Shadow Pack
925 Words
Chapter Three
The hallway outside the apartment went quiet again.
Too quiet.
Ava stood behind Kael, trying to slow her breathing while the storm rattled the windows behind them. Nobody in the room moved. Even the two men with Kael were still gone.
Waiting.
Another sound scraped against the wall outside.
Slow.
Like claws dragging across concrete.
Ava’s stomach turned.
Kael didn’t look back at her when he spoke.
“Stay behind me.”
“I’m not planning to run into the hallway,” she muttered, though her voice came out thinner than she wanted.
The younger man near the door almost smiled.
The scarred one didn’t.
“They shouldn’t have reached the building this fast,” he said quietly.
Kael’s expression darkened. “Somebody tipped them off.”
The older woman crossed her arms tightly over herself. “The council.”
Kael didn’t answer, but the silence felt heavy enough to mean yes.
Ava looked between all of them. “Can somebody please explain what’s happening?”
Another growl echoed outside the apartment.
Closer this time.
Kael finally turned toward her.
“You’re being hunted because of who you are.”
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
His eyes held hers for a second too long before he looked away.
“You’re the last surviving heir of the Shadow Pack.”
Hearing it a second time didn’t make it easier to believe.
Ava laughed once under her breath, mostly out of nerves. “You keep saying that like it’s supposed to mean something to me.”
“It should.”
Her patience snapped. “Well, it doesn’t.”
Kael studied her quietly, and for the first time since entering the apartment, something about his expression softened.
Not pity.
Something closer to guilt.
“You were hidden before you were old enough to remember any of it,” he said. “That was intentional.”
Ava folded her arms tightly across her chest. “Okay. Fine. Let’s pretend I believe all this for a second. What exactly is the Shadow Pack?”
The older woman answered this time.
“Before Blackwood took control, the Shadow Pack was one of the oldest bloodlines in the territories.”
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly at the words Blackwood took control, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Your father ruled one of the largest territories in the north,” she continued. “People respected him.”
“And feared him,” the scarred man added.
The woman shot him a look.
Ava caught it immediately.
“What does that mean?”
Nobody spoke right away.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Finally, Kael said, “Shadow wolves were different.”
“Different how?”
Another pause.
“They were stronger,” he admitted. “Faster. Harder to control.”
Something cold slid down Ava’s spine.
The woman looked at her carefully before continuing.
“There were stories about your bloodline long before you were born. Stories about silver-eyed wolves.”
Ava froze.
Silver eyes.
The mirror.
Her dreams.
The voice in her head.
“No,” she whispered.
Kael noticed the shift in her expression immediately.
“What is it?”
Ava hesitated.
Then quietly said, “Last night… my eyes changed.”
Nobody in the room reacted.
That scared her more than if they had.
The younger man looked uneasy. The scarred one looked grim.
Kael stepped a little closer. “What colour?”
“You already know.”
His silence confirmed it.
Ava felt suddenly lightheaded.
“This is insane.”
“It’s real,” Kael said.
“No, it can’t be.” She shook her head hard. “I work at a coffee shop. I pay rent. I got rejected from community college twice. I’m not some…” She laughed weakly. “Prophecy wolf.”
The older woman looked heartbroken.
“Ava—”
“Stop looking at me like that.”
A loud bang slammed against the apartment door.
Everyone spun toward it.
The entire frame shook.
Another hit came immediately after.
Harder.
The smell hit the room next.
Wet fur. Blood. Rot.
Ava covered her nose instinctively.
The scarred man swore. “Rogues.”
Something snarled outside the door.
Not like an animal.
Worse.
Hungry.
Kael moved forward without hesitation.
“Take her through the back stairs,” he ordered.
“What?” Ava stared at him. “No.”
“You don’t have time to argue.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Another slam hit the door so hard the hinges groaned.
The younger man moved toward the kitchen window, checking outside quickly.
“There are more in the parking lot.”
Kael cursed quietly under his breath.
Ava looked at him again.
“You still haven’t told me why they want me.”
His eyes met hers.
And for a second, the room felt strangely smaller.
“Because if the prophecy is true,” he said carefully, “then you’re either the future of the werewolf territories…”
The door cracked down the middle.
A massive claw punched through the wood.
Ava screamed and stumbled backwards.
Kael shifted instantly.
Not fully.
Just enough.
His eyes flashed silver-grey, sharper than before, and something about his entire presence changed. Bigger. Wilder.
Dangerous.
The air in the apartment felt heavier under his power.
Even the men beside him straightened automatically.
A low growl rumbled in his chest as he stared at the thing trying to force its way through the door.
Then he finished quietly—
“Or the reason they fall apart.”
- Writer
