Chapter Six
1346 Words
Blood didn’t calm him.
It should have.
It always had.
For centuries, violence had been a language Kane spoke fluently—clean, controlled, purposeful. A means to restore order. To remind the world where power lived.
But tonight—
It wasn’t enough.
The last rogue hit the ground hard, unmoving. The street fell silent again, heavy with the aftermath of the fight. The scent of iron lingered in the air, sharp and familiar.
Kane stood in the center of it.
Breathing.
Not hard.
Never hard.
But not steady either.
His control hadn’t just slipped.
It had fractured.
And the worst part—
It wasn’t the fight that had done it.
It was her.
Layla.
The moment she disappeared from his immediate reach, something primal had surged through him with terrifying force. Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something deeper.
Possessive.
Protective.
Unacceptable.
Kane dragged a hand down his face slowly, grounding himself. His shoulder was already healing where the rogue had cut him, the flesh knitting itself back together with unnatural precision.
Physical wounds meant nothing.
This—
This was different.
“Alpha.”
Dmitri’s voice came from behind him, cautious but steady.
Kane didn’t turn.
“Report.”
“All hostiles neutralized,” Dmitri said. “But they weren’t acting alone.”
“I know.”
A pause.
“They were watching her,” Dmitri added carefully.
Kane’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
“And now she’s gone.”
That—
That was a mistake.
Not Dmitri’s words.
The truth behind them.
Kane turned slowly, his gaze sharp enough to cut. “She’s not gone.”
Dmitri held his stare. “You let her run.”
A statement.
Not a question.
Kane stepped closer.
Danger radiated off him in quiet, suffocating waves.
“I made a decision.”
Dmitri didn’t flinch. “You broke protocol.”
Kane smiled slightly.
Cold.
“Protocol doesn’t account for what she is.”
That was the first time he’d said it out loud.
Not human.
Not entirely.
Not safe.
Dmitri’s expression shifted, interest sharpening. “Then you’re certain?”
Kane’s gaze drifted—just briefly—to the place where Layla had last stood.
“I felt it,” he said quietly. “The mark reacted to me. To the threat. To everything.”
“And you let her leave?” Dmitri pressed.
Kane’s eyes snapped back to him.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Silence stretched.
Because if he said the real reason—
Because if he admitted that keeping her close had felt more dangerous than letting her go—
Everything would change.
“I needed to see what she would do,” Kane said instead.
Not entirely a lie.
But not the truth either.
Dmitri studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded slowly.
“Then we track her.”
Kane exhaled.
Finally.
Something logical.
Controlled.
Necessary.
“Yes,” he said. “But not openly.”
Dmitri frowned slightly. “You want this handled quietly?”
“I want this handled correctly,” Kane replied. “No panic. No council interference. Not yet.”
That alone was a risk.
The council would demand immediate containment if they knew.
Or worse—
Elimination.
Kane’s expression darkened at the thought.
No.
That would not happen.
Not while he still had control over this situation.
“She doesn’t know what she is,” Kane continued. “And right now, that makes her unpredictable. If we push too hard, we lose any chance of understanding the mark.”
“And if the rogues get to her first?” Dmitri asked.
Kane’s voice dropped.
“They won’t.”
The certainty in it was absolute.
Even if he had to tear apart half the city to make it true.
Dmitri inclined his head slightly. “What are your orders?”
Kane turned, already moving.
“Shadow her,” he said. “From a distance. Rotate teams. No direct contact unless her life is at immediate risk.”
“And if she notices?”
“She won’t.”
But even as he said it—
Kane knew that might not be true.
Layla wasn’t reacting like a normal human.
She felt things.
Not just physically.
Instinctively.
The mark was accelerating that.
Which meant—
She might already be aware of more than they expected.
“Keep her safe,” Kane added. “But do not interfere unless necessary.”
Dmitri’s brow lifted slightly. “You trust her to survive on her own?”
Kane paused.
Just for a second.
Images flashed through his mind—
Her standing in front of him, refusing to back down.
Her asking for answers instead of running.
The way the mark had reacted—
Violently.
Powerfully.
Uncontrolled.
“She’s stronger than she realizes,” Kane said.
Then, quieter—
“But she’s not ready.”
Dmitri nodded once. “Understood.”
They walked in silence for a few steps before Dmitri spoke again.
“And the council?”
Kane’s expression hardened immediately.
“They don’t know.”
“That won’t last.”
“I know.”
Which meant time was limited.
Every move mattered now.
Every decision.
If the council discovered Layla before he understood what she was—
They would act.
And they would not hesitate.
Kane stopped walking.
The city stretched out in front of him, quiet and unaware of what was unfolding beneath its surface.
“This changes everything,” Dmitri said.
Kane didn’t respond.
Because that wasn’t the problem.
The problem was—
It had already changed him.
He could feel it.
In the way his instincts reacted.
In the way his thoughts kept circling back to her.
In the way—
His wolf had gone completely silent now.
Not restless.
Not aggressive.
Focused.
Waiting.
As if it had found something it had been searching for—
For a very long time.
Kane’s hands curled slightly at his sides.
Dangerous.
All of it.
Uncontrolled.
Unacceptable.
And yet—
He wasn’t stopping it.
“Alpha.”
One of the pack members approached quickly, stopping a few feet away. His posture was tense.
Urgent.
Kane’s attention snapped to him immediately.
“Report.”
The wolf hesitated—just briefly.
Then spoke.
“There’s been an incident.”
Kane’s expression didn’t change.
“Where?”
The wolf swallowed.
“Near the university district.”
Kane went still.
Completely still.
“What kind of incident?” he asked.
The answer came too slowly.
“Rogue activity.”
The air shifted.
Dmitri’s gaze flicked toward Kane.
Sharp.
Measuring.
Because they both knew what that meant.
Kane’s voice dropped.
“How many?”
“Unclear,” the wolf admitted. “But witnesses reported multiple figures. Not random. Coordinated.”
Layla.
The thought hit instantly.
Not coincidence.
Never coincidence.
Kane stepped forward, his entire presence shifting into something colder. Deadlier.
“When?” he demanded.
“Minutes ago.”
Too close.
Too precise.
Too intentional.
Kane’s control snapped back into place—not calm, not restrained—but sharpened into something lethal.
“They’re moving faster than expected,” Dmitri said quietly.
“Yes,” Kane replied.
Which meant—
They knew more than they should.
Or someone was telling them.
Kane’s gaze darkened.
Dmitri.
Again, the thought surfaced.
Not proven.
But circling.
Watching.
Waiting.
“Mobilize the perimeter,” Kane ordered. “I want eyes on every entry point near the campus.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“And Dmitri—”
His Beta looked at him.
Kane held his gaze for a long moment.
Then said—
“Stay close.”
Dmitri’s expression didn’t change.
But something flickered behind his eyes.
“Always.”
Kane turned.
Already moving.
Already calculating.
Already preparing for what came next.
Because this—
This was no longer contained.
The rogues weren’t testing boundaries anymore.
They were hunting.
And if they were at the university—
If they were that close—
Then Layla wasn’t just in danger.
She was the target.
Kane’s jaw tightened.
Too slow.
He had moved too slow.
Not again.
This time—
He wouldn’t let her out of his reach.
- Writer
