Chapter 4

Kiara's legs trembled and her knees locked as she trekked the narrow, uneven path. All alone, nothing but her occasional sobs and ragged breathing accompanied her.

She stumbled several times and tripped twice, scraping her knees and the palms of her hands. The road was rough because she'd taken a less-traveled path to avoid running into any pack members. She didn't want anyone to learn her secret yet.

Would Lucille actually keep quiet until the full moon?

Most new wolves didn't return from their awakening ceremony until late in the afternoon the following day. So the others would question her early reappearance for sure. The first shift was always painful, intense, and taxing. It took days to recover. Though it got easier with time.

But she hadn't shifted. She'd stayed frozen on the floor after Lucille left, her thoughts spinning. They all eventually came back to the fact that her father would execute her. In front of the pack. And no one would object. She was nothing to them without her wolf.

I'm a failure.

Those words had repeated in her head, like a chant, until she'd finally risen to her feet. Some primal instinct had urged her to get out before anyone came looking for her. She had time, until the next full moon, to figure this out. To save herself.

Fourteen days didn't seem nearly long enough.

Kiara yelped as she stepped on a sharp stone. She grimaced, clamping a hand over her mouth, crying silently.

I can't go home. My father can't see me like this. He'll know I didn't shift. He won't understand.

She was limping noticeably by the time her village came into view. Everything was silent. In a few hours, they'd begin waking up. What would she do if one of them came to her cabin to congratulate her? Not that any of the other pack members cared enough about her to do so.

I can't do this. I have nowhere to go.

It took all her restraint to hold back the violent sob that wanted out. Kian. She needed Kian. He would keep her safe. Her body automatically changed direction, staggering toward the one person she knew would never betray her.

She had no idea how she'd made it to his door. Because the moment he opened it, shirtless and rubbing his weary eyes, she fell into his arms.

"Kiara? What are you doing here so early?" he asked as he lifted her exhausted body into his arms, carrying her inside.

She didn't try to respond as he lowered her onto his bed. His comforting scent immediately engulfed her, and she closed her eyes at the feel of his hand running over her hair soothingly. This soft, reassuring gesture, finally broke her, and sobs shook her trembling body.

"Kiara?" There was worry in his voice as he hovered above her, an alarmed look on his face. His eyes raked over her, and he realized she was bleeding. "What happened? Oh, God! You're hurt." But his worried expression soon turned stormy as his nostrils flared. "Who did this to you?"

Kiara could only shake her head, sobbing violently. He immediately climbed onto the bed with her, pulling her into an embrace.

"Shh, it's alright. I've got you," he comforted her. "No matter what happened, I've got you."

And that was enough for her. The exhaustion of the day finally caught up to her, and she felt her last drop of energy draining from her body as she fell asleep in his arms.

***

It was noon by the time Kiara woke up, blinking blearily. The bright light coming through the window stabbed at her eyes, and she groaned, turning her head in the opposite direction.

Then, the throbbing pain in her foot reminded her of everything that had happened the night before. It was now wrapped in gauze, but she could still see how swollen and red it was. Kian must have taken care of it while she'd slept.

She was about to call out for him when soft voices carried over to her.

"How is she?"

Uncle Rommik.

Suddenly she was on high alert.

"Sleeping," Kian said tonelessly. "She's exhausted."

"Ah, the first shift is always hard. She'll be out of it for at least three more days. Truth be told, I was worried when I didn't hear her howling on my run last night." Kiara didn't know if she was being overly paranoid, but she could have sworn there was more suspicion than concern in Rommik's voice.

"From what I can tell, she ran pretty far. You were probably just out of range."

Is Kian covering for me?

A frown tugged at her lips. She tried to sit up, but her body was too sore and tired. So she gave up and lay there, staring at the ceiling.

"Well, I'm glad everything went so well. I'll pop back by later. Tell her that Uncle Rommik is proud of her."

"I will."

There was the sound of the door opening and closing before it went silent again. A few minutes later, she heard soft footsteps approaching the bedroom, and the furs that separated the sleeping area from the living area were lifted.

"You're awake," he observed, his eyes trailing over her wounds. "How are you feeling?"

A few stray tears were the only answer she could give him. Kian came closer, helping her into a sitting position before handing her a glass of water. She drank as much as she could, realizing how thirsty she was. She dropped her head on his shoulder when she was done.

"Want to tell me what happened?" he asked in such a gentle tone she nearly burst into tears once again.

Kian, the sweet person that he was, waited patiently for her to find the right words.

"I-I didn't shift," her voice was barely audible, coming out in a scratchy, incoherent croak because of all the crying she'd been doing.

