Cassian's POV
The rogue wolf lunged at me with snapping jaws.
I met it mid-air, our bodies crashing together with enough force to crack the floorboards. We tumbled across Elowen's room in a blur of fangs and claws, smashing into furniture, tearing through everything in our path.
Protect the girl, my wolf snarled. Protect our mate.
The rogue was fast, but I was faster. I caught it by the throat and slammed it into the wall hard enough to leave a crater. It yelped and tried to twist free.
Behind me, I heard Elowen screaming.
The rogue's eyes flicked toward her—hungry, predatory.
Rage exploded through me. I bit down harder, tasting blood, and threw the wolf across the room. It crashed through the already-broken window and disappeared into the night with a howl of pain.
I stood at the window, panting, making sure it was really gone. My wolf wanted to chase it, to finish it, but I couldn't leave Elowen unprotected.
I shifted back to human form and spun around.
Elowen stood frozen against the wall, her green eyes wide with terror. Her whole body shook.
"Elowen—"
"You're a wolf." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You turned into a wolf. Right in front of me."
"I can explain—"
"You're a WOLF!" She was breathing too fast, heading toward a panic attack. "This isn't real. I'm dreaming. I hit my head and I'm—"
Footsteps thundered in the hallway. My father burst through the door with five pack warriors behind him, all of them ready to shift.
"Status," he barked at me.
"One rogue. I drove it off."
His cold eyes swept over the destroyed room, then landed on Elowen. "She saw you shift."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes," I said, moving to stand between him and her.
"Then you know what has to be done." My father's voice was ice. "She's a liability now. The law is clear—humans who discover our existence must be eliminated or turned. And since she's human—"
"No." I didn't recognize my own voice. It came out as a growl, my wolf pushing forward. "You're not touching her."
My father's eyes narrowed. "You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment. She's seen too much. She's a threat to the entire pack."
"She's under my protection."
"Your protection?" He laughed harshly. "Since when do you care about some random human girl?"
Since the moment I smelled her. Since my dead mate bond roared back to life. Since my wolf claimed her as ours.
"She's Sable's best friend," I said instead. "Killing her would destroy Sable. Is that what you want?"
Before my father could answer, Merrick appeared in the doorway, his face grim. "Alpha Thaddeus, we have a bigger problem. There are five more rogues circling the property. They're not leaving."
My father cursed. "Fall back to defensive positions. Cassian, take the girl to the safe room and stay with her. I'll deal with this."
He left with the warriors, barking orders.
Merrick lingered. "You okay?"
"Do I look okay?" I was still naked, covered in blood, and my mate was staring at me like I was a monster.
"She knows now," Merrick said quietly. "There's no going back."
"I know."
"And tomorrow night's the full moon. If she's what we think she is—"
"She'll shift. I know." I ran my hands through my hair. "Get everyone to sweep the perimeter. Make sure no more rogues get through."
Merrick left, closing the broken door as best he could.
I turned to face Elowen.
She still hadn't moved. Still stared at me with those wide, terrified eyes.
"I need you to listen to me," I said gently, pulling on the sweatpants I kept in her room—I'd been sneaking in here every night to make sure she was safe. "I know you're scared. I know this doesn't make sense. But I'm not going to hurt you."
"You turned into a wolf." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself it wasn't real. "People don't turn into wolves."
"We're not people. Not exactly." I took a careful step toward her. "We're werewolves, Elowen. My entire family. This whole town. We've been hiding in plain sight for centuries."
"Werewolves." She laughed, high and broken. "Werewolves aren't real."
"You just watched me shift. You saw it with your own eyes."
She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees. "This is insane. I'm insane. I need to leave. I need to go home right now."
"You can't." I crouched in front of her, keeping my distance. "Those rogues aren't here by accident. They're hunting you specifically."
"Why? I'm nobody! I'm just—"
"You're not human, Elowen."
The words hung in the air like a bomb.
She stared at me. "What?"
"You're a dormant werewolf. You were born with the wolf gene, but it never activated. That's why you don't smell fully human to us. That's why the rogues are tracking you." I met her eyes. "And tomorrow night, when the full moon rises, you're going to shift for the first time."
"No." She shook her head violently. "No, that's not—my parents were human. I'm human. I've always been human."
"Your adoptive parents were human. But your birth parents? They were wolves. Someone abandoned you as a baby, probably to keep you safe."
Tears streamed down her face. "You're lying."
"I'm not. And I'm sorry. I know this is terrifying." I wanted to touch her, to comfort her, but I didn't dare. "But you need to understand—you're in danger. Real danger. Those rogues want you for something, and I don't know what. But I swear on my life, I won't let them have you."
She looked at me with such betrayal it hurt. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time, you knew what I was and you didn't say anything?"
"I only figured it out a few days ago. And I didn't know how to tell you without—"
"Without scaring me?" She laughed bitterly. "Well, congratulations. I'm terrified."
A howl echoed outside—long, eerie, getting closer.
I tensed. "We need to move. Now. The safe room is reinforced. They can't get through."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Elowen—"
"You're a monster!" She scrambled to her feet. "You and your whole family are monsters pretending to be human and I—"
The window exploded again.
But this time, three wolves crashed through—gray, snarling, eyes glowing red with bloodlust.
I shifted instantly, putting myself between them and Elowen.
The lead rogue spoke in the mind-link all wolves shared: Give us the girl, Cassian Vane. She belongs to us.
Over my dead body, I snarled back.
That can be arranged.
They attacked as one.
I fought like I'd never fought before—teeth and claws and pure desperation. But three against one was bad odds, even for an Alpha's son.
One of them got past me.
It lunged at Elowen.
She screamed.
And then something impossible happened.
Elowen's eyes flashed bright amber—wolf eyes.
She threw her hand up defensively.
The rogue flew backward like it had hit an invisible wall, smashing into the opposite wall with bone-breaking force.
Everyone froze.
Elowen stared at her hands in shock. "What did I just—"
Power radiated from her in waves. Raw, untamed, ancient power.
Not just any werewolf power.
Alpha power.
Impossible, one of the rogues thought.
But I knew exactly what she was.
Not dormant. Not weak.
Elowen was a born Alpha—the rarest type of werewolf, born once a generation.
And she had no idea.