Chapter 3

chapter Three: The Boy Who Runs with Wolves

Midnight came faster than Riley expected.

She spent the rest of the evening pacing her room, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts. Every instinct told her she should not be doing this sneaking into the woods alone to meet a werewolf sounded like the beginning of a horror movie.

But she couldn't ignore the feeling in her gut. The feeling that this was important. That Kieran knew something about the world she'd unknowingly stepped into.

And that if she didn't meet him tonight, she might never get another chance.

So at 11:45 PM, she threw on a hoodie, laced up her sneakers, and climbed out her bedroom window.

The streets of Silverwood were empty as she made her way toward the forest. The town always felt a little eerie at night, the mist curling around streetlights, the air thick with something almost unnatural.

Or maybe that was just her, knowing what lurked beyond the trees.

By the time she reached the meeting spot a clearing just beyond the tree line her heart was pounding.

Kieran was already there.

He stood with his back to her, arms crossed, his head tilted slightly like he'd heard her coming before she even stepped on a branch. Which, let's be real he probably had.

"You came." His voice was low, unreadable.

Riley shoved her hands into her hoodie pocket. "You did say I had to."

He turned, and even in the dim moonlight, his golden eyes caught the glow. "I didn't think you'd listen."

"Yeah, well. First time for everything."

For a second, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched, thick with something unspoken.

Then Kieran sighed. "If you're here for answers, you'd better be sure you want them."

Riley tensed. "Why wouldn't I?"

His gaze met hers, something sharp and warning in his expression. "Because once you know the truth, you don't get to unknow it."

A chill ran down her spine.

But she squared her shoulders. "I think it's a little late for that."

Kieran studied her for a long moment, then nodded slightly like he'd expected that answer.

"Fine," he murmured. "You want the truth? Here it is."

He took a step forward, and Riley had the sudden, unsettling feeling that she was standing at the edge of a cliff.

"There are two packs in Silverwood," Kieran said. "The one that runs this town the one that keeps humans in the dark and the one I used to be part of."

Riley's breath caught. "Used to be?"

Kieran's jaw tightened. "I'm not one of them anymore."

Something about the way he said it made her stomach twist.

"Why?" she asked.

For a second, Kieran hesitated.

Then he said, "Because I broke their rules."

A cold wind rustled the trees, and Riley shivered, but she didn't look away. "What kind of rules?"

Kieran's gaze darkened. "The kind that gets people killed."

Silence.

Something about the way he said it flat, emotionless-sent a chill through her.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Kieran said suddenly.

Riley blinked. "I'm not."

He arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"I mean, not of you specifically," she corrected. "Just everything else."

Kieran huffed a quiet laugh. "Fair."

For a second, the tension cracked, just enough for Riley to remember Kieran might be a werewolf, but he was also just a boy.

A boy who had saved her life.

A boy who had been alone ever since.

She swallowed. "So what happens now?"

Kieran's expression hardened. "Now? You stay out of this."

Riley scowled. "Yeah, see, that's not gonna work for me."

Kieran sighed. "Of course, it's not."

"I saw that thing last night," Riley pressed. "The one with the red eyes. It was trying to kill you, wasn't it?"

Kieran's face darkened. "It wasn't trying."

Her stomach twisted. "Who was it?"

Kieran hesitated. Then: "His name is Callum Drake."

Riley frowned. "Wait, Callum? As in Callum Drake?"

Kieran's expression turned ice-cold. "You know him?"

"Not know him," Riley said quickly. "But everyone at school does. He's the guy who owns the football team. Super charming, super perfect. Everyone loves him."

Kieran's jaw clenched. "Yeah. That's what he wants you to think."

A sick feeling settled in Riley's stomach.

"How" She swallowed. "How is he a werewolf?"

"Because his father is the Alpha."

Everything in Riley went still.

The Alpha. The leader of the pack. The one who wanted Kieran dead.

"So last night" she said slowly. "That wasn't just a random attack."

Kieran exhaled sharply. "No."

Riley's hands clenched into fists. "Then why are you here? If the pack is after you, why haven't you left Silverwood?"

Kieran was quiet for a long moment.

Then he said, "Because I have unfinished business."

Something in the way he said it made Riley's skin prickle.

But before she could press him for more

A howl split the night.

Low. Echoing. Too close.

Riley's heart stuttered.

Kieran went rigid. His head snapped toward the trees, eyes flickering gold.

"Shit," he muttered.

"What?" Riley whispered.

Kieran turned to her, his golden eyes flashing in the darkness. "Run."

