Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

K endra

The air in the town was heavy, thick with an underlying tension that made my skin prickle as I walked through the narrow, cracked streets. I hadn’t been here long, but I already felt like I didn’t belong, the stares from the people as I passed making it clear that I was an outsider.

The rundown suburban town was eerily quiet, with only the occasional sound of children’s laughter echoing through the broken windows of the old houses. But even their laughter seemed forced, hollow, like it didn’t belong here.

The Resistance had let me out of the small house they’d locked me in, but it wasn’t freedom.

At least, not really.

Every step I took, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I turned my head every now and then, scanning the shadowy corners, but I never saw anyone. The feeling was unsettling, like there was a pair of eyes always just out of sight, watching every move I made.

I tried to shake the feeling as I passed a building that seemed more active than the others. A few people came and went, their arms filled with baskets of supplies—food, by the look of it.

I lingered for a moment, glancing around to make sure no one was paying too much attention, and slipped through the door behind a woman carrying a sack of potatoes. Inside was a small pantry, shelves lined with canned goods, grains, and whatever the Resistance could scavenge from the nearby forests and abandoned towns.

My gaze flicked to the far shelf, where a row of glass bottles caught my eye. Whiskey. I didn’t hesitate. I moved quickly, grabbing one of the bottles and tucking it under my jacket.

I slipped back out of the pantry unnoticed, my heart racing a little as I walked back out into the open air. The sun was lower now, and my eyes scanned the buildings, eventually locking in on the warehouse.

The old building wasn’t far—just a few streets over, near the edge of the town. I could see the hulking shape of it in the distance, its rusted metal exterior a stark contrast to the faded houses surrounding it. I kept my pace steady, pretending like I belonged, like I wasn’t about to do something stupid.

As I approached the warehouse, I expected someone to stop me, to question why I was headed toward a place they clearly didn’t want me near. But no one said a word. No guards stepped forward. No eyes followed me here. The streets were strangely quiet, almost abandoned now that the sun was starting to set.

It wasn’t until I was right in front of the warehouse that I saw him—a single guard standing by the entrance, leaning against the wall with a bored expression. He was younger than I expected, maybe mid-twenties, with dark hair and an unfocused look in his eyes, like he was daydreaming about being anywhere but here.

I hesitated for a moment, clutching the bottle of whiskey under my jacket. My pulse quickened as I took another step forward, then another, my feet carrying me closer to the warehouse and the man guarding it. He hadn’t noticed me yet, and by the time I was close enough to speak, I’d already made a plan.

If I could distract him long enough, maybe get him to let something slip about the town—or better yet, about Rowan—then I’d have a shot at getting inside the warehouse. The bottle of whiskey weighed heavily under my jacket, and I pulled it out, a slow smile spreading across my face as I held it up.

“Thirsty?” I asked, breaking the silence between us.

The guard blinked, his eyes unfocused as he turned toward me. He was even younger than I’d realized up close, with shaggy dark hair that hung over his eyes and a patchy, half-grown beard that made him look more like a kid than a soldier. He straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at the bottle in my hand.

“Whiskey?” he said, a flicker of interest sparking in his eyes. “Where’d you get that?”

“Pantry,” I said with a shrug, holding the bottle out toward him. “Figured you might want some company.”

The guard stared at the bottle for a moment, and I could almost see the internal battle playing out in his head—whether to play it cool and turn me away or give in to the temptation. After a long pause, he grinned, a lopsided, almost goofy smile that made him seem even younger.

“Yeah, alright,” he said, taking the bottle from my hand and uncorking it with a quick twist. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Not exactly,” I said, watching as he took a long swig from the bottle, his eyes squinting slightly as the whiskey burned its way down his throat. He coughed and laughed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m just passing through,” I continued.

“Well, welcome to Sunnygrove,” he said, leaning back against the warehouse wall as if he were introducing me to some grand, thriving town instead of the broken shell of a place I’d stumbled into. “Or what’s left of it.”

“Sunnygrove?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. The name sounded far too cheerful for the crumbling town we were standing in.

