Page 29

TWENTY-THREE

MAYA

M aya watched Kieran transition from a hurt son to a commanding presence in the span of heartbeats. The renewed purpose radiating through their bond felt like lightning, sharp and electric against her consciousness.

Through her wolf eyes, the world appeared in vivid detail—heart rates, scent markers, and subtle shifts in body language. The young rebel sympathizers scrambled with their unconscious packmates, moving with urgent efficiency under Kieran's command.

Kieran knelt before her, placing both hands on her wolf face. "Let me help you shift back. Focus on my voice, feel your human form."

His deep voice guided her through the transformation, his hands steady and sure on her changing body.

The shift rippled through her muscles, less painful and chaotic this time—bones reshaping and fur retracting.

She collapsed against his chest, naked and trembling from the energy expenditure and fatigue of battle.

"That was..." Maya gasped, finding her voice again. "More incredible than the first time. I could feel everything—smell everything. Their fear, your anger. It was like experiencing the world in high definition."

Kieran's eyes flashed with heat as they swept over her bare form. "You were magnificent," he murmured, his voice lowering to a rumble that sent shivers across her skin. "A natural leader."

One of the young wolf shifters tossed her clothes—black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Maya dressed quickly, her mind racing between scientific fascination with her second full transformation and the more pressing reality of dead bodies and a safe house that needed destroying.

As they dragged the hunters' bodies inside, Maya noticed Kieran's increasingly labored movements. The silver was taking its toll.

"Your body temperature's rising," she noted, her scientist's mind cataloging symptoms even as worry clutched at her heart. She pressed a palm against his forehead. "The silver's spreading further."

Kieran grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles with unexpected tenderness. "I've had worse."

"Doubtful," she countered, unwilling to let him minimize the danger. "Silver poisoning is progressive, and you've had it in your system for nearly twenty-four hours."

He flashed her a grin that was equal parts arrogance and charm. "Worried about me, Dr. Collins?"

"Desperately," she admitted without hesitation, surprising herself with the raw honesty. His expression softened at her words.

They worked methodically, preparing the cabin for destruction. Maya soaked curtains in cooking oil while Kieran arranged the bodies. When they finally stepped outside, Kieran struck a match and tossed it through the doorway. Flames erupted with satisfying ferocity.

As fire consumed the evidence of the attack, Kieran borrowed a phone from a young rebel sympathizer with dark hair. "Need to call Lena," he explained to Maya. "She can neutralize this silver."

The trek through the forest toward the second safe house was grueling. Kieran insisted on helping carry one of the unconscious shifters despite his worsening condition. His face had paled alarmingly, a sheen of sweat glistening on his brow.

Maya refused to let fear overtake her. Not after everything we've survived.

"You know," she said conversationally, supporting his increasingly unsteady frame, "for someone who's spent his whole life planning to lead a pack, you're remarkably good at being a revolutionary."

His laugh was strained but genuine. "Turns out I have a talent for treason."

"It's not treason to choose what's right over what's traditional," Maya countered.

Kieran's silver-blue eyes fixed on her, intensity burning through his pain. "No," he agreed softly. "It's not."

Maya staggered alongside Kieran as they finally reached the second safe house—a weathered two-story cabin nestled deep within the woods.

His normally commanding presence had diminished with each step, the silver poisoning visibly ravaging his powerful body.

The tight black t-shirt that had earlier showcased his muscular physique now clung to him damply, his jeans dragging in the dirt as his gait faltered.

"Just a few more steps," she encouraged, her arm braced firmly around his waist.

His eyes flashed with stubborn determination despite his pallor. "I'm fine," he growled unconvincingly, adjusting the unconscious young shifter in his arms.

The wooden front door opened before they even reached it. Young faces—some wary, some hopeful—peered out at their battered group. Recognition dawned instantly when they spotted Kieran.

"The Alpha heir!" someone gasped.

"Former heir," Kieran corrected through gritted teeth. "Get these wounded inside. Now."

His commanding tone brooked no argument. The young rebels jumped to action, taking the injured from their companions. Maya watched the efficiency with which they moved—these were children of traditionalists who'd chosen a different path, just like Kieran had.

"You need to lie down," Maya insisted, pulling him toward a small cot in the corner as the others tended to the wounded.

Kieran resisted. "I need to make sure?—"

"You need to not die from silver poisoning," she snapped, her scientific brain assessing his worsening symptoms with growing alarm. His temperature had spiked dangerously, and the veins around his wound had taken on a sickening grayish tint.

When he finally relented and sank onto the cot, a ripple of whispers spread through the room.

"That's her—the hybrid."

"She fought like a born wolf."

"They say she carries the dormant genes."

"The prophecy..."

Maya pressed her palm against Kieran's burning forehead. She closed her eyes, trying to channel the healing energy she'd somehow conjured the previous night. Their mate bond thrummed between them, but the silver poisoning seemed to resist her efforts.

"Damn it," she muttered, frustration mounting. "It's not working like before."

Kieran captured her wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. "You've already done more than anyone could expect." His eyes burned with intensity despite his fever. "You fought for my people. Led them. Protected them."

A young female shifter approached hesitantly, offering a bowl of water and clean cloths. "Is it true?" she asked Maya. "Are you really half-human, half-shifter?"

Maya dipped a cloth in the cool water and pressed it to Kieran's forehead before answering. "Apparently my great-great-grandmother had quite the secret."

