Kane. I held Rune tightly in my arms, refusing to let go, even as we arrived in our bedroom. I sat at the edge of the bed in the dimly lit room, with her body on mine, just holding her close because I knew she needed the support, and because I just needed her close to me. I gently rocked her back and forth, none of us saying a thing, just sitting in silence with the multitudes of things we had to say to each other hovering above our heads.“Kane?” Rune broke the silence.“Hm?”“What if I miscarry this child?”My body stiffened at the question as I wasn’t expecting it. I imagined Rune would be having a hard time with Caden’s death, witnessing it firsthand even though I tried to cover the view, but I didn’t think it’d be bad to the extent she was having thoughts of our unborn child dying.“I told you to do away with those thoughts, did I not?”She said nothing until a few minutes had passed before she spoke up again, angling her face a little to my side.“Kane?” The poor lighting o
Kane.I slipped out of bed as silently as I could to not wake Rune, who was snoring lightly beside me. It had taken a lot of self-will to not jump right back after glancing down at her soft form and holding her tight for as long as she’d let me. I say that because I knew there was something she wanted to talk to me about, and while I knew what it was, I couldn’t quite give her an answer just yet.A sigh escaped my lips as I put on my shirt and headed out of the pack house. “Good morning, Alpha.” All the elders and Jett chorused.I returned their greetings, keeping my eyes away from Jett who looked less than pleased to be having a meeting this early instead of staying home with his wife. I couldn’t blame him because I was just the same. The good thing was, like me, Jett understood how important the meeting was and knew he couldn’t miss it for the world. “I’m quite surprised we’re having a meeting this early. The sun hasn’t risen yet,” Elder Martin cleared his throat and I nodded,
Rune. I took note of two things the second I opened my eyes to the sun slipping through the curtains into the room. The first was that Kane had woken up and he wasn’t in the room, and the second, I couldn’t deny my feelings for him anymore. I loved him dearly. The revelation, however, was not shocking to me because I had known of the giddiness I felt whenever he was close, and the longing when he was away, which I originally thought was an effect of our bond, but over time I realized it wasn’t. Yes, the bond was part of it, but it was mostly me.Now the only issue was that Kane didn’t love me, he didn’t even like me. He only cared for me and was attracted to me because of the bond we shared—which he could do nothing about. So I was in trouble. I pushed myself out of bed to the window, hoping I could get a glance of him if we were outside, to quench some of the longings that tugged my heart, but instead, I was met with a familiar-looking envelope, sitting on the window frame.My hea
Rune. In the time I spent waiting for Kane to return, I thought long and hard about what to say to him as it was a sensitive topic and I didn’t want to get him annoyed.But when he returned to our room nearly three hours later and shirtless, the sun was at its brightness, and the weather was so hot that everything I had planned to say escaped my mind, and I could only stare at him. I fanned my face with my hand to dry the beads of sweat on my face, and Kane had already sensed I had something to tell him, so he stared back at me with a raised brow.Just earlier, I came to terms with my feelings for him and defined that I was in love with him, which meant I couldn’t think of anything else but my love for him, even while knowing he didn’t feel the same for me.It wasn’t his fault, but I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of resentment towards him, that he couldn’t feel what I felt, or understood it in the least.“Is anything the matter?” He asked, his brow still raisedAt first, I shook
Rune. I was furious.My mind was blazing and my body was shaking as I ran outside the pack house, unable to breathe or think clearly.All I knew was that I had to get away. I had to escape Kane and his words ringing in my head. Why did it have to be the day I accepted my love for him that he stabbed me in my face with such harsh words? I wish I could say I hate him. I wish I hated him.The conversation had gone in the opposite direction of what I’d hoped. I expected him to tell me where my family was kept without any hitch because I didn’t think I was asking for too much, but I guess that was my mistake. I was so into my thoughts that I didn’t realize I’d reached the waterfall. It seems my body already knew it was the only place I could find comfort. With a sigh, I plopped down on my favorite tree, leaning my back on the large stem with my eyes closed. The soft breeze passed through my hair and body as if to rid me of the anger I felt, but I knew it would take more than just a few
Rune.My eyes fluttered open and for a few seconds, I could do nothing but stare at the ceiling in the unfamiliar room.“Rune?” I blinked at the voice, wondering if I heard it wrong. I snapped my eyes to the direction of the voice and I had to rub them to be sure I was seeing right.“Kane?” My voice was barely above a whisper.“Hey,” his lips stretched a little, with the worry lines that marred his forehead clearing a little. “I—” I started, but I couldn’t bring myself to say a thing. Kane was right beside me, sitting at the edge of the bed, cradling my left hand. How was he alive? How did he survive his heart being pulled out of his chest?I couldn’t believe he was here and not dead, with his lips pressed on the back of my hand. “Shh, you don’t have to say anything. Just rest.” He cooed, leaving small kisses on the back of my hand. “But—”“You need to rest, Rune.”With a small nod, I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting my body relax as I drifted back to sleep with o
