There’s a rumor going around the pack – that Kaelan Blackwood, the Alpha’s son, is the strongest wolf in the clan.
And now, he’s standing outside my cabin door, breathless, bloodied, and half-shifted.
“What in the name of the full moon are you doing here?!” I exclaim, my heart skipping a beat.
“Move!” he growls, the command in his voice carrying the weight of Alpha blood. “Hurry!”
I barely have time to react before he barrels into my cabin, muscles tense, claws half-extended, his eyes glowing gold in the dim light. His shirt is shredded, skin scratched and bruised. Before I can even ask what’s going on, he dives under my bed, his broad shoulders barely fitting beneath.
“Don’t say anything. Just…don’t let her find me here,” he mutters, his voice low and urgent.
“Let who scent you?” I whisper back, still in shock.
As if on cue, a low growl echoes from outside, calling his name with an edge that’s pure challenge. Kaelan’s desperate eyes, wild with barely-contained power, peek out from under my bed, and I notice smudges of crimson lipstick around his mouth.
“Please! I’m begging you,” he says, looking at me with that pleading, primal gaze.
I roll my eyes. The nerve! We’ve barely exchanged words outside of pack duties, and now he’s hiding out in my room? He doesn’t even know my name!
“Raina. My name is Raina,” I say, emphasizing my name.
“Right. Please, Raina. She’s gone feral!” he says, his voice frantic.
“She’s gone feral?” I hiss. “You’re the one hiding under my bed!”
He groans. “I’ll explain later. Just get rid of her, and I owe you one.”
I hesitate, my mind racing. Kaelan isn’t just the Alpha’s son – he’s close friends with Dax, the Beta I’ve been crushing on for ages. This could be a golden opportunity, a chance to make my own name in the pack…
“Alright, fine – but tuck in your tail!” I whisper, trying to hide my smirk.
“Thank you!” he mouths, vanishing further beneath the bed just as the door creaks open and Taryn Stormfang steps in, her eyes wild and furious, her scent carrying the sharpness of threat. Her lips are painted in the same deep red I’d seen smudged around Kaelan’s mouth.
“Where is he?” she demands, her voice low, layered with the dominance of a high-bloodline wolf.
“Who?” I ask, blinking with feigned innocence, trying to keep my own scent calm.
“Kaelan Blackwood. He’s been avoiding me, but I know he’s close,” she says, her eyes narrowing as she takes a step closer.
I tap my chin, pretending to think. “Kaelan? I’m not sure who you’re talking about.”
Taryn’s nostrils flare, and I catch her sniffing the air, her wolf instincts sharp. Just then, I hear the faintest growl from under the bed, like a stifled laugh. I quickly shift to block her view.
“Look, you’ve got lipstick all over your chin,” I say, smirking. “Maybe worry about that before you hunt down some poor guy.”
Her hand flies to her mouth, and after one last glare, she storms out into the night. As soon as the door clicks shut, I let out a long, relieved breath. But before I can even process what just happened, Kaelan crawls out from under the bed, a wide grin on his face.
He’s holding up one of my worn-out training cloaks. “Really, Raina? This old thing? How long have you had it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
My face flushes as I grab it out of his hands. “What’s it to you? Now cover yourself before you track blood all over my floor!” I snap, throwing him a blanket.
With a smirk, Kaelan wraps himself in the blanket, still carrying that maddeningly cocky expression. “Anyway, thanks for getting rid of her. She’s, uh…complicated.”
“Complicated?” I scoff, feeling my wolf’s irritation rising. “What, did she ask for something terrifying, like loyalty?”
The smirk fades, and he glances away, looking almost…guilty. “She’s the ex-mate of one of my patrol buddies. But she’s…not letting go easily.”
A pang of guilt hits me for assuming the worst, but before I can apologize, he flashes that boyish smile again, the one that makes it annoyingly hard to stay mad at him.
“So…I said I owe you one. What do you need?” he asks, folding his arms, his stance pure Alpha.
My heart stutters. Maybe he could help me get Dax’s attention. “Well…as you know, there’s the clan’s full moon bonfire tonight,” I begin, feeling a bit shy.
“Yeah, so?” he says, raising an eyebrow as he glances at my old cloak hanging by the door. “And please tell me you’re not wearing that.”
“Excuse me?!” I snap, crossing my arms, feeling the protective spark of my wolf rising.
“Sorry, sorry. Go on,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender, but there’s still a spark of amusement in his eyes.
I take a deep breath, swallowing my pride. “This is my last chance to get the attention of someone I…well, someone I’ve admired for a long time.”
“So you want my help to…?” he trails off, looking curious.
I hesitate but finally say it. “Put in a good word for me. You guys are in the same patrol.”
His brow furrows, and a look of realization dawns on his face. “You’re talking about Dax, aren’t you?” He lets out a laugh, glancing down at my cloak again. “And you’re wearing that?”
Heat floods my cheeks, and I cross my arms defensively, trying to keep my voice steady. “Forget it. Just get out.”
I turn away, trying to hide the hurt in my voice. But Kaelan steps closer, his tone softening, the dominance in his voice gentling. “Look, I’m an idiot. Sometimes I just say things without thinking. That cloak…it doesn’t really bring out your…strengths, that’s all.”
I glance at the cloak, sighing. My mom said something similar last week. Maybe he has a point.
“Tell you what,” he says, his gaze meeting mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat. “Let me help you. You want Dax’s attention? I’ll make sure he notices you tonight.”
My heart races. Is he actually serious? “You’d really do that?” I ask, feeling a flutter of excitement mixed with doubt.
“Of course,” he says, giving me a confident smile that’s all Alpha confidence. “But first…you’re coming to the bonfire with me.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his supreme confidence. “And what’s the second part of your plan?” I ask, my voice laced with skepticism.
“Second, we’re gonna need to fix up that wardrobe of yours. You need to look like a she-wolf who commands respect,” he replies, his gaze drifting back to my cloak with a teasing smirk.
Before I know it, he’s leading me out of my cabin and up the winding path to his den. He opens his closet, pulling out a box filled with…women’s clothing?
“Where did you get these?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I call it my ‘one-night-stand’ box. Now, pick one,” he says, grinning.
And just like that, my night went from ordinary to utterly insane. The Alpha’s son, helping me win over my crush? I don’t know what’s crazier…that I’m trusting him, or that I might actually enjoy it.
