18
1742 Words
ISLA
I couldn’t sleep well that night. Every time I tried to close my eyes, I saw fangs.
I saw fur soaked with blood. I heard bones snap. I heard growls so deep that they didn't even sound human. It had all happened so fast. One minute I was talking about school and stupid coffee. The next minute wolves were tearing each other apart like wild animals.
Well, they were wild animals.
And Kade…Kade had transformed into one of them.
I knew he was one of them. But seeing it happen right in front of me was different. His body had twisted and grown. His eyes had glowed gold, his fur had been dark, almost black. Massive and powerful.
He was terrifying.
And yet, he hadn’t scared me.
Not the way the others had.
Even as he fought, even as he bit into the throat of that wolf, something inside me knew he would never turn that violence toward me.
Somehow, I felt safe with him.
That was the confusing part.
When we reached my door, he looked at me with regret.
“I shouldn’t have taken you too far into the woods,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
“It wasn’t your fault,’ I replied. My voice was small but I meant it. “We were going for a walk, remember?”
He nodded once.
“Goodnight.”
And just like that, he had stepped back and shut the door gently.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the wood.
Part of me felt relieved that he had left. I needed space to breathe. To think.
But another part of me wanted him to stay.
I wanted him to sit beside me and explain everything that had just happened. I wanted him to assure me that it would never happen again. I wanted him to hold me and say I was safe.
Instead, I was alone.
I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
The feelings I had been trying to ignore were no longer small. They had been there from the beginning, from the moment he brought me into the pack. I had been angry, scared, and bitter. I had told myself I hated him.
But truly, I never did.
Now that I understood him a little better, the feelings were stronger. I didn’t even know what they were.
Attraction? Maybe.
Curiosity? Definitely.
Something deeper? I wasn’t ready to name it yet.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual.
I brushed my hair properly and changed into something neat. I even sat at the edge of my bed for a few minutes, listening carefully.
I hoped he would knock. Like he did before.
I imagined him standing there with breakfast again, pretending not to care while secretly watching my reaction
Minutes passed. Then there was a knock.
My heart jumped. “Come in,” I said quickly.
The door opened. But it wasn’t Kade.
A young lady walked in quietly, carrying a tray. She placed it on the table without looking at me.
“Your meal, Luna,” she said softly.
Luna.
The title still felt strange.
“Thank you,” I replied.
She nodded and left immediately.
I stared at the food. No coffee, no careful selection. Just regular pack food..
I frowned.
Was he going back to being distant again after what had happened last night? I thought to myself.
By afternoon, I couldn’t sit still anymore. I stepped outside, hoping to see him somewhere in the courtyard.
Warriors moved around, some trained. Some carried supplies. Life went on as if nothing had happened.
But I didn’t see Kade. Instead, I saw them. The three men who had helped against the attack last night.
The ones who had jumped into the fight, the ones who had….eaten the wolves.
The memory made my stomach twist.
The moment they saw me, I froze. My body reacted before my mind could calm it.
They began to walk towards me. They were tall, broad and confident.
“Hey, Luna,” one of them called out casually.
I couldn’t move.
They stopped a few feet away, studying me with curious expressions.
Up close, they didn’t look as terrifying as they had been in their wolf form. They looked more human. Handsome, even. But I couldn’t unsee what I had seen.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” another one said lightly.
Or three wolves eating another wolf, I thought.
They stepped a little closer, not in an aggressive way, just curious.
“You know,” the tallest one said with a grin, “I never thought Alpha Kade’s mate would be this alluring.”
My eyes widened.
Another one chuckled. “Now I see why our brother is always so tense around here. He can’t handle such great beauty.”
Our brother?
Wait.
“You’re….Kade’s brothers?” I asked before I could stop myself.
They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“Oh, she speaks,” the third one teased.
Heat rushed to my face.
“Yes,” the first one said, placing a dramatic hand over his chest. “Unfortunately for him, we are related.”
I gave them a nervous smile.
“You don’t have to be scared,” another added, his tone soft now. “We’re not going to eat you up as we did to those rivals last night.”
