Chapter 9

Kian looked at the address in his hand and the house standing tall in front of them.

The building in front of him was bigger than their packhouse, surrounded by the huge garden and big walls protecting it. He could only see a little bit from the entrance, but its size still intimidated him.

“Are you sure this is the one?” Kiara asked.

He nodded with a shuddering breath, gaze raking their surroundings. He was afraid, but he couldn’t show his fear to Kiara. Everything they did until now was to reach this place. And now, when they were standing in front of it, he was having second thoughts.

Who lives in this place now?

Would they be able to tell them more about Moira? How would these people react? Would they even know about the people staying at this house before?

"How will we enter? Do you know someone?" Kiara's voice stopped his haywire thoughts, and one glance at her calmed him down. He would do anything for her, and this was the most important thing for her.

He first peeked from the gate. It didn’t have any kind of opening. It was locked, and there was some kind of machine attached to the side of the gate. He was sure not going to touch that thing. From experience, he knew these kinds of devices could put you in danger. So, he decided to follow his next option.

He saw there was a big tree at the corner of the house; they could easily enter from there. So he dragged Kiara to the spot and explained his plan.

“But I’m scared, Kian. What if I fall down? Or what if they caught me?” Panic rose in her voice. Humans were scary, so her fear was relatable. They were about to trespass into their home.

“Nothing is going to happen. You’re one of the best climbers in our pack, Kiara. Did you forget all the times we used to climb trees?”

She shook her head and eyed the tree again. “That’s different.”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s only different if you see it that way. This is just like any other tree in our pack lands. You trust me, don’t you?”

She nodded mutely.

"Then do it. Think this as one of your training sessions," he gently coaxed. "I'm just behind you. And remember, once you climb down, hide yourself."

Kiara took a deep breath and did as he instructed. Once on the other side, she hid herself in the bushes behind the garden. Kian followed her suit and climbed down, but instead of going to Kiara, he started to sniff around.

The house had the scent of two humans, and he could also smell something familiar though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was yet.

Kian called Kiara out of her hiding spot and was about to tell her about his next move when they heard the loud scream followed by a wolf howl.

What the—

Kian’s wolf perked up, all his senses suddenly on high alert as he pushed Kiara behind him and turned toward the mansion. The wolf in him growled, threatening to come out as his eyes shifted from gray to black, body tingling with the familiar feeling of transformation, but he curbed it down forcefully.

Not now.

Kiara…

His wolf’s voice rang in his head. Protect Kiara.

She is safe. His wolf bared his teeth at him from the corner of his mind, which he ignored.

Protect. His wolf repeated again, growing restless inside him for some reason.

He knew his wolf wouldn’t allow him to look around until he was sure that Kiara was safe. Kian wasn’t someone who would ignore his wolf’s instincts. Something was bothering his other half. So he sniffed at the air again, trying to identify the source.

At first, he came up with nothing. But when the wind blew in his direction, he picked up the distant scent of a wolf.

A wolf? What is a wolf doing in the city?

His body tensed, and he choked on a threatening growl. He didn’t know if it was a friendly one or an enemy. Next, a soft whine was heard, and he could tell Kiara didn’t hear it. Right. He wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn't for his heightened senses, either.

However, it sounded pained and confused. Was the wolf hurt? He sniffed at the air again and wanted to get closer to get a better grasp of the situation. The scent that reached him said there was only one, and it wasn’t from any pack.

Every wolf had a unique scent that was different from the pack scent. A pack scent was mostly the combined scent of all the wolves and the location they lived in. Every pack had their scent, and the wolf was marked when they became a pack member. This scent protected them, and it was what helped them to distinguish from a rogue wolf. But being away from the pack for too long also caused the scent to fade.

Another painful howl reached them, and the hold on his arm got painfully tight. His wolf was right; Kiara was very scared.

He turned toward the wide-eyed Kiara. “Stay here. Don’t move until I’m back.”

“I’ll come with you.” She grabbed his arm, fingers curling around his sleeve.

“No.” He shook his head. “We don’t know what’s going on inside. Let me check this out.”

She looked like she wanted to oppose but nodded half-heartedly. “Okay. But you promise to stay safe and come right back if something is wrong. You’re all I have, Kian. I can’t lose you. Promise me.” Her fingers trembled, clutching onto him.

He nodded curtly, gaze locking with hers. “I promise.”

The wolf howled again, and this time, Kiara jumped a little with fear but only because this one was not painful—instead, it was a warning.

"Kiara, I need to go, but listen to me carefully. Hide where you were hiding now, and don’t come out under any circumstances. Wait for me.”

Kiara nodded in understanding and went back into the bushes she was hiding in earlier.

Once Kiara was safe, Kian jogged toward the mansion from where the sounds were coming from. His ears strained as he lifted his face to the air, nostrils flaring as he gauged the threat. The sounds were coming from the backside of the mansion. He skirted around it, coming to a backyard where he finally saw a wolf and two humans.

A werewolf.

