07~ It's Really Her

Kaiden's Point Of View

The study was quiet, the weight of the pack’s reports heavy in my hands, but my mind was elsewhere. Always elsewhere. The curse gnawed at me, a constant, ravenous hunger that no amount of bloodshed could sate. It clawed at my ribs, a living thing inside me, demanding release, demanding more. The ink on the parchment blurred as I tried to focus, my fingers tightening around the quill until it snapped.

Slade, my wolf, was a storm in my mind.

His pacing wasn’t just restless, it was violent, a whirlwind of energy that made my skull throb. I could feel him, a shadow moving behind my eyes, his claws scraping against the walls of my consciousness. "Slade, what’s wrong?" I ground out, shoving the files aside. The papers scattered across the desk, forgotten. His agitation was giving me a headache, his energy a live wire under my skin, sparking and snapping.

"I don’t know," he growled, his voice rough with urgency, his presence pressing against my ribs like a fist. "But something... or someone is coming. And it’s close."

I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. The curse pulsed in response, a dark, hungry thing. "You’ve said that before," I muttered, my voice tight. "Every false bond, every dead end..."

"This isn’t that," he snarled, cutting me off. His pacing grew more frantic, his energy a physical force shoving against my mind. I staggered, my hand slamming against the wall for support. "I can feel it, Kaiden. And if we don’t move now, we’ll regret it."

His words sent a jolt through me. I knew that tone. The last time he’d been this insistent, we’d found a false mate, and the curse had nearly consumed me in the aftermath. But Slade had never been wrong about danger. And if he was this worked up.

"Calm down, buddy," I gritted out, my head throbbing. "Are you planning to kill me?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, his pacing intensified, his energy a whirlwind that made my vision blur. I clenched my jaw, my fingers digging into the wall as I fought to stay upright. "Damn it, Slade—"

"Move," he ordered, his voice a whip-crack in my mind.

I didn’t argue.

Not when the curse was a ticking bomb inside me.

Not when Slade’s instincts had saved my life more times than I could count.

I had no choice but to step outside.

The well-being of my pack came first... always. But this? This was different. Slade’s agitation wasn’t just restless; it was feral, a storm of energy that made my bones ache. The night air was thick, heavy, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. The lanterns of the pack house faded behind me, the familiar warmth of the halls replaced by the cold, watchful silence of the woods.

I scanned the premises, my senses sharp, my body coiled like a spring. "Nothing’s here," I muttered, frustration clawing at my chest. "It’s just another one of your wild guesses, Slade."

"I know what I’m feeling, Kaiden," he snarled, his voice a growl in my mind. "And it’s approaching fast. Also, what do you know? I’m the wolf here, and you’re just the human."

I rolled my eyes. "Arrogant bastard."

"Whatever," he huffed. "But if you don’t want to listen to me, at least let me hunt. Maybe that’ll calm me down."

A smirk tugged at my lips. Hunting was the one thing Slade couldn’t resist, almost as much as the thought of finding our mate. I relinquished control, letting him take over as we raced into the forest. The wind rushed past us, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs.

Then... A bull.

Massive, powerful, its eyes locking onto us before it turned and fled.

Slade’s excitement was a tangible thing, his energy surging through me. "Game," he whispered, his voice laced with mine, a dark promise hanging in the air.

We gave it a head start, just enough to make the chase interesting. Then we struck.

Five minutes later, the bull lay lifeless at our feet, its heart still warm beneath Slade’s claws. But the triumph was short-lived.

Because then, a scent.

It hit me like a physical blow.

Fresh roses. Vanilla. Wild honey and almonds, something sweet and untamed. My body locked up, my breath catching in my throat. Slade’s pewter-gray eyes took over, his focus razor-sharp as he scanned the forest, desperate.

"Kaiden," he growled, his voice rough with urgency. "Can you feel that?"

"Yes," I breathed, my heart pounding. "And this time… it’s stronger than the others."

Hope flickered in my chest, fragile and dangerous. "We have to find her," Slade insisted, already moving forward. "She’s somewhere close."

"But what if it’s another false bond?" I whispered, the skepticism bitter on my tongue. "I don’t think I can take another disappointment, Slade."

"I know," he admitted, his voice softer now. "But this one is real. I can feel it. And deep down, you know it too."

I hesitated. "But—"

"No buts," he cut me off, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Even if it’s just to satisfy my curiosity, we’re both going to regret it if we stand here doing nothing."

I exhaled sharply, my body already moving forward. "And what if you’re wrong?"

"Then we’ll accept it," he said, his voice steady. "We don’t have a mate."

