Jade's POV
Everything changed after the shift.
The next morning, when Jade came downstairs to breakfast, the way wolves looked at her was completely different. They didn't stare with curiosity anymore. They looked at her with respect. With caution. With something that might have been fear.
A young female named Iris approached her first. "That was incredible yesterday," she said quietly. "I've never seen anything like your wolf form. Can I ask you something?"
Jade nodded, still getting used to this version of herself.
"What's it like?" Iris asked. "Having hybrid abilities? Being stronger and faster than the rest of us?"
"Overwhelming," Jade answered honestly. "I spent six years not shifting. I didn't even know what I could do."
"That must have been lonely," Iris said. She smiled gently. "But you're not alone anymore."
By noon, other pack members had started approaching her. Not in hostile ways. In welcoming ways. They asked her questions about her abilities. They told her stories about their own shifts and their own struggles. They treated her like she belonged.
She spent the afternoon in the healing rooms with Maya.
The space was warm and organized, filled with shelves of herbs and remedies. Maya showed her how the pack kept records of injuries and healing times. She introduced her to the other healers and explained what different herbs were used for.
"You have healing powers in your blood," Maya said carefully. "I can feel them on you. Once you learn control, you could help pack in ways normal wolves can't."
Jade found herself listening more than she'd expected. Asking questions. Learning names. Slowly starting to see the pack as individuals instead of a unified threat. There was Marcus the warrior who had a scar across his jaw from a training accident. There was Elena the younger healer who wanted to learn everything about hybrid biology. There was old Thomas who brought her tea and didn't ask any questions, just made sure she was comfortable.
They were people. Not just wolves.
That evening at dinner, the dining hall was full again. Riven sat beside her like always, his hand occasionally resting on her back. She was starting to expect those touches now. To want them.
An older wolf, his name was Garrett, stood to tell stories after everyone had eaten. He was respected based on how the pack quieted to listen. He'd been with Shadowfang for decades.
"I want to tell you about the old legends," Garrett said. His voice carried authority. "About the hybrids that used to walk among us."
Jade's chest tightened.
"Centuries ago," Garrett continued, "before we understood genetic purity, there were hybrids. Wolves with human parents. Humans with wolf parents. They were rare. Incredibly rare. And they had abilities that normal wolves didn't possess."
He paused, letting the silence build.
"Silver wolves," he said. "That's what the old stories called them. Wolves with silver fur that glowed in moonlight. Wolves that could heal mortal wounds with their blood. Wolves that could break ancient curses just by being near them. Wolves that could tip the balance of power between rival packs."
Jade felt Riven's grip on her back tighten.
"Every pack wanted them," Garrett continued. His expression grew darker. "Every Alpha dreamed of having a hybrid under their control. So they hunted them. Captured them. Tried to breed them. And eventually, they hunted them to extinction."
The words settled over the dining hall like a death knell.
"The last silver wolf was killed two hundred years ago," Garrett said. "Or so we thought. The legends said if a true hybrid ever appeared again, it would change everything about how packs related to each other. Power would shift. Alliances would crumble. Wars would be fought over control."
He sat down slowly.
Jade couldn't breathe right. The room felt too small. Every wolf in the dining hall was suddenly looking at her again. Not with respect this time. With hunger.
She was valuable. That's what the story meant. She wasn't special because of who she was. She was special because of what she could do. Because of what every pack on the West Coast would want from her.
Riven felt her panic. His hand moved from her back to her wrist, holding her there.
"Excuse us," he said to the table.
He pulled her away from dinner and up the stairs to the roof. The cool night air hit her face and she could breathe again. Barely.
"Don't," Riven said, reading her spiraling thoughts. "Whatever you're thinking right now, stop."
"Is that why you took me?" Jade asked quietly. Her voice was shaking. "Because I'm valuable? Because I can heal wounds and break curses and change the balance of power?"
Riven didn't answer immediately. He moved to the edge of the roof and stared out at the forest below.
"In the beginning, yes," he said finally. His honesty was brutal. "I hunted you because rumors said hybrids existed and because having hybrid blood in Shadowfang would make us stronger. That's the truth."
Jade's heart cracked.
"But when I found you," he continued, turning to face her, "everything changed. The moment I touched you, the moment I felt the mate bond, it stopped being about what you could do. It became about you."
"You're lying," she whispered.
"I'm not," he said. "I took you because leaving you there meant you'd die. Marcus Thorne was already hunting you. Bloodmoon would have found you within weeks. You'd be a prisoner in a cage right now with needles in your arms while they extracted your blood. That's what happens to hybrids without protection."
He stepped closer.
"Everything else," he said quietly, "your abilities, your power, what you can do for the pack, all of that is secondary. My priority is keeping you alive. That's been my priority since I carried you out of that diner."
Jade wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that this was real and not just another manipulation.
"Garrett's story—" she started.
"Garrett told the truth," Riven said. "Hybrids are hunted. Hybrids are valuable. Hybrids are targets. That's exactly why you need to be here. That's exactly why you need to be with pack. Because alone, you're vulnerable. With me, you're untouchable."
The alarms started shrieking before she could respond.
They came from everywhere at once. Long, high-pitched wails that echoed across the territory. Riven's entire body went rigid. His eyes shifted to amber and stayed there.
"Border breach," he said flatly.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the roof edge. She thought he was going to jump but instead he leaned over and roared. An actual roar that shook the night air. It was answered immediately by roars from the forest. Fifty wolves responding to their Alpha's call.
"What's happening?" Jade demanded.
"Bloodmoon," Riven said. His voice was ice. "They're testing the borders."
He lifted her effortlessly and threw her over his shoulder. She started to protest but he was already moving, carrying her down from the roof at a run that made her dizzy.
"Stay in the pack house," he commanded as they reached the ground floor. "Don't go outside. Don't shift. Don't do anything until I tell you it's safe."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"To kill whoever just crossed my border," he said simply.
Then he was gone.
Jade stood in the empty hallway listening to the sounds of the pack mobilizing around her. Warriors gathering. Enforcers organizing. Kael's voice calling out orders for defensive positioning. The entire lodge shifted into war mode.
And she was locked inside, safe and protected and completely helpless.
Through the windows, she could see them. Shadows moving through the forest. Wolves running toward the border. The pack moving like a single organism to defend their territory.
To defend her.
Because Bloodmoon knew she was here now. They'd probably known since yesterday when fifty wolves watched her shift into a silver wolf. Word would have spread. Every pack on the West Coast would know that the legendary hybrid had been found. That she was with Shadowfang.
And they would all want her.