Chapter 4 : Shadow's in the rain
1207 Words
Kaelen’s POV
The call came just as I finished my patrol near the northern border.
"Kaelen. She’s here."
I froze mid-step.
My pulse slammed through me. Layla.
Anna Maria’s death had left a void we hadn’t anticipated.
The keeper of the territory. Although she wasn't part of our pack anymore.
She was still the shield between us and the outside world ...
With her gone, that fragile balance was shattered.
And now, her only living heir was back.
"Where?"
"She just passed the town limits, heading toward her grandmother’s house. We’re keeping eyes on her, but something feels off."
Sebastian’s voice crackled through the link, threaded with tension.
That same tension had been humming beneath the surface of the pack ever since Anna Maria’s death.
A death that changed everything.
"Stay alert," I ordered, letting the command ripple through the bond. "I’m on my way."
Lightning split the sky, briefly illuminating the forest before plunging it into darkness again.
The rain hadn’t stopped for hours.
Even inside, I could smell the wet earth and pine—the scent of spring storms in the Drakensberg.
But tonight… tonight felt different.
I stepped outside and shifted without hesitation.
The transition was smooth—a rush of heat and power tearing through my veins as Variant surged forward.
My clothes shredded, bones realigning, fur bursting through skin.
Variant’s paws slammed into the earth, and we launched into the forest.
A blur of dark fur and silent purpose.
The cold wind bit at us, but we didn’t feel it.
Not truly. All I felt was the storm inside me.
She’s here, Variant growled. We find her.
We guard her, I reminded him. That’s our purpose.
But Variant wasn’t listening. He never did when it came to her.
Mine.
The word echoed in my head, primal, possessive, hungry.
I pushed back. No. She’s the Keeper. Our charge. You know this.
But even I couldn’t ignore what was happening to me.
I’ve known her name my entire life—Layla.
As a boy, I’d heard whispers. Not just from the elders, but through dreams, and Variant.
She is the beginning and the end, the wolf had once whispered. Our blood is hers to command.
But other than her name, I didn’t know much about her—hell, no one in the pack did.
Anna Maria had kept her away, as far from these lands as she could.
Unaware of everything her bloodline carried… the oath, the pack, and the power locked inside her.
But now she was here, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that her arrival was about to change everything.
But nothing—no amount of training, no amount of duty—had prepared me for the way her scent would hit me.
Like the first crack of thunder before the storm.
Variant roared in my chest. Mine.
No, I snapped, trying to breathe through it. She can't be. She's the Keeper. We were trained to protect her—not want her.
Don’t care.
I clenched my jaw. If I so much as touched her—Rylan would exile me.
Worse... We'd lose her. Before I even had her.
We slowed near the edge of the property, moving low through the mist.
The cottage came into view, golden light glowing soft and warm behind the windows.
Variant’s ears twitched—locked on the presence inside.
There.
She stepped into view.
Layla.
And everything inside me stilled.
Her hair clung to her face, still damp from the rain.
Her clothes hugged her frame.
She looked exhausted, but her eyes held a quiet, unfamiliar strength.
My breath caught. My body locked onto her like she was gravity.
Variant howled.
MINE.
I gritted my teeth, fighting the pull.
She’s not yours.
She’s ours.
I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
I felt the bond beginning to form, ancient and wild, binding and consuming.
Pull back, I ordered.
No.
Pull. Back.
Reluctantly, Variant eased off, but his presence prowled beneath my skin.
We’re here for the pack. Because the pack needs her.
Not for you. Not for the bond. Not for whatever this is.
But the truth gnawed at me.
She was tied to our world in ways she didn’t even understand.
And it was my job to bring her into it.
Guardian, I reminded myself. You were born for this.
I linked Sebastian. "Any updates?"
"She’s alone. No signs of anyone else. You need me there?"
I hesitated. "No. Stay with the others. I’ll keep watch."
Silence returned, heavy with expectation.
I shouldn’t have stayed.
I should’ve returned to the pack. Reported to Rylan. But...
She can’t be left alone.
Not with what’s coming.
I moved closer, silent in the trees, keeping low.
Layla paced near the window, running her fingers through her hair, her expression tight with worry.
Her scent hit me again—wildflowers and spring rain, laced with something older, something powerful.
Variant stirred, claws digging into the wet soil, his hunger clawing at my control.
It was intoxicating.
The oath, I told myself. That’s all that matters now.
But it wrecked me.
Touch her, Variant whispered.
No.
One taste.
Not yours, I growled. Not mine.
But I didn’t turn away.
Just one look, then we’re leaving...
But I’m taking control.
Variant just huffed in response.
I shifted into human form, creeping closer.
The rain masked my approach. I stopped at the edge of the cottage.
Layla turned—
Her eyes locked onto mine.
Shock. Recognition.
We stared at each other, unmoving. She didn’t flinch. Neither did I.
Until realization hit me. s**t. She saw me.
In a blink, I shifted again—not fully, just enough to blur into shadow and fur.
She stumbled back, eyes scanning the darkness.
And then—
The door to the cottage creaked open, and I froze.
Rain poured down — She stepped out.
Then it hit me, she's coming outside...
I couldn’t decide whether to admire her courage or be frustrated by her recklessness.
Her shirt clung to her body, soaked and nearly transparent, every movement accentuating the shape of her.
Her hair was a wet mess, droplets trailing down her skin.
Variant growled low—a plea.
All I could feel was him, urging me on.
Urging me to go to her.
Shh. You’re going to get us caught.
But I didn’t move. Couldn’t.
Her eyes scanned the trees… and found me.
She stepped forward.
Don’t, I begged silently.
But she kept coming.
Slow. Careful. Curious.
A low growl rumbled from me.
She stopped. Thank the gods.
But she didn’t run.
She just… watched me.
Like she knew me.
Like she’d been waiting for me.
Variant’s voice was a growl in my chest.
She feels it.
I can’t have her.
You already do.
She was beautiful—the way her wet clothes hugged her, the way her skin glistened with rain… it was driving me insane.
We need to leave. Now.
I turned and vanished into the trees, heart racing, her scent clinging to me, haunting me.
I couldn’t stay away.
But if I stayed too long...
I might not leave at all.
- Writer