"And you saved those pups back there," another voice added with reverence. "Even traditionalists are talking about it."

As Maya tended to Kieran, she became increasingly aware of the growing crowd gathering around them. Young wolf shifters with traditional upbringings mingled with hardcore rebels, their previous divisions seemingly forgotten as they exchanged stories of the battle.

Something stirred inside her—a sense of rightness that transcended her scientific skepticism. Her entire life, she'd felt drawn to wolves, studying them and understanding them. Now she realized why.

"The Lunar prophecy," someone whispered. "Humans and shifters united once more."

Kieran's feverish eyes met hers. "They need this," he murmured for her ears alone. "Hope."

Maya's heart swelled with unexpected emotion. In just a week, she'd gone from studying wolves to becoming part of them—to potentially being the bridge between two worlds.

"Lena better get here soon," she said, fighting back tears as she stroked Kieran's damp hair back from his forehead. "I'm not losing you when I've just found you."

His lips quirked into that arrogant half-smile that managed to infuriate and captivate her simultaneously. "Don't worry, sweetheart. It takes more than a little silver to keep me down."

Thirty minutes later, Maya's fingers interlaced with Kieran's as his body burned with silver fever on the small cot.

She dabbed his forehead with a cold cloth, her heart clenching each time he winced or shuddered.

His powerful frame looked vulnerable now, silver-threaded veins creeping outward from his wound like a toxic spiderweb.

"Stay with me, stubborn wolf," she whispered, brushing his sweat-dampened hair from his forehead. Even incapacitated, his masculine beauty stole her breath—the strong cut of his jaw and the sensual curve of his lips.

The cabin door burst open with a gust of pine-scented air. Lena rushed in, her petite frame somehow commanding the space as she carried a worn leather satchel. Her violet eyes locked onto Maya's.

"Thank god you're finally here," Maya said, relief flooding through her.

Lena knelt beside the cot, pulling out small clay jars and bundles of dried herbs. "The silver's spread further than I expected." Her fingers moved with practiced precision. "We need to work quickly."

"What do you need me to do?" Maya asked.

Lena's knowing gaze swept between them. "You're his fated mate. Your connection will amplify the healing." She handed Maya a small ceramic bowl filled with a paste that smelled of earth and smoke. "Apply this to his wound while I prepare the rest."

The young shifters gathered in a circle around them, their faces reflecting equal parts curiosity and reverence. Maya felt their eyes on her as she gently applied the pungent mixture to Kieran's side. His skin burned beneath her fingertips.

"You're enjoying playing doctor a little too much," Kieran mumbled, his eyes flickering open for a moment, his silver-blue irises bright with fever.

Maya tried not to chuckle. "Of course you'd make jokes while dying."

"I'm not dying. Just resting." His voice was weak, but his smirk remained intact.

Lena placed candles at four points around the cot, lighting each with a whispered word. "Maya, place your hands over his heart. Channel your energy into him—your bond will guide the rest."

Maya hesitated. "I'm still new at this whole supernatural thing."

"Trust your instincts," Lena said softly. "They haven't failed you yet."

Maya closed her eyes and laid her palms flat against Kieran's chest over his heart. His heartbeat thrummed beneath her touch, strong but erratic. She focused on that rhythm, imagining it stabilizing and strengthening.

Lena began chanting in a language Maya didn't recognize, burning herbs that released sweet smoke into the air. The scent triggered something primal in Maya—her wolf stirring beneath her skin.

Heat flowed from her palms into Kieran's body. Maya gasped as she felt the silver poison respond, pulling toward her hands as if magnetized. Dark silvery tendrils emerged from his skin, wrapping around her fingers like living mercury.

"That's it," Lena encouraged. "Draw it out."

Pain seared through Maya's arms as she absorbed the poison. Kieran's back arched off the cot, his body convulsing. His eyes flew open, glowing wolf-bright.

"Maya," he gasped, her name sounding like salvation on his lips.

The silver poison collected in the bowl Lena held beneath Maya's hands, pooling like liquid metal. Around them, the young shifters watched in awe, whispers flowing through their ranks.

"The hybrid is healing the Alpha."

"Just like the prophecy said..."

"She's the One..."

A final violent shudder passed through Kieran's body before he collapsed back against the cot, his breathing suddenly deep and even. The silver veins had vanished from his skin.

"It worked," Maya breathed, dizzy with relief and exhaustion.

Kieran's hand shot up to capture her wrist, holding her in place. "Stay," he commanded, his voice regaining its familiar authoritative edge.

Maya rolled her eyes despite the fluttering in her stomach. "I just saved your life. I don't plan on going anywhere."

His lips curled into that infuriating smile that never failed to quicken her pulse. "Good."

The air in the cabin seemed to vibrate with possibility. Maya glanced around at the faces watching them—young shifters whose lives had been shaped by outdated traditions and unyielding hierarchies. In their eyes, she saw hope blossoming.

"You see what they see in us, don't you?" Kieran murmured, following her gaze.

"A bridge," Maya whispered back. "Evolution and tradition. Human and wolf."

He nodded, his eyes intense as they locked with hers. "We could change everything, you and I."

The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating. A week ago, she'd been a wildlife biologist tracking unusual wolves. Now, she was part wolf herself, bound to this powerful, maddening man—and possibly the key to transforming an entire society.

"Ready to rewrite history, Dr. Collins?" Kieran asked, his thumb tracing circles on her wrist.

Maya smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. "With you? Always."