Chapter 3
RHYS
The sun had barely cleared the horizon after a horrible fucking excuse for sleep when I slammed my toe into a half-buried rock masquerading as a cornerstone for the new meeting hall.
“Son of a bitch!” I howled, hopping on one foot like a fool while the rock sat there, smug and unbothered. The dull throb shot up my leg, but the pain was nothing compared to the other ache gnawing at me. One I couldn’t kick away if I tried.
That woman.
All night I’d tossed and turned with the memory of her retreating figure, a blur unlike anything I’d seen before.
It rolled through my head like a bad song stuck on repeat.
The chase. The kiss. The ridiculous submission spell that had frozen me in place like some wet-behind-the-ears pup.
My wolf didn’t know whether to snarl or purr, but he was prowling under my skin, claws out, every nerve itching for a hunt that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
I had work to do right here in the Old Town.
I straightened, muttering a string of curses under my breath as I looked over the scene in front of me.
The place was coming back to life, slowly but surely.
Months ago, it had been a ghost town, half of the structures sagging into themselves.
It had been just another sign of how low we had dropped in the hierarchy of the Shadow Moon packs, when we deserved—and had earned—the right to lead.
We’d done so for generations before the Great Separation.
Since Logan had finally put Grayson in his place—and thank the Shadow Moon Goddess for that, since I really thought I was going to lose my last brother in that fight—things were starting to look up.
The uneasy collaboration between the Heraclids and Orions was far from settled, though several of them had integrated as if they’d always been among us.
Freshly cut wood and wet concrete filled the area.
The Heraclids were better with their hands than I’d expected.
They were rebuilding their lives here, alongside us, slapping up walls and patching roofs with a determination that made it clear they weren’t leaving anytime soon.
My job was to help keep them motivated, show them Orion was here to support them in the long run, and to build bridges where before there had only been mistrust.
A group of Heraclids was working on the general store.
New shingles. Fresh paint. Even some glass for the windows I’d managed to purchase from the orcs in Seattle.
Over by the main square, two Orion kids were arguing over who got to carry the hammer while a few Heraclids smoothed mortar onto a crumbling brick wall.
The sight was uplifting, heartwarming. For me, it was a reminder of how much work we still had to do, and meanwhile I couldn’t get that woman out of my head.
Her scent lingered in my nostrils, clinging stubbornly.
It wasn’t just the memory of it, either.
It was there, invasive, cutting through the sawdust and sweat like it had staked a claim on my senses.
My stomach twisted. I couldn’t escape it—her, whatever she was—and it was driving me out of my damn mind.
I pressed a hand to my chest, wincing as my fingers brushed the still-healing gashes she’d left there. Normally, something like that would’ve been gone in hours. Shifter perks and all. But these wounds were stubborn, refusing to knit together fully. Every time I moved, they burned.
A Heraclid worker glanced over at me, probably wondering why Logan’s beta was standing in the middle of the street looking like he’d lost a fight with a tree. I did up my top button and shot him a look that sent him back to his work.
Focus. That was what I needed. Not the memory of her kiss. Not the way her scent choked me like smoke. And definitely not the way my wolf had whined when she’d run, like he’d been the one abandoned.
I sighed. The town wasn’t going to rebuild itself, but right now, I sure wished it would.
“You planning to bleed all over the new floor, beta, or is that just how the Orions mark their territory?”
A Heraclid elder’s voice cut through the noise of the construction site. I froze mid-step, my fist tightening at my side automatically at the disrespect in his remark. Every head within shifter earshot turned toward us, the buzz of conversation and work grinding to a halt.
He stood near the framework of the meeting hall, arms crossed over his chest like he owned the place. The guy had that wiry, weathered look some wolves got after surviving a few too many scrapes. His Heraclid scent carried a note of arrogance, a stench that always hit me wrong.
“Just making sure the place has character,” I said, flashing a grin. Peace was more important than a battle of words with the geezer.
A few Orions chuckled behind me, but the elder’s face didn’t so much as twitch. His gaze dropped pointedly to my chest, where the wounds Sable had left still seeped.
“Funny,” he said, “I thought the Orion beta would be tough enough to heal a scratch like that. You are beta, right? Because I heard Logan used to have a beta, and he turned Heraclid when he saw the weakness in his own pack.”
Whoa. Now that was going too far.
A growl rumbled in my throat, low enough that only those closest might’ve caught it, but the elder’s smirk said he’d heard just fine.
“What are you trying to say, Heraclid?” I held back the insults for the moment, though they were dancing on the tip of my tongue. We had shed blood against the Heraclids, lost some of our precious pack in clashes that never would have happened if the Heraclid elite hadn’t been greedy as fuck.
The bastard didn’t flinch. He just stood there, his stance screaming try me. My wolf tensed, the challenge blatant but unspoken. Before I could let the fire out, a voice I knew too well snuck into my mind through the pack bond.
Rhys, you’re acting like a pup.
Logan. My spine stiffened as my brother continued to talk to me in that silent way reserved only for us.
Wise up. You’re a leader.
The Heraclid elder narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m saying you put on a good show, but I can’t help wondering if there’s more bark than bite in the Orion pack.”
