Chapter 2
1349 Words
Ethan’s POV
She wasn’t supposed to smell like that.
Moonlight and wild roses. My wolf had been clawing beneath my skin since the moment Isabella walked through the front door, dragging that suitcase like she didn’t belong here. But she did. Too much. Every inch of her called to me, and that was the problem.
Because she wasn’t just some girl.
She was my stepsister.
My fated mate.
I’d heard of cruel tricks from the Moon Goddess before, but this? This was hell.
I tried to keep my distance. Checked her room before she got in just to clear the air, scent the place, make sure my wolf didn’t lose control. It didn’t help. The second our eyes met, it was like a live wire snapped between us.
Isabella Grey.
Small. Innocent. Beautiful in the way untouched snow is before a wolf leaves its mark. She didn’t know what she was walking into when she moved into my house.
And I didn’t know how long I could fight it.
When I passed her in the hallway that first night, I could feel the heat radiating off her. It hit me like a punch to the gut. I brushed past her, said her name, and walked away before I did something I couldn’t take back.
That night, I ran the cliffs.
The moon wasn’t full yet, but close enough that my body ached. My bones threatened to shift every time I thought of her. I paced outside in the cold until steam rose off my skin, chest heaving, breath catching in my throat.
And then I felt her.
She was watching me from the kitchen.
I turned. Our eyes locked through the glass. My wolf surged.
Gold flared in my irises before I could stop it.
She gasped. Stepped back.
I stepped forward.
The glass door creaked as I entered, trying not to breathe in too deep. Her scent was everywhere. Fear. Curiosity. And something else. Something that made my claws itch.
“You shouldn’t sneak around at night,” I told her.
She stood frozen, barefoot on the tile, clutching a glass of water like it could ward me off.
“I wasn’t sneaking,” she said. “I heard something.”
My jaw clenched. I could still feel the wolf rippling under my skin.
“This house... isn’t always safe.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I stepped closer before I could stop myself. Her heartbeat picked up. I could hear it pounding in her chest, smell the blood rushing beneath her skin.
“You smell different,” I whispered.
“Excuse me?” Her back hit the fridge.
“Like moonlight.”
She pushed my hand away. “Okay, you’re officially weird.”
I smirked despite myself. She had fire, even if she didn’t know what kind.
“You’re officially in danger,” I muttered.
“From you?”
“From everything.”
I turned and walked away before the heat boiled over. Before the beast inside me made a decision my human side would regret.
I didn’t sleep that night.
The next day at school didn’t make things any easier.
I didn’t usually show up on time, but I made a point to be early. I needed to see how she’d handle the jungle that was Silver Hollow High.
She didn’t last long before Fletcher noticed her.
He dropped his bag next to hers in chem class and started the usual routine—dominate, degrade, control. That was his thing. He fed off fear.
“You’re in my seat,” he said.
She didn’t back down. “Pretty sure it’s not assigned.”
Stubborn. Brave. She had no idea who she was talking to.
He leaned in, getting ready to drop one of his trademark threats.
“Back off, Fletcher.”
My voice cut through the room like a blade.
He turned, surprised. “She’s in my spot.”
“Now it’s hers. Sit somewhere else.”
He hesitated, then backed down. Good.
I locked eyes with her, didn’t smile.
“Don’t give people like him a reason.”
“So you think I’m weak?” she shot back.
I stepped closer. “I think you don’t know what you’re walking into.”
I left before she could answer.
Later that afternoon, I slammed my stick into the ice during practice. The team didn’t ask questions—they knew better. Mia skated up beside me after everyone else cleared out.
“You’re spiraling.”
“I’m fine.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Ethan.”
“She’s not safe here.”
“Because she’s your mate?”
I didn’t answer.
“Ethan.”
“She doesn’t know,” I said. “She’s human. Or... I thought she was.”
Mia went quiet.
“You felt it too?” I asked.
“She’s got power in her. Maybe dormant. Maybe something else. But she’s not ordinary.”
“She had a dream,” I admitted. “About a wolf. Said it bowed to her.”
Mia inhaled sharply. “That’s not just a dream.”
“I know.”
I spent the night pacing outside Isabella’s room.
I didn’t go in.
I couldn’t.
Then I heard her scream.
I rushed in before she could even open the door fully. Her face was pale, her lips trembling.
“Are you okay?”
“Just a dream,” she whispered.
“What happened?”
“There was a wolf. In the woods. But it didn’t chase me. It bowed.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
I stared at her, unable to say the words. Because if I told her the truth, everything would change.
I sat outside again after she fell asleep, listening to her breathing.
My wolf purred inside me.
She’s ours.
I shut it out.
Not yet.
The next morning, Victor Kane’s name popped up in my father’s text.
He wanted a meeting.
Bad sign.
Victor didn’t request meetings unless he wanted something—or planned to take it.
And I already knew what he wanted.
Isabella.
He’d heard something. Maybe seen something. The packs were always watching each other, sniffing out weaknesses.
A human mate was a vulnerability.
But Isabella wasn’t human. Not fully.
I didn’t know what she was yet, but I could feel it in my bones. The wolf knew before I did.
I met with Victor that evening, deep in the woods past the cliffs. He showed up in his usual tailored coat, looking smug.
“You’ve got something new at home,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of things.”
“This one smells... divine.”
I bared my teeth. “Don’t push me.”
He smiled like a snake. “I just hope you’re being careful. You know how fragile humans are.”
“She’s none of your business.”
He leaned in. “Everything in Silver Hollow is my business.”
I left before I ripped out his throat.
Back home, I found Isabella in the garden, staring up at the moon.
She didn’t hear me approach.
“You always wander outside alone at night?”
She jumped. “God, you scared me.”
“Don’t do that. It’s not safe.”
“You keep saying that, but you never tell me why.”
I looked at her face, glowing under the moonlight, and I nearly broke.
“Do you ever feel like you don’t belong?” I asked.
She hesitated. “Every day.”
“You belong here more than you know.”
“What does that mean?”
I couldn’t tell her. Not yet.
So I did the only thing I could.
I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear.
Her breath caught.
And then I walked away.
Because the moment I stayed... I wouldn’t leave.
Not without claiming her.
Not without giving in to every burning instinct in my body.
And if I did that now, before she was ready, it would destroy us both.
- Writer