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “Used to be a nice little suburban place, from what I hear. Before everything went to hell. Resistance took it over about, what, fifty years ago? Been living here ever since.”

I watched him take another swig, his movements already looser. “So, you’ve lived here your whole life?”

He nodded, the bottle already making its rounds back to me. I pretended to sip before handing it back.

“Born and raised. My parents were Resistance fighters too. Most of the people here were born after the Resistance set up shop. No one really remembers much from the old days except for the stories.”

I leaned against the wall next to him, crossing my arms. “And how long has the Resistance been around?”

“Ah, way before my time. Maybe even before my grandparents were born.” He glanced at me, and I saw a flicker of pride in his eyes. “It started when the wolves first came into power, after the Collapse. Humans needed a way to fight back, and that’s how the Resistance was born. We’ve been holding out against them ever since.”

The guard took another swig, this one longer than the last, and I could already see the whiskey working its magic. His movements were sluggish, his words a little more slurred.

“Been over two hundred years since the Collapse, though. Ain’t nobody left who remembers what life was like before,” he said like he was concentrating really hard.

“So, what do you all do here?” I asked, keeping my tone light, friendly. “Just wait for the next fight?”

The guard shrugged, handing the bottle back to me. His grin widened, turning almost boyish. “Mostly. There’s some farming, some scavenging. We keep the place running, but things have been quiet lately. Not a lot of wolves out this way, until…” He trailed off, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Until you and your wolf showed up.”

I froze for a moment, but quickly forced a smile, taking a sip from the bottle and handing it back to him.

“He’s not dangerous,” I said, my voice soft. “Not like the others. I promise.”

The guard snorted, the sound thick with disbelief. “They’re all dangerous. That’s what they do—hunt and kill. Wolves don’t just travel with humans unless they’ve got some twisted plan in mind. Surprised Captain Sorin didn’t just execute him on the spot.”

My heart clenched at his words, the casual way he spoke of death and execution. Sorin might be planning something for Rowan, and this idiot was just drunk enough to tell me what.

“You ever get tired of it?” I asked, shifting the conversation. “All this waiting for a fight that may never come?”

The guard gave me a sideways look, one eye squinting like he was trying to make sense of what I was saying.

“Sometimes,” he admitted after a long pause. “But it’s all we’ve ever known, you know? Fighting back. Waiting for the day the wolves slip up, or we catch one of them off guard.” He took another long drink from the bottle, and I could see the whiskey finally doing its job. His head lolled slightly as he leaned back against the wall. “Not much else to do around here but drink and wait.”

He grinned again, this time more sluggishly, the alcohol pulling him under. His hand slipped from the bottle, and I caught it before it could fall to the ground.

“Looks like you’ve had enough,” I murmured, watching as his eyelids fluttered, his head tilting back.

“Mmm,” he mumbled, his words barely coherent now. “Sorin… She’ll… find out…”

His voice trailed off as he slumped against the wall, the bottle now completely forgotten. I watched him for a moment, making sure he was well and truly out before I turned my gaze toward the warehouse.

Rowan was inside, and now I had my chance.

And for some reason, no one was stopping me.

With one last fleeting look over my shoulder, I slipped inside.

My eyes adjusted to the low light as I scanned the space, my pulse quickening as I spotted a dark figure slumped on the floor near the back. My heart sank when I saw the chains, glinting in the faint light, binding his wrists and ankles.

“Rowan,” I whispered, rushing over to him.

He didn’t move at first, his head hanging low, but as I knelt beside him, his eyes fluttered open, filled with a combination of relief and pain.

“Kendra,” he rasped, his voice rough, as if he hadn’t spoken in hours.

I reached out, gently cupping his face, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic rising inside me. “I’m here. Are you okay? What did they do to you?”

Rowan let out a slow breath, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

“Suppressants. They’ve got me drugged. Can’t shift, can’t fight.” He grimaced, tugging weakly at the chains that bound him. “But it’s you I’m worried about.”

I frowned, confused. “Me? I’m fine. I got past the guard, I?—”

“No,” he cut me off, his voice urgent. “Your eyes… You’re not fine. You’re… changing.”