But Kian's heightened wolf senses had no trouble picking it up. "What? What do you mean you didn't shift?"

She shook her head weakly. "I did everything Elder Lucille told me to do, but nothing happened." She let out a shuddering breath. "My wolf didn't awaken. I-I felt nothing."

"Oh, Kiara…"

"I failed, Kian. This was my only chance to prove myself. To become a true member of this pack. Now I'll never belong."

He was quick to protest. "Don't say that. This isn't over. I've never heard of a wolf who didn't shift at eighteen, but there has to be a logical reason. What did Lucille say?"

Kiara swallowed, and more tears fell. "She said she couldn't sense my wolf spirit."

"What?"

Her heart plummeted into her stomach at the dread in his voice. "My wolf spirit, Lucille couldn't sense her at all," she repeated.

Kian went silent for a moment, and Kiara began to panic. What would happen now that Kian knew? Would he tell her father? Kiara had no choice but to face whatever came next.

"That's…" He let his words trail off.

"Fate hates me, doesn't she?" She laughed humorlessly. "The pack is going to go berserk when they find out. Dad will scold me until my ears fall off, telling me just how much of a disappointment I am. He'll call me my mother's daughter. Say I'm nothing but trouble."

"Kiara, don't say that. You're an important member of this pack."

"Am I?" she asked. "No one likes me except you and Uncle Rommik. Most of them actually hate me." Her voice cracked. "They hate me, Kian. They'll jump on this chance to get rid of me."

"I'll protect you," he said, a growl lacing his words. "Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to go through me."

She scoffed. "You're just one wolf. What good is one wolf against the entire pack?" She shook her head, staring aimlessly at the wall. "I'm not worth fighting for."

"I'll go talk to elder Lucille. She'll know what to do." He tried to stand, but she stopped him.

"There's no point. She won't help. She just said she'd give me until the next full moon to figure out what's wrong with me," she informed him. "But what good will that do? I'll never fit in without a wolf."

"You can't be sure of that."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what she told me about my mother."

His face drained of all color as she continued to tell him everything, and when she was done, silence reigned.

"We'll find a way," he promised. "I won't let them kill you, Kiara. I'll do everything I can to save you."

Kiara could only cry silently as she sank back into his protective embrace. At least she still had him by her side.

***

Answers weren't easy to find. No one would talk about her mother anymore. Her father punished anyone who dared say her name.

Kiara managed to avoid Rommik and her father for the next two days as she nursed her wounded heart in Kian's house. Rommik stopped by twice to check on her, whereas her father, as usual, ignored her presence.

When he wasn't sleeping, Kian was thinking of ways to help her shift. They tried everything they could come up with. Kian even went so far as to make her angry in order to trigger a shift. But all she did was scream at him and push him away. There was no spark, no burning rage, no urge to shift and sprout fur and claws.

She was empty by the third day, all hope lost. In twelve days, the pack would find out she couldn't shift. Her time was running out.

"We need to leave," Kian said after dinner on the third night.

They were sitting side by side in front of the fireplace, watching the crackling fire dance with a rage that was somehow calming.

"What?" She turned to face him, eyes wide, heart suddenly racing.

"We won't find the answers we need here among the pack. No one will talk about your mother. Not even Rommik," he explained before turning thoughtful. "There's more to her story," Kian mused. "Konrad and Elder Lucille are hiding something."

"Yea, but they'll never tell us," Kiara sighed, shaking her head in resignation.

"Then we have no choice but to leave. We have to follow our only lead: your mother." His features hardened.

"You're crazy," she whispered. "The moment we cross the border, they'll mark us for death. No matter where we go, they'll hunt us until they find us. Do you want to end up like my mom?"

"Who's to say we won't have a different fate." He shrugged nonchalantly. "We don't really know what happened back then. I was only two after all."

Kiara sighed. "It won't work. We can't leave. I won't let you leave."

"So you'd rather stay here and die?" He scoffed. "Trust me, Kiara, there's nothing more we can do here. They'll kill you the moment they learn the truth. They'll probably kill me too for helping you. I'd prefer to die trying."

Kiara frowned. The only life she'd ever known was within the pack. "I-I don't know. What if we don't find any answers?" she asked meekly.

"Then we'll start a new life, a better life," he stated confidently.

"What if they find us?" She searched his eyes for any hesitation but saw only determination.

"I'm not a helpless wolf, Kiara. I'm a trained warrior. I lead hunting groups for crying out loud. If there's anything I'm good at, it's covering my tracks." He took her hands in his, his features softening. "We have a better chance of surviving if we leave."

Tears trickled down her cheek. "I'm scared. What if we fail?"

"Then at least we'll know we tried," he answered with another reassuring smile.