Chapter 2 - Kalen

Kalen’s POV

Crescent Fang territory began the moment our convoy’s wheels rolled off the highway and onto their private mountain road. The asphalt here was immaculate—freshly sealed, lined, and heavily patrolled. My driver lowered our tinted window as a Crescent sentinel scanned us, sunlight glinting off the rifle slung across his chest.

The call of nature and politics collided in this place. Pines, stone ridges, and security checkpoints every half kilometer.

This wasn’t a simple gathering.

This was a show of power.

Three SUVs from Ironshade rolled behind mine in a tight formation. Inside them: my Beta, my Gamma, and elite warriors who could shift in under three seconds if necessary. The Summit always came with danger, especially when my pack’s enemies outnumbered our allies.

My phone vibrated once.

Rowan: Movement on the ridge. Crescent scouts. They’re armed but keeping distance.

I texted back: Let them watch.

By the time the road opened into Crescent Fang’s valley clearing—a wide space converted into a gated Summit reception zone—the air already felt wrong. Charged. Expectant.

“Alpha,” Rowan said from the front passenger seat, nodding toward the figures waiting ahead. “Crescent Fang’s delegation.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

The SUV rolled to a stop. I stepped out into crisp mountain air that smelled of pine needles, autumn cold, and something… burning.

Not actual fire.

Something else.

A heat under the skin. A flicker of invisible static that raised the hair on my arms.

My wolf stirred immediately, pacing with sudden, brutal awareness.

It’s here.

His voice rumbled through me, wild and certain.

Something ancient is here.

I clenched my jaw. He’d been silent for weeks. Months even. And now he woke like this?

Crescent Fang’s Alpha approached first—broad-shouldered, authoritative, carrying the aura of someone who commanded respect without needing to demand it. His second-in-command flanked him.

But it was the girl walking beside him who caught the full attention of my instincts.

Not behind.

Not trailing.

Beside him, like a rightful heir.

I’d seen photos of Crescent’s pack members during intelligence briefings, but never her. Never this.

She looked young—late teens—but she held herself with the kind of self-control most adults struggled to master. Her hair was braided tightly, glinting a deep red-gold under the afternoon sun. Her posture: alert, balanced, ready.

But the energy around her…

My wolf slammed against my ribs.

THAT. HER. THE FLAME.

Not possible.

I forced my stance to remain relaxed, hands loosely at my sides even though every instinct sharpened.

She lifted her gaze to mine.

And it hit.

A jolt—fast, violent, hot—like someone pressed a live wire against my spine. A rush of energy I’d never felt before. Her eyes widened the barest fraction, a flicker so quick most would miss it.

But not me.

Not my wolf.

For a breath, the world narrowed to the space between us. Her scent—warm amber, pine resin, something metallic and bright—curled into my lungs and refused to leave.

Then she blinked and turned her face slightly, breaking the connection deliberately.

My wolf growled.

She turns from us.

She should not.

I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.

This was why Summits were dangerous.

Not alliances.

Not rivalries.

But surprises.

Her father reached out a hand to greet me. “Alpha Draven.”

“Kalen,” I said, meeting his grip.

But it wasn’t him I was aware of.

It was her.

Always her.

Still as a flame waiting for wind.

Whatever she was, whatever power she carried—

It had already changed everything.