Ronan's POV
Sleep didn't come easily last night.
Not when my wolf was restless, pacing inside me, growling in frustration. He wanted to be near her. He wanted to protect her. And no matter how much I tried to shove him down, to fight the pull, I found myself outside before the sun had even fully risen.
Watching.
Waiting.
Her house stood quiet, the sky still dusted with the last traces of night. A single light flickered on from inside, and a moment later, I caught the faint sound of movement.
She was awake.
My wolf let out a satisfied rumble, but I ignored him, staying in the shadows as I waited. The front door finally opened, and Raine stepped out, shoulders tense, moving cautiously. She kept her head down, her eyes scanning the street as if she expected something to jump out at her.
She should be afraid.
Something had been out there last night. And if I hadn't been so—stupid, I could've—
I clenched my fists, pushing the thought away.
Instead, I stayed out of sight, my steps silent as I followed her from a distance. She wouldn't know I was there—she shouldn't know—but if anything tried to get to her, I'd tear it apart before it even got the chance.
She walked quickly, her hands gripping the strap of her bag like a lifeline. She was anxious, I could tell. Her heartbeat was steady but fast, her breaths slightly uneven.
But even though I knew she felt like she was being watched, she didn't act scared.
No.
She felt… safe.
With me.
A strange feeling settled in my chest at the thought, one I didn't want to acknowledge.
She stopped abruptly, her head turning slightly as if she was about to look over her shoulder. I ducked behind the side of a building just in time.
My wolf let out an amused huff. She senses us.
I ignored him.
After a few seconds, she kept walking, shaking her head as if trying to convince herself she was imagining things.
I stayed close, my eyes constantly scanning the area around her. No threats. No sign of anything lurking in the shadows like last night.
Still, I didn't relax until I saw her step onto school grounds.
Only then did I stop.
Only then did I let myself breathe.
But instead of walking away, I lingered, watching as she hesitated before heading toward the entrance.
And no matter how much I fought it, how much I tried to stay away…
She was mine.
The scent of her still lingered in the air.
Even after she disappeared into the school, I could still smell her—something soft but wild, like rain-soaked earth and the faintest hint of vanilla. My wolf rumbled in pleasure, breathing it in like he could live off it.
She smells good, he murmured, his voice thick with longing. Ours.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the heat that curled in my gut. She's not ours. Not yet.
But my wolf didn't care about reason. He didn't care about the past, about everything that had been done. All he cared about was her.
I forced myself to leave before I did something reckless—like go back inside the school and drag her away where no one else could look at her, where no one else could even breathe near her.
By the time I reached the packhouse, my father's office door was already open, his voice a low growl as he spoke with the higher-ranked warriors. I entered without knocking, earning a sharp glance from him.
"You're late." His tone was cold, but his eyes held something sharper. He'd noticed my absence this morning.
I didn't respond. I just leaned against the wall, arms crossed as I listened.
"We found tracks leading toward the eastern border," one of the enforcers was saying. "Not ours."
A deep frown creased my father's forehead. "Rogues?"
"Maybe," the warrior admitted. "But the scent was strange."
Strange how? My wolf's ears perked at that, and I narrowed my eyes.
Was it that of the creature last night? I wondered.
"We can discuss this later," my father said, cutting off the conversation as he stood. "For now, we need to alert the town."
Five minutes later, the meeting was called.
I stood beside my father as he addressed the gathered wolves and humans alike, his voice calm but edged with authority. "Last night, we faced an attack from an unknown creature, and we lost two of our warriors. Condolences to their family.
A ripple of unease swept through the crowd.
My gaze flickered over the faces, landing on one in particular.
Her.
Raine stood near the edge of the crowd, her arms wrapped around herself, face unreadable. She looked different from the girl I'd watched this morning—more guarded, as if she'd forced herself to put up walls again.
Her mother stood beside her, stiff as stone.
My father continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Until we know more, I expect everyone to be cautious. If you see or hear anything unusual, report it immediately."
