Chapter 6

The moment Kade and I touched, something inside me shifted, the sensation of it was so deep that i don't have words to really describe, and I was suddenly standing on the edge of two very different worlds. His hand was warm in mine, grounding me even as my head spun with questions I wasn’t ready to ask.

Shadowpine wasn’t a place where humans and wolves mixed, not without consequences. The pack rules were clear: no crossing the lines. But standing there with Kade, feeling the spark crackling between us, I knew those rules were about to be rewritten.

We didn’t say much as we walked through the quiet streets. But I could feel the weight of his secret, the things he couldn’t say, the battles he fought inside himself. There was a darkness there, but also a fierce light, like a wildfire waiting to burn away everything in its path.

When we reached the edge of town, he stopped and turned to me, eyes glowing softly in the moonlight.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “Longer than you know.”

I became so nervous. “Why me?!”

He smiled, a little sad, a little fierce.

“Because you’re not just human. You’re mine.”

The moon hung high and bright that night, casting silver light over the quiet town of Shadowpine. Kade and I sat on the edge of the forest, the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves wrapping around us like a soft blanket. It felt like the world had paused just for us.

He broke the silence first, his voice low and steady. “There’s more to the pack than you realize. Rules, history, traditions older than you or me.”

I nodded, trying to take it all in. “I want to understand.”

He looked at me, eyes serious. “Good! Because if we’re going to make this work, if we’re going to fight for us, you’ll need to know everything. The good, the bad, and the dangerous.”

His hand found mine, fingers curling around mine with quiet strength. The touch sent a warmth through me that no cold night could chase away.

“Whatever comes,” he said, “we face it together.”

And just like that, the line between human and wolf blurred a little more.

The days after our moonlit talk, I could feel eyes on me. Not just the usual curious glances, but something sharper, watchers hiding in the shadows, waiting, judging.

At the café, Maggie’s warm smile was tinged with worry. “Careful, Shea,” she said softly. “Not everyone’s ready to accept what’s coming.”

I wanted to ask what she meant, but the words caught in my throat.

Even Kade grew more distant, his silence louder than ever.

One evening, as I walked home beneath a sky heavy with stars, I sensed movement behind me. Turning quickly, I caught sight of two figures disappearing into the trees, wolves, but not like Kade’s pack.

Rogue!

Danger!!

My pulse quickened. The pack was bigger than I thought. The war for me, and for Kade, was only just beginning.

The forest seemed darker now, the shadows deeper, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath. I wasn’t just an outsider anymore, I was a target.

Kade was tense, every muscle coiled like a predator waiting to strike. He pulled me close as we moved silently through the underbrush, eyes sharp and alert.

“We’re walking a dangerous line,” he said, voice low. “Rogue wolves don’t follow pack laws. They’ll attack anything that moves, especially those connected to me.”

I stiffened, the weight of it settling deep in my chest.

“Why me?!” I asked, voice barely a whisper.

“Because you’re marked,” Kade said. “By blood, by bond, and by the moon that chose us both.”

As we crept through the forest, I realized I wasn’t just fighting for myself anymore.

I was fighting for us.

The days following the pendant ceremony felt like walking through a fog I couldn’t shake. Wearing Kade’s grandmother’s claw was a constant reminder that I was no longer just a visitor, I was tied to the pack, to its past, and its future. But that bond came with weight.

Every glance felt heavier. Whispers followed me in town, and the cold stares from Luna Marisol burned hotter than ever. She was a constant shadow at the edge of everything, her presence a silent warning that not everyone accepted me.

Kade tried to shield me, but even his strength had limits.

One evening, as we sat by the fire, he looked at me with those fierce eyes and said, “They doubt you. They doubt us.”

I clenched my fists. “Then let them watch. I’m not backing down.”

He smiled, a rare softness breaking through his usual guarded mask. “That’s the spirit.”

But beneath the surface, I could feel the storm brewing, something bigger than just pack politics, that would test us in ways I couldn’t yet imagine.