Chapter 2: You're Safe Now
Aurora's POV
Three days pass before the intelligence report lands on my desk, and the contents make my stomach knot.
A young scout stands across from me, shifting his weight nervously. "Alpha, we found more tracks near the old Council ruins. Fresh ones." He hesitates. "And blood. Still wet when we got there."
The old Council ruins sit in the heart of neutral territory. No pack can station troops there or start fights. If someone's bleeding there, it's bad news.
I'm already on my feet. "I'm going to check it out myself."
Winston steps forward immediately, his expression hardening. "Not alone. Take a full patrol unit."
"That'll draw attention." I shake my head, already mentally preparing. "Just me and two warriors. Quick in, quick out."
"Alpha, please..."
"That's an order, Beta Winston."
He gives in eventually, but the disapproval is written all over his face. The worry lines around his eyes deepen as he watches me gear up.
I should have listened to him.
The ruins materialize through the trees—stone walls covered in moss and creeping vines, remnants of a time when all the packs gathered here in peace. Now it's just history rotting away.
I lead my two warriors through the crumbling archway, every sense on high alert. Blood hangs thick in the air, mixed with another scent that makes Ember stir uneasily in the back of my mind.
"Stay sharp," I whisper.
The attack comes before I finish the sentence.
Seven, maybe eight wolves explode from the shadows, moving with vicious speed. I shift instantly. My black wolf tears through the first attacker's throat before he knows what hit him. The second one lunges and I dodge, feeling his claws whistle past my ear.
My warriors are fighting hard, but we're outnumbered. And these wolves fight wrong, all wrong. Not like trained pack members. More like feral animals, desperate and mean.
A huge gray wolf barrels toward me. I meet him head-on and we collide midair, a tangle of fur and teeth and rage. We hit the ground hard. My jaws find his shoulder, sinking deep. His claws rake across my ribs, tearing. Pain explodes through my side but I don't let go.
Can't stop. Can't lose.
I throw him off and reset, ready for the next round. Then another wolf slams into my head from the side.
The world tilts. Everything blurs. I'm on the ground and I don't remember falling. Through the haze, I see a net drop from above.
The metal mesh lands on me and every nerve ending screams. It's woven through with silver thread. The burn is instant, searing, like being roasted alive. I try to shift back to human form but the silver makes everything slow and clumsy.
A figure approaches. He shifts back to human—scarred face, middle-aged, eyes full of venom.
"Aurora Thorne." His voice is rough gravel. "Little Alpha of Nighthollow. What a lucky catch."
I try to respond but all that comes out is a low, threatening growl.
He crouches down, pulling out a silver blade that gleams in the filtered light. "Boss was right. Grab an Alpha, control the whole pack."
The blade rises. I see my reflection in the steel.
Is this how it ends? Dying in neutral territory, killed by rogues nobody even knows?
A gray blur slams into him from the side.
A massive silver-gray wolf—bigger than any I've ever seen—locks his jaws around the scarred man's arm. The man screams, hits the ground. The blade clatters away.
More wolves pour in. Ironridge scent floods my senses.
The fight explodes into chaos. I'm trapped under the net, helpless, forced to watch as the rogues scatter under the Ironridge assault. The scarred man manages to break free, but before he runs, he looks right at me. Memorizing my face.
Then the giant silver wolf is beside me.
He hooks the net carefully with his claws, gentle despite his size, peeling it away from my burned skin. When I can finally move, I shift back to human form and collapse. The silver poisoning makes everything weak and distant. My head throbs where I got hit. Vision going fuzzy at the edges.
Through the blur, I see the gray wolf shift.
Kieran Valens. Why is he here? Why would he save me? Questions pile up in my mind but I can't voice any of them.
He kneels beside me, draping fabric over my exposed body. His expression is complicated, worried in a way that doesn't make sense.
He says my name but the words don't reach me.
Then darkness.
When I wake up, pain hits first.
My head feels like it's splitting open. Every joint in my body is protesting. I open my eyes slowly, taking in an unfamiliar ceiling. Dark wooden beams, clean lines, simple design.
I try to sit up but vertigo slams into me and I fall back against the pillow. The door opens and a tall figure walks in.
The moment I see him, my breath catches.
Not from fear. From warmth that spreads through my chest, instant and overwhelming. Like I've been cold for years and suddenly remembered what heat feels like.
He has deep gray eyes, a strong jawline, dark hair that's slightly messy. When he looks at me, those eyes flash with worry and relief, and underneath that, an ache I can't name.
"You're awake." His voice is low, smooth. "How do you feel?"
I open my mouth to answer but my throat is desert-dry. He pours water immediately, helps me sit up to drink. His hands are warm and steady.
"Who are you?" My voice comes out raspy.
He freezes. That expression on his face makes my chest twist. I don't want to see him look hurt, though I can't explain why.
"My name's Kieran." He speaks slowly, carefully. "You don't remember me?"
"Kieran." I repeat it, feeling how familiar it sounds on my tongue, but I can't place where I've heard it before. "Should I?"
Another woman enters, wearing a white coat. Must be a doctor.
"Alpha Kieran, let me examine her." She begins checking my pupils, inspecting the wound on my head.
Kieran stands to the side, hands in his pockets, but I notice his gaze never leaves me.
"Short-term memory loss," the doctor finally announces. "Head trauma. The memories might return gradually, or it could take time." She glances at Kieran. "Also, her wolf is dormant. That'll affect her instinctive responses and healing speed."
My wolf? I reach inward, trying to call out, but there's only emptiness.
Panic starts rising, cold and sharp.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." Kieran's hand closes around mine suddenly. "You're going to be fine. Your wolf just needs rest."
His touch acts like a switch, shutting down the panic. I stare at our joined hands. This feels right. Complete.
"Are you..." I hesitate. "Are you my Alpha?"
His expression shifts, grows more complicated. He doesn't answer right away, just tightens his grip slightly on my hand.
"You're safe now," he finally says. "Rest. We'll talk about everything else later."
I don't know why, but I believe him.
Maybe it's the warmth of his palm. Maybe it's how when he looks at me, I feel like the whole world is being gentle.
I close my eyes, letting exhaustion pull me under.
Before I drift off completely, I hear the doctor and Kieran speaking in low voices.
"She was attacked by rogues in the neutral zone," Kieran says. "My patrol happened to be passing through."
"She's lucky," the doctor replies. "Those wounds, if you'd arrived any later..."
"I know."
His voice carries weight I don't understand yet.
But I'm fading fast, can't think about it anymore.
I only know one thing. This man named Kieran saved my life.
And when he's near me, I feel whole.
Isn't that what having a mate feels like?
