The moon hung low over the dense forest, its silver light cutting through the quiet village nestled at the edge of the woods. A faint howl echoed in the distance, but it wasn't Kaelen's. It hadn't been his for years.
"Kaelen!" a loud, sharp voice barked from behind the wooden door.
Kaelen Draven stood in the dim light of his sparsely furnished room, his hands clenched into fists. The voice outside was familiar—Lorien, his Beta. The tone carried the same edge of frustration as always, but tonight, there was something else: desperation.
"I'm not in the mood," Kaelen muttered, his deep voice resonating in the quiet room.
The door swung open before he could stop it, slamming against the wall. Lorien strode in, his jaw tight, his golden eyes blazing.
"You're not in the mood?" Lorien's voice was low and biting. "You think that matters right now? The Elders are restless, Kaelen. The pack is restless. They want answers."
Kaelen turned slowly, his dark hair falling over his forehead. His piercing hazel eyes met Lorien's, but there was no spark of authority, no fire of dominance that once defined him. Instead, there was a shadow—a heavy, suffocating weight.
"I don't owe them anything," Kaelen said quietly.
Lorien slammed his fist on the wooden table, shaking the only lamp in the room. "You don't owe them? You're their Alpha! Or have you forgotten that too?"
The words stung, but Kaelen didn't flinch. He walked to the window, his broad shoulders tight with tension, and stared out at the village below. The cottages were silent, the faint glow of lanterns barely visible through the mist.
"I didn't forget," he said after a long pause. "How could I, when every single day they remind me I'm not enough anymore?"
Lorien's eyes softened, but his voice remained firm. "It's been five years, Kaelen. Five years since the Elders cursed you. Do you know what they're saying now?"
Kaelen didn't answer. He already knew.
"They're saying you're weak. That you're no longer fit to lead. And you know what? I can't keep defending you if you keep acting like this—hiding in here, brooding like a ghost!"
Kaelen turned sharply, his voice rising for the first time. "What do you want me to do, Lorien? Do you want me to pretend I'm still the Alpha I was? Do you want me to ignore the fact that I can't shift, that I'm no better than a human in their eyes?"
Lorien stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I want you to fight. I want you to stop wallowing in self-pity and show them that you're still Kaelen Draven, the Alpha who once commanded armies and struck fear into anyone who dared to cross him."
Kaelen laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. "That Kaelen is gone. He died the night the Elders cursed me."
The memory was still fresh, a wound that refused to heal. The Elders had gathered in the sacred clearing that night, their ancient faces stern and unyielding. Kaelen had stood before them, defiant, his wolf roaring inside him.
"You've grown reckless, Kaelen," the eldest of them had said, his voice heavy with judgment. "You've used your power not for the pack, but for your own pride. Such arrogance cannot go unpunished."
And then it had happened. The words of the curse had been spoken, ancient and binding. Kaelen had felt the shift in his body, the violent ripping of his wolf being torn away. He had collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, his senses dull and muted.
When he'd tried to shift the next full moon, nothing had happened. His wolf was gone, locked away, leaving him trapped in his human form.
The pack had been horrified. An Alpha who couldn't shift was no Alpha at all.
"Kaelen, listen to me," Lorien said, breaking through the fog of memory. "The pack is barely holding together. Lucian Thorn is still out there, waiting for the right moment to strike. If we don't show strength—"
"Lucian won't attack," Kaelen interrupted, his voice cold.
"You don't know that!" Lorien snapped. "He's been quiet for too long. You think he's just forgotten about us? About you?"
Kaelen didn't respond. He knew Lorien was right, but the weight of his curse, his failure, was too great.
"Do you even care anymore?" Lorien asked, his voice breaking. "Do you care about the pack? About me? Because if you don't, then maybe it's time for you to step down."
The words hit Kaelen like a blow.
"Step down?" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.
Lorien met his gaze without flinching. "Yes. If you're not going to fight for us, then let someone else lead."
Kaelen took a step forward, his hazel eyes burning with a flicker of the old fire. "You think anyone else can lead this pack? You think they'll survive a month without me?"
"They might," Lorien said, though his voice wavered.
Kaelen stared at him for a long moment before turning away. "Get out."
"Kaelen—"
"Get out!" Kaelen roared, his voice shaking the walls.
Lorien hesitated, then turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
The room fell silent again, save for the faint crackle of the lantern. Kaelen sank into the chair by the window, his head in his hands. He could still feel the wolf inside him, buried deep, clawing to be free. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach it.
The curse wasn't just a punishment. It was a prison.
Outside, the village was quiet, but Kaelen knew the whispers were there. The pack saw him as a failure, a shell of the Alpha he once was. They didn't understand the weight he carried, the constant ache of being incomplete.
Lucian Thorn.
The name sent a chill down Kaelen's spine.
Once, Lucian had been his closest ally, a brother in arms. But jealousy and ambition had driven them apart. Lucian had challenged Kaelen for the role of Alpha years ago, and Kaelen had defeated him, leaving him scarred and humiliated.
But Lucian hadn't disappeared. He'd become a shadow, a lingering threat that never truly went away.
Kaelen knew he was out there, waiting, watching. And without his wolf, Kaelen wasn't sure he could stop him this time.
As the hours passed, Kaelen sat in the darkness, his thoughts spiraling. He hated the pack for their judgment, hated the Elders for their curse, but most of all, he hated himself.
There was a void inside him, a deep emptiness that no amount of power or control could fill. For years, he had ruled with strength and fear, but now, stripped of his wolf, he was forced to confront the truth: he was hollow.
What was he fighting for? The pack? Power? None of it seemed to matter anymore.
But then, a memory surfaced—a fleeting moment, buried beneath years of pain. A woman's laughter, soft and melodic. A warmth he hadn't felt in years.
Kaelen shook his head, trying to push the memory away. There was no place for such thoughts. Not now.
A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts.
"What now?" he muttered, rising to his feet.
When he opened the door, a young boy stood there, his wide eyes filled with nervous excitement.
"Alpha Kaelen," the boy stammered. "There's… there's someone in the village. Someone from the outside."
Kaelen frowned. "From the outside? Who?"
"I don't know," the boy said quickly. "She's… she's not like us. She's human."
Kaelen's heart skipped a beat. A human? Here? The village was isolated, hidden from the world. Outsiders never came here.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"At the inn," the boy said. "Lorien told me to tell you."
Kaelen hesitated, a strange mix of curiosity and unease stirring within him. A human in the village could only mean trouble. But there was something else, something he couldn't quite place—a flicker of something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope?
No. It couldn't be.
Without another word, Kaelen grabbed his coat and stepped into the night, the boy watching him with wide eyes.