He sniffed the air, a growl bubbling in his throat. The wolf was young, given the size and stature, but it was bigger than wild wolves, and the scent was a dead giveaway. The humans were seemingly threatening the wolf with heavy objects, but the wolf snarled in a warning.

Kian could tell the humans weren’t fully equipped to fight off the wolf. It seemed as if they grabbed the first thing that was closer to them. The garden shovel and garden scissors had sharp edges but weren't good against a werewolf, whether young or old. Well, if a wolf knew how to fight, that was. If not, it could cause lethal injury.

What caught his attention was the subtle whine the wolf let out. The wolf wasn’t attacking the humans. Yet. It was more trying to threaten them and scare them away. That wolf either didn’t know how to fight or has recently shifted. After brief contemplation, he settled for the latter reason.

“Where is my daughter?” the man yelled. “What did you do to my Layla?”

The wolf whined, lips peeling back in a snarl when the man advanced with the shovel. He could see the wolf and humans both were just trying to scare each other away.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Where is my daughter?” the man shouted again.

Kian felt a little bit confused at the question. A rogue or a pack wolf didn’t hurt humans purposefully. They only attacked if they were in danger. The only exception was the Lune Hunters, who hunted the werewolves as a sport.

The wolf whined again at the question as if trying to tell them something. But what?

He observed humans and that wolf carefully. The wolf was cornered with a high wall on its back. It would have to get past the humans to escape. With its ears flat against its head, the wolf looked ready to pounce, snapping its jaw at them, but it didn’t attack them at all. It was only sending warning growls which reverberated around them as he drew closer. The humans hadn’t noticed his presence yet.

“Kill that thing, Ronald. You can’t talk sense to a werewolf!” the woman shouted. “They’re evil.”

“But our Layla?” A tear slid down from the man’s eye.

"There's no blood. She must be fine. She knows how to take care of herself if she encounters a wolf. Trust in our upbringing." Getting assurance from his wife made him more relaxed. Then they together advanced toward the wolf.

Sudden anger coursed through his veins. Kian decided it was time to intervene. It was clear these were Lune Hunters if they had known about a werewolf’s existence. He wasn’t going to let a werewolf die on his watch. Rogue wolf or not. He would save the wolf first and ask questions next. Something very suspicious was going on here for sure.

In a blink of an eye, he shifted into his wolf.

***

Kiara was anxiously pacing behind the bush Kian left her when she felt the tug in her chest. She rubbed her chest as the discomfort and panic began to rise in her. She couldn’t help the fear of something terrible happening to Kian.

Who was that wolf? What was it even doing here so far from a pack?

She wrung her fingers, chewing her bottom lip as she walked back and forth. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. The seconds ticked away, and the urge to go to Kian grew stronger with every passing second. But he warned her to stay away.

Kiara tried to inhale and exhale, counting from ten to one, but nothing was helping with the increasing anxiety. Sweat coated her forehead, and she fidgeted with her shirt, feeling something tighten in her chest cavity.

It was right at that moment she began to hear growls and rumbles. Her eyes widened as a whine followed.

What was that?

Something tugged at her chest again, and she moved even before she knew what it was. Kiara took off, throwing caution to the wind.

Was Kian hurt?

As she drew closer, the sounds of the growls continued to grow, and her knees almost buckled at the thought of Kian getting hurt.

No, no, no, please stay safe.

***

Kian jumped on time to save the wolf from a hit that was aimed at its head. The wolf looked confused and scared as it ducked its head. Kian clenched his jaw around the shovel, wrenching it out of the human's hand before pouncing on him.

The human stumbled and fell on his back, his mouth opening with a scream at the unexpected assault. Beside him, the woman screamed bloody murder. He snarled at his face and was about to close his jaw around his neck when the young wolf lunged at him, crashing into his side and taking him to the ground.

Kian acted on instinct, kicking the wolf off his body with a loud snarl. The woman tried to attack him as if waiting for the opportunity, but he was faster. He snapped his jaws at her, biting her hand and causing her to drop the scissors.

The woman screamed, and the young wolf attacked him once more. But this time, the wolf wasn't alone. The man was with the wolf, trying to get him away from the woman. Kian shook them off his body with practiced ease and kicked at the wolf using his hind legs. He caught the man next, slashing across his chest with his sharp front claws, remembering from his early lessons how easy humans were to bodily harm.

As expected, the man clutched his chest, falling back and staying there. The woman hurried to his aid. The young wolf howled at him and pounced. Kian dodged the attack, twisting his body at the right time. The wolf was careless and untrained, exposing its belly and underside to his lethal claws.

However, Kian wasn’t fighting to kill the wolf. So, he used the opportunity to subdue the wolf instead. He pinned the wolf, who he had now identified as a female and couldn’t be older than Kiara. The wolf thrashed under his paws, but he clamped his jaw around its neck in warning.

Still, the wolf struggled to come out of his hold, so he let out a thunderous roar silencing the wolf and everyone in the surrounding. The werewolf under him stiffened, and a shudder ran through its body. With a whine, it went lax and bared its neck more in submission.

He released its neck with another warning growl to stay put, eyes unwavering.

Then he smelled her before even saw her.

“Kian!”