Riley's breath hitched. "What"

Another howl cut through the night, closer this time. Too close.

Kieran's body tensed, muscles coiling like he was preparing for a fight. "Go, Riley. Now."

But Riley couldn't move. Her legs were frozen, her brain struggling to process the very real danger lurking just beyond the trees.

Then she saw them.

Two figures emerge from the shadows. Not fully human. Not fully wolf. Something in between.

Their glowing red eyes locked onto her.

Kieran let out a sharp snarl and stepped in front of her. "She's not part of this."

One of the wolves taller, broader, with a cruel smirk stretching across his half-shifted face, tilted his head. "Then why is she here?"

Kieran's hands clenched into fists. "She's leaving."

The second wolf chuckled. "Not so sure about that."

Panic surged in Riley's chest.

Kieran's stance shifted protective like he was ready to throw himself between her and them.

She couldn't let him.

"Riley." His voice was tight. Controlled. "When I say run, you run."

She swallowed hard. "And what about you?"

"I'll handle them."

There was something final in the way he said it.

Like he didn't expect to walk away from this.

The thought sent a cold wave of fear crashing through her.

"No," she said suddenly. "Not without you."

Kieran turned his head slightly, just enough for their eyes to meet.

That second of hesitation was all it took.

The bigger wolf lunged.

Kieran barely had time to shift. One second, he was human the next, he was something else.

Fur. Claws. Teeth.

The impact sent them both crashing to the ground.

The second wolf turned on Riley.

Her body moved before her brain could catch up. Run.

She spun on her heel and bolted into the trees.

The forest blurred around her, branches snapping against her arms, the sound of snarling and growling filling the air behind her. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

She had no idea where she was going just that she had to move.

Leaves rustled to her left. A figure streaked through the trees, keeping pace with her.

Not Kieran.

Panic shot through her veins.

She pushed herself faster, but her breath was coming too fast, her legs burning with effort.

A shadow moved ahead.

No, no, no

A figure stepped onto the path in front of her.

Riley skidded to a stop, nearly crashing into him.

Tall. Blond. Clean-cut.

And smiling.

"Going somewhere?"

Her stomach dropped.

Callum Drake.

Up close, he looked nothing like the golden boy everyone at school admired.

His sharp blue eyes gleamed with something cold, something predatory.

She took a shaky step back.

He stepped forward. "I was hoping we'd get the chance to talk."

Riley's blood ran cold.

This is bad. This is really, bad.

Callum tilted his head. "You look terrified."

"No kidding."

His smirk deepened. "Smart girl."

The movement behind her.

She barely had time to react before strong arms grabbed her.

She thrashed, and kicked, but the grip was like iron.

"Let me go!" she snarled.

Callum just sighed, like she was being difficult on purpose. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

Riley's heart pounded. Think, think, think

Then, from somewhere deep in the woods

A growl.

Fierce. Low.

The kind that promised violence.

Callum's head snapped toward the sound.

The second his attention shifted, Riley moved.

She stomped down hard on the foot of whoever was holding her.

The grip loosened just enough.

She wrenched free and ran.

Callum cursed behind her. "Go after her."

Riley didn't look back.

The forest blurred around her again. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, but she didn't stop.

Then out of nowhere, something crashed into her.

The world spun as she hit the ground, the wind knocked out of her lungs.

She gasped, struggling to get up.

But the second she lifted her head, she froze.

Because standing over her, eyes burning gold, was Kieran.

Not human. Not wolf.

Something in between.

His body trembled, his claws still dripping with blood.

But his eyes his eyes locked onto hers.

And just for a moment, she saw it.

The fear.

Not of her.

For her.

Then his gaze lifted, locking onto something behind her.

A snarl ripped from his throat.

Before Riley could even turn, he moved.

Faster than she thought possible, launching past her, tackling something out of view.

A cry of pain. A violent snarl.

Riley scrambled to her feet, heart hammering, her vision swimming.

Kieran and one of Callum's wolves crashed into the trees, a blur of claws and teeth and fury.

She barely had time to register the fight before a hand grabbed her wrist.

She whirled, ready to fight.

But it wasn't an enemy.

It was Nova.

"Riley, we have to go. Now."

Riley's brain struggled to catch up. "How"

Nova shook her. "Later. Move!"

Riley didn't argue.

Together, they ran.

The chaos of the fight faded behind them, but Riley knew it wasn't over.

Not even close.

And she had the sinking feeling that after tonight

Nothing in Silverwood would ever be the same again.