Rune.There was something strange about the dream I had.This was much evident when even after a week, a single thought of it gave me chills, and every day since the first day, it was recurring. None of it felt like a dream; it felt too real, the emotions, the feel of the breeze against my face when I woke up, the sounds of crying and running, and the thick choking smell of smoke. Everything felt real, like a different reality from what I was used to, and by now I knew I needed help, but I couldn’t get any because our pack stayed priest-less, especially since Kane banned the elders from making decisions in the pack. As such, I’d spent the entire week mustering up the courage to go to Kane and ask for the priestess who saw my pregnancy. Call it trauma if you may, but after his response to my asking for my family, it became difficult for me to meet him for anything. I wasn’t sure how he’d respond, or if at all he’d respond when I asked for the priestess and I wasn’t in the mood to emb
Rune.“We’re finally growing!” Soph squealed, rubbing my bare stomach with a wide smile on her face. “I can’t even believe it.” Marian smiled lovingly at me. “I want to poke it.” Kimi declared, and everyone laughed. “You can’t poke her, Kimi!” Soph pursed her lips. “Technically she can. She’s still at a stage where it won’t be any problem.” Marian interjected, earning her a wide smile from Kimi and a frown from Soph. I laughed. “It took so long though, didn’t it?” Soph sighed.“I think it’s because she’s so thin.” Marian responded in the same tone, “No one will see you and believe you’ve been pregnant for over a month.” “I’m not that thin… and you’re only saying this because I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”“And I wonder why. I doubt it’s the pregnancy.”At Marian’s words, my head fell and my smile faltered a bit. I had tried my best to keep a jolly face, pretending everything was alright with me without any hitch, but the more I tried, the more difficult it seemed as
Rune. I stilled as I watched Kane fall to his knees, covered in his blood and others, and more flashes of my dream engulfed me.But things were supposed to be different. We changed our fate, he was supposed to save me and take me back with him to our territory, so why?I looked up to the sky, and the full moon stared back at me, but the more I stared at it, the more I felt as though it was coming to me. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain all over my body, and cracks as though my bones were breaking. “Zarah! What is happening?” I yelled out, but Zarah remained silent. I didn’t know what was happening until my claws began to lengthen, and white fur emerged from my skin, coating my entire body. “We are shifting,” Zarah finally said, “and I will end this!” She added and I watched as she lunged at Black, growling dangerously at him. “Rune!” He called out, but Zarah wasted no time in biting off one of his limbs, giving him no choice but to shift. We ran around the pack in search of my fathe
Rune. Black had arrived shortly after to show me to my room, claiming I’d have more time to talk with my father at dinner because he wanted me to rest since I was pregnant.I didn’t want to leave my father, but I was grateful for the solitude the room provided because I could finally think. I replayed everything my father said to me, picking out the most. My father was innocent, and he knew where my mother and sister were kept, which meant we had to be careful if we didn’t want to be caught. When my father said Black planned to kill him and force me to stay with him, I believed him instantly, because a person who could conceal his real identity to carry out various plans was dangerous and was capable of doing plenty of damage. Before we parted, my father had told me to find a way to contact Kane because he was the only one who could save us, but I doubted I had such skill. I had never initiated a mind link with Kane when we were in the same territory, talk more of doing so while
Rune. Black had suggested we visit my father, claiming that it would help me make a better decision; the decision to go to him. I was so confused, and numb that I couldn’t even cry or scream, instead, I sat stiffly on Black’s back, laying out my thoughts and thinking about what my next course of action would be. It was then I recalled my dream. My dream had some truths to it, like how I’d seen my father with Black, and some Elders, while the entire Shadow Moon pack was wiped away. “I know you’ve missed your father, so I knew this would warm your heart,” I heard Black say, but I was not bothered by him. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew I couldn’t do anything until I heard all the sides of the story, the most important side being my father’s.Black ran for a while and stopped at the border of territory nearly thirty minutes later. My brows knitted in confusion as I recalled that the nearest pack to Shadow Moon pack was Pearl Crest, and if I was right then that meant Bla