As the meeting ended and people began to murmur amongst themselves, I didn't move.
I just kept watching her.
Because even in a crowd of dozens, even with my father's words ringing in my ears, there was only one thing I could focus on.
Her.
I made my way to the edge of the forest where the others were waiting. Kai, Zane, and Jaxon stood near the tree line, their faces grim, their bodies tense.
"You're late," Kai said, arms crossed over his chest. His dark hair fell into his eyes, but it did nothing to hide the sharpness of his gaze.
I ignored him. "Let's go."
None of us spoke as we stripped off our clothes, tossing them onto a low-hanging branch to retrieve later. Shifting while wearing clothes was a hassle—unless you wanted to ruin them completely.
The moment I let go, my bones cracked, my muscles tore and stretched, and my body burned as I fell forward onto all fours. My wolf took over, the familiar rush of power coursing through my veins as thick black fur covered my body.
I lifted my head, inhaling deeply. The scents of the night filled my nose—damp earth, leaves, the lingering scent of the town behind us. But beneath it all, that same wrongness from last night clung to the air, faint but still there.
A growl rumbled in my chest.
Something was here.
One by one, the others shifted.
Kai's wolf was lean and agile, a sleek dark brown with piercing amber eyes that burned like wildfire. Zane's wolf was silver-gray, powerful and broad, his fur catching the faint light as he stepped forward. Jaxon was the second largest after mine, a massive russet-colored wolf with deep, calculating eyes.
Together, we moved.
We sprinted through the trees, our paws silent against the forest floor, the wind rushing past us. The night was quiet—too quiet. No rustling leaves, no distant howls. Even the usual hum of insects was absent.
It was unnatural.
The further we ran, the stronger the scent became, the wrongness of it curling around my senses like smoke. It wasn't a rogue. It wasn't human either. It was something else entirely.
We reached the spot where it had happened—the place where the attack had taken place.
I slowed, lowering my head to the ground, sniffing deeply. The scent was still there, mingled with Raine's, sharp with fear. My wolf snarled at the memory, at the thought of her being afraid.
She shouldn't have been here.
Kai sniffed the air beside me, his ears flicking back. This scent… it's wrong.
No shit, Jaxon muttered, circling the area, his large paws leaving deep impressions in the dirt.
Zane stayed silent, but his tail twitched, his body tense. He always noticed things the rest of us missed.
I stepped forward, sniffing near the base of a tree where the scent was strongest. It was faint, almost like it was fading. But that didn't make sense. Scents didn't just disappear like this—not unless something was covering them up.
My wolf's hackles rose.
Magic.
The thought sent a chill down my spine. Magic wasn't supposed to be real. Not in the way the old stories told it. But this? This felt unnatural.
Kai let out a low growl, his body vibrating with tension." Do you think this thing is trying to mess with us?" He asked.
Yes. I lifted my head, staring into the trees.
This is something else.
Something we had never dealt with before.
Zane padded over, his silver-gray fur bristling. If it comes back, we'll kill it.
Simple. To the point.
Jaxon let out a short huff. Unless it's already watching us.
The thought made my wolf bare his teeth.
I turned, scanning the darkness. The feeling of being watched was something I was used to—I was the one who usually did the watching. But this time, something felt… different.
Wrong.
We stayed there for a while, circling the area, searching for anything that might give us a clue. But the scent remained just out of reach, like a whisper in the wind, teasing but never settling.
Eventually, Kai let out a low chuff. We won't find anything else tonight.
I didn't like it.
I didn't like leaving without answers. But he was right. Whatever had been here was gone.
For now.
Reluctantly, I turned back toward town. One by one, we shifted back into our human forms, the cool air biting at our skin as we grabbed our clothes.
"What now?" Jaxon asked, pulling his shirt over his head.
I ran a hand through my hair, still feeling that lingering unease.
"We wait," I said.
For what, I wasn't sure.
But I had a feeling this is far from over