Chapter 3
1753 Words
KANE
I barely slept after the full moon. I never do. Even when the beast doesn’t fully take over, the aftermath leaves me feeling hollow—like someone scraped out pieces of me and didn’t bother putting them back.
Mom insisted I rest. Dad insisted I eat. Derek and Aiden insisted I “take it easy,” whatever that means for someone who spends half his life pretending he’s fine.
But Aunt Erika?
She insisted on a meeting.
Which is why I’m sitting in my mother’s sunroom, nursing a black coffee and trying not to look as irritated as I feel. Mom sits across from me, hands wrapped around her mug, eyes soft but tired. She’s in her late forties now, but the last three years aged her more than anything else ever could.
The door opens, and Aunt Erika strides in like she owns the place. The Strain family is powerful, which makes my mother, Grace Strain Black-Preston, untouchable and the most powerful witch of her time. Aunt Erika earned the right to walk into any room with that level of confidence, especially because she is mom's best friend and confidante.
“Kane,” she says, nodding at me. “You look terrible.”
“Good morning to you too,” I mutter.
Mom shoots me a look. Behave.
Aunt Erika sits, crossing her legs. “Let’s get straight to it. I’ve accepted the girl.”
I blinked. “What girl?”
She raises a brow. “The one who irritates you and calms you.”
My stomach drops. “No.”
Mom's eyes flick to me, worried. “Kane…”
“Irritates me?” I repeat. “She barely spoke.”
Erika smirked. “And yet you glared at her like she personally offended your ancestors.”
I scowl. “She didn’t irritate me.”
“Mm‑hmm.” Erika sips her tea. “And she calmed you.”
I stiffen. “You don’t know that.”
“Oh, I do.” Her voice softens, but her eyes sharpen. “I felt the magic shift the moment she walked into the room. You went still. Your aura changed. Your wolf shut up for the first time in three years.”
I look away. She’s not wrong.
But I don’t want her to be right.
Mom places a gentle hand on my arm. “Kane… she’s special.”
I exhale slowly. “She’s smart. I’ll give her that. Her academic record is ridiculous. She’ll be good for the team.”
“Good?” Aunt Erika scoffs. “She’s brilliant. And so are you, by the way. Don’t forget you finished your internship early and passed your exams before most people your age even pick a specialty.”
I shrug. “I didn’t have much else to do.”
Mom gives me a sad smile. “You studied because you wanted to help people.”
I don’t correct her. It’s easier that way.
Aunt Erika leans forward. “You’re on the board because you earned it. Not just because you’re my nephew. Which means... you get a say in who we bring in. And I’m telling you—Elowen Thorne is the right choice.”
I freeze.
Elowen.
So that’s her name.
It fits her. Soft, but sharp around the edges.
I push the thought away. “Why are we talking about her like she’s some… solution?”
Aunt Erika and Mom exchanged a look.
A look that tells me they’ve already discussed this and I’m the last to know.
My chest tightens. “What are you suggesting?”
Mom inhales shakily. “We think you should marry her.”
I stare at her. “What?!”
“Not a real marriage,” she rushes to add. “A contract. One year. Contactless. Just on paper.”
I shake my head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Kane—”
“I’m twenty‑three,” I snap. “I’m too young for marriage.”
Aunt Erika waves a hand. “It’s not real. I mean it is but not in the marriage-bed kind of way."
I frowned. s*x is the last thing I want to discuss with my mom and aunt. Gross.
“And I don’t like her.”
Aunt Erika’s lips twitch. “She’s pretty.”
“Pretty boring.”
Aunt Erika laughs. Actually laughs. “Then teach her how to have fun.”
I glare at her. “This isn’t funny.”
“No,” she agrees. “It’s not. The full moon is coming though. You’re getting worse. And she’s the first person who’s ever calmed your wolf without even trying. Maybe she can calm the... other one too.”
Mom squeezes my hand. “We just want you safe.”
I swallow hard. “And you think marrying a stranger will fix me?”
“We think keeping her close will help us understand why she affects you,” Aunt Erika says. “And yes, it will also secure her internship. She’ll only be accepted if you meet with her and offer a contract.”
I stare at her. “You’re bribing me with her career?”