I blinked, taken aback by the intensity in his voice. “My eyes? What do you mean?”

Rowan’s gaze softened, though I could see the worry etched in his features. “The mark. When I claimed you… it activated something in you. I didn’t want to scare you before, but I knew it would happen. The virus—it’s inside you now.”

My heart pounded, and a strange heat began to stir inside me, rising slowly from my core. “What are you talking about?”

I suddenly felt lightheaded, like the room was spinning. My skin tingled, every nerve in my body on edge. The warmth that had started deep inside me began to spread, becoming more intense with each passing second, like a fever that was growing hotter, more uncontrollable.

Rowan watched me carefully, his chains rattling as he tried to move closer. “You’re a wolf too. You’re shifting, Kendra,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “It’s happening now.”

Panic surged through me as the heat intensified, my breath coming in short, ragged bursts. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before. My body felt strange, foreign. I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers, but they didn’t feel like my own anymore. My muscles ached, stretching and pulling in ways they shouldn’t.

“I don’t—” I gasped, pressing my hand to my chest as the heat roared through me. “I don’t know what’s happening!”

Rowan’s voice was steady, despite the pain I could see in his eyes. “I know it feels like your body’s betraying you, but you have to stay calm. You’ve seen me do this. You know what it is.”

“I—” I choked on the word, the heat now surging through my bones, my muscles trembling as they began to shift, to warp. My vision blurred, sharp bursts of light and color flickering across my eyes. “I don’t know how!”

Rowan tugged at the chains again, his voice gentle, though I could see the strain in his face. “You do. You just have to trust your instincts. Let the wolf take over, but don’t fight it. It’ll hurt, I’m not going to lie—but it’ll pass.”

I gripped my head, feeling the cutting pain of bone grinding against bone, my muscles stretching, changing, as if my body was being torn apart from the inside. My skin burned, and a strangled cry escaped my throat as the first wave of transformation swept through me.

“Rowan—” I gasped, my voice breaking.

“I’m right here,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “Focus on my voice. You’re stronger than this. You’ll get through it.”

I could hear my heartbeat thudding in my ears, faster, louder, like the sound was coming from all around me. My senses exploded—everything was too bright, too loud, too sharp. The world seemed to shift and warp, bending under the pressure of my changing body.

But then, something clicked. Like a door swinging open inside of me, I felt the wolf waiting, clawing at the surface. My instincts took over, just as Rowan had said, and I felt my body begin to surrender to the change instead of fighting against it.

My muscles snapped and stretched, my bones cracking painfully as they realigned. I fell forward, my hands hitting the cold concrete as they shifted into paws, thick fur sprouting across my skin. The agony was overwhelming, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I clung to Rowan’s voice, to the steady beat of his words guiding me through the pain.

“Breathe, Kendra,” he urged. “Don’t hold back. Let the wolf take over.”

I did as he said, letting the wolf inside of me come forward fully, and with a final, brutal surge of heat, the transformation completed itself. I collapsed onto the floor, my limbs trembling, my heart still pounding in my chest—but it was different now. I could hear it stronger, feel it in a way that was more animal than human.

I blinked, trying to steady myself as I lifted my head. The world was sharper now, more vibrant. I could smell the dampness of the warehouse floor, the scent of Rowan’s skin mixed with the metallic tang of his chains. I could hear the faint hum of electricity buzzing somewhere overhead, the soft sound of my own breath in the silence.

I wasn’t just Kendra anymore.

I was a wolf.

Rowan’s chains rattled, and I turned my head toward him. His eyes were soft, filled with pride and relief. “You did it,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “You’re okay.”

I took a shaky step toward him, still adjusting to this new body, still overwhelmed by the power and instincts surging through me. But even in the chaos, I could feel a sense of control, a new strength that I hadn’t known before.

Rowan smiled, though there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes. “I wish I could shift with you,” he murmured, the chains rattling softly as he tugged at them again. “But for now, I’ll guide you through it. And when we get out of here, I’ll teach you everything.”

I nodded, the human part of me still intact, but now woven into something more. Something primal. Something powerful.

Something definitely not human…