Chapter 3 First Shift

Pain exploded across my skin like fire. Bones cracked and shifted, too fast, too long held back. I dropped to my hands and knees on the cold floor of my apartment hallway. Everything blurred as fur pushed through. Brown. Thick. My wolf was finally tearing free after three years of silence.

The black rogue lunged again, jaws wide. I twisted, instinct taking over. My new paws hit the ground hard. I snapped at his throat missed by inches but my teeth grazed his shoulder. Blood. Hot. Metallic. He yelped, staggered back.

Kieran, still in wolf form, crashed into him from the side. Grey fur streaked with red from his own wound. They rolled, snarling, claws raking wood and flesh. The rogue got a lucky swipe across Kieran's flank. More blood. Kieran's growl turned ragged, pained.

My wolf whined inside my head. Not anger. Worry. Fear. For him.

I did not understand it. I did not want to. But the bond was there, humming under my fur. Every time he took a hit, it felt like someone twisting a knife in my own side.

The rogue threw Kieran off. He slammed into the wall hard plaster cracking. He slid down, shifted back mid-fall. Human again. Naked. Bleeding. Chest heaving. Those grey eyes found mine across the chaos.

"Lila," he rasped. Voice wrecked. "Run."

I could not. My paws would not move toward the door. They carried me forward toward him.

The rogue turned. Saw me coming. Lips peeled back in an ugly grin. He shifted too human now, tall, scarred, eyes wild with rogue madness.

"You are the one," he said, voice thick. "The hidden one. Alpha is gonna love breaking you."

He stepped over Kieran's body like trash. Reached for me.

Something snapped.

I lunged higher than I expected. Teeth sank into his arm. He roared. Swung. First connected with my ribs. Pain bloomed sharp, stealing my breath. I let go, staggered back.

Kieran moved then. Slow. Shaky. Pushed up on one elbow. Blood dripping from his side. "Don't… touch her."

The rogue laughed. "Too late, Blackwood. She is coming with me."

He grabbed my scruff. Yanked hard. I twisted, clawed at his face. Nails raked deep. He cursed, dropped me.

I landed awkwardly. Shifted back without meaning to — human skin, naked, shaking on the floor. Every muscle burned. Ribs throbbing where he had hit me.

Kieran crawled toward me. Hand outstretched. Fingers trembling. "Lila…"

I looked at him. Really looked. Blood everywhere. Face pale. Eyes glassy with pain. But he was still reaching. Still trying.

My throat closed. Tears stung hot. I did not know why. I hated him. Hated the bond. Hated that seeing him hurt made my chest feel like it was caving in.

I crawled the last foot. Collapsed against him. My head hit his shoulder. His arm came around me — weak, but there.

"You are bleeding," I whispered. Stupid. Obvious. But my voice cracked anyway.

"So are you." His fingers brushed my ribs. Gentle. Careful. Like he was afraid I would break.

The touch sent sparks through the pain. Warm. Steadying. I hated how much I needed it.

The rogue snarled. "Enough of this."

He shifted again — wolf — lunged.

Kieran shoved me behind him. Tried to stand. Legs buckled.

I pushed up. Stood in front. Naked. Shaking. But standing.

"No," I said. Voice low. Steady. "Not him."

The rogue paused. Tilted his head. Like he was amused.

Then footsteps outside. Fast. Multiple.

Two wolves burst through the broken door pack scent, not rogue. One grey like Kieran, the other darker. They tackled the rogue before he could move. Snarls. Claws. A quick, brutal end.

The grey one shifted back first. Tall. Blond. Face serious but kind. "Alpha."

Kieran exhaled. Slumped against the wall. "Ronan."

The other wolf shifted too. Female. Sharp eyes. "We got the rest outside. But more will come."

Ronan looked at me. Then at Kieran held me close. His eyes widened just a fraction.

"The mate," he said quietly.

Kieran nodded once. Weak.

I felt Ronan's gaze on me. Not hostile. Curious. Wary.

The female Elara, pack enforcer may have spoken next. "We need to get them to the house. Now. The scent is everywhere."

Kieran tried to stand again. Winced. Hand pressed to his side. Blood seeped between fingers.

I slipped under his arm without thinking. Supported his weight. His head rested against mine for a second. Breath warm on my hair.

"Thank you," he whispered. So quiet only I heard.

I did not answer. Could not. Because my heart was pounding too hard, and tears were burning again, and I did not know if they were for him, for me, or for the family I lost when I thought I would never feel anything again.

But as we stepped out into the rain Kieran leaning on me, Ronan and Elara flanking us the bond pulled tighter.

And for the first time in three years… I did not push it away.

We walked through the dark. Rain cold on my skin. Feet wet. Kieran’s breathing rough in my ear. Every step he took, I felt his pain in my side. Sharp. Deep. The bond shared it all.

I thought of Mom. How she used to hold me when I was sick. “It will pass, baby.” It never passed. Not really.

I thought of Toby. His small voice. “Lila, carry me.” I carried him then. Now I carried Kieran.

The pack house lights appeared ahead. Warm. Far. Guards at the gate. They opened it fast.

Inside, the air was warm. Smelled like wood smoke and food. People stared. Some gasped. Some whispered.

Ronan led us to a room. Big. Bed ready. Fire burning. Chairs by the window.

Selena waited inside. Face serious.

She looked at Kieran. Then me. “The bond woke the curse. It spreads in him. Black lines under skin.”

Kieran sat on the bed. Winced. I helped him.

Selena came close. “The curse is old. Tied to hidden mates. When the bond wakes, it wakes too. It wants to break you apart. Doubt. Fear. Distance. It feeds on that.”

I felt cold. “How do we stop it?”

“Stay close,” she said. “Skin to skin. Heart to heart. The bond fights it. But the curse is strong. You must seal it fully. Before the full moon.”

Kieran looked at me. “What does that mean?”

“Mark. Claim. Accept. No doubt left,” Selena said. “If you do not… he dies. You die. Pack dies.”

My stomach hurt. “How long?”

“Three days,” she said. “Until full moon.”

Kieran took my hand. “We will do it.”

I looked at him. Blood on his face. Eyes tired. But strong.

I nodded. “We will.”

Selena left. Ronan and Elara too. Door closed.

Kieran lay back. Pulled me down beside him.

I lay close. His arm over me. My head on his chest. Heard his heart. Fast but strong.

“You do not have to stay,” he said quietly. “I can fight alone.”

I lifted my head. “I am not leaving.”

He looked at me. Eyes soft. “Why?”

“Because I felt your pain. Like it was mine. Because when you bleed, I hurt. Because… I do not want to lose you.”

Tears came. I wiped them fast.

He touched my cheek. Thumb gently. “I do not want to lose you either.”

We stayed quiet. Rain on the window. Fire crackling. His heartbeat under my ear.

I felt safe. For the first time in three years.

But the curse was still there. Waiting.

A knock on the door. Soft. Urgent. Ronan’s voice. “Alpha. Luna. The council is here. They know about the curse. They say Lila must leave the pack. Or they will kill her to save Kieran.”

Kieran’s arm got tight around me.

“They will not touch her,” he said.

But I felt the fear. In him. In me.

The door rattled.