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1313 Words
KADE
Hearing her call me a monster hurt me in ways I didn’t expect.
I stood there, listening to her pour out her anger at me, her fears, the wall she built between us. Every word she said cut me deep like a sharp blade. But I didn’t try to touch her, I didn’t move or try to force her.
I could have, but I didn’t.
The bond we shared screamed at me to grab her out of there, to keep her safe. But I refused to become something she feared. I didn’t want her to hate me more.
So I left.
But the moment I stepped into the forest, my wolf growled in fury. He paced inside me. He was restless, angry, and blaming me for leaving our mate behind. But I ignored him and kept moving until I was far away from the human world.
When I returned to my pack, nothing felt right.
My pack was calm as always. In fact, it was too calm for my liking. Wolves went about their duties, patrolling the borders, tending fire, and sharpening their weapons. All of these distractions didn’t help; my mind stayed on one thing.
Isla.
“She’ll be fine,” my beta, Rowan, said when he noticed my mood. “Humans tend to live their lives without us all the time.”
“She’s not just human,” I responded sharply.
Rowan stared at me in confusion. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“Then you shouldn’t have left her alone,” he said. “It’s not safe for someone of her kind.”
“I know,” I growled.
A few days went by and my mind wasn't still settled. So, I decided to go hunting to clear my head. Everything seemed to be going on just fine. My wolf took over, running fast and free through the trees until I felt it.
A sudden twist in my chest. I stumbled to a stop.
Her scent hit me, stronger than before. I could sense her fear, her pain.
“Isla,” I whispered.
My wolf snarled violently. “Mate.”
Isla was in danger. I could feel it. I shouldn’t have left her alone. It was all my fault.
I turned and ran toward the human territory faster than I had ever been. The wind tore at my face, and branches snapped at my feet. I didn’t slow down until I reached the edge of her town.
Her building came into view. I rushed toward it, my heart beating fast. My senses were heightened.
Her scent still lingered in the hallway. Faint like she had been taken away too fast.
I reached her door. It was ajar.
Inside, the scent was stronger. I smelled her blood, her fear. I knelt and touched the dark stain that stained the tiles.
Another scent was there. Not mine. Another wolf.
A rival.
“They found her,” I growled.
My wolf roared in fury and desperation. I followed the scent out of the building and back into the forest. The scent was faint, masked with magic meant to hide their path.
Smart.
But not smart enough.
I continued to track them for miles., I was exhausted, but I kept pushing through, refusing to stop even when the trail had grown thinner. The wolf who took Isla knew what he was doing. He layered his scent, crossed several streams and doubled back.
Hours passed.
The moon was at its peak, and the trail had vanished completely.
I continued to walk in circles, with no possible way of tracking them down. My chest was heavy, my fists clenched so tight that my nails cut into my palms.
I had failed to protect her
“Damn it,” I snarled.
I needed more help. I couldn’t find her alone like this. I needed to restrategise. I needed my brothers, I needed every wolf I could gather. So I turned back toward my pack. But as I took my first step…..
“Kade.”
I froze.
I knew that voice. The sound was faint, weak and at first I thought I imagined things.
Then, I heard it again.
“Kade.”
That was her voice. I turned around.
“Isla!” I called out.
There was silence. My heart pounded in my chest, and I forced myself to breathe as I tried to listen to the sound. I closed my eyes as I tried to feel her presence.
There. I felt the sudden tug in my chest. I sensed her fear. She was cold and tired.
But she was alive and she was calling for me.
My wolf pushed forward, guiding me deeper into the forest, not with her scent but through instincts. By our bond.
I went further, slower, and more carefully. Listening to her soft faint voice.
“Kade…”
There it was again.
“I’m here,” I said aloud, my voice steady despite the panic. ‘Hold on.”
I followed the pull from the bond through the thick trees. Then like a shadow, I saw movements ahead.
A wolf. Not from my pack.
His scent was different. His eyes were red.
He had Isla hanging on his shoulders. He turned just as I burst through the shadows.
“Put her down!’ I growled.
He scoffed. “You’re too late, Alpha Kade.”
The wolf lunged at me immediately. I dodged as his claws sliced through the air where my throat had been. Our bodies crashed together, the force knocking the breath from my lungs, but I didn’t slow down. I slammed my shoulder into the rival wolf, sending him rolling across the ground.
The wolf growled, his eyes burning with fury.
“She belongs to Alpha Rudolph,” the wolf snarled. “You’re too late.”
With that, I lost all sense of control.
I roared so loud that it shook the trees. Rage flooded my veins, hot and violent. I charged at him, my teeth bared, claws extended. We collided again, snapping and tearing at each other, blood and fur flying in the snow.
The wolf was strong, but not as strong as an alpha who was trying to save his mate. He ducked and raked his claws across my side. Pain exploded in my head, his cut was sharp and deep. But I didn’t stop. I grabbed the wolf by the throat and slammed him into a tree so hard the bark cracked.
The wolf laughed, blood dripping from his mouth. “She called for you. She’s not purely human.”
I snapped.
I slammed my fists into his jaw, and his bones cracked. The wolf staggered, before he could recover, I shifted fully, my massive wolf form exploding outward with raw power.
I lunged forward, my teeth sinking into his flesh.
The wolf howled in pain, trying to claw his way free. I shook him violently, throwing him into the snow. I pounced again, pinning him down, my jaws inches away from his throat.
“Touch her again,” I growled, my voice shaking with fury, “and I’ll tear your whole pack apart.”
The wolf tried to shift. But I couldn’t let him escape.
I struck fast. My claws ripped him, his blood stained the snow dark red. He moved slowly, his strength gradually fading with every blow. At the final strike, he collapsed to the ground. The forest immediately went silent.
I stood there, my chest heaving, blood dripping from my fur. My wolf still paced inside me, furious and still hungry for vengeance.
But now nothing else mattered than taking Isla to a safe place. I turned around to where she lay in the snow, weak and broken.
“You came,” she said with a weak smile.
“I’m here now,” I said softly. “You’re safe with me.”
- Writer
