Marked By My Mate

Chapter 5: The Bond Awakens

The storm raged across the mountains.

Rain pounded the cabin roof.

Thunder shook the windows.

Lightning split the darkness every few minutes.

Yet none of it frightened Sophia as much as what she'd seen standing in the forest.

That smile.

Cold.

Cruel.

Predatory.

Human.

Yet somehow worse than any werewolf she'd encountered.

Sophia stepped back from the kitchen window.

Her pulse raced.

For a second she considered waking Sarah.

Or grabbing the children and hiding.

Then lightning flashed again.

The figure was gone.

Only darkness remained.

And the faint silhouette of the silver wolf standing guard beyond the trees.

She couldn't explain it.

Every instinct told her she should fear him.

Yet every time she saw him, she felt safer.

Not afraid.

Safe.

The realization should have concerned her.

Instead, it made her smile.

Just a little.

Outside, Kieran stood motionless in the rain.

The scent remained.

Strong.

Fresh.

Dangerous.

He knew exactly who was watching the cabin.

And that knowledge made his blood run cold.

Victor.

Subject 13.

One of Genetech's earliest experiments.

One of its greatest failures.

And one of its deadliest creations.

Unlike most subjects, Victor enjoyed what the scientists had turned him into.

He enjoyed the power.

The fear.

The violence.

The killing.

Kieran hated him.

A twig snapped somewhere behind him.

Kieran turned instantly.

Blue eyes glowing.

Muscles tightening.

Ready.

A massive figure emerged from the darkness.

Not hiding anymore.

Not pretending.

Victor smiled.

"Still protecting humans?"

His voice sounded human.

Mostly.

But something monstrous lurked beneath it.

Kieran growled.

Low.

Dangerous.

A warning.

Victor laughed.

"I always hated you."

Kieran wasn't surprised.

Most subjects either feared him or hated him.

Sometimes both.

Victor's yellow eyes shifted toward the cabin.

Toward Sophia.

Toward the children.

The smile returned.

"Interesting."

Kieran's growl deepened immediately.

A threat.

Stay away.

Victor noticed.

And laughed again.

"Oh."

The realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, this is fascinating."

The rain intensified.

Thunder exploded overhead.

Neither moved.

Neither looked away.

Then Victor said the one thing Kieran feared most.

"You care about her."

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous silence.

Victor grinned.

"I can smell it."

Kieran lunged.

The impact shattered a nearby tree.

Wood exploded.

The forest shook.

Victor crashed through several bushes before recovering.

Laughing.

Actually laughing.

The two enormous wolves circled each other.

Rain streamed from their fur.

Lightning illuminated their massive forms.

Predator versus predator.

Monster versus monster.

Inside the cabin, Sophia jumped at the sound.

"What was that?"

Sarah sat upright.

"What?"

Another crash echoed through the forest.

Louder this time.

Much louder.

Everyone froze.

Ethan appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Mom?"

Sophia immediately stood.

Something was happening outside.

Something bad.

The sounds continued.

Roars.

Growls.

Trees breaking.

The mountain itself seemed to tremble.

Sarah moved beside the window.

Then instantly stepped back.

"Oh my God."

Sophia rushed over.

And froze.

Two gigantic werewolves were fighting.

One silver.

One black.

The silver wolf.

Her protector.

The black wolf.

A nightmare.

They slammed into each other with terrifying force.

Claws.

Teeth.

Fury.

The battle looked less like a fight and more like a natural disaster.

Victor raked his claws across Kieran's shoulder.

Blood sprayed.

Sophia gasped.

Her heart dropping instantly.

Why did seeing him hurt bother her so much?

The answer frightened her.

Because she already knew.

Kieran recovered immediately.

His massive body crashed into Victor.

Sending both wolves tumbling down a rocky slope.

The forest erupted around them.

Trees snapped.

Earth cracked.

Victor laughed again.

Even while bleeding.

Even while injured.

"You've gone soft."

Kieran responded with a roar powerful enough to shake the mountain.

Then he attacked.

Harder.

Faster.

More viciously than before.

Victor's smile vanished.

For the first time, fear appeared.

Because Kieran wasn't fighting to survive anymore.

He was fighting for Sophia.

For Ethan.

For Lily.

And there was nothing more dangerous than a wolf protecting his family.

The realization hit Kieran like lightning.

Family.

His wolf surged forward.

Accepting the truth.

Embracing it.

Mine to protect.

Victor saw the change immediately.

And understood.

"Oh."

His grin returned.

Cruel.

Knowing.

"You've bonded."

Kieran froze for half a second.

Half a second was enough.

Victor struck.

A powerful blow sent Kieran crashing into a cluster of rocks.

Sophia screamed.

Without thinking.

Without realizing she'd done it.

"Kieran!"

Silence followed.

The entire mountain seemed to stop.

Victor froze.

Kieran froze.

Sophia froze.

Because she hadn't meant to say it.

Yet somehow...

She knew his name.

Or perhaps she'd heard it somewhere.

Felt it somewhere.

Dreamed it somewhere.

Nobody knew.

