Kieran's POV
The Shadow Drake's claws miss my head by inches.
I shove the human female behind a tree and shift mid-leap, my wolf form exploding out as bones crack and reshape. The transformation hurts like hell but I've done it a thousand times. Pain means nothing when you're Alpha.
My wolf is bigger than any other in the Frost Pack—nine feet tall at the shoulder, silver fur that my enemies see right before they die. I've killed bears, rival alphas, even a young wyvern once.
But Shadow Drakes? Those are pack-killers. One drake can wipe out an entire wolf clan in a single night.
And this one wants the human.
The drake lunges, its massive jaws snapping at the tree where she's hiding. I slam into its side with all my weight, teeth going for its throat. My fangs barely pierce its black scales.
Damn it. Its hide is too thick.
The drake throws me off like I'm nothing. I hit the ground hard, roll, come up snarling. My wolf is furious—not just at the drake, but at myself.
Why did I save her?
I should have left the pathetic human to die. Humans don't belong in Beastworld. They're weak, fragile, useless. My father taught me that before he died. "Never trust soft creatures, Kieran. They'll get you killed."
But when I found her naked and shivering in my territory, my wolf did something it's never done before.
It wanted to protect her.
Not claim her. Not eat her. Protect her.
And I have no idea why.
The drake's tail whips toward me. I dodge, but barely. This thing is fast for something so big.
"Run!" I try to tell the human, but it comes out as a wolf's growl.
She doesn't run. She's frozen behind that tree, her honey-colored eyes huge with terror, wrapped in my fur cloak like it's armor.
Stupid. So stupid. Humans are supposed to have survival instincts.
The drake's attention shifts back to her. It takes a step toward her hiding spot, smoke curling from its nostrils.
Something primal explodes in my chest. My wolf howls with rage.
MINE.
The thought shocks me. She's not mine. I don't even know her name. But my wolf doesn't care about logic. It only knows this: the drake wants to hurt her, and that's not happening.
I charge again, going for the drake's eyes this time. My claws find soft tissue and the beast roars in pain, thrashing its massive head. Its tail catches me in the ribs and I hear something crack.
Pain shoots through my side. Broken ribs. At least two.
The drake rears up, preparing to crush me with its weight.
Then something impossible happens.
The human girl steps out from behind the tree.
"Hey!" she screams at the drake, waving her arms like she's trying to scare off a dog. "Over here, ugly!"
Is she insane? She's going to get herself killed!
The drake's head swivels toward her. It grins—actually grins—showing rows of teeth like black daggers.
The girl's face goes white but she doesn't run. Her hands are shaking but her voice is steady: "You want me? Come get me!"
She's buying me time. This fragile human is risking her life to save mine.
No one has ever done that for me. Not since my parents died.
I shift back to human form, ignoring the agony in my ribs. My knife is in my hand before my transformation completes. It's made of drake-bone—the only thing that can pierce drake-scale.
"Close your eyes!" I shout at her.
She drops to the ground instantly. Smart girl.
I throw the knife with every ounce of strength I have left. It spins through the air and buries itself in the drake's exposed throat, right where the scales are thinnest.
The beast gurgles, black blood spraying. It takes two stumbling steps, then crashes to the ground with a thud that shakes the trees.
Dead.
I stand there panting, holding my broken ribs, watching the drake's blood pool in the dirt. That was too close. Way too close.
The human girl pushes herself up slowly, staring at the dead monster. Then her eyes find mine.
"You saved me," she whispers.
"You saved me first," I correct her, limping toward the drake's corpse to retrieve my knife. "Stupid move. Brave, but stupid."
"I couldn't just watch it kill you."
"Why not? You don't know me."
She hugs my fur cloak tighter around herself. "You didn't have to save me from those other wolves. But you did. I was just returning the favor."
Something warm and uncomfortable twists in my chest. I don't like it.
I yank my knife from the drake's throat, wipe it clean. "We need to move. Drake blood attracts scavengers. Worse things than blood-wolves."
"Worse than a Shadow Drake?"
"Much worse."
I start walking, expecting her to follow. She does, limping on bare feet that are bleeding from cuts. She doesn't complain. Doesn't ask to rest. Just keeps moving.
Tough for a human.
After a few minutes of silence, she asks, "Why did your wolf protect me? You said humans are prey here."
"I don't know." It's the truth. "My wolf decided you were worth saving. Wolves are better judges of character than people."
"What's your name?"
"Kieran Frost. Alpha of the Frost Pack."
"I'm Cassandra. Cass." She's quiet for a moment. "What's an Alpha?"
"The strongest wolf. The leader. The one who keeps the pack alive." I glance back at her. "The one who decides if outsiders live or die."
Her face pales. "Are you going to kill me?"
"Haven't decided yet."
It's a lie. I've already decided. My wolf won't let me hurt her. But she doesn't need to know that.
We walk for another hour. She's struggling now, her breathing harsh, her feet leaving bloody prints. But she doesn't ask to stop.
Finally, I see the lights of the pack village through the trees. Home.
"Listen carefully," I tell her. "My pack doesn't trust outsiders, especially humans. They'll see you as weak. Worthless. They might challenge my decision to bring you."
"What happens if they challenge you?"
"I fight them. And I win." I always win. "But you need to show strength. Don't cry. Don't beg. Don't show fear. Understood?"
She nods, straightening her spine despite her exhaustion. "Understood."
Brave and smart. Interesting combination.
We step into the village clearing. Twenty wolf-shifters in human form immediately surround us, weapons drawn. My beta, Marcus Sharptooth, pushes to the front.
"Alpha," he growls, eyeing Cass with disgust. "What is that thing?"
"A human under my protection."
"Humans are prey!"
"This one isn't." I let Alpha power fill my voice, making it a command. "She saved my life tonight. She stays."
Murmurs ripple through the crowd. Angry murmurs.
Then my nephew Jamie's voice cuts through the noise: "Uncle Kieran!"
The four-year-old runs toward me, then stops, his little face scrunching in pain. He coughs, and blood sprays from his mouth.
He collapses.
I'm beside him in a heartbeat, turning him over. His skin is burning with fever. His eyes are unfocused.
"No," I whisper. "Not the spirit sickness. Not you."
The pack healer, Elder Moira, pushes through the crowd. She examines Jamie and her face goes grim. "He has it. The plague is spreading faster."
"Do something!"
"There's nothing to do, Alpha. The spirit sickness always kills. You know this." Her voice is gentle but final. "He has maybe three days."
Three days until my nephew dies. Until the only family I have left is gone.
Cass kneels beside me. She touches Jamie's forehead, her hand gentle, and suddenly those glowing words appear in front of her eyes again—the ones only she can see.
"It's not spirit sickness," she says quietly. "It's sepsis. Blood infection from that wound on his leg. I can cure this."
Every wolf goes silent.
Elder Moira laughs harshly. "A human cure our plague? Impossible."
"Give me three days," Cass says, looking at me with those honey eyes. "Three days to save him. If I fail, I'll leave your pack. If I succeed..." She pauses. "You let me stay."
She's betting her life on saving my nephew. A child she just met.
My wolf is howling inside me: Trust her. Trust her. Trust her.
"Three days," I agree. "But if he dies, human, you leave. And you don't come back."
Cass nods. "Deal."
She bends over Jamie, those invisible glowing words reflecting in her eyes, and starts giving orders like she's the Alpha instead of me.
And somehow, I let her.