The Pack Watches
Morning came too quietly.
Kella woke before the sun fully rose, her senses oddly alert. She could hear footsteps long before they reached her door, the steady rhythm of boots against stone, the soft murmur of voices below. It didn't make sense. She had never been a light sleeper.
Yet here she was—awake, heart steady, body warm, as if the night had sharpened something inside her.
She sat up slowly, fingers clutching the dark sheets. The forest outside her window was alive with mist, silver light threading between ancient trees. A strange comfort washed over her as she stared at it, like the woods were familiar… welcoming.
She frowned and shook the thought away.
You're just nervous, she told herself.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," she said, forcing calm into her voice.
The door opened to reveal a young woman with sharp eyes and dark braids. She wore the insignia of the Blackridge pack on her shoulder.
"The Alpha requests your presence," the woman said. Her gaze lingered on Kella—not curious, but assessing. Like she was looking for something.
Kella's stomach tightened. "Now?"
"Yes."
No explanation. No room for argument.
She followed the woman through winding corridors and down into the open courtyard. The moment she stepped outside, the air shifted. Dozens of eyes turned toward her at once.
Wolves.
Not in their beast forms—yet—but she could feel them. The power rolling off them. The dominance. The raw, contained violence beneath calm expressions.
Her breath hitched.
She should have been terrified.
Instead, her spine straightened.
Something inside her lifted its head.
Alpha Kael stood at the center of the courtyard, arms folded behind his back. He was dressed for training—dark leather, sleeves rolled up, skin dusted with sweat. The morning light caught in his eyes, making them glow faintly.
Gold.
His gaze locked onto hers the moment she stepped forward.
There it was again—that pull. That invisible thread tightening between them.
"You're late," he said calmly.
"I was summoned," Kella replied before she could stop herself.
A ripple went through the gathered pack.
Kael's brow arched slightly. Amused. Dangerous.
"So you speak," he murmured. "Good."
He circled her slowly, boots scraping against stone. Kella resisted the urge to turn with him, though every instinct screamed to track his movement. Her skin buzzed, awareness stretching far beyond normal.
Kael stopped behind her.
"Tell me," he said quietly, close enough that she felt his breath, "are you afraid?"
She swallowed. "I should be."
"But you're not."
It wasn't a question.
She hated that he was right.
Kael moved away and faced the pack. "This is Kella. She is under my protection."
Protection.
The word landed heavily.
Murmurs broke out. Some curious. Some hostile.
One of the warriors stepped forward—a broad-shouldered man with sharp eyes and a scar across his jaw. "She's human," he said bluntly.
Kella flinched.
Kael's expression darkened—not in anger, but something colder.
"Are you certain?" Kael asked.
The warrior hesitated. He sniffed the air subtly. His frown deepened.
"I… don't know," he admitted.
Kella's heart slammed against her ribs.
Kael turned back to her slowly. His gaze was intense now, searching, almost… hungry.
Interesting.
"Walk," he ordered.
"What?"
"Across the yard. Slowly."
Confusion flooded her, but she obeyed. As she walked, something strange happened. Her steps felt lighter. Balanced. Every movement precise, natural—like her body knew exactly how to move without thinking.
She stopped at the far edge of the courtyard.
Kael's jaw tightened.
The pack had gone silent.
"Again," he said.
She walked back.
This time, she noticed it—the way the ground felt beneath her feet, the rhythm of her breath syncing with her steps, the way her heart settled instead of racing.
This wasn't normal.
Kael approached her, towering, eyes burning.
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked softly.
"Feel what?" she whispered.
For a moment, something unreadable crossed his face. Possession. Recognition. Restraint.
He straightened abruptly. "Enough."
The pack exhaled as one.
"You're dismissed," he told them. "All of you."
They obeyed instantly.
When they were alone, Kael looked down at her, his voice lower than before. "You don't belong where you think you do, Kella."
Her chest tightened. "What does that mean?"
"It means," he said, stepping closer, "that you are far more dangerous than you realize."
Her pulse thundered.
Kael turned away. "Return to your room. Stay close to the estate. And do not wander into the forest it's not save our there to wander off alone."
"Why?" she asked.
He paused at the doorway and glanced back at her, eyes glowing faintly in the morning light.
"Because," he said, "the forest remembers its own."
And so does your wolf.