CHAPTER2
1031 Words
The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls of the cabin. Kaia sat hunched on a dusty couch, her fingers twisting the hem of her hoodie as she stared into the flames.
Jace hadn’t spoken in nearly ten minutes. He just stood by the window, staring into the woods like he expected something—or someone—to come crashing through at any second.
“I don’t understand,” she finally said, her voice breaking the heavy silence. “If I’m some kind of… Alpha, why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t my parents prepare me?”
Jace didn’t turn around. “They tried.”
Kaia’s heart skipped. “You knew them?”
“I knew of them,” he said. “Your mother, Elena Rivers—she was the strongest of the Silver Wolves. And your father, Dorian, he wasn’t one of us, but he was brave. Loyal. He died protecting your bloodline.”
Kaia’s throat tightened. No one had ever told her much about her parents. Just that there was a fire. Just that no bodies were ever recovered. The officials had chalked it up to a gas leak. A tragic accident.
Now this stranger was telling her it was murder.
“Who killed them?” she whispered.
Jace finally looked at her, eyes sharp and cold. “The Blackfangs.”
The name hit like a gunshot.
“They were one of the first rogue packs,” he said. “Rebels who broke away from the Council and started hunting down Alpha bloodlines. They believe power should belong to the strongest—no rules, no unity, just dominance and destruction. Your family stood in their way.”
Kaia’s pulse thundered in her ears. “So they killed them. And now they’re coming for me.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t they just finish me off back then? I was just a kid.”
“Because of the prophecy,” Jace said quietly.
Kaia’s brows furrowed. “What prophecy?”
He walked over and sat across from her, his eyes locked on hers. “There’s a legend passed down among the packs. That one day, when the bloodlines are nearly extinct, a Silver Wolf will return—marked by moonlight and born of fire. She’ll unite the scattered packs and either save the werewolf race… or destroy it completely.”
Kaia felt cold all over. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not a savior. I’m just some girl who barely passes math class and lives in a foster home with a woman who wishes I didn’t exist.”
“You’re more than you know,” Jace said. “Your power is already waking up. That’s why you’re healing. Why the wolf backed off when it saw your mark.”
Kaia pressed her fingers to the silver crescent on her wrist.
“It glows,” she murmured. “Only when I’m… scared. Or angry.”
“That’s your power responding to threat. But the more you resist it, the more unstable it gets. You need to learn how to control it, or it’ll consume you.”
She leaned back, her thoughts racing.
How was she supposed to lead anyone, let alone a race of supernatural warriors? She couldn’t even lead herself out of detention half the time. And now she was expected to fight off a deadly pack of rogues and fulfill a prophecy?
“I didn’t ask for this,” she said.
“No one ever does,” Jace replied. “But you’re not alone in this. I was sent to protect you. To help you find your place.”
Kaia eyed him. “By who?”
He hesitated. “The Shadowguard.”
She frowned. “What is that?”
“A hidden faction loyal to the Silver line. We’ve waited years for your return. Trained in secret. Watching the packs, keeping the last hope alive.”
“And you’re one of them.”
He nodded. “I swore an oath to your mother before she died. I told her I’d find you. That I’d keep you safe.”
Kaia’s heart squeezed.
There was something in Jace’s voice—something real. Like he wasn’t just doing this out of duty. Like it mattered to him. Personally.
Suddenly, the air in the room shifted.
Kaia sat up straighter.
“You feel that?” she whispered.
Jace stood quickly, his eyes narrowing. “Get back.”
A shadow passed the window.
Then a thump.
Another.
Suddenly, the door burst inward, splinters flying. A massive black wolf lunged through, snarling, eyes burning like molten gold.
Jace moved fast.
He shifted mid-leap, bones snapping, skin tearing as fur exploded from his body. One second, he was human. The next, he was a sleek silver-gray wolf, larger than any normal animal, muscles rippling beneath his pelt.
Kaia backed up, heart racing.
The two wolves collided in the middle of the room, claws slashing, teeth snapping. Furniture shattered around them as they fought, snarling and growling, blood splattering the walls.
The black wolf was stronger.
It slammed Jace into the wall, biting deep into his shoulder.
“Jace!” Kaia screamed.
Instinct took over.
Her vision blurred, and suddenly the mark on her wrist flared so bright it lit up the whole room. A blast of silver light shot out, slamming into the black wolf and sending it crashing through the far wall and into the trees outside.
Silence.
Jace shifted back, groaning as he staggered to his knees, blood dripping down his chest.
Kaia rushed to him. “You’re hurt.”
“I’ll heal,” he panted. “You did that. Your power.”
Kaia looked at her hand. It was still glowing faintly.
She had no idea how she did it.
Jace pushed himself to his feet. “We need to go. That thing will be back. And it won’t be alone next time.”
“Where do we go?” she asked.
“Someplace safe. A place where you can learn what you are. What you’re capable of.”
“And after that?”
He looked her dead in the eyes. “Then we start a war.”
- Writer