Least of all Kieran.

But hearing her say his name changed everything.

Because for the first time in seven years...

Someone saw him as a person.

Not a monster.

Not an experiment.

Not Subject 47.

Kieran.

And suddenly, he had something worth fighting for.

Sophia couldn't breathe.

The name had slipped from her lips before she could stop it.

"Kieran."

The word echoed in her mind.

Again.

And again.

And again.

How had she known it?

She had never spoken to him.

Never met him.

Never heard anyone call him that.

Yet the moment she'd seen him hurt, the name had burst out of her like a memory she'd forgotten she had.

Outside, the storm continued raging.

Rain poured from the sky.

Thunder cracked overhead.

But for one strange moment, everything else seemed to disappear.

Only Sophia and Kieran existed.

Blue eyes locked onto hers.

Shock filled them.

Confusion.

Wonder.

Hope.

Something else.

Something deeper.

Something neither of them fully understood.

Victor noticed immediately.

And smiled.

A slow, cruel smile.

"Interesting."

The black wolf took a step back.

His yellow eyes moved between Sophia and Kieran.

Calculating.

Planning.

Thinking.

Then he laughed.

The sound was horrible.

Not human.

Not wolf.

Something in between.

"You really are bonded."

Kieran growled.

A dangerous sound.

A warning.

Victor only laughed harder.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

Then he disappeared into the forest.

Vanishing into the darkness.

Gone.

For now.

Kieran took a step forward.

Then another.

Slowly approaching the cabin.

Approaching Sophia.

Inside, Sarah looked absolutely terrified.

"What is happening?"

Sophia didn't answer.

Because she didn't know.

Ethan moved beside her.

His young face surprisingly calm.

"He's not going to hurt us."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?"

The boy shrugged.

"I just know."

Outside, Kieran stopped several feet from the cabin.

Close enough to see Sophia clearly.

Far enough not to frighten her.

Blood dripped from the wound on his shoulder.

A deep s***h left by Victor's claws.

Sophia's stomach tightened.

The injury looked bad.

Really bad.

And somehow that bothered her.

A lot.

More than it should.

Then something impossible happened.

Kieran slowly lowered himself onto the ground.

Lying down.

Making himself appear smaller.

Less threatening.

The gesture stunned everyone.

Especially Sophia.

Because it felt familiar.

Like a frightened dog trying to show someone it wasn't dangerous.

The giant wolf looked toward the cabin.

Toward the children.

Toward her.

Then he closed his eyes.

As if saying:

See?

I'm not going to hurt you.

Sophia's heart squeezed painfully.

"He protected us."

Sarah stared at her.

"Sophia—"

"He keeps protecting us."

The words came out softer than intended.

Outside, Kieran opened his eyes.

Hearing every word.

His wolf practically purred.

She trusts us.

A little.

Enough.

For the first time in years, Kieran smiled.

Meanwhile...

Hundreds of miles away.

Dylan Carter sat inside a luxury hotel room.

Safe.

Warm.

Comfortable.

The television played constant outbreak coverage.

Cities burning.

Military deployments.

Werewolf attacks.

Chaos.

Dylan barely watched.

Instead, he stared at the woman beside him.

A brunette in her late twenties.

Beautiful.

Confident.

And very annoyed.

"You left your family?"

Dylan sighed.

"Don't start."

The woman looked disgusted.

"Seriously?"

He rolled his eyes.

"It was chaos."

"Those are your children."

Dylan immediately became defensive.

"I panicked."

The woman stood.

Grabbing her purse.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving."

Dylan frowned.

The woman shook her head.

"I knew you were a cheater."

Silence.

"I didn't know you were a coward."

The door slammed shut behind her.

Leaving Dylan completely alone.

For the first time since abandoning Sophia...

Guilt appeared.

Small.

Weak.

But present.

Back at the cabin...

Morning finally arrived.

The storm had passed.

Sunlight filtered through the trees.

Birds sang.

The mountains looked peaceful again.

Almost normal.

Sophia stepped onto the porch carrying a cup of coffee.

The first thing she noticed was the massive silver wolf sleeping beneath a nearby pine tree.

Kieran.

He hadn't left.

Her heart skipped.

Why was he still here?

The answer came moments later.

Fresh tracks surrounded the cabin.

Dozens of them.

Wolf tracks.

Some large.

Some small.

Every single one stopped before reaching the property.

As if something had chased them away.

Protected the cabin.

Protected her family.

All night long.

Sophia stared at the sleeping wolf.

The realization hit her hard.

He'd stood guard.

The entire night.

For them.

Without asking for anything in return.

Without expecting gratitude.

Without expecting trust.

Just protecting.

Her chest tightened unexpectedly.

Because nobody had ever done that before.

Not even Dylan.

Especially not Dylan.

Slowly, Kieran opened his eyes.

Blue met blue.

Neither looked away.

And for the first time...

Sophia smiled at him.

A real smile.

Kieran's entire world stopped.

Because after years of cages...

Years of pain...

Years of being feared...

Someone was finally smiling at him.

Not the monster.

Not the wolf.

Him.