Chapter 4

Chapter 4 — Kane's POV.

The scent was like a gut punch. Unfamiliar. Intriguing. Not quite human, nor wolf either. My twin brother Zane's ears perked up the same instant mine did, and our eyes met in silent communication.

“You smell that?” I growled low.

Zane nodded, amber eyes shining bright with curiosity. “Let's go.”

We moved through the forest with practiced stealth, our huge wolf forms melting into the shadows. As Alphas of the Nightfire Pack, it was our job to check out any possible threats to our territory. But this was different.

The scent grew stronger the closer we came to a small clearing. It was then that I saw her.

Huddled in the bushes was the most fantastical creature I had ever seen. Part human, part wolf. Her body was slicked down in black fur, yet her form was caught somewhere between shapes. My heart jumped when our eyes met because they went wild with terror and were impossibly beautiful.

I nodded to Zane, and we moved out into the open. The wolf snarled, flashing teeth in an awkward, cuter-than-dangerous, or threatening manner.

“Who are you?” I said, not putting up with any crap, using my Alpha voice. “What brings you the Nightfire territory?”

She didn't say a word, only her eyes quivering as she took us in. I didn't blame her one bit. Zane and I cut an imposing figure. We were at least twice her size, our bodies honed by decades of training and fighting.

Zane circled her slowly, his nose twitching as he analyzed her scent. “She's hurt,” he muttered. “And exhausted.”

I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me and catch me off guard. What the hell? I didn't know this girl. Pushing that aside, I set my face to my best Alpha mask.

“I'm not going to ask again,” I growled, taking a step closer. “Who are you?”

The girl-wolf whimpered, shrinking back. Something in her eyes yanked at my heart, but I smothered the sensation. I was Kane Nightfire, Alpha of the most feared pack in the region. I didn't do soft.

Zane and I exchanged a look. In all our years patrolling these woods, we'd never encountered anything quite like her.

“Speak,” I barked, the weight of Alpha power in my voice.

And to my utter astonishment, the girl's body began to shift: black fur receding, limbs extending and in but a few moments, a naked human girl crouched before us, shivering in the cool night air.

I shrugged off my jacket automatically and held it out to her. Zane's eyebrow went up, and I carefully ignored it. She wrapped the jacket around herself, her eyes wide with what I now saw was pure terror.

“P-please,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “I…I didn't mean to trespass.”

“What's your name?” Zane repeated, his voice softer, it seemed, now that she was in human form.

“A-Aria,” she stammered. “Aria Ravenshadow.”

Ravenshadow. The name teased something in my brain.

“Where are you from, Aria?” I asked, attempting to make my tone neutral.

She hesitated, and a flicker of fear crossed her face. “I. I can't go back there. Please, don't make me go back.”

Zane and I exchanged another look. There was definitely more to this story.

“You're in Nightfire Pack territory now,” Zane said, an edge creeping into his voice. “We need answers.”

I felt a surge of weirdness overwhelm me, like I wanted to step between Zane and Aria, to shield her from his growing impatience. What the hell is wrong with me tonight?

“Look,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “We're not going to hurt you. But you need to tell us what's going on. Why were you in that? That half-shifted state? And why are you running?”

Aria's eyes darted back and forth between us as her lip began to quiver. “I… I had never shifted before tonight. I didn't even know if I could. But then. Then it just happened, and it hurt so much, and I couldn't complete the shift and-”

She broke off, gasping for air. I suppressed the urge to comfort her, clenching my fists at my sides.

“Never shifted?” Zane echoed, heavy with incredulity. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two,” Aria whispered.

I gulped a breath. Twenty-two and never shifted? Unheard of. Most wolves shifted for the first time during puberty. To make it this long.

“What pack are you from?” I asked, and a suspicion began to form in my mind.

Tears welled in Aria's eyes. “Shadowmoon,” she said, the word barely escaping her lips.

Shadowmoon. The name gave me chills. Jaxon Blackthorn's pack.

“Why didn't you shift before?” Zane demanded, his hackles rising.

Aria winced at his tone, and I found myself taking one step closer to her as if offering protection. From my brother. What the hell?

“I am. I'm an Omega, and I've been trying, but I couldn't” Aria said, tone saturated with shame. “The weakest of the pack. Jaxon said. He said I wasn't worthy of the wolf. That I'd bring”

Red clouded my vision. The urge to hunt down Jaxon Blackthorn and rip his throat out became almost overwhelming. I had heard the rumors about his cruelty but this.

“That's bullshit,” I growled, turning to face them-surprised by the zeal in my voice — “Being an Omega doesn't make you weak. It doesn't make you worthless. It's a vital role in any healthy pack.”

Aria's eyes went wide at the words, a spark of hope shining through her fear.

Zane was pacing now, clearly agitated. “We have to decide what we'll do with her,” he said warily, his eyes cutting over to me. “We can't just let her go. Not in this state.”

I nodded. Aria really wasn't in any kind of condition to be on her own, let alone deal with a brand-new shifting ability that was practically unstable.

“We'll take her to the pack house,” I said. “She can rest, recover, and we'll figure out what comes next afterwards”

Zane did raise an eyebrow but said nothing. Unlike me, taking in strays into our territory, there was just something about Aria. I couldn't just leave her out here.

I turned back to Aria, intending to explain the plan, but the words died in my throat. She stared at us, that look of awe and terror, astounding.

“You're… You're the Nightfire twins,” she whispered, “the most ruthless Alphas.”

I winced internally. So, our reputation preceded us. We'd worked hard for that image, to keep our pack safe through sheer intimidation. Now, seeing the fear in Aria's eyes, I found myself wishing for a different reputation.

“We are not going to hurt you,” I said, trying to soften my tone.

Aria's eyes darted between us, shock etched on her face. Then, instantly, that all changed. Her gaze went glassy and warm.

“Mates,” she whispered, and her eyes rolled back in her head and before either of us could move, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

“What did she just say?” Zane asked emotion raw in his tone.