Kira's POV
I woke up with a splitting headache and my hands tied behind my back.
The van was moving fast. I could hear the engine roaring and feel every bump in the road. My shoulder hit the metal wall with each turn.
Scarface was sitting across from me, watching me with cold eyes.
"You're awake," he said. "Good. Commander Vane wants you alert when you meet him."
"He's not my uncle," I said. My voice came out raspy. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Scarface pulled out his phone and showed me a picture. "Look familiar?"
I stared at the screen.
It was an old photograph. A young woman with long black hair stood next to a teenage boy. They were smiling. The woman looked exactly like me.
"That's your mother," Scarface said. "Lin Chen. And that's her little brother, Marcus Vane. He changed his last name when he joined the Coalition. Wanted to distance himself from his magic-using sister."
My stomach twisted. "You're saying my uncle is the one hunting me?"
"Not just hunting you," Scarface said. "He's been obsessed with you. See, when we killed your parents, Vane wanted to kill you too. But the other Coalition leaders said no. You were just a baby. Harmless. So they let you live. But Vane never forgot. He's been waiting all these years for you to show your powers. And now that you have..." Scarface smiled. "He's very excited to see you."
I felt sick.
Through the Kindred bond, I could feel Dane. He was far away but getting closer. He was tracking me.
"Dane's coming for me," I said.
Scarface laughed. "Let him come. We're ready for him. In fact, we're counting on it. The wolf is predictable. He'll do anything to save his precious Kindred. And when he shows up, we'll capture him too. Two birds, one stone."
"You won't win," I said. But my voice shook.
"We already have," Scarface said. "You're here. The wolf is following. And soon, you'll both be in Commander Vane's custody. He has big plans for you. Scientific plans."
The van hit a huge bump. Scarface's phone flew out of his hand.
And in that moment, I felt it.
A surge of power through the bond. Dane was close. Really close.
Something slammed into the side of the van.
We spun sideways. Scarface cursed and grabbed onto a handle to steady himself.
The van's back doors exploded open.
A massive silver-grey wolf stood on the road behind us, eyes glowing gold in the darkness.
"Dane!" I screamed.
The wolf leaped. It landed on the back of the van, claws scraping metal.
"Shoot it!" Scarface yelled to the driver. "Shoot it now!"
The driver tried to swerve, but the wolf was too fast. It jumped into the van and grabbed Scarface by the arm, dragging him toward the open doors.
Scarface screamed and pulled out a gun. He fired three times.
The wolf yelped and let go.
Scarface scrambled to the front of the van, blood pouring from his arm.
The wolf turned to me. Up close, it was even bigger than I remembered. Its teeth were the size of my fingers.
But its eyes were gentle.
The wolf bit through the ropes on my wrists. The moment my hands were free, it grabbed my jacket in its teeth and pulled me toward the open doors.
"No!" Scarface raised his gun again.
The wolf jumped.
We flew through the air. Wind whipped past my face. The ground rushed up to meet us.
We hit the pavement hard. The wolf curled its body around me, taking the impact. We rolled and rolled until we finally stopped.
The van screeched away, disappearing into the night.
I lay there, breathing hard, trying to understand what just happened.
The wolf shifted back into Dane. He was bleeding from his shoulder where Scarface had shot him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that," I said. "You got shot!"
"I'll heal," Dane said. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Can you run?"
"I think so."
"Good. Because we need to move. The Coalition will send reinforcements."
We ran.
Dane led me through side streets and back alleys. I could barely keep up with him. My legs were shaking from fear and adrenaline.
"Where are we going?" I gasped.
"Somewhere safe," Dane said.
We ran for what felt like forever. Finally, we reached a part of the city I'd never seen before. Old factories and warehouses lined the streets. Everything looked abandoned.
Dane stopped in front of a huge warehouse. It had broken windows and graffiti on the walls. It looked like nobody had used it in years.
"This is it?" I asked.
"Don't judge by the outside," Dane said.
He led me to a side door and knocked three times.
The door opened.
Maya stood there, relief flooding her face. "Thank God. We thought they got you."
"They almost did," Dane said. "Is everyone here?"
"Most of us," Maya said. "We lost track of three pack members during the split. We're hoping they found their own way."
We stepped inside.
The warehouse looked completely different on the inside. It was warm and clean. There were couches and chairs set up like a living room. String lights hung from the ceiling, making everything glow softly. It actually felt... cozy.
And it was full of people.
At least thirty men and women stood around, all watching me with glowing gold eyes.
They were all wolves.
"Everyone," Dane said. "This is Kira. She's my Kindred. And she's under my protection."
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Then a big man with a beard stepped forward. "You brought a human here? To our home?"
"She's not just human," Dane said firmly. "She's Jade Court. She saved my life. Saved all our lives."