I exhaled through my nose and straightened. The Heraclid elder raised an eyebrow, probably expecting some kind of comeback. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
“Our alliance is fragile,” I said, somehow finding the strength within me not to rip his throat out. “And I take my instructions from our alpha. Who, I’ll remind you, is now your alpha too. We’re here to rebuild, together.”
The elder’s smirk faltered. Without another word, I turned and walked away, every watching eye burning into my back. Behind me, I heard Elder Raina step in, her tone smooth and calm as she spoke to the Heraclid elder, likely diffusing whatever lingering strain was left.
Standing in front of me—sporting a look that made my wolf put his tail between his legs—was my brother.
Alpha Logan.
I bit back the urge to get defensive.
He turned as I reached him, and we fell into step together. We didn’t say a word until we were well out of earshot of the wolves working on the Old Town.
When Logan stopped, I did too. He turned to face me and reached behind my neck, holding me as he searched my eyes. The unhealed wounds on my chest throbbed. I knew whatever reprimand Logan had in store for me, I deserved it.
“Brother, I don’t know who or what has been at you, but I want to know so I can rip them to shreds.” He let go of me and looked at my chest, where the wounds were still open and the smell of blood wafted off me.
Well, I had not expected that. I should have, though. Logan was nothing if not fiercely protective of any and all in the pack.
And even more so for me. After all, he’d lost the same brothers I had.
He released his hold on my neck and I stepped back. I would have loved an escape route right then. Logan didn’t need to say anything to get the truth out of me. That was the thing about brothers—you could bullshit anyone else, but family had a way of cutting through the noise.
“I left the bonfire early last night,” I said, keeping my tone measured. “Figured I’d patrol a bit, you know, get some air.”
Logan crossed his arms, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “And?”
“And…” I shrugged, aiming for casual. “I caught a scent. Trouble, or at least the scent of it. I went after it.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Trouble?”
“It was Sable,” I admitted, my voice a little too even. “She took off. I’ll make sure she doesn’t come back.”
Logan’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing just enough to make my wolf shift uneasily. He closed his eyes, and I knew exactly what that meant.
“Logan,” I said, trying to stop what I knew he was already doing. “It’s fine—”
It was too late. His focus went inward, his connection to Eve sharpening through the pack bond. I could feel the ripple of it, like a pebble dropped into still water. He was calling her.
“I’m telling you,” I continued, trying to sound convincing as my wolf growled low in protest, “Sable didn’t stick around long enough to cause any damage.”
Logan opened his eyes, his gaze cutting through me like a blade.
“Anything involving Sable is worth looking at closely. You know that as well as I do. Look at the state of you.” He took a step closer.
“She’s Heraclid. That gives her the right to be here.
But she doesn’t have the right to shred my brother. ”
I winced, my fingers unconsciously brushing the edge of my shirt. “It’s not that bad.”
“Lift it.”
“Logan—”
“Now, Rhys.”
Sighing, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it up, exposing the gashes across my chest. The air hit the wounds, and they stung like a bitch, still raw and sluggish in their healing. The sight wasn’t pretty—deep, jagged lines that hadn’t closed the way they should’ve.
Logan’s eyes darkened, his jaw clenching. “Not that bad?” he echoed. “What the hell did she do to you?”
Before I could answer, the faint sound of footsteps reached us, and I glanced over my shoulder. Eve was heading our way, her pace quick and purposeful as it always was, her expression changing the moment she saw me.
Her nose wrinkled, and she winced. “Rhys,” she said, her tone halfway between concern and exasperation. “What did you get yourself into?”
I dropped my shirt back into place, rolling my shoulders like it was no big deal. I was tired of being treated like a kid. “You guys are blowing this out of proportion. It’s nothing.”
Eve stepped closer, her dark brown eyes narrowing as she reached for the edge of my shirt. “Let me see.”
“Here we go again.” I sighed but didn’t fight her.
She lifted the fabric just enough to inspect the wounds, and her face tightened. “That’s not nothing, Rhys. You should’ve been able to close gashes like that, even if they are deep.”
“Apparently, her claws come with some kind of sting.” Logan answered before I could, his voice like thunder. “Poison, maybe. I wouldn’t put it past her. Remember, this is the same woman who lured us into Heraclid territory and into a fight that could have ended Orion..”
Eve’s gaze flicked to Logan, then back to me, her concern deepening. “This isn’t normal. You’re still standing, so it’s not wolfsbane, but you’re going to need some kind of salve on that. I’m going to ask for Anwen. She’s a healer. She’ll know what to do.”
I snorted, trying to shake off their scrutiny. “It’ll heal.”
Eve frowned. Her fingers brushed the edge of the wound lightly.
My wolf didn’t flinch under her touch—if anything, he calmed slightly, sensing a hum in her that felt awkwardly familiar.
“This isn’t about whether it’ll heal,” she said softly.
“It’s about what power Sable has that she could do this to you. ”
I knew she was right. Whatever Sable was capable of, I didn’t like it. I didn’t want it. But I knew that as soon as I could, I’d be out looking for her again.
I’d consider wearing armor next time.