Rune. I woke to the gentle warmth of sunlight filtering through the small window of the cabin. Blinking away sleep, I stretched and sat up, realizing I was still in Black's cabin. The events of last night came rushing back to me—the unexpected reunion with Black, the cozy cabin, the little talk we had. However, when I noticed the sun shining brightly, I realized I had slept in and Black did not bother to wake me.Frowning, I slipped out of bed and padded to the door, intending to find Black and ask him to let me leave. To my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. A sense of unease settled in my chest as I searched the cabin, finding only silence and emptiness.Resigned, I located a pen and paper on a nearby table and hastily scribbled a note:Black,I appreciate your hospitality, if you’re reading this it means I’ve gone. I’ll see you some other time.Rune.I folded the note and placed it on the kitchen counter, intending to leave immediately. But as I approached the door, I realized
Kane. The night air was thick with tension as I returned to Shadow Moon Pack after my secret mission. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale silver glow over the familiar grounds that now felt haunted by the feeling that something was wrong, but I deduced that it was my finding that made me feel that way. My mind raced with the revelations from my short trip to Pearl Crest, where I found they were the ones behind the charms and wolfsbane plaguing my territory. On my way home, I had made plans of what I would do and how to go about ending that pack and everyone in it for good, but upon entering the pack house, I found Soph, Jett, and Kimi gathered in the living room, their expressions somber and troubled. My eyes swept over them, dread pooling in my stomach. “What is going on?” I demanded, my voice low and urgent.No one spoke for a tense moment, their silence deafening. "Where is Rune?" I repeated, my voice rising with each word.Jett shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze
Rune. “Black?”The cool evening air whispered through the dense trees as I stared at Black, my senses on high alert. Scanty rays of sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shadows on the forest floor. It was unusual to find anyone out here, let alone Black. He stood before me, tall and imposing, a smile in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"His smile widened, his eyes a mixture of relief and uncertainty. "I wanted to see you, Rune. I... I wasn't sure how, but then you appeared, as though the goddess herself guided you to me.""In Shadow Moon territory?" I raised an eyebrow, eyeing him warily.He nodded solemnly. "Yes. I had to see you."“What are you doing here though?” he asked, his eyes traveling up and down my body. I shifted uncomfortably in my tank top and black shorts. I ran out of the pack house without thinking and ended up leaving in such little clothing."I... I came out for some air," I stammered, feeling foolish.His gaze lingered on me, his expression unreada
Rune. A sigh escaped my lips when I no longer felt Kane’s presence in the pack; a dreadful feeling of emptiness settled in immediately, as though it was waiting for his departure. However, I had to wipe the sadness from my face when I headed downstairs nearly two hours later, taking note of the omega’s cleaning the pack house instead. Kane was away on a mission and I had a mission of my own; to track down the wolf sending those notes to me, and to make sure no one could tell Kane was gone.“Good morning,” An Omega greeted, making her way up the stairs.“Are you going up to clean my room?” I asked her, and she turned, long black hair swaying behind her before she nodded.“Don’t bother. Alpha is still sleeping,” I told her, pulling off the best nonchalant attitude I could muster so she wouldn’t suspect me, and thankfully she didn’t.Everything was going well, and no one came to ask if they could clean the room again, but it seemed our luck ran out when a group of elders came to seek K
Kane. “I hate to say it but her dreams bother me,” I said with a deep breath, “Especially when it shouldn’t,” I added, running my fingers through my hair.“Does it bother you because you think it could happen or because she’s the one who had those dreams?” Jett asked with a raised brow, and I frowned at him. We were lodged in his house, an hour after I had put my mate to bed. He had opted to drink, but I was more worried about the pack and Rune’s dream to indulge him, and now he was just trying to get on my nerves.“Are you crazy?” “Not quite,” he replied with a little laugh and I shook my head before I turned serious.“On a more serious note, I think I’ll have to visit the Fay soon, to hear more about this dream my mate had. I think we’re missing something very important here,” A sigh escaped my lips at the same time Jett nodded, taking a sip out of his alcohol right after.“If you’re making plans to see her, then that means you accept her? I thought you’d turn to your precious pri
Rune. “Talk to me,” Kane inched closer, staring intently at me. “I don’t know how accurate I am, or if this will mean anything to you, but I had a bad dream that the pack was set on fire, and a lot of wolves died.”My words were met with silence and Kane’s head hung low.“Did you hear me?” I tilted my head to search his face. “Fire you say?”I nodded. “I’m sure Soph has told you about the charms we found in the pack?” I nodded, patiently waiting for him to explain to me the relationship between the two things. “I’m forced to believe there’s a new pack targeting us, and they work closely with witches.”The seriousness of his words settled in and I found myself sitting up straight, my hands in his.“But what do you believe?”“I believe Pearlcrest is behind it. I mean it makes no sense that it’s a new pack because all the leads are somehow connected to Pearlcrest but yet, I’m being told something entirely different.”“Soph told me they are the ones with sightings of more charms?”H