Chapter 3
One year ago…
Declan O’Shea
Smoke drifted lazily up from our small fire, mixing with the cool scent of damp earth and pine that filled the air around us. I leaned back against the fallen log, watching the flames flicker, amber and gold, casting dancing shadows across our little campsite.
Behind me, the gentle laughter of Aidan and Kait filled the small clearing, a sound that always made my chest feel warm and full.
They were sitting close, their heads bowed together as they shared some quiet, teasing secret.
Aidan’s deep, rumbling chuckle was a comforting sound, his eyes bright as Kait whispered something to him, her dark curls brushing lightly against his shoulder.
To my right, Lila smiled warmly at me, her blue eyes catching firelight as she placed a steaming mug of tea in my hands.
“Drink,” she said softly. “You look half-asleep already.”
“I was just resting my eyes,” I joked, taking a sip. The heat seeped into me, pushing back the lingering chill of the evening.
Lila shook her head, sliding onto the log beside me, close enough that her thigh pressed against mine. “Resting your eyes. I’ve heard that one before.”
She grinned, and for a second, everything felt like it had finally fallen into place.
Aidan and me, Kait and Lila, this unexpected, complicated, perfect thing we had built between the four of us.
It shouldn’t have worked; a born shifter and a human man, along with another wolf female and a human woman, bound together like a family, loving fiercely against all the odds.
Yet, somehow, it did.
Kait laughed again, breaking through my thoughts. “Declan! You should see Aidan’s face right now. He’s blushing.”
I chuckled, casting an amused glance over my shoulder. “Well, now I’ve got to know.”
Aidan rolled his eyes, nudging Kait gently. “Behave yourself.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she teased, eyes sparkling.
I leaned into Lila, her warmth pressing against my side, comforting and familiar.
I’d never expected to find happiness out here in the wild, never thought I’d know anything beyond smuggling alcohol and cigars back and forth, living from one day to the next.
But these three—they changed everything.
They brought meaning. They gave me something worth holding onto.
“Sometimes,” Lila murmured, resting her head on my shoulder, her voice soft and content, “I still can’t believe we’ve found this. Us. Out here.”
I turned my head slightly, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple. “Well, believe it, love. You’ve got us, for better or worse.”
Aidan glanced up, smiling faintly at our words. “You two getting sentimental over there or what?”
“Maybe just a bit,” I shot back, grinning. “Jealous?”
Aidan snorted. “Not in the slightest. I’m exactly where I want to be.”
“Good,” Kait whispered, leaning up to kiss him lightly. “Because you’re stuck with us.”
The laughter that followed filled the clearing with warmth, echoed softly by the crackling fire. The moment stretched out, golden and comfortable, the kind you wished would never end.
But it did.
Aidan’s head snapped up, his entire body tense, suddenly alert. He sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing in sharp focus.
“What is it?” I asked softly, dread already pooling in my chest at his expression.
“Quiet,” he whispered, standing slowly. His eyes flashed yellow, his wolf rising close beneath the surface. Kait stood too, her posture matching his, her eyes locked onto the darkness that surrounded us.
Then came the howl.
It split the silence, echoing through the forest and sending a shiver of raw fear down my spine. Aidan cursed under his breath, reaching back to grab Kait’s hand and pulling her behind him instinctively.
“Feral pack,” he whispered, his voice quiet. “Close. Very close.”
I stood quickly, adrenaline surging through me as I glanced at Lila. “Get behind me.”
She didn’t argue, eyes wide as she moved swiftly to my side. Kait and Aidan flanked us, their bodies shifting slightly, muscles tense and ready.
The darkness shifted, shapes moving just beyond the firelight’s reach. Yellow eyes flickered, one pair, then two, then five. Then more than seven.
Too many. There were too many.
Aidan’s voice was a low growl, filled with urgency. “Stay close. Stay together. Whatever happens—”
His words were cut short as the ferals charged us.
They surged into the clearing like a tide, their eyes wild, slavering jaws open wide, fury radiating from every snarling face. Aidan shifted instantly, his wolf lunging forward to meet the first attacker. Kait shifted beside him, her form sleek and fast, teeth bared as she leaped into the fray.
“Don’t you dare move from behind me,” I shouted to Lila, gripping my knife tightly, heart hammering as I braced myself for a fight.
I had no time to catch my breath before one massive feral leaped at me.
I ducked low, feeling the wind from its snapping jaws brush past my neck.
Pivoting swiftly, I drove my knife into the beast’s flank, ripping it free just as the feral howled and spun away.
Hot blood splattered my face, stinging my eyes.
Another beast tackled me from behind, and the force of the impact drove me face first into the dirt, knocking the breath from my lungs.
My blade skittered from my grip, landing just out of reach.
Panic surged like wildfire through my veins as the feral pinned me down, razor-sharp teeth snapping in my ear.
With a roar, I twisted hard, shoving the feral wolf off me.
“Declan!” Lila’s desperate scream cut through my panic.
My hand closed around the fallen blade, and I plunged it into the beast’s throat, cutting its roar short in a sudden spurt of blood.