“No,” Aunt Erika says calmly. “I’m giving you a reason to talk to her.”
I run a hand through my hair, frustrated. “This is insane.”
“Maybe,” Aunt Erika says. “But so is your curse.”
I look between them—my mother, desperate to save me, and my aunt, convinced she’s found the key.
And deep down, beneath all the anger and fear…
A small part of me wonders if they’re right.
**
I stand and started pacing because sitting still feels impossible. “You want me to walk up to a stranger and offer her a marriage contract? Do you hear how insane that sounds?”
Mom watches me with that soft, worried expression she’s perfected over the last three years. “It’s not insane, sweetheart. It’s precaution.”
“Precaution?” I laughed under my breath. “For who? Me or her?”
“Both,” Aunt Erika answers. “You need stability. She needs protection.”
I stop pacing. “Protection from what?”
Erika hesitates. Just for a second. But I caught it.
“She’s magical,” she says finally. “And she’s been suppressing it for years. I could feel it the moment she walked in. She’s powerful, Kane. More powerful than she realizes.”
My jaw tightens. “So you want to drag her into our mess?”
“No,” Mom says gently. “We want to keep her safe from it. If Orin or the council senses her magic, they’ll start asking questions. Dangerous ones.”
I rub a hand over my face. “This is unbelievable.”
Aunt Erika leans back, crossing her arms. “You asked what I’m suggesting. I’m suggesting you meet her. Talk to her. Offer the contract. One year. Contactless. You don’t even need to consummate the marriage. Just live together. Here. It's just a legal tie.”
Consummate the marriage? Jeez.
“And if she says no?”
Aunt Erika shrugs. “Then she says no. But I don’t think she will.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“Because she wants this internship more than anything,” Erika says. “And she deserves it. She’s brilliant. She’s driven. She’s exactly the kind of mind we want at SP.”
“So you’re bribing her too.”
“No,” Aunt Erika says calmly. “I’m giving her an opportunity. And giving you a chance to survive the next full moon.”
The room goes quiet.
Mom’s voice softens. “Kane… you felt it. Didn’t you?”
I look away. “I don’t know what I felt.”
“You do,” she whispers.
I hate how well she knows me and how right she is.
I hate that a stranger—some quiet, serious girl with big eyes and a stiff posture—walked into a room and made the beast inside me go silent.
I hate that I noticed her.
Remember her.
Still smell her.
Aunt Erika taps her fingers on the table. “The full moon is in a week. We need to know if she can help you before then.”
“And if she can’t?”
“Then nothing changes,” Aunt Erika says. “You go back to the dungeon. We keep searching for answers. But if she can…”
Mom's eyes shine with hope she’s too afraid to voice.
I exhale slowly. “You’re asking me to risk her life.”
“No,” Mom says firmly. “We’re asking you to give her a chance to save yours.”
I stare at the floor for a long moment.
A contract marriage with a stranger.
A year of pretending.
A year of hoping she doesn’t run the moment she sees what I really am.
I don’t want this.
I don’t want her dragged into my curse.
I don’t want to be tied to someone who didn’t choose me.
But I also don’t want to die.
And I don’t want to lose control again.
I finally looked up. “Fine. I’ll meet her.”
Grace exhales in relief. Aunt Erika smiled like she already knew I’d say yes.
“But,” I add sharply, “I’m not promising anything.”
“You don’t have to,” Aunt Erika says. “Just talk to her.”
I nod once, even though my stomach twists at the thought.
I don’t want to see her again.
But I will.
Aunt Erika stands. “I’ll arrange the meeting. Tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?” I frown. “That’s fast.”
“She’s expecting a decision about her internship,” Aunt Erika says. “And you’re expecting answers about your curse. No point wasting time.”
Mom squeezes my hand. “It’ll be okay.”
I wish I believed her.
Aunt Erika heads toward the door, pausing just long enough to throw one last comment over her shoulder.
“Oh, and Kane?”
I look up.
“Try not to scowl at her this time. You looked like you wanted to throw her out a window.”
I glare. “I don’t scowl.”
Aunt Erika laughs. “You absolutely do.”
She leaves. Mom follows, giving me one last worried glance.
And then I’m alone.
I sank into the chair, rubbing my temples.
- Writer
