The Silver Wolf Series

Chapter Seven: Siobhan

The name hung between them like a curse.

"Siobhan," Fiona repeated slowly. "She's seventeen. Her eighteenth birthday is—"

"In two weeks." Kieran's face was gray, Cian's dread palpable. "I know."

"Does she—could she—"

"I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture weary. "Silver wolves are

unpredictable. You have the gift. Siobhan might not. Or she might. There's no way to know until she shifts. Or doesn't."

Fiona thought of her sister, shallow and vain and obsessed with social media and boys.

Thought of Siobhan facing what she'd just faced, being hunted, being targeted. The idea

was unbearable.

"We have to protect her," she said.

"We will." Kieran's voice was firm now, Alpha-strong, and Cian's determination

reinforced every word. "But first, we have to protect you. No one can know about this,

Fiona. Not yet. Not until we figure out what to do."

"Ennis already suspects something. He saw the shadows."

"I'll handle Ennis. I'll tell him it was a territorial predator, something rare but explainable.

He'll accept that." Kieran moved closer, his eyes intense, Cian's protective instinct

radiating from him. "But you need to be careful. No shifting unless absolutely necessary.

No using your gifts where anyone can see. The hunters have informants everywhere—

in packs, in human cities, even in other supernatural communities. If word gets out that

a silver wolf has appeared in the Moon River Pack..."

"They'll come for me," Fiona finished. "Like they came for Mom."

"Yes." The word was heavy with dread—both man and wolf remembering what the

hunters had done to Elara. "And this time, I won't let them take you. I won't let them hurt

you. But that means you have to be smart, Fiona. You have to be careful."

Fiona looked at her father—really looked at him—and saw the weight he'd been carrying

for years. The guilt. The fear. The desperate need to keep his children safe from a threat

they didn't even know existed. And beneath it all, Cian's unhealed grief, the wound that

would never close.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "For barging in here, for demanding answers. I was scared

and angry and—"

"You had every right to be." Kieran pulled her into a hug, and Cian surged forward with

fierce protectiveness—this was Elara's daughter, their pup, and they would die

before letting the hunters take her too. Fiona let herself lean into him, let herself be held

like she was five years old again. "I should have told you sooner. Should have prepared

you. But I was so afraid of losing you the way I lost her."

They stood like that for a long moment, father and daughter, both carrying secrets that

could destroy them. Cian pressed close, his presence a shield around them both—

Alpha wolf protecting his pack, his family, his daughter.

Finally, Kieran pulled back, his hands on her shoulders. "We'll figure this out," he said.

"Together. But for now, you need to go shower, change, and act like nothing happened.

Can you do that?” Fiona nodded, even though the idea of pretending to be normal felt impossible. "What

about dinner? The family dinner?"

"We'll have it. We'll sit at the table and eat and talk about mundane things, and you'll

watch Siobhan be ridiculous about her social media, and everything will be fine." His

eyes were fierce, Cian's determination burning through them. "Because that's what we

do, Fiona. We protect our family by giving them normalcy. By letting them live without

fear."

"Even if it's a lie?"

"Especially if it's a lie." Kieran's smile was sad. "Sometimes lies are the kindest gift we

can give."

Fiona picked up the photograph from the floor, studying her mother's face one more

time. Elara—blessed by the moon goddess. Hunted. Killed. But not broken. Never

broken.

"I won't let them take me," Fiona said softly, and Sinead's agreement was fierce in her

mind. "If they come, I'll fight. I'll use every gift the moon goddess gave me, and I'll make

them regret ever hunting our family."

Cian's approval surged through Kieran—Alpha wolf recognizing the warrior spirit in his

daughter, the same fierce determination that had burned in Elara. Strong, Cian

acknowledged with pride. Like her mother. Like Mate. Will fight. Will survive.

"I know you will." Kieran took the photograph and tucked it back into his desk drawer.

"You're your mother's daughter. Strong. Brave. Extraordinary." He paused. "But Fiona?

Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't take unnecessary risks."

"I promise."

It was a lie. They both knew it. But as Kieran said—sometimes lies were the kindest

gift.

Fiona left the study and headed to her room, her mind spinning with everything she'd

learned. Silver wolves. Moon goddess blessings. Hunters who wanted to use her as a

breeding tool. A mother she barely remembered who'd died to protect her.

And in two weeks, Siobhan would shift. Or she wouldn't. And they'd know if the curse—

the gift—had been passed down once again.

Fiona stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the river water, the

blood, the evidence of what she'd done. She caught her reflection in the steamed mirror

—red hair like Elara's, green eyes like her mother's, the same determined set to her jaw.

And somewhere deep inside, Sinead stirred—silver wolf blessed by the moon goddess,

connected to Elara's she-wolf through bloodline and destiny. The same power. The

same gift. The same curse. In his study, Cian pressed close to Kieran's consciousness, watching through his eyes

as their daughter walked away. Elara's daughter, the wolf acknowledged with fierce

pride and aching grief. Our daughter. Will protect her. Won't fail again.

But the water couldn't wash away the truth.

She was a silver wolf. Blessed and cursed in equal measure.

And the hunters were out there, waiting.

But so was she.