Chapter 5 – Whispers in the Aftermath

Smoke and blood clung to the night air long after the howls faded.

Aria sat on the steps of the Alpha’s lodge, her hands trembling in her lap. The dirt beneath her was slick with blood—not hers, but enough that her stomach rolled every time she looked down.

She had never seen death up close. Now it was everywhere.

Bodies—wolves that shifted back to human in death—were carried into the shadows. Some were Kael’s pack, their faces pale and still. Others were rogues, twisted in madness even in death, their eyes glazed and red.

Aria pressed her hands against her ears, but it didn’t block out the sounds. The sobs. The growls. The murmurs that followed her like a curse.

The human brought this.

She’s a danger.

The Alpha is blinded by her.

Every whisper cut deeper than claws.

She should never have come here. Except she hadn’t come willingly—Kael had dragged her. Yet somehow, she was the one they blamed.

The lodge door creaked. Aria looked up to see Lyra standing there, her braid loose, her arm streaked with blood. She wasn’t even winded. Her amber eyes landed on Aria, sharp as knives.

“You should be gone,” Lyra said flatly. “Before more die for you.”

Aria flinched. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“No,” Lyra said, stepping closer, “but Kael sees something in you. And whatever it is, it will destroy us all.”

Her words lingered like poison as she turned and stalked away.

Aria buried her face in her hands. She wanted to scream that she didn’t know why this was happening. That she wasn’t special. That she wasn’t worth anyone’s blood.

But deep down, she knew the silver wolf’s words hadn’t been meant for Kael. They’d been meant for her.

Give her to me, Kael… or watch your pack burn.

Why?

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The lodge door opened again, and this time Kael stepped out. He was human once more, though blood streaked his chest and shoulder, his skin glistening with sweat. Even injured, his presence filled the clearing. The pack turned toward him, every gaze waiting, every breath caught.

Aria looked at him too, but for a different reason. She was searching for the monster, the beast who had ripped out throats with his teeth. What terrified her most was that she didn’t find one.

She found Kael.

Strong. Steady. Watchful. And looking at her like she was the center of this broken night.

“The rogues are scattered,” he said to the pack, his voice carrying iron and command. “Bury our dead. Guard the borders. Tonight, we remember who we are. We are Shadow Fang.”

A chorus of howls answered him, low and mournful, before the wolves dispersed.

When they were gone, Kael’s golden eyes returned to Aria. He crossed the clearing in long strides, crouching before her.

“You’re hurt,” he said. His fingers brushed the shallow cuts on her arm where splinters had torn her skin.

Aria jerked back, her voice sharp with panic. “Don’t touch me.”

He stilled, his jaw flexing. For the first time since she met him, something almost human cracked through his certainty.

“You think I want this?” he asked quietly. “To drag you here. To put you in danger.”

Her breath caught. “Then why did you?”

His gaze held hers, steady and unflinching. “Because I had no choice.”

The words struck harder than any growl.

Aria stared at him, her pulse thundering. “What does that mean?”

Before Kael could answer, the gray-eyed wolf stepped into the firelight. His clothes were torn, blood smeared across his chest, but his stance was unbowed.

“Alpha,” he said, ignoring Aria completely. “The Council will hear of this. They’ll demand an explanation for the attack, and for her.”

Aria’s stomach dropped.

The Council. Whoever they were, she already knew they wouldn’t want her alive.

Kael rose to his full height, his golden eyes burning. “I’ll give them one,” he said. “She stays.”

The gray-eyed wolf’s jaw tightened, but he bowed his head and retreated.

Aria scrambled to her feet, anger bursting through the fear. “You can’t keep doing that!” she snapped. “You can’t just decide I stay, or I belong to you, or that I’m safe here when I’m not!”

Her voice cracked on the last word, tears stinging her eyes.

Kael didn’t flinch. “You’re right. You’re not safe. Not out there. Not even here.”

His hand lifted, hesitated, then dropped back to his side. “Because the silver wolf won’t stop until he has you.”

Aria’s blood ran cold. “Why? What does he want with me?”

Kael’s eyes softened, but his answer was as heavy as stone.

“Because you’re more than human, Aria.”

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Cliffhanger (Chapter End):

Aria staggered back, her world tilting. More than human? The words shattered everything she thought she knew about herself.