Instincts Collide
Draven’s wolf bounded through the forest, each powerful stride pounding his doubts into the earth. The wind whipped against his fur, but the icy sting didn’t cool the fire of his unease. Something had been wrong since the ceremony. He’d ignored it for too long, dismissed it as stress or nerves. Now, the gnawing doubt had consumed him entirely.
When he reached a familiar clearing, he shifted, his human form emerging from the powerful black wolf. He stood there, his breath forming clouds in the cold air. The moon hung high above him, casting its pale light through the bare branches, illuminating his sharp features.
His mind churned, replaying the inconsistencies over and over. Isla—the woman he thought was Isla—felt different. She spoke differently, carried herself differently. And her scent, the essence of her wolf, had shifted into something foreign yet maddeningly familiar.
Draven ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening as a low growl escaped him. “What’s the truth, Isla?” he muttered to himself. “What are you hiding from me?”
A faint sound broke through the stillness of the forest, his ears picking up on it instantly. A rustling, deliberate and measured. He turned, his muscles tensing as he caught the scent of someone approaching. Within moments, Jamie emerged from the shadows, his expression grim.
“Alpha,” Jamie greeted, bowing his head.
Draven gave him a sharp nod. “What did you find?”
Jamie hesitated, his eyes shifting uneasily. “Nothing concrete, Alpha. But… the guards have noted strange behavior in the Luna. She’s been distant, avoiding contact with anyone but you. And some of the servants claim she doesn’t recognize them when they speak to her.”
Draven’s brow furrowed, his hands curling into fists. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to come together, but the picture they formed was one he didn’t want to face. “Anything else?”
Jamie shifted uncomfortably. “The elders have been whispering. They think something unnatural may have happened during the trial. A shift in her aura, they said.”
Draven exhaled sharply, his frustration mounting. “I’ll deal with the elders. For now, double the watch on her chambers. I want to know where she is at all times.”
Jamie nodded, his face pale. “Understood, Alpha.”
As Jamie disappeared into the trees, Draven remained in the clearing, his gaze fixed on the horizon. His instincts screamed at him to act, to confront the woman who wore Isla’s face. But another part of him—the part that had bonded with her, trusted her—hesitated. If he was wrong, if this was just his paranoia, it could shatter everything they’d built.
Yet deep down, Draven knew he wasn’t wrong. Something had changed. And he was going to find out what it was, no matter the cost.