"She's also been captured by the Coalition once already," Beard Guy said. "What if they followed her? What if they know where we are now?"
"They didn't follow us," Dane said. "I made sure of it."
"You can't be sure of that," Beard Guy argued. "She's a liability. She should leave."
"She stays," Dane said. His voice dropped to a growl. "Anyone who has a problem with that can challenge me for the Alpha position right now."
Silence.
Beard Guy backed down, but he didn't look happy about it.
Maya put her hand on my shoulder. "Come on. Let me show you around."
She led me away from the group. I could feel them all staring at me as we walked.
"Don't mind Garrett," Maya said. "He's protective of the pack. He'll warm up to you."
"I don't think so," I said quietly. "He's right. I am a liability. The Coalition wants me. Being here puts everyone in danger."
"You're also the first person who can break silver chains in a hundred years," Maya said. "That makes you valuable. Important."
"I don't want to be important," I said. "I just want to go home."
Maya stopped walking. She turned to face me. "Kira, I know this is hard. Trust me, I get it. When I first became a wolf, I was terrified. I hated it. I wanted my old life back. But you can't go back. None of us can. The only way forward is together."
I wanted to argue. But I was too tired.
Maya showed me the rest of the warehouse. There was a kitchen area with a big fridge and stove. A training room with punching bags and weights. And upstairs, there were small bedrooms for the pack members.
"You can sleep in the guest room," Maya said. "It's not much, but it's private."
"Thank you," I said.
Maya smiled. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, Mei will start your training. You'll need your strength."
She left me alone in the small room. I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands.
Everything was happening too fast. Too much.
Yesterday, I was washing dishes. Tonight, I was in a secret werewolf hideout, hunted by an organization led by my own uncle.
It felt like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
Through the bond, I felt Dane nearby. He was downstairs, talking to the pack. I could sense his worry. His determination to protect me.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
Sleep came fast.
But so did the dreams.
I was in a white room. Cold and sterile like a hospital. Strapped to a metal table.
A man stood over me. He had my mother's eyes. My mother's nose. But his face was twisted with hatred.
"Hello, niece," he said. "I'm Commander Vane. We have so much to discuss."
He pulled out a syringe filled with silver liquid.
"This won't hurt," he lied. "Well, not much."
He jammed the needle into my arm.
I screamed.
The silver liquid burned through my veins like acid. I tried to fight, tried to use my magic, but nothing happened.
"Don't bother," Vane said. "That silver is suppressing your powers. You're helpless now."
He pulled out a knife. A silver knife.
"Let's see how much Jade Court blood it takes to kill all the werewolves in the world."
He raised the knife.
I woke up screaming.
Dane burst through the door. "Kira! What's wrong?"
"Dream," I gasped. "Just a dream."
But it didn't feel like just a dream. It felt like a warning.
Dane sat down on the bed next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. "I just want to forget it."
Dane pulled me into a hug. I let myself lean against him, feeling his warmth, his strength.
Through the bond, I felt his emotions. Protective. Caring. And something else. Something deeper.
We stayed like that for a long time.
Finally, Dane pulled back. "Try to get some more sleep. I'll be right downstairs if you need me."
He stood up to leave.
"Dane?" I said.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For saving me. Again."
Dane smiled. "That's what Kindreds do."
He left, closing the door softly behind him.
I lay back down and tried to sleep.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming.
Something worse than the Coalition. Worse than Commander Vane.
And I was right.
At exactly midnight, every wolf in the Den started screaming.
I ran downstairs to find them all on the floor, clutching their heads.
"What's happening?" I yelled.
Mei appeared from somewhere in the back. Her face was pale.
"It's a curse," she said. "A new one. The Coalition must have a witch working for them. They've cursed every wolf in the city."
"What does the curse do?" I asked.
Mei looked at me with terrified eyes.
"In seven days," she said, "every werewolf will go feral. They'll lose their minds. Become true monsters. And then the Coalition will have the excuse they need to kill them all."
I looked at Dane. He was on his knees, fighting the curse.
"Can we break it?" I asked Mei.
"Only one way," Mei said. "The ritual. The one that will cure all werewolves. But we don't have a month to prepare anymore. We have seven days."
"Then we have seven days to get ready," I said.
Mei shook her head. "You don't understand. The ritual takes weeks of preparation. You're not ready. If you try it now, you'll fail. And when you fail, everyone dies."
"Then I'll just have to not fail," I said.
I knelt down next to Dane and took his hand.
"I'll save you," I promised. "All of you."
Dane looked up at me with pain-filled eyes.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," he whispered.
"I'm not," I said.
But deep down, I wasn't sure if I believed that.
Because in seven days, either I'd save every werewolf in the world.
Or I'd watch them all become monsters.