The Alpha's hybrid mate

Chapter Five: Shattered Memories

The evening stretched long and tense. Thunder rumbled in the distance as Ava stood at the window, acutely aware of Thane’s presence just behind her, pacing slowly. Her lips still tingled with the raw essence of his kiss from last night. She couldn’t believe she was still thinking about it, with the dangers lurking outside.

She could feel the heat of his body, mere inches away. The air between them crackled with an unresolved tension that was part desire, part danger.

Thane’s breath ghosted over her neck, sending shiver down her spine. “You should get some rest,” he said gruffly, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her body. But he didn’t move away.

“How can I?” she said softly, as she turned around to face him. Her breath caught. He was standing so close, close enough that she could easily reach out to him. She shifted her gaze. “I can’t rest when you’re practically wearing a path in the floorboards.” Her attempt to sound casual fell flat, betrayed by the tremor in her words.

“Did something happen out there in the woods?” she asked, trying to catch his gaze, but he stepped back and turned away.

“No,” he replied, his voice rough.

Ava opened her mouth to argue, but pain suddenly lanced through her temples. She gripped the window frame as dizziness swept over her, the world titling sideways. Behind her closed eyes, images began to flash: Marble hallways stretching endlessly before her…The rustle of papers in her hands…The thunder of footsteps behind her, getting closer…

“Ava?” Thane’s voice cut through her vision, closer now. His hand hovered near her shoulders, not quite touching. “What’s wrong?”

She forced her eyes open, finding him mere inches away, concern breaking through his carefully maintained distance. “I remembered something,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I was running from someone. There were documents…” She searched his face, noting how he went completely still.. “Why would someone be chasing me, Thane?”

“What else do you remember?” he asked, softly.

Before she could answer, another memory crashed over her:

*A man’s voice, smooth as silk but dripping menace: “You can’t hide forever, little wolf…”*

Her eyes flew open, her heart hammering. “Little wolf?” she repeated, confusion etched across her features. “Why would someone call me that?”

Thane went completely still, his face draining of color. In that moment, a howl pierced the night - not the mournful cry of a lone wolf, but something more sinister. Something hunting.

“We need to leave,” Thane announced abruptly, moving to gather supplies. “Now.”

“What? Why?” Ava stood, her legs shaky. “Thane, what aren’t you telling me?”

He paused in his frantic packing, his green eyes meeting hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. “Because you’re not just running from someone, Ava. You’re running from something. And it’s found us.”

A crash echoed from outside, followed by multiple howls that seemed to surround the cabin. Ava’s newly remembered words echoed in her mind: *You can’t hide forever, little wolf…*

“Thane,” she whispered, terror creeping into her voice, “What am I?”

Before he could answer, the cabin’s windows exploded inward in a shower of glass and splintered wood. Through the broken panes, pairs of glowing eyes peered in - far too many to count, and definitely not belonging to ordinary wolves.

But what made Ava’s blood run cold wasn’t the sight of the creatures. It was the fact that deep inside, something within her wanted to howl back.

Just then the world exploded into chaos. Glass shards rained down as massive wolves crashed through the windows, their eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence. Thane moved with supernatural speed, shoving Ava behind him.

“Run” he commanded, his voice transforming into a growl that seemed barely human. Before Ava’s stunned eyes, Thane’s body began to change, muscles rippling and expanding beneath his clothes.

But Ava couldn’t move. Another memory slammed into her:

*“The first change is always the hardest,” a woman’s voice, gentle but firm. “Accept what you are, Ava. Fighting it only makes it worse…”*

The pain hit then - bone-deep and searing. Ava collapsed to her knees, her body burning from within. Through tear-blurred eyes, she watched as Thane completed his transformation, becoming the massive wolf she’d seen in the woods. He stood between her and the intruders, his black fur bristling, fangs bared in challenge.

Kane’s wolf form sauntered through the broken window, larger than the others. His amber eyes fixed on Ava with knowing amusement. When he spoke, his thoughts somehow projected into her mind:

*“So, brother, you didn’t tell her? How deliciously cruel of you.”*

Thane’s answering growl shook the cabin’s foundations. But before either brother could move, Ava screamed. Her bones were shifting, realigning themselves in ways that should have been impossible. The change was taking her, ready or not.

“No,” she gasped, fighting the transformation. “This isn’t… I can’t be…”

*“Oh, but you are,”* Kane’s mental voice purred. *“You’re not just any wolf, dear Ava. You’re an Alpha’s daughter. The reason why Thane was banished.”*

Fresh memories cascaded through Ava’s mind: her father’s compound, the secret documents she’d stolen, the truth about why Thane was really banished. The conspiracy that went deeper than pack politics.

*“That’s right,”* Kane continued, circling closer towards her. *”Remember who you are. Remember why you ran. Remember what your father plans to do with the other packs…”*

Thane lunged at his brother, jaw snapping. The other wolves surged forward, but froze at a commanding howl from outside. A howl that made Ava’s blood run cold.

Through the broken window, a massive white wolf appeared, his presence commanding absolute authority. Despite his obvious age and weakness, power radiated from him in waves.

Ava’s heart stopped. She knew that wolf.

“Father,” she whispered, just as the change finally took her.

Her last human thought was a desperate realization: She hadn’t fallen from that cliff.

She’d jumped.

And now she remembered why.