Chapter 5: Paw Prints and Pack Members

Sunlight did not gently coax me awake; it pierced directly through the dusty front windows of The Briar, striking my closed eyelids like a physical demand.

​I groaned, my body incredibly stiff. I was lying on the hardwood floor near the massive stone hearth, a pile of moving blankets serving as my makeshift bed. The fire Kaelen had built last night had burned down to glowing red embers, but the bakery was still comfortably warm.

​Instinct instantly kicked in. I shot up, my eyes frantically scanning the room.

​Milo was perfectly fine. He was asleep in his padded carrier a few feet away, his little chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm.

​I let out a heavy breath, dragging my hands down my face. The memories of last night crashed over me in a chaotic, overwhelming wave. The dead car. The freezing rain. The terrifying, rugged giant with eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.

​Kaelen Thorne.

​Just thinking his name sent an unwelcome, entirely inappropriate shiver down my spine. The man was a walking contradiction. He looked like he could snap my neck with two fingers, yet he had carried my nephew with a gentleness that made my heart physically ache.

​Then, I remembered the beast.

​The giant black wolf staring through the glass.

​"It was a hallucination," I muttered out loud, my voice sounding raspy in the empty bakery. "Exhaustion and stress. Wolves don't get that big. They don't stare at people like that."

​I pushed myself off the floor, my muscles protesting, and walked slowly toward the front window. Wiping the lingering condensation from the glass, I looked out into the front yard. The storm had passed, leaving the mountain air crisp and the ground completely soaked in thick, dark mud.

​My breath caught in my throat.

​Right on the other side of my wrought-iron gate, pressed deeply into the wet mud, were paw prints. They were massive—easily the size of my outstretched hand, if not bigger. They paced the entire length of the fence, back and forth, as if guarding the entrance, before disappearing into the dense tree line.

​It wasn't a dream. There really was a monster out there.

​A sudden, sharp knock at the heavy oak door made me jump a foot in the air.

​Do not open these doors until the sun comes up, Kaelen’s dark, commanding voice echoed in my head.

​I glanced out the window. The sun was definitely up. But the sheer size of those paw prints made my hand hesitate over the heavy brass deadbolt.

​"Hello?" a bright, distinctly female voice called out from the porch. "Anyone alive in there? We brought caffeine and carbs!"

​Caffeine. That was a magic word.

​I took a deep breath, unlocked the deadbolt, and pulled the heavy door open just a crack, keeping the heavy metal chain engaged.

​Standing on my porch were two people who looked like total opposites. The woman was petite, maybe around my age, with vibrant purple streaks in her dark hair and arms completely covered in intricate, beautiful tattoos. She was holding a large pink cardboard box.

​Standing behind her was a man who looked like he had been sculpted from the same mountain as Kaelen Thorne, though slightly less terrifying. He had sandy blonde hair, a warm, easy smile, and broad shoulders packed into a fitted thermal shirt. He was holding a tray of steaming coffee cups.

​"Oh, thank god, you survived the Thorne Welcome," the tattooed woman grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm Roxy. This giant golden retriever behind me is Zane. We own the tattoo parlor and the auto shop down the street. Welcome to Thornwood Peaks!"

​"Hi," I said cautiously, slowly unhooking the chain and opening the door wider. "I'm Aria. And you know Kaelen?"

​Zane let out a loud, booming laugh, stepping inside the bakery without waiting for an invitation. He moved with a strange, fluid grace for someone so large. "Everyone knows Kaelen. He’s the... well, he’s the boss around here. We heard the storm caught you on the ridge. He called me this morning and told me to get your car towed to my shop."

​"He did?" I blinked, entirely thrown off. The terrifying mountain man had handled my tow truck without even asking?

​"He's thorough," Zane said, his warm brown eyes scanning the inside of the bakery. But the way he looked around wasn't casual. His gaze snapped to the windows, the back door, and the dark corners of the ceiling, sweeping the room with military-like precision.

​Roxy nudged my arm, handing me the pink box. "Don't mind Zane. He takes the town watch very seriously. We brought you fresh pastries from the diner. Figured your kitchen wasn't exactly up and running yet."