That didn’t help.
“Thank you,” I stuttered anyway.
They all exchanged amused looks.
“I’m Rafe,” the tallest one said, bowing slightly like a prince in an old movie.
“Leon,” the broader one nodded.
“And I’m Dain,” the youngest one said with a playful wink.
They weren’t frightening at all now. In fact, they were oddly charming.
“Come,” Rafe said. “You’ve been locked inside that room for too long. Let us show you around properly.”
“I was actually looking for….” I started.
“Looking for our grumpy Alpha?” Leon finished.
Dain smirked. “He’s busy pretending to be important.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
It slipped out before I could stop it.
And just like that, the tension inside me loosened.
They began to walk while I followed.
They showed me the training grounds properly. The storage areas, the meeting hall. The border line where the pack territory ended.
“This is where we train new warriors,” Leon explained. “Kade used to throw us around here when we were younger.”
Rafe nodded. “He enjoyed it too much.”
“That’s not true,” Dain said. “You just didn’t know how to smile.”
“I smile, you rascal,’’ Rafe protested.
“You scared children away,” Dain shot back.
I laughed hard. They were nothing like Kade.
Where he was quiet and intense, they were loud and relaxed. Where he held himself stiffly, they moved freely.
“You look more comfortable,” Rafe observed.
“I…I was scared,” I admitted.
“Of us?” Leon asked.
“A little.”
“That’s fair,” Leon continued. “We did eat someone in front of you.”
I swallowed.
Rafe sighed. “Listen. Rival packs don’t show mercy. If we hadn’t killed them, they would have come back stronger.”
“We protect what’s ours,” Dain added.
What’s ours. Did that include me?
The thought warmed me.
They continued joking as we walked.
“So,” Dain said, leaning closer, “has Kade tried to impress you yet?”
I blinked. “Impress me?”
“Flower? Poetry? Awkward compliments?” Rafe asked.
I shook my head slowly.
They groaned in unison.
“He’s hopeless,” Leon muttered.
“He probably asked if you were happy in that serious tone,” Dain said, deepening his voice to mimic Kade. “Are you happy?”
My eyes widened. “He did.”
They burst out laughing.
“I told you!” Dain shouted.
Rafe wiped imaginary tears. “That’s his idea of romance.”
I found it funny, despite myself.
They kept talking, teasing their brother. Telling small childhood stories. Apparently, Kade once got into a fight because someone mocked his handwriting.
“He wrote like a wounded chicken,” Leon said proudly.
I was laughing so hard that my sides began to hurt. For the first time since coming here, I felt included.
Like I was no longer a stranger. I almost forgot I had been looking for Kade in the first place.
Then, the brothers went quiet instantly.
I followed their gaze. Kade was walking toward us.
My laughter suddenly dies. He looked rough, his shirt was torn at the shoulder. There were bruises along his jaw. Dried blood streaked across his chest and arms.
It clearly wasn’t his blood.
His expression was unreadable.
His brothers straightened.
“Alpha,” Leon greeted.
Kade didn’t look at them. He looked at me.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice steady even though I could hear the strain underneath.
“I’m fine,” I replied softly.
I stepped closer without thinking. Up close, I saw a small cut near his eyebrow.
“You’re hurt,” I said.
“It’s nothing.”
Rafe cleared his throat. “We were just showing her around.”
“I can see that,” Kade replied.
The air suddenly felt heavy. The playful mood from earlier had disappeared.
I became aware of how close I was standing to him. Of how much bigger he felt compared to everyone else. Of how my heart was beating faster.
“Well,” Dain said, backing away. “We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone before he starts growling.
“I don’t growl,” he said in a low growl.
All three of them smirked.
“Yes, you just did,” Leon replied.
They walked off, chuckling.
Now it was just us.
“I was looking for you earlier,” I said quietly.
His eyes softened a little. “I had to handle something at the border,” he said.
“The blood?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, understanding.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I said suddenly
The words surprised both of us. He studied my face carefully, searching for doubt.
“You should be,” he said in a low tone.
“I’m not.”
- Writer
