Chapter 6

Chapter 6 — Kane's POV

My arms wrapped around her small frame, tugging her easily off the ground. She struggled hard against me, a growl small in her throat.

“And where do you think you're going?” I growled-low and rumbling-against her ear.

She was wrestling in my arms like some feral animal, all snarls and claws. It was cute, but why was she trying to run away?

Instantly, Zane was beside me, his eyes wide with alarm as he took in the vision of our little mate half-shifted. “What the—” he began, but I cut him off with a look.

We didn't need words, Zane and I. But a look was sometimes enough to say so much. And today that look said, “What the fuck?”

“Easy, little one,” I crooned. I tried to speak soft and soothing. “We're not going to hurt you.”

Her struggles slowly subsided, and the fight went out of her, leaving her whole body trembling. It made something ache in my chest, a feeling I wasn't used to.

I turned back to Zane, his eyes reflecting my own confusion. This wasn't how finding your mate was supposed to go. They were supposed to be happy, relieved, excited, not whatever this is.

I let out a sigh and readjusted my hold on Aria, gathering her into my arms. She felt so small, so fragile against my chest. It stirred something protective in me, something I'd thought long buried.

“Come on,” I told him, already turning back toward the pack house. “Let's get her inside.”

Zane stepped beside me, his hand hovering near Aria as if he couldn't quite bring himself to touch her but couldn't bear to be too far away either. I got it. I felt the same pull, the same desperate need to be close to her.

Which was inconvenient, considering Zane and I had sworn never to take a mate.

We walked back to the infirmary in silence. All I could hear was the rough rise and fall of Aria's breathing and the steady thud of my footsteps. Once inside, I set her gently onto the bed, trying to overlook how she looked against the white sheets: small.

The next moment, Dr. Cassia burst into the room, her sharp eyes scanning the scene. “What has happened?” she demanded, already moving to Aria's side.

I stepped back, giving her room to work. “She tried to run away,” I explained, my voice worse than I'd intended. “But I caught her before she could get far.”

Cassia's hands flew across Aria, checking for new injuries. After a moment, she rose onto her haunches with a sigh. “She reopened some of her wounds,” she said. “Nothing too serious, but she needs rest. And no more escape attempts,” she added, shooting a pointed look at Aria.

I nodded and let relief wash over me; she was okay, she was safe.

I approached the bed as cautiously as Cassia had left the room, as if Aria was some skittish animal that might bolt at any sudden movement. “Why did you run?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low and even.

Aria’s eyes darted between Zane and me, wide and frightened. It put my wolf on edge, angry at whatever had placed that fear there. Mates weren't supposed to be afraid of each other. They were supposed to be a safe haven, a comfort.

But we'd never wanted a mate, had we? The irony wasn't lost on me.

Zane stepped forward, for once, his impulsive nature curbed with concern. “We're your mates, Aria,” he said, his voice soft. “We would never harm you.”

I watched as Aria flinched at the word 'mates', filing that reaction away for later.

Aria was silent for a long moment, staring at her hands as they twisted into the sheets. When she finally spoke, it came in a mere whisper: “You'll reject me too. Everyone does.”

The words hit me with the weight of a physical blow. Beside me, I heard Zane's sharp intake of breath. We exchanged a look, and I knew we were thinking the same thing: whoever had hurt our mate was going to pay.

I opened my mouth, ready to reassure her, to promise her that we'd never reject her, that she was ours now, and we protected what was ours. But before I could get the words out, Zane suddenly stiffened beside me.

I felt it a split second later: an unknown presence within our territory, firing off all my Alpha instincts.

“We have an intruder,” Zane growled, flashing angry eyes.

Well, damn. This couldn't be more complicated if it tried.

I looked back to Aria, and confusion mixed with fear swirled in her eyes. “Stay here,” I ordered-my Alpha voice slipping out without conscious thought. “We'll be back soon.”

As Zane and I were heading out the door, I could not help but glance back at Aria. She looked so lost, so alone in that big bed. It made me want to turn around, to go back and wrap her in my arms until that look disappeared from her eyes.

But I couldn't. We had a pack to protect, and an intruder to deal with. Besides, I reminded myself, we'd sworn never to take a mate. This… Whatever this was with Aria will complicate things.

Zane caught my arm out in the hall, his grip tight enough to bruise if I were anyone else. “What the fuck are we going to do?” he hissed, eyes wild with a mix of emotions that were hard to define.

I shook my head, wordless. “I don't know,” I admitted. Not something that came from my mouth often, but it was the truth this time around, I truly had no fucking clue what we were going to do.

We built walls around our hearts for years, promising ourselves that we would never let anyone close enough to hurt us again. Not after what went down with Selene. Not after we lost everything.

And yet, in one day, it all started to come crashing down around us because of one small, frightened girl that our wolves insisted was our mate.

“We can't just-” Zane began, but I cut him off. My voice was firm as I spoke, “We will attend to that later, for now, there's an intruder to take care of.”

Zane nodded, the line of his jaw hard. I knew he felt the same churning I did—the need to protect at war with the fear of getting hurt once more.

As we exited the pack house, I removed Aria from my mind. I needed to focus, be the Alpha my pack needs me to be. But even as we emerged into the cool night air, her scent lingered in my nostrils, a constant reminder of the choice that lay ahead of us.

Accept her and risk everything, or turn her down and lose her forever. Neither sat well with me. We began to run as we neared the perimeter of our territory, the wolves chafing at their leashes.

The stranger's scent was stronger now-male, wolf, and yet familiar in some way that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

“You smell that?” he asked, his voice taut with tension. I nodded.

Smells like — Before I could finish the thought, a figure burst through the trees in front of us: tall, muscular, with wild eyes.

Immediately, I recognized him, and my blood ran cold. Jaxon Blackthorn. Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack.

“What the fuck is he doing here?”