Chapter 4
1289 Words
Ethan’s POV
Moonlight fractured through the trees, sharp and silver. My paws pressed into the damp earth, the scent of pine and moss heavy in my nostrils. I was on patrol—my territory, my responsibility—when the world shifted beneath me. The distant screech of tires and a human cry jolted me back to my senses.
I sprinted toward the sound on four powerful legs, heart thrumming like war drums. Isabella’s scream echoed through the forest, bone-chilling and familiar. She’d called me once before, in her dreams, but this was real.
I burst through the undergrowth to a clearing where Amalita—our pack’s bridge to the mortal realm—fought to keep Victor’s agents at bay. Isabella stood at the edge, pinned against a tree by two men in leather jackets.
Instinct took over.
I lunged.
Fangs bared, I tore through the attackers in seconds. Amalita’s cry of relief cut through the night as I snapped bones and sent bodies flying. Pain erupted in my wolf’s mouth, the taste of copper rich on my tongue. I broke free, shifting mid-combat back to human form with a howl that shook the leaves.
They crumpled to the ground. Amalita rushed to Isabella.
“Ethan?” she gasped. “You saved her.”
I stood, blood-stained hands trembling.
Isabella collapsed into my arms, tears staining her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” I murmured, pressing my forehead to hers. “I’m here.”
But something in her eyes cut me deeper than claws ever could. Fear—of me.
I set her on her feet and turned them away from the c*****e.
“Stay close,” I ordered.
She nodded, voice small. “Okay.”
Seconds later, a dark shape slipped from the trees. Victor Kane, pale and furious.
“Impressive,” he said, voice deceptively calm. “But you can’t protect her forever.”
I stepped between him and Isabella.
“I’m not the one you should worry about.”
He smirked. “She’s only the beginning.”
His words made the wolf inside me growl.
I leaned in, close enough that Isabella smelled of moonlight and roses. Victor’s eyes flicked to her, then back to mine.
“Back off,” I warned.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a vial.
“Silver-dust.”
My skin prickled.
“Use it on her, and you break the bond.”
My heart was hammered.
He hurled the powder at my feet. The dust hissed, steam rising.
I lunged, grabbing his throat.
But Amalita’s warning cry froze me.
“Mistress!” she shrieked.
She dove, sweeping Isabella behind her just as the silver-dust spread. A ring of pale smoke encircled Victor and me.
My lungs constricted. My vision blurred.
I collapsed to one knee, silver claws raking the earth.
Victor vanished into the night.
Amalita scrambled to Isabella’s side, checking her for wounds.
I struggled to breathe.
My fingers spasmed as I tried to stand.
“Ethan!” Isabella’s voice. “Are you okay?”
I forced my face away from the ground.
“I’m fine,” I rasped.
I pictured the vial, the cruel grin on Victor’s face, the swirling silver smoke that burned.
She was worth any risk.
But I had made a promise.
To protect her.
At all costs.
***
The pack gathered at dawn, faces etched with concern and fury. Robert’s voice cut through the murmurs.
“Ethan, we need answers.”
I knelt before him, head bowed.
“We do not use silver-dust among ourselves. Only an enemy would resort to such poison.”
My gaze flicked to Isabella, seated beside Amalita.
Her eyes were red, but proud.
“How did they find her?” Robert demanded.
I swallowed. “Victor knows something about her. Something more than we do.”
Gasps rippled through the pack. Evelyn, our seer, stepped forward.
“I had a vision,” she whispered. “Her blood calls to wolves beyond Silver Hollow. A power older than the Moon Goddess herself.”
A murmur rose.
I clenched my fists.
“Then we will guard her until her power reveals itself,” I declared. “No one—friend or foe—will touch her again.”
Robert nodded slowly. “So be it.”
***
I escorted Isabella back to the manor. She walked beside me, quiet.
“Ethan.”
I stopped.
She turned. “Why didn’t you shift back sooner?”
I met her eyes. “I was afraid of what the dust would do to me.”
She touched my arm gently. “You’d sacrifice yourself for me.”
My chest tightened. “Always.”
She looked down, voice trembling. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For bringing all this danger.”
I forced a smile. “You brought me something worth fighting for.”
Her lips quivered. “I don’t even know what I am.”
I folded out wings of calm. “You will.”
The moon slipped behind clouds as we reached the front door.
“Rest,” I said. “I’ll keep watch.”
She nodded and disappeared inside.
I stood on the porch, scanning the treeline.
Victor was out there.
But so was my wolf.
And my pack.
I would not fail.
***
The next day, practice on the ice was a blur. Hockey was my escape, the only place I could drown out thoughts of silver-dust and Victor’s schemes. But every time I glanced at the stands, I saw her—Isabella—sitting beside Mia, bundled in scarves, fingers laced together.
My focus shattered.
I stormed off the ice and into the locker room.
Mia followed, concern etched across her face.
“Ethan, you need to rest.”
I peeled off my jersey, voice tight. “I can’t.”
“You were barely on your feet.”
“If I stop, Victor wins.”
She frowned. “You can’t protect her by killing yourself.”
I locked eyes with her in the mirror. “I’d die for her.”
Her sigh carried centuries of worry. “That’s not the point.”
I threw my towel down. “What is?”
She crossed her arms. “Finding out what she is.”
I froze. “You think she’s something other than human?”
She hesitated. “I know it. But we need more than instincts.”
“I’ll talk to Evelyn.”
She nodded. “Meet her at the shrine tonight.”
I nodded curtly and stalked out.
***
Night fell heavy. The forest beckoned me to the shrine—an ancient circle of stones carved with runes. Evelyn waited in the center, eyes closed, hands raised.
She opened her eyes as I approached.
“Ethan.”
“Any word?”
She shook her head. “The runes speak only in riddles.”
I knelt beside her. Silence pressed between us.
Finally, Evelyn whispered, “She is the Daughter of the Moon. Born of wolf and fire. Only when she claims both can she stand as Alpha’s mate.”
My blood froze.
“Daughter of the Moon?”
Evelyn nodded. “Half-wolf by birth. Half-sorceress by blood.”
I stared at the runes, glowing faintly by moonlight.
“She will need guidance,” Evelyn continued. “And protection. Both from her power... and from those who fear it.”
I clenched my teeth. “Then I will teach her. And I will guard her.”
Evelyn placed a hand on my shoulder. “Your bond holds the key.”
I closed my eyes, feeling her words wrap around my heart.
My fated mate.
My stepsister.
My responsibility.
All at once.
My wolf howled in triumph.
And so did I.
- Writer
