Chapter Two — Kaine’s POV

The smell of Papa’s Tim’s grilled venison wafted into my nostrils, bringing me back to that day Lyra had convinced me to try the most talked about grilled meat in the pack. More like she talked me into coming along with her on a rainy afternoon, because only then would we be able to avoid waiting in line.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t just waltz into the shop and get anything I wanted without having to wait in line. After all, I was the Alpha’s son then, and a well-respected person at that. Not that I had any interest in the place, and I also hated venison thanks to a childhood incident I’d much rather forget. But when she showed up in my house, soaking wet and battered from the rain, asking me to come along with her to the grill spot, I couldn’t say no.

I could never say no to Lyra. Or at least, I thought I couldn’t—until that night. Since then, I have been haunted by thoughts of her. I think of her in my sleep, during council meetings, while hunting…everywhere, all the time.

It was probably due to the guilt, which had carved a permanent place inside of me, but I hadn’t been able to go a single day without thinking about Lyra. And it didn’t help that I had worn the necklace she had given me around my neck every day since she left. She had given it to me as an early gift, the night before I was to be named Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack. And what had I done in return?

The sound of Dominic’s motorcycle revving snapped me out of my train of thought. Only then did I realize that I had been fiddling with the necklace around my neck. Looking down, I saw Dominic climb off his motorcycle, take off his helmet, then glance up to the rooftop of the three-story building where I sat.

“You’re late,” I said, jumping down from the building and landing easily on my feet.

“Show off,” Dominic muttered, shaking his head with a chuckle as I fetched my bag from the corner where I had dropped it earlier. “Had to help Isolde with something at the diner.”

“She’s not coming?”

“Not today. Something is up with her, I don’t really know what,” he answered. He paused, then added, “ I didn’t think you would want to go hunting the day before your mating ceremony. I imagined you would want to take a break and relax.”

I grunted. “This is me relaxing.”

“Well, can you at least pretend to be a little excited for your ceremony tomorrow? My mother used to say that mating was the last step toward making a werewolf feel whole. And once you find your mate, you’re supposed to feel as complete as you ever will.”

It’s the same thing my mother used to tell me. It’s no wonder since they were sisters. And I couldn’t deny the truth in their words.

I’d known my mate since the day Lyra’s father brought her to the sparring ground. She was just a fifteen-year-old who always carried a bow and an arrow strapped to her back because she wanted to master the art of archery. I guess I had just been intrigued to meet a girl who basked in the thrill of sparring and hunting.

I had known my mate my whole life, and I had felt everything that they said one would feel. I had felt whole and complete. That feeling died the day I became Alpha. And now, I didn't care about feeling whole. All I cared about was doing what was best for the pack.

The silence that followed after Dominic’s little trip down memory lane told him all he needed to know—I wasn’t in the mood to talk about anything concerning the mating ceremony. Dominic was my cousin, and more than anyone, he understood me.

He’d joined the pack about four years ago after his entire pack was wiped out by a disease. Since then, he has been my right-hand man, my sparring mate, and my hunting companion alongside Rowan and Jonathan. Speaking of those two…

I looked ahead to see them both pulling the trunk I had sent them to get up from the mechanic. They don't know why I wanted it. Yet . They probably thought that I just wanted to retrieve the trunk my father had gifted me on my eighteenth birthday. It was old, but it still worked fine. And I planned on using it for today’s hunt.

They parked just in front of Dominic and me, before climbing out of the trunk.

“Old man Jenkins was giving us a hard time about releasing the trunk,” Jonathan said, tossing me the key, which I caught easily with one hand. “Thought we wanted to steal it or something.”

Jenkins was always paranoid, so this came as no surprise. Dominic’s eyes followed my movements as I shrugged off my jacket, tossing it in the back of the trunk, then dug pulled out a map from my bag, spreading it across the hood of the car.

“What’s that for?” he asked.

“I thought we might do something a little different today,” I answered with a smirk, tracing a line on the map. Drawing a circle around a spot, I tapped it twice and said, “I scouted this location yesterday. It’s got a lot of wild boar crawling all over.”

It took a moment for what I was saying to register in their heads, and when it did, Jonathan was the first to react. “You want us to go hunting for wild boar?”

“Aren’t you tired of hunting deer?”

“Uh—well…it’s dangerous for one. And shouldn’t you be protecting that pretty face of yours from scratches and keeping it in one piece considering your mating ceremony is tomorrow?”

I clenched my jaw at the mention of the mating ceremony. If one more person had to remind me that I was going to be mating with a woman whom I barely knew, I was going to lose it. Rolling the map, I tossed it into my bag and motioned to Jonathan, Dominic, and Rowan to get into the trunk. Dominic, however, refused, threw on his helmet, and said, “Try to keep up.”

About an hour and a half later, we arrived at the hunting grounds. Truth was, I hadn’t actually scouted the place. Yesterday, I’d spent the entire day at a local bar getting wasted and feeling like nothing but a piece of shit.

Today, I didn’t want to relive the horrible experience of yesterday. I wanted to be sane, and I wanted something thrilling, something that could get me out of my head even for just a couple of hours. Something more.

Jonathan and Rowan climbed out of the trunk gathering their gear, and soon enough, Dominic pulled up on his motorcycle.

