Forbidden fate

The girl who should know

The night passed without incident, but the scent of the woman lingered in Kieran’s mind like an echo. Even after he returned to the safety of the pack’s den—deep within the heart of Silverclaw territory—her scent followed him. It haunted him, no matter how hard he tried to shake it off.

Kieran sat on the edge of his private quarters, the large stone fireplace crackling with warmth, but it did little to ease the chill in his chest. His wolf was restless, prowling beneath his skin, yearning for something it couldn’t have. His own thoughts were no better, looping around the same impossible question: Why?

Why had she been there, at the edge of his territory?

The thought of her was a thorn in his side, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it. She had been so close, so near, as if drawn to him by some force beyond reason. He had kept his distance, hidden in the shadows, but the moment their gazes had briefly locked across the trees... something inside him had shifted. Something ancient, primal.

But there was no way she could have sensed him. No human could.

Right?

He stood abruptly, pacing the length of his quarters. The walls, carved with intricate designs and lined with relics of the pack’s long history, offered little comfort now. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by the image of the woman standing alone beneath the streetlamp. Her figure had been so delicate, so fragile under the dim light, yet there had been a strength to her presence that was impossible to ignore.

Kieran had seen countless humans over the years—hunters, wanderers, travelers—but none had ever made him feel the way she had. None had ever made his wolf ache.

Focus.

His fist slammed into the stone wall, the impact reverberating through his arm. The jagged rocks cracked slightly under the force of his blow, but the physical pain barely registered. It was the mental anguish that gnawed at him.

He knew the pack’s laws, had lived by them since birth. The Silverclaw Pack had always been fiercely protective of their boundaries. No human, no outsider, was allowed in. And for good reason. The world of the wolves was not for them.

The more he thought about her, the more dangerous the situation became. It wasn’t just that she had come too close—it was that she’d noticed him. There was a shift in the air when she’d turned in his direction, as if she felt something that she shouldn’t. Something that, according to every law Kieran had been taught, shouldn’t have been possible.

A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

He turned, annoyed at the disruption, but his irritation quickly melted into something else. There was only one person who would disturb him at this hour.

“Enter,” Kieran called, his voice betraying no hint of his inner turmoil.

The door opened, and in stepped his second-in-command, Finn. A massive wolf shifter, with broad shoulders and eyes that always seemed to be calculating, Finn had been by Kieran’s side for as long as Kieran could remember. The two were nearly inseparable, like brothers forged by blood and battle.

“Alpha,” Finn greeted, his tone respectful but casual. “You’ve been quiet tonight. Something on your mind?”

Kieran didn’t immediately answer. He studied his friend, his packmate, the one person he knew he could trust. Finn’s amber eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed Kieran’s distracted expression.

“It’s nothing,” Kieran finally said, shaking his head. “Just... a problem with the borders.”

Finn raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “The borders are fine. I’ve already had a patrol report. Everything’s clear.” He stepped further into the room, lowering his voice. “What’s going on, Kieran? You’ve been acting different since last night. You didn’t even sleep, did you?”

Kieran’s jaw clenched. He didn’t need Finn prying. He didn’t want anyone to know what was really bothering him—not yet. His wolf was barely under control, and the last thing he needed was the pack thinking he was distracted.

“I’m fine,” Kieran muttered, though the words felt hollow. “It’s just... nothing to worry about. I’ll handle it.”

Finn didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded slowly, accepting the answer for now. Still, his gaze lingered a moment longer, reading Kieran with the kind of intensity only a lifelong friend could.

“If you say so,” Finn replied. “But you know where to find me if you need to talk.”

With that, Finn turned to leave. But just before the door closed, he paused.

“There’s a new human girl in town,” he said casually, as if it were no more than an interesting piece of gossip. “I’ve seen her around the village. Not sure where she came from, but she’s been staying at the inn. Odd place for a human to settle, don’t you think?”

Kieran’s blood ran cold, and his heart skipped a beat. Finn didn’t seem to notice his sudden stillness, continuing with his casual tone.

“Just thought you’d want to know. No one else seems to care, but... it’s strange, right?”

“Strange?” Kieran asked, his voice dangerously low. “What do you mean?”

Finn shrugged. “Not sure. I haven’t spoken to her, but people say she doesn’t look like she belongs here. She’s not like the others. Something off about her, maybe?”

Kieran’s thoughts raced, his heart pounding in his chest. A new human girl. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Could it?

His instincts were screaming at him to act, to investigate, but every part of him knew it was dangerous to pursue this. The pack’s laws were clear, and he had a responsibility to keep his distance. But something—something—was telling him to pay attention.

“I’ll handle it,” Kieran said curtly, his voice betraying none of the conflict roiling within him.

Finn didn’t argue, merely nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Kieran sank into his chair, running a hand through his hair. His mind raced with the implications of Finn’s words. The woman from the forest. The new girl. Could they be the same?

His wolf growled, sensing the answer before Kieran could even acknowledge it. And in that moment, Kieran knew—this wasn’t over.