ChapterFour
1089 Words
The thud of fists against padded dummies echoed off the stone walls of the Hollows Ash training arena. I inhaled deeply—sweat, earth, blood, and steel. The scent was raw, familiar. Home, in a twisted kind of way.
I stood alone in the center ring, knuckles red from hours of training I didn’t really need. Muscle memory didn’t dull, not even after ten years. But control—that needed work.
I hit the target again, harder this time. The padding split with a soft tear. Satisfying.
“So the rumors are true.”
I froze mid-punch.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” the voice continued, echoing with disbelief and something else—relief, maybe. “Thought I’d be the first to welcome my best friend back from the grave.”
I turned slowly. Luca stood by the archway, arms crossed, his usually cocky smirk soft around the edges. Same tousled hair, same scar on his chin from that fight we got into with a pair of drunk enforcers in our youth. Older, broader—but still Luca.
A beat passed. Then another.
“I was hoping I’d be the one to throw the first punch if you ever crawled back here,” he added.
I smirked. “Don’t be salty. You definitely knew I was in town after seeing the gifts I left you at the Moonveil grounds.”
“If you mean the brutally dismembered rogue one of the guards dragged back from the woods?” He walked closer, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, I received your lovely present. Wrapped up all nice in blood and teeth.”
We both laughed, and it felt good. Honest. Easy.
“You look good,” Luca said.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I mean it. You don’t look like someone who spent ten years sulking.”
“I didn’t sulk. I brooded. Big difference.”
He snorted. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
The laughter faded slowly, like smoke thinning in the wind, and the silence that followed was heavier.
“So,” Luca said, crossing his arms again. “Why are you really back?”
I grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat from my neck. “Came to handle some business.”
“That all?”
“Don’t push it.”
He nodded, jaw tightening slightly, but let it drop. That’s the thing with Luca—he knows when to press and when to back off.
“Well, I’m glad you came to the recruit,” he said, breaking the tension again. “I don’t want to deal with Kane alone.”
My shoulders stiffened. “Of course. Kane would be here.”
“Didn’t think that one through, huh?”
“No. But now that you’ve reminded me, I’m rethinking my entire return.”
Luca grinned. “Just so you know, he still hasn’t forgiven you for sleeping with his prom date.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? It’s been, what—twelve years?”
“He’s Kane. He holds grudges longer than most people live.”
“I didn’t even know she was his date.”
“You didn’t care.”
“Also true.”
It wasn’t just about some girl. Not really. Kane never liked me—not even as kids. I was the one everyone expected to lead someday, the son of the Alpha, born into legacy. Kane was the second son of the Alpha’s younger brother—my uncle Ralph—tasked with handling the pack’s political infrastructure: council affairs, training schedules, defense protocols, Hollow Ash enforcement.
Where I was fire and instinct, Kane was order and calculation. But deep down, he always wanted what I had. The attention. The power. The bloodline.
Envy. That was the glue in our complicated mess of a relationship.
And the girl? Just another reason to hate me.
The heavy doors groaned open before I could respond, and instinct had me turning toward them, shoulders squared.
Speak of the devil.
Kane walked in like he owned the place. His stride was confident, his expression unreadable, as always. Dark hair slicked back, black combat uniform pristine—nothing out of place. Except maybe the glare in his eyes when they landed on me.
“Hello, cousin,” I said casually, knowing full well how much he hated the word.
Kane’s jaw flexed. “Gabriel.”
I smiled wider. “Still prefer the formalities, huh?”
He didn’t respond, just let his gaze drift to Luca before settling back on me.
“I was told you’d returned. I had hoped the reports were exaggerated.”
“They’re not,” I said, wiping sweat from my brow and tossing the towel aside. “And here I was thinking you’d be happy to see me.”
Kane stepped forward. “I’m never happy to see problems walk through the gates.”
“And yet you’re still breathing.”
Luca let out a cough—somewhere between a laugh and a warning.
Kane ignored it. “You think you can just walk back in here after ten years, sign up for the recruit trials, and everyone will forget what you did?”
I held his stare. “I’m not here for their forgiveness. Or yours.”
“Then why are you here?” he snapped. “What do you want?”
I let the silence stretch. Behind Kane’s rigid posture and clenched jaw, I saw the truth clear as day—he wanted answers, but more than that, he wanted me gone.
Which meant I was staying.
I turned to Luca. “You up for a few rounds? Or are you too soft now?”
Luca snorted. “Please. You’ve been gone a decade. I could train blindfolded and still win.”
Kane gave a sharp huff of disapproval, then pivoted on his heel. “Try not to bleed all over my arena.”
“Love you too, cousin.”
He paused at the threshold. Didn’t turn. Just stood there a moment, spine stiff as steel. Then he walked out.
Luca shook his head. “You really know how to poke the bear.”
“He makes it too easy.”
“But seriously… what are you going to do about him?”
“I’m not here to do anything about him.”
“Maybe not,” Luca said. “But he’s already planning what to do about you.”
I didn’t reply. Because I already knew.
And part of me welcomed it.
- Writer