“What took you so long?” I asked.

“Had to stop by the archery shop,” he said, pulling up some gear. “If we’re going to be hunting wild boar, we need proper weapons.” He offered me some gear, but I shook my head.

“I don’t need a weapon.” I extended my claws—sharp and dangerous, and added, “Already got one.”

We hiked further into the forest, the dense canopy overhead blocking out most of the sun. When the sound of rustling leaves reached my ear, I knew we had arrived at the perfect spot to set up base. And by base, I meant a rendezvous point should any of us somehow lose track of the others. Though that was unlikely with our heightened senses.

“Rowan, you’re on tree watch,” I ordered.

He grumbled, clearly frustrated that I always put him on tree watch. Amongst the four of us, he was the best climber. He could scale the tallest trees with ease, which afforded us another pair of eyes from above. Plus, he had stellar communication, and he was less impulsive than the rest.

“Jonathan, you take the north. Dominic, you head south. I’ll cover the west. Which means, Rowan, you’ll be climbing a tree east of us.”

They all nodded in understanding.

“You know the drill, you see anything, call for the others. If you can handle it on your own, well…I’m sure the rest of the pack would be thrilled if we brought two wild boars back.”

“That’s if we’re not eaten alive first,” Jonathan muttered to himself, but I caught it and shot him a sharp look.

According to my instructions, we spread out. At first, the forest was eerily quiet—no rustling leaves, no snapping branches, just the faint sound of our footsteps. I began to wonder if I was in the right place.

But the doubt only lasted for all of ten seconds before I heard the unmistakable snap of a branch. My senses sharpened, and I whipped my head in the direction of the sound, peering deeply. I saw nothing. Though the brief sound was enough to tell me that something was there.

Speaking in an undertone, I asked, “Rowan, west of you, do you see anything?”

Five seconds passed then I heard his response, equally in a low voice. “No. But…I just saw something move…”

“Something like a wild boar?”

He was silent for longer. Then he answered. “Actually, I think it’s a…someone.”

“Someone?”

“About three feet tall, whitish blonde hair…it’s a boy.”

“A boy?” I stopped moving. “What would a kid be doing on dangerous grounds?”

“Maybe he is out here hunting, just like us?” Rowan hesitated for a moment. Then the tone of his voice shifted, sharp and panicked. “Scratch that! He’s running, Kaine! He’s running from a boar.”

Alarm shot through me, and I sprinted in the direction, calling for Dominic and Jonathan to head west. My breath hitched when I caught sight of the wild boar. It was feral and massive, tearing through the bushes as it closed in on the boy. Looking ahead, I saw the small figure darting through the woods. I only caught a side glimpse of him, but I could sense his terror as he ran.

“Jonathan, flank it. I’ll cut it off!” I ordered when the boar was in sight. Jonathan followed without hesitation, his movements precise, well-practiced. He had only started going hunting with us early this year, but he was better at it than I could have imagined.

I took out my claws, ready to attack the boar when it was within striking distance, but somehow, the animal leaped, evading my strike as it charged toward the boy, its tusks gleaming in the low light.

The boy took another corner, and the boar followed, but I continued to head straight, calculating that if I stayed on this path, I could intercept them up ahead. And that was exactly what happened. With a snarl, I intercepted, launching myself at the boar. My claws tore through its hide, and with one swift strike, I brought it to the ground. The boar let out a final groan before going still.

Smirking at my flawless victory, I checked to make sure that the boar was completely dead before turning to the boy, who had stopped running as he stared wide-eyed at the dead boar. He was panting heavily and sweating profusely. His shirt and pants were torn in different places, and he was covered in dirt, a testament to his frantic escape. But what struck me the most was his striking features: the whitish blond hair and large, piercing brown eyes reminded me so much of her. And when the boy's eyes connected with mine, I felt an undeniable pull, as if a magnet had drawn me to him.

Extending an arm to him, I asked, my voice softer than usual. “You okay?”

His eyes bounced between my face and my outstretched arm as though he was deliberating whether to trust me. But after a moment, he nodded slowly. His eyes were still full of fear even though his worst nightmare was probably over. But there was something else, too. Determination.

The boy took my arm, and I helped him up.

“I need help,” he said, his voice trembling. “My mother…collapsed in the forest. She’s hurt, and she’s…”

He didn’t say the next words, but I could already hear the unspoken thought.

“Please, you have to help her,” his trembling tone turned desperate.

“Where is she?” I asked.

He pointed deeper into the forest, where the trees grew even thicker. Without another word, I headed in the direction, the boy following closely behind. I could hear Dominic and Jonathan calling out to me, asking where I was going, but I ignored them. As we moved through the woods swiftly, the scent of blood grew stronger. We broke through a bush to a small clearing, and that is when I saw the woman on the ground, unconscious. She was naked, her body bruised and battered.

My heart stopped. In fact, everything around me stopped moving. Even the air became still. Perhaps I was hallucinating what was before me, which wouldn’t be the first time in six years. So I squeezed my eyes shut, and after a few seconds, I impatiently tore them open. No, this wasn’t another one of my episodes. Recognition slammed into me like a physical blow.

My throat was tight as I whispered, completely assailed by the shock. “Lyra…”