Page 3 of Kept (Mating Run #4)

Kade’s fists slammed into the punching bag, each impact jarring up his arms, the vibrations rattling his bones. Sweat dripped down his bare chest, streaking across inked skin, muscles burning with the effort.

But the pain, the exhaustion—it was a welcome distraction. It kept the beast inside him at bay.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The steady rhythm filled the basement gym, drowning out the sounds of anything outside. Through the small window near the ceiling, the night breeze drifted in—thick with fear, desire, anticipation. The pack was out there, caught in the fever of the mating run, their howls carving through the dark.

Kade exhaled hard, rolling his shoulders. Not this time.

A breeze drifted through the basement window, carrying the scent of the hunt—thick with fear, need, the raw desperation of unclaimed mates.

It hit Kade like a drug, sharp and intoxicating.

His nostrils flared, breath shuddering as the scent of potential mates coiled around him, curling in his lungs like smoke.

His cock hardened instantly, straining against his shorts. Fuck .

He pressed his forehead against the cold concrete wall, letting the chill bite into his overheated skin. The wolf inside him clawed harder, demanding release. Join the hunt. Take what’s yours. Mark. Claim. Breed.

The temptation burned through him, thick and undeniable.

But that wasn’t what he wanted. Not anymore.

He remembered last year—every burning, fevered second. He'd let go after months of resisting. Gave in to the moon, let the hunt take him, and lost himself in that blur.

It hadn't been long before he'd seen the boy. His mate for the night. A human man. Lean, gorgeous, nervy, eyes as wide as the moon. Some lost thing looking for danger or comfort—or both, as humans sometimes did.

Kade had stalked him through the woods, pulling that beautiful boy down, making him gasp and squirm under his hands.

God, he remembered pinning him under the trees, smelling that musk and terror and wild want. He'd bitten, claimed; used his hands, his mouth, his cock, until the human was wrecked and gasping and couldn’t say anything but Kade’s name and please, arching up for more.

Didn't every wolf want that? To see a mate come undone, to make him whimper and beg like nothing else in the world mattered except the next thrust?

Kade had loved it— god , he’d loved it. The power, the play, the way the human melted for him, trusting and eager, letting him take control of everything.

He remembered the way he’d cradled that trembling body after, whispered every gentle thing he could think of as dawn crept in through the trees.

The growl in his voice. The sweetness of a boy who gave everything over for the night, but still begged in Kade’s arms for one last round.

He'd seen the kid in town a few weeks later. Their eyes met for half a second.

And then the human kept walking.

Didn’t smile. Didn’t even flinch. Not a blink. Just blank, polite, like Kade was furniture. That hollowed Kade out more ruthlessly than anything else could.

Kade wiped his brow, frowning at the memory. It felt cheap. He wasn’t some moon-eyed pup chasing after fairy tales, but fuck , was that all the hunt meant? One night of giving everything, then the slate wiped clean in the morning?

He gave up on the punching bag, and shut his eyes.

He wanted more. Needed it. He needed a mate who would keep their eyes on him, who would know exactly whose boy they were, who wouldn’t fade into the crowd afterward.

Not a one-night rut. Not a nameless scratch for an itch. He wanted to spoil someone rotten, make them beg and break and thank him for it, then tuck them under his arm and keep them close when the sun rose.

He grinned darkly at the thought. He wanted to undo someone, piece by piece, but see their trust shining back at him every day after. Let every strict command, every soft word, every rough touch settle so deep they'd never want to look at anyone else.

The scent on the breeze thickened, crashing like a wave against his self-control.

His nails dug into his palms, sharp. His cock ached, his body wound too tight, the wolf inside him snarling for release.

A scent hit Kade like a drug—sweet, ripe, intoxicating. Male. Human. Fear laced with something deeper, something warm and yielding. It curled through the air, wrapping around him, sinking into his skin, setting fire to his blood.

Kade breathed it deep, filling his chest. He could almost taste it: fresh and hot like summer rain on asphalt, with an undertow of something warm, something that could melt under the right hands.

Fuck. It was the kind of smell he could chase for miles, the kind that made him want to drag his teeth slowly over a shivering throat, bite down just enough to hear that gasp, to watch a boy arch against him with need.

His cock throbbed, the wolf inside him riled. This wasn’t just any prey—this was a perfect prize.

Then— wait.

Something was wrong.

That scent wasn’t coming from the woods.

Kade’s head jerked up, muscles locking tight. His ears sharpened, filtering through the house’s stillness, searching—there. A sound. Subtle. He hadn't noticed it, caught up in the singing of his blood.

It was inside his house.

An intruder.

A deep growl rumbled in his chest. His house. His space. Someone had stepped where they didn’t belong—and on tonight, of all nights, when his wolf was most on edge?

Territorial instinct surged up fast and vicious, his hackles rising, every muscle coiling tight. Who? Who the fuck had the audacity to walk right into his den?

Kade took the basement stairs slowly, letting his body move carefully. He felt the urge to snap, to defend, yes, but there was something more alive now—a dark curiosity.

By the time he’d stalked up out of the basement, that scent was threaded thick through his house, mouthwatering. It turned the air electric. It shouldn’t have made him this hungry. This intrigued.

In the hall, he paused, breathing in the details. The scent was everywhere, bright and raw and tempting as sin. Kade followed it, senses open wide.

In the living room, he trailed his hand over the window sill, noticing how the dust was swept in a narrow pattern—not knocked wide, just shifted near the edge. No broken glass. No carelessness. Just quiet, deliberate movement.

Sneaky little thing.

Kade couldn’t help the rough edge of pride that crept into his chest. Most people would piss themselves at the thought of even crossing his yard tonight. Whoever this intruder was, he’d slipped inside, moving soft, leaving only faint marks in the dark.

Desperate, or crazy—but not stupid.

Kade drew in a deep breath and let it fill his chest. The fear was fresh and sharp, but under that, something warmer, something that made Kade want to bite and cradle all at once. Not pack, not a rival: not even wolf.

He was dealing with a human .

He almost felt a kind of respect. It was suicidal, maybe, but there was a twisted bravery here. The kid had guts. Maybe he even deserved the chance to show what he was made of, if he survived.

He took the stairs, stalking his prey now, letting every instinct sharpen. The trail led to the end of the hall, straight to his bedroom. Not a place for hiding, unless you wanted to be found…

He stopped, hand tight around the knob. His pulse thudded steady, a hook of anticipation tugging under his ribs. He’d expected a fight or a mess, but this trespasser felt like something else.

What do you want, kid? Shelter from the monsters out there—or are you looking for the monster in here?

Kade let a grin slide over his teeth, rough and wolfish, then pushed open the door, ready to see exactly how far this brave little human would go.

The door swung open, and the sight of what was inside hit Kade like a punch to the gut.

Perched on the edge of his bed, small and trembling, was everything his wolf had been craving.