I staggered upright, turning back toward Lila just in time to see her thrown violently to the ground, another creature bearing down on her. Pure horror froze me for half a heartbeat. Then I charged, sprinting toward her with every ounce of strength I had left.
“No!” I bellowed.
But before I could reach her, searing pain exploded through my shoulder, tearing a scream from my throat as powerful jaws sank deep, bone and muscle crushed beneath pointed fangs.
I stumbled forward, spinning around and seeing the feral’s glowing, maddened eyes locked onto mine as it wrenched its teeth free, blood pouring from the gaping wound it left behind.
I staggered back, shock making my limbs heavy. My vision wavered. The feral circled closer, saliva dripping from its jaws as it prepared to finish me off.
Then a blur shot past me.
Aidan.
He collided with the beast, their bodies slamming together in a clash of power and fury. Teeth flashed, snarls ripping through the clearing as they fought viciously, fur and blood flying in every direction.
I spun toward Lila again, but time stopped cold.
She lay on the ground, her blue eyes wide, staring blankly upward. Blood seeped slowly from a deep wound across her chest, soaking into the dirt beneath her. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t breathing.
“Lila!” I choked, agony ripping through my chest.
Just feet away, Kait staggered sideways, her wolf form bleeding, weakened and panting heavily.
A feral leaped at her, jaws clamping brutally hard around her throat.
Aidan howled, sprinting to help, but it was too late.
Kait collapsed, her form crumpling to the earth, eyes fading as the feral lunged again, tearing into her with merciless finality.
Aidan’s howl shattered the night, a sound of raw grief that cracked me open.
I fell to my knees, reality crashing down around me. My world had turned to ruin in mere seconds. Pain radiated from my bitten shoulder, deep and pulsing, but I barely noticed. All I could see were Lila’s lifeless eyes, Kait’s still form, and the anguish etched across Aidan’s wolfish features.
There was no time for grief though, because the ferals weren’t finished yet. They circled us, closing in again, snapping and snarling, hungry to end what they had started.
Aidan shifted back into human form, staggering to my side, battered and bloodied. His green eyes blazed with grief and fury as he met my gaze.
“Declan,” he rasped. “Get up. Now.”
But I was frozen, kneeling helplessly, my heart ripped apart.
Aidan’s strong hand grasped my shoulder, pulling me up to face the approaching ferals.
“Stand,” he growled. “They would want us to fight.”
My pulse pounded like a war drum, faster and faster, louder and louder, until it was all I could hear. The world around me narrowed, darkening at the edges, closing into a tunnel.
Then everything exploded.
Pain tore through my limbs, deep and searing, every muscle wrenching violently beneath my skin. Bones cracked, snapping and reforming in a cacophony of agony. A guttural roar ripped from my throat, echoing through the clearing—wild, and full of a rage I’d never known before.
A deep, new power within me was taking over, a dark and savage thing.
I’d been bitten. I was a wolf now. A shifter.
The ferals paused, hesitation flickering in their eyes as they stared at me, but it was too late for them to run. The creature within me had already seized control.
I surged forward, propelled by an uncontrollable fury, feeling strength explode through my new form. My claws dug into the earth, tearing great gouges into the dirt as I charged.
I hit the first feral with a force that shocked even me, jaws sinking deep into its throat, puncturing flesh and bone. The taste of blood filled my mouth, igniting my frenzy even further. I tossed the body aside like a broken toy, muscles rippling, breath burning in my lungs.
Another feral lunged at me, claws raking through my fur.
I barely felt it. Turning, I slammed into it, teeth closing around its leg, jerking hard until I heard the satisfying snap of bone.
It collapsed, shrieking and howling, and I silenced it swiftly, my jaws ending its life in a single savage bite.
I tore through the pack with ruthless efficiency, barely aware of what I was doing. Every feral that attacked was reduced to nothing but a mass of blood and fur, their forms crushed beneath my relentless drive for retribution. Blood sprayed across my muzzle, soaked my fur, pooled beneath my paws.
Aidan shouted something behind me, distant and muffled, but I couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop. They had taken everything. Lila. Kait. My future. My family.
They would pay.
My wolf surged again, raw animal instinct taking over as I lunged into another feral. My claws ripped through it, jaws tearing mercilessly. My world blurred to red, each brutal movement driven by rage and grief, until nothing else existed but the primal thrill of the kill.
The screams of the ferals rose around me, desperate and panicked, but I didn’t slow down. My fury was relentless, unending, unstoppable. They were nothing against me, mere playthings that crumpled beneath my rage.
I lunged again, fangs sinking deep into another feral, and the taste of blood filled me with wild satisfaction. They would all pay for what they had done. Every last one of them.
I lost myself in that dark, savage place, consumed by grief and vengeance. Then, slowly, the world around me began to fade away, my vision narrowing again. My limbs grew heavy, my breaths ragged and uneven.
Still, I fought.
I fought until I could no longer tell where I ended and the wolf began. Then, as the last feral fell beneath my fangs, darkness claimed me, pulling me under into its merciful embrace.
The last thing I heard was Aidan’s voice, but it was more a distant, anguished echo than anything else.
“Declan, stop! Please! It’s done!”
Blessed darkness took me down.