The Alpha's mission

Kieran’s POV

My boots crunched on the gravel as I went past the town sign, a familiar feeling settling in. I shouldn’t be here, but because of the Lycan King's orders we have no choice but to follow.

It's been months since wolves started disappearing from the edges of our territory, the ones who were loners. At first, we brushed it off as accidents, but as more wolves continued to vanish, suspicion grew. The pattern became too clear to ignore. Where were the bodies? Why no clues? The silence felt wrong. Something bad was happening.

This town…we thought it was a nest. The last place the missing wolves were seen.

The air was thick and heavy. It wasn't just fog; something was off. It felt like the land was holding its breath, waiting for something bad.

I moved into town, careful with every step. As I kept going, my senses went into overdrive. I wasn't only looking for danger. I was searching for something else. When my wolf growled, urging me forward, feeling that something was wrong.

Then I saw her.

She slipped through the shadows, trying to avoid my men. This girl she’s trying to slip away…

Every instinct roared to life. There was something about her, a pull I couldn’t place. She moved like she was prey, quiet but jumpy. It gave me chills. Without thinking, I told my soldiers to block the exit.

When our eyes met, everything else faded away, time slowing down. My wolf was going crazy, demanding something more. Not just curiosity. It was instinct.

I didn’t get it, and I didn’t want to. But I walked toward her, pulled in by something I couldn’t ignore.

“I am Kieran, Alpha of the Nightshade Pack,” I say. She wasn’t an ordinary wolf. Her scent was wild, bitter. Yeah, there was something else that made me forget why I was here. My pulse sped up. I breathed in, smelling her scent. Wild, free, desperate, scared, real.

I should have felt it: the pull, the bond, a destined mate. But nothing. I was disappointed. She wasn’t the one.

Still, I couldn’t look away. My wolf was restless. There was something more to her, even if she wasn’t my mate. She was tied to what was going on in this town. No doubt.

“By order of the Lycan King, this town is under lockdown. No one enters. No one leaves. For one month.”

She took a step back, eyes on the exit. She wanted to get away, but I wouldn’t let her, not when she was hiding something.

“You're hiding something, little wolf. You don’t smell like a beta to me.” Then it hit me. A change. A little pulse of magic, barely there, but it was there. It was like her real nature was buried. It was just a whisper, but enough. I could feel it.

I smiled. Now, that was interesting.

“Find somewhere to stay,” I says casually, to my people.

“She’ll show us the way.” My voice left no room to argue. As I spoke, I felt tense inside. There was more to her than she showed, and I'd find out what it was.

I didn't wait for her to answer. My soldiers closed in, surrounding her. She stood tall, tense, breathing fast, but steady. I saw fear, confusion, and anger in her eyes.

Her pulse sped up. I could feel it pounding, as loud as my own. She was fighting the same instinct I was. The instinct to take. She couldn’t hide it.

She wasn’t afraid of me.

I followed her, my soldiers behind me. Her every move told a story, and I needed to solve the puzzle. It felt like something old was waking up.

I watched her closely, the way she moved, the muscles in her back tight, ready to run. There was tension and something hidden. My wolf wanted to chase it out, to see what was underneath. But I wouldn’t force it. Not yet.

Not when the game was just starting.

“We'll be neighbors for a while, little wolf,” I watched her closely, studying every flicker of emotion across her face. I tried to read her—tried to reach into her thoughts the way I usually could. But with her… there was nothing. Just silence. A locked door I couldn’t force open.

So I spoke, my voice low and steady, cutting through the tension between us.

“There’s something about you,” I said. “I’m going to find out what it is.”

She didn’t say anything, but her shoulders tensed, She was holding something back, and that made me want to find out more.

“I’ll give you some time,” I said, teasing. “But I’m not going to make it easy, not with whatever you’re hiding.” She clenched her jaw, narrowing her eyes. Good.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said while walking, I smirk because of it.

She wasn’t afraid of me. That was what I needed. She thought she had the upper hand. But this game had only just begun.

“This place feels... heavy,” I said, letting my gaze sweep over the darkened houses and mist-covered rooftops. “Do you feel it too?” She didn’t answer.

Just kept walking, shoulders squared, chin up—like she hadn’t heard me at all. She was playing tough. Pretending not to notice the weight in the air pressing down like a storm about to break. I tried again, voice smooth but edged with curiosity. “Tell me more about this place.”

She didn’t stop. “What kind of things do you want to know?” There it was—the irritation creeping into her voice like a crack in the surface. It made me smile.

“Everything,” I replied, stepping closer. This time, she stopped again. Slowly, she turned her head, her eyes locking with mine—for the third time since we met. And just like before, it hit me hard. That look.

There was something in it—defiance, yes—but also something deeper. Something raw. My wolf surged under my skin, restless, yearning. I could feel his longing bleeding into mine, wild and urgent. She held my gaze like a challenge.

“You can ask the Elders,” she said coolly. “They know everything.” And just like that, she turned away again and walked on, leaving me standing there with the ghost of her stare lingering in my bones. I watched her go, my jaw tight, my wolf pacing behind my eyes. This town had secrets—and she was one of them. And I wasn't leaving without unraveling every single one.I still wondered: What was she hiding? And why did it feel so familiar?

The fog got thicker as we moved into town. I felt like everything had led me here for a reason.

That this girl was at the center of something bigger than I knew. I would get to the truth. My wolf wouldn’t stop until I did.