love me?
The thought stayed with me long after our conversation ended.
We finished dinner, and I prepared to head home before my father started calling me every five minutes. Grace was still trying to convince me to confess my feelings when everything changed.
The moment I stepped outside the diner, someone lunged at me.
A flash of steel caught the light.
A knife.
Instinct took over.
I dodged the attack, grabbed the man’s wrist, and twisted hard enough to force the weapon from his hand. The knife clattered onto the pavement as I drove my foot into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
“What the hell was that?!” Grace shouted.
Before either of us could process what was happening, two more men charged toward us.
One was intercepted by Grace, who kicked him away with surprising force.
I dealt with the other.
“When was the last time you got into a serious fight?” I asked while blocking a punch.
“I honestly can’t remember!” she replied, throwing a combination of punches at her attacker. “I haven’t been attacked in ages!”
She was holding her own, but I could see the flaws in her movements. Her technique lacked the sharpness that came from regular training.
These men weren’t after her.
They were after me.
And I wasn’t about to let her get hurt because of it.
“Grace,” I said, stepping between her and another attacker, “can you make it to your car?”
“What?”
“You need to leave.”
She laughed as though I had just told a joke.
“Seriously? In the middle of this?”
“They’re here for me.”
“Well, that sounds like your problem, not mine.”
Despite everything, I found myself smiling.
Trust Grace to stay calm in a situation like this.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I replied. “Think of this as extra Alpha training.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Fine. But don’t get yourself killed.”
“No promises.”
“Jade!”
“Go!”
She finally relented and sprinted toward her car.
Moments later, tires screeched against the pavement as she sped away—hitting several attackers in the process.
I turned back to face the remaining men.
And immediately realized just how bad the situation was.
There were nearly thirty of them.
Thirty.
Whoever had sent them clearly wanted me dead.
Most people would have panicked.
I simply adjusted my stance and prepared to fight.
The first wave rushed me.
I moved through them as quickly as I could, using speed and technique to compensate for their numbers. For a while, it worked.
Then they started getting back up.
Again.
And again.
It felt like fighting an endless tide.
A kick landed awkwardly, twisting my ankle. Pain shot through my leg.
I stumbled.
For the first time that night, fear crept into my chest.
If this continued, they would overwhelm me.
I considered calling my pack for help.
Or Seth.
Then something unexpected happened.
The clouds parted.
Moonlight flooded the street.
I looked up and froze.
The full moon.
I had completely forgotten it was tonight.
Power surged through my body instantly.
The pain in my ankle faded. My senses sharpened. My strength multiplied.
A grin spread across my face.
The universe had chosen the perfect time to help me.
Around me, the attackers began shifting.
Their bodies twisted and expanded as brown fur erupted across their skin.
Rogue wolves.
Of course.
I transformed too.
The familiar rush of freedom swept through me as my white wolf emerged.
The moment my paws touched the ground, everything changed.
I felt stronger.
Faster.
Alive.
The rogues attacked together.
I met them head-on.
Seth’s training echoed in my mind with every movement.
Move.
Strike.
Dodge.
Counter.
One after another, they fell.
Their superior numbers no longer mattered.
I became a blur of white fur and silver moonlight.
Within minutes, the battle was over.
The rogues lay scattered across the ground, groaning and unable to stand.
Panting, I shifted back into human form.
The night was finally quiet.
I grabbed the spare clothes I kept in my car—a habit my mother had insisted on for years—and quickly got dressed.
As I drove home, exhaustion settled into my bones, but excitement burned brighter.
I couldn’t wait to tell Seth what had happened.
I had defeated nearly thirty rogue wolves by myself.
For the first time, I felt truly worthy of standing beside him.
I imagined the pride in his eyes when he heard the story.
And for the rest of the drive, that thought alone made me smile.
But...
- Writer
