Chapter 2

2

Kane

I stand on the front porch of my cabin, the crisp air biting at my skin as I take a bite from an apple. The sound of deer running through the forest reaches my ears. I consider hunting, but I’m saving that for tonight’s patrol.

My cabin sits on the border of Wintermoon, surrounded by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, within sight of Mackinac Island. My job is to patrol and ensure no intruders breach our security, which hasn’t happened in years. Life has been dull, and I could easily leave this post, but I stay. I don’t want to return to my village in Wintermoon. My brothers, Levi, my alpha, and Micah, have found their fated mates.

After a thousand years under the curse cast by the Bailey witches, I understand why they’re reveling in their happiness. But it eats at me. Watching them find peace and start families while I wait for fate to bring me my mate is torture.

It’s been ten years since the curse lifted, and life is adjusting to a new normal for supernaturals. During the curse, without our fated mates, shifters couldn’t procreate or age, trapping us in loneliness. Vampires lost their heartbeat, becoming soulless creatures feeding on blood and sleeping.

Witches turned cold and bitter, many falling into black magic. A thousand years of this drove most of us to madness. I often wanted to stop existing, but my brother Levi kept faith in our Goddess and King Amir’s prophecy that the curse would lift, and we’d find our mates on our land.

The curse is gone, we have our land, but where is my mate? I grin at the black cloud of mystical smoke forming at my porch steps. It’s Kade, a vampire-witch hybrid, turned by King Amir the night we lost the Great War.

Despite it being against Fate's law to turn a witch into a vampire, King Amir broke this rule, believing it was part of Fate's plan. He said Kade was destined to unite supernaturals in harmony, and so far, she’s done just that.

A thousand-year-old Viking, she can be a real pain, but I love her. I love all my supernatural kin. We’ve been through a lot together, united in our goal to protect Wintermoon from radical humans intent on destroying our land.

She appears from the smoke, her teleportation always grating on my nerves. Every shifter hates teleportation; it makes us sick for days. The smoke lingers as she stands before me, dressed in her sheriff’s uniform, smiling warmly. Kade has a motherly aura. She’s spent time with every supernatural pack, pride, clan, and coven, building relationships during King Amir’s slumber. Known as “ Mother Kade ,” she helped establish this land with her brother Damon and the Master Coven.

We first settled in Mid-Michigan, in a small town called Snowbush Falls. As our population grew over the decade, tensions rose between our Master Coven and the humans.

We struck a deal to take over the Upper Peninsula and the surrounding islands. We're still building, but the land is plentiful, and the seclusion is worth it.

“I think this seclusion is turning you into a recluse,” Kade says, her bright blue eyes locking onto mine from the porch steps. She glances around, her gaze shifting between my cabin and the work shed. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she gives me a motherly look. Her long blond hair flows over her shoulders and back, a mix of braids and curls that reflects her Viking roots.

“I’m fine here, Kade. You don’t need to keep checking on me,” I snap, tossing my apple into the forest. I leap off the porch, landing a few feet in front of her. Kade is tall, but I tower over her with my shifter height. She doesn’t flinch, step back, or blink at my imposing presence.

“How will you find your fated mate if you’re hiding out here?” she asks. I roll my eyes, bracing for another lecture. I grunt and walk around her, heading to my shed. She follows as I push the door open and approach my current project, a handmade crib.

I’m much older than Kade by several centuries, but she’s more powerful. King Amir’s blood flows through her veins, and she’s his sworn daughter. Yet, Kade is different from our King’s era. She doesn’t care for politics or her leadership position. She enjoys being a dutiful wife and mother to her people. Leah, her wife, is also a vampire-hybrid. While Kade focuses on Wintermoon, Leah coaches newly fated mates and helps them adjust. She’s worked closely with my brother Levi and his mate, Nia, who struggled to adapt as Luna of my pack.

“Fate will pull me out of my cabin when the time is right. I like the seclusion, Kade. Don’t start today,” I snap. She laughs, walking to the furniture set I’ve just finished. She runs her hand over the hand-carved rocking chair, clearly wanting to keep it.

My work sells well in the furniture store on Mackinac Island, but I don’t care for human currency. I typically send most of my earnings to my village and Wintermoon. Most supernaturals don’t care about human trade, but I understand its necessity. The human dollar keeps our land rich and well-maintained, so I deal with it.

“I could rock my grandchildren to sleep in this chair,” Kade mutters, eyes filled with longing. She admires the piece, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“They don’t make furniture like this anymore.”

“Go ahead and take it, Kade. I can have another made by morning,” I say, shifting the conversation. What is she doing here? What does she want? I do my job well—no human has crossed the bridge or the waters unnoticed. Kade should know she doesn't need to worry about that.

There’s no trouble in my village; I'd sense it. My connection with my brothers is strong. If Levi sent Kade to coax me back to the village, it’s not happening. I’m tired of hearing the moans of my fated sisters all the time. Maybe it’ll be more tolerable once I have a mate, but for now, I'd rather stay on this secluded land than listen to that.

Kade snickers and flops into the rocking chair, rocking back and forth. She’s going to teleport it. I feel bad for the chair.

“There’s a storm on the horizon, and I don’t have a good feeling about it,” Kade says.

“I can smell it in the air. I don’t need a forecast like the humans do,” I snap. She chuckles.

“I’m shutting down the bridges for the rest of the week and I’ve cleared the island of tourists. That won’t stop some idiot from trying to cross, but the storm’s current will keep them away.”

“Don’t worry, Mother Kade ,” I taunt. She raises an eyebrow. “I’ll do extra patrols.”

“And if a human tries, send them back to human territory. Do not kill anyone,” she commands. I roll my eyes.

“I’ll try,” I say. It’s all I can promise. I don’t see why she’s so worried. No human has tried to sneak into Wintermoon in two years. They know where we stand.

But Kade being here means something is off about this storm. Her intuition is never wrong. I look up from my project and give her a stern nod, understanding that I need to stay alert over the next few nights.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to your projects. Come onto the island after the storm and try some of Leah’s famous chocolate donuts.”

“You know I don’t eat that,” I growl. She laughs.

“Call me if you run into trouble.” I narrow my eyes, but she gives me a gentle wink and teleports out of my workshop, leaving a black cloud of smoke and an empty space where the rocking chair sat. I sigh, shaking my head at Kade’s ridiculousness.

I don't think we have anything to worry about. The scent in the air signals a strong blizzard. No human will be stupid enough to cross into Wintermoon in this. But then again, I’ve seen humans do stupider things.

Fine, let them try. I’ll make them wish they never stepped foot onto our land.