​"You guys really didn't have to do this," I said, genuinely touched. The paralyzing fear from the night before was slowly beginning to melt. Maybe Thornwood Peaks wasn't so bad. Maybe the giant paw prints belonged to a really, really large local dog.

​A tiny, demanding whine came from the floor.

​Roxy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my god. You have a baby! Kaelen didn't mention a baby!"

​I walked over, scooping Milo out of his carrier and balancing him on my hip. "This is Milo. My nephew."

​Zane froze. He stared at Milo, and for a split second, I swore his nostrils flared, taking a deep, sharp inhale of the air around us. A strange look of pure shock, followed immediately by profound respect, washed over Zane's face.

​"He smells..." Zane started, his voice suddenly hushed, before he quickly cleared his throat. "He's a handsome kid, Aria."

​"Thank you," I smiled, though Zane's strange reaction prickled the back of my neck.

​"So," Roxy said, looking around at the mountain of unopened cardboard boxes. "You bought The Briar. You opening a bakery?"

​"That's the plan," I nodded, setting the pink box on the dusty counter. "I was a chef in the city. I needed a change of pace. A quiet, safe place to raise Milo."

​"Well, you definitely picked the safest place on earth," Zane muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. "Especially now."

​Before I could ask him what he meant by that, the atmosphere in the room violently shifted.

​The hairs on my arms stood straight up. The air suddenly felt incredibly thick, heavy with a static electricity that made it hard to draw a full breath. The scent of pine, crushed leaves, and dark woodsmoke washed over me.

​Zane’s spine snapped completely straight. The easy, friendly smile vanished from his face, replaced by a rigid mask of absolute obedience. He actually took a physical step back, bowing his head slightly.

​I turned toward the open front door.

​Kaelen Thorne was standing on the porch.

​He was wearing fresh clothes—dark denim and a fitted black Henley shirt that stretched tight across his impossibly broad chest. The morning sunlight caught the silver strands in his dark beard, but his face was set in a thunderous, lethal scowl.

​His piercing amber eyes didn't look at Zane. They didn't look at Roxy.

​They locked entirely, obsessively, onto me.

​"I told you not to open the door," Kaelen’s voice was a low, guttural vibration that rumbled through the floorboards.

​"It's daytime," I argued, though my heart was suddenly hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. "And they brought coffee."

​Kaelen stepped over the threshold, pulling the heavy oak door shut behind him with a sharp click. The sheer size of him seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the large room.

​Zane cleared his throat nervously. "Morning, Al— boss. I was just checking the perimeter. Everything is secure."

​"Go," Kaelen ordered softly. He didn't even look at his friend. His intense, burning gaze was still tracking every single inch of my face.

​Zane and Roxy didn't argue. They practically scrambled toward the back door, murmuring quick goodbyes before disappearing into the alleyway, leaving me completely alone with the giant.

​"You're scaring my guests," I said, trying to sound brave, tightening my grip on Milo.

​Kaelen ignored my comment. He took a slow, deliberate step toward me. Then another. He moved with that terrifying, predator's grace, crossing the room until he was standing mere inches away from me. I had to tilt my head entirely back just to look into his eyes.

​The heat radiating off his body was intoxicating.

​"Give me the boy," Kaelen murmured, his voice softening into a rough velvet.

​Before I could protest, his massive hands gently lifted Milo from my arms. Milo immediately giggled, burying his tiny face into Kaelen's broad chest, perfectly content.

​With his hands free, Kaelen looked back down at me. His golden-brown eyes darkened, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek.

​He slowly reached out, his giant, calloused hand hovering in the air before his fingers wrapped gently around my wrist. A massive, shocking jolt of electricity sparked where his skin met mine, making my breath hitch loudly.

​He lifted my hand between us.

​"You're hurt," he growled, the human words sounding dangerously close to an animal's snarl.

​I looked down. There was a thin, shallow paper cut on my knuckle from moving the cardboard boxes earlier. It was barely bleeding. I hadn't even noticed it.

​"It's just a scratch," I whispered, my heart racing as his thumb lightly traced the edge of the tiny wound.

​Kaelen's eyes snapped up to mine. In the broad daylight, the amber color was gone. His eyes were burning, luminous, terrifying gold.

​"When you bleed, Aria," Kaelen breathed, his face leaning in so close his lips almost brushed mine, "I bleed."