But we both knew, this wasn’t just curiosity.

This was fate.

We tracked the scent for nearly thirty minutes, our steps leading us to the edge of the Silver Abyss... a place even rogues feared.

"What sort of joke is this?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Of all the places to find my mate, it’s here? A pit of rogues and spirits?"

Disappointment clawed at me, but Slade’s energy didn’t waver. "Let’s get out of here," he growled, his voice tight with frustration.

Then, a scream.

High. Shrill. Terrified.

"Somebody help! Ahhh!"

The sound tore through the night, sending a jolt of adrenaline through me. Slade didn’t hesitate. His eyes locked onto the abyss, his body already coiling to leap.

"Kaiden," he snarled, his voice a dark promise. "The scent is stronger down there. What if our mate is in danger?"

My blood boiled at the thought.

But I had to be cautious. The abyss was treacherous... full of tricks and illusions. Just to be sure, Slade used his enhanced vision to peer into the darkness below.

What we saw made my stomach twist.

A girl... bloodied, pale, surrounded by rogues. The stench coming from them was enough to identify them, rogues have this rotten smell mixed with dried blood that they always carry around with them. Their fangs bared, their hunger for her flesh a tangible thing.

"Mate is in danger," Slade roared, his fury a living thing inside me.

With one powerful leap, we landed in the abyss, right in front of her.

She was a wreck.

Bloodied. Broken. Her breath shallow, her skin so pale it was nearly translucent, as if every drop of life had been drained from her. The sight of her like this... helpless, trembling, sent Slade into a frenzy. His rage was a living thing, a storm of fury that obliterated every last shred of my control.

And then, he took over.

My muscles ripped through my clothes, dark fur erupting over my skin in a violent wave. My bones cracked, reshaping, my teeth elongating into fangs that ached with the need to tear. My eyes burned, pewter-gray and feral, the world sharpening into a haze of red. Slade’s fury was a wildfire, consuming me, turning me into something barely human... something monstrous.

The rogues stumbled back, their yellowed eyes wide with terror as they took in the beast before them. One of them... smart enough to recognize death when he saw it, turned and fled.

The others weren’t so lucky.

Slade’s snarl split the air, a sound so guttural it vibrated in my chest. The first rogue lunged, its jaws snapping, its claws swiping, but Slade was faster. His claws tore through its throat, hot blood spraying across my face as its body hit the ground with a sickening thud. The crunch of bone beneath my fists was music, the copper tang of blood a symphony. I didn’t just kill them.

I destroyed them.

One by one, Slade tore them apart... limbs severed, skulls crushed, their pathetic howls cut short as their lives ended beneath my claws. The forest floor was a slaughterhouse, their stench... rot and dried blood, choking the air. My hands were slick with it, my breath ragged as I stood over their corpses, my chest heaving.

Then I saw him.

The last one.

Fleeing like the coward he was, his paws pounding against the damp earth as he tried to escape.

Slade’s lips curled into a smirk, his voice a dark whisper in my mind.

"Game."

I moved.

A blur of speed, a shadow in the night. I landed on the rogue’s back, my hand plunging into its chest before it could even scream. My fingers closed around its still-beating heart, yanking it free along with a tangle of bones and sinew. The rogue’s scream was a guttural, wet sound, its body collapsing as I tossed its heart aside like garbage.

Silence.

The abyss held its breath, the night air thick with the scent of death and something sweeter... her.

Roses. Vanilla. Honey.

It cut through the blood and carnage, a balm to the rage still coursing through me. Slade’s need pulsed like a second heartbeat, his focus snapping back to the girl.

"Mate needs us," he growled, his voice rough with urgency.

I turned, my body moving before I could think. In an instant, I was before her, crouching low, my hands gentle despite the blood coating them. She flinched, her fear ruining those delicate features, and something inside me ached.

"Easy," I murmured, my voice rough with the aftermath of violence. I reached for her, my fingers brushing against her torn clothes, her skin too cold, too fragile. "You’re safe now."

Her heartbeat was erratic beneath my touch, her breath shallow. I could feel her slipping away, her warmth fading.

No.

I pulled her closer, inhaling her scent like a dying man taking his last breath. My hand trembled as I turned her neck, my breath catching as I saw it... A silver crescent moon, surrounded by water droplets.

Her mate mark.

"It’s her," Slade snarled, his voice a triumphant growl. "It’s really her."

"Mine!"

But she was already slumping in my arms, her body too weak to fight, her eyes rolling back as darkness took her.

"No," I growled, my grip tightening. "No, you don’t get to leave me now."

But she had already lost consciousness.