chapter four. The fracture
797 Words
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It happened during the evening patrol reports.
The great hall of Ironfang was alive with noise warriors standing in loose circles, voices overlapping as they argued about borders, rogue sightings, and missing scouts.
The long table at the center was scarred by years of war, stained with old scratches and the faint scent of dried blood and steel.
Skyler stood beside it, hands folded neatly in front of her, eyes lowered in the way she had learned over years of survival.
Invisible.
Unthreatening.
Safe.
She listened without speaking, committing every word to memory.
The rise and fall of voices, the tension beneath casual threats, the shifting alliances disguised as strategy.
Sai was awake.
"The air feels different", Sai whispered inside her mind.
"The moon is close."
Skyler swallowed. "I know."
Across the table, Kaden sat at the head, posture rigid, expression unreadable.
To the pack, he looked like the perfect Alpha calm, controlled, untouchable.
But inside, Kane was restless.
"She is too close", Kane growled.
"Her scent is changing."
Kaden clenched his jaw. "Ignore it."
But his focus kept slipping.
No matter how hard he tried to listen to the warriors, his awareness kept drifting back to her.
To the quiet sound of her breathing.
To the soft pulse of her heartbeat that his wolf could hear far too clearly.
And then the moon began to rise.
Kaden felt it before he saw it.
A subtle shift in the air. A tightening inside his chest, like an invisible thread being pulled too sharply. Skyler’s scent shifted just a fraction, but enough to make his instincts flare violently.
Kane surged forward.
"She is weakening."
Skyler swayed.
It was barely noticeable, a tiny movement but Kaden saw it immediately.
Her fingers curled against the edge of the table, knuckles whitening as if she were trying to anchor herself to the world.
Sai’s voice sharpened.
"Your body is reacting. Breathe".
Skyler tried.
“Kaden?”
One of the warriors cleared his throat. “Alpha, should we increase the night patrol on the eastern ridge?”
Skyler stumbled.
Not a fall just one unsteady step, her breath hitching as if the room had tilted.
That was all it took.
Kane broke free.
"Now.!"
Kaden was on his feet before anyone realized he had moved.
He crossed the distance in a heartbeat, the world narrowing to a single point.
His hand closed around Skyler’s wrist too fast, too tight and a low, dangerous growl tore from his chest.
The hall went silent.
Every warrior froze as Kaden’s eyes flared molten gold, his wolf surging forward, raw and furious.
“Who touched you?” he snarled.
Skyler’s breath caught not in fear, but shock.
Her free hand rose instinctively, pressing flat against his chest, right over his heart.
“No one,” she whispered. “Alpha… I just felt dizzy.”
The contact burned.
Sai gasped.
Kaden’s heart—
Kane roared.
"She is ours."
Her palm against his skin sent a shock through both of them.
The bond snapped awake like lightning, roaring between them, demanding things neither of them were ready to face.
Claim.
Protect.
Take.
Kaden’s head dipped without his permission. His breath brushed her hair, her scent flooding his senses until the world blurred at the edges.
"please Do not lose control," Kaden begged internally.
"You already have", Kane answered.
One second.
That was all the control he lost.
Then he tore himself away as if burned by fire.
He released her abruptly, stepping back, fists clenched so tightly his hands trembled. The gold slowly faded from his eyes. Kane retreated, snarling in frustration.
Silence crashed down on the hall.
“Dismissed,” Kaden barked.
No one dared argue.
Warriors quickly turned away, pretending they had seen nothing, heard nothing. The room emptied within moments, leaving only echoes and tension hanging in the air.
Skyler stood frozen, pulse racing, her wrist still warm where his hand had been.
Sai whispered shakily,
"The bond reacted. He felt it too."
Her scent had changed sharper, brighter and she hated that he noticed.
Kaden turned his back on her, voice rough, almost strained.
“Do not let it happen again.”
She understood what he meant.
Not weakness.
Not closeness.
Not that.
Later, alone in the corridor, Skyler pressed her fingers to her wrist and whispered to the empty stone walls, “You felt it too, didn’t you?”
Sai answered softly,
"Yes. And next time, he won’t stop." "even I don't know if I can" Skyler added
And somewhere deeper in the fortress, Kaden braced his hands against cold stone, jaw clenched, breath uneven.
Kane’s voice was no longer angry.
It was certain.
Next time—
Kaden closed his eyes.
One second would not be enough. 🌙🐺
- Writer
