Chapter 5 A wolf between

Keisha didn't sleep that night.

She sat in the kitchen long after Lucien vanished from the fire escape, her hand still trembling around a forgotten glass of water. The words he'd whispered through the glass haunted her:

"Soon."

That was all he said. No name. No warning. Just a promise.

A threat.

She didn't call the police, what would she even say? That some pale man with silver hair stared at her through her window and vanished like smoke?

She didn't wake Kristy either. Her roommate needed rest. Keisha knew what nightmares looked like, and Kristy had her own.

So Keisha sat, watching the dark sky until dawn bled pink into the kitchen tiles.

And when she finally stood and walked back into her room, she found Damian waiting there.

Leaning against the wall like he belonged.

His arms were crossed, jaw tight, the muscles in his neck tense.

Keisha jumped, her pulse spiking. "What the hell, Damian?!"

"You should've called me."

"I didn't-how did you get in here?"

"The lock was easy," he said simply. "And you were in danger."

Her hands clenched. "You can't just break into my room."

"I didn't break in. I came in. There's a difference."

"Damian."

He sighed. "I felt his presence. Lucien was here, wasn't he?"

Keisha's breath caught.

"You felt it?"

Damian nodded. "His magic leaves a scent-like frost and ash. He marked you."

"Marked me?" she repeated, heart pounding.

"Not physically. Not yet. But he's chosen you. And that makes you a target. Even more than before."

She sat on the edge of her bed, her legs weak. "Why? What does he want with me?"

Damian didn't answer immediately.

When he did, his voice was strained.

"Lucien Devereaux is the oldest of us. The most dangerous. He feeds on rare bloodlines-witches, oracles, and wolves with divine gifts. You have something inside you he's waited a long time to find."

Keisha's skin chilled. "What... kind of something?"

He knelt in front of her, his eyes locking onto hers. "Power. Purity. You're not just human, Keisha. You're a key."

"A key to what?"

"To the old bond," he whispered. "A bond that could make someone like Lucien immortal. Unstoppable. If he drinks your blood under the full moon, it will awaken the Alpha curse."

She shook her head. "This is insane."

"No," he said gently. "This is your bloodline."

Keisha felt the room tilt. Her whole body was buzzing, like her blood had started humming in her veins. "I'm not special."

"You're more than special. You're rare. Dangerous."

He reached out and placed his hand over her heart. It shouldn't have calmed her, but it did.

"You feel it, don't you?" he said.

Keisha nodded slowly.

A strange heat was blooming in her chest. A quiet roar beneath her ribs. Her hands trembled, not with fear, but with... need.

His voice dropped, lower now, more intimate. "That's your wolf waking up."

Later that morning, Kristy noticed the difference right away.

"Whoa. You're glowing," she said, raising an eyebrow as Keisha walked into the living room. "Did you... have sex with him?"

Keisha rolled her eyes. "No. And that's not why I'm glowing."

Kristy leaned closer, studying her. "Okay, but something's off. Your aura's buzzing like it had too much coffee."

Keisha lowered her voice. "He was in my room. Damian. He came after Lucien showed up."

Kristy froze. "Lucien? The silver-haired creep from the fire escape?"

Keisha blinked. "You saw him?"

Kristy nodded. "I woke up and saw someone outside. When I opened the window, he was gone. I thought it was a dream."

"It wasn't."

Kristy sat down, frowning. "Okay. This just got real. So what do we do?"

Keisha exhaled. "Damian says I'm some kind of... key. And Lucien wants to use me."

Kristy narrowed her eyes. "Then we keep you safe. And we figure out who Lucien really is."

Keisha hesitated. "There's more."

Kristy looked up. "What?"

"I think something's changing in me."

She held up her palm. Her fingers were warm, her veins glowing faintly silver under the skin.

Kristy stared. "Okay. That's new."

That night, Keisha stayed inside.

Damian returned as the moon rose-he always came when the shadows lengthened. This time, he brought herbs. Crystals. Charms meant to protect her room from being breached.

"I can guard the outside," he said. "But Lucien uses tricks. Illusions. Temptation."

Keisha watched him move, the way he handled every charm like a warrior dressing a wound. His hands were rough, but his touch was careful.

"You really care," she said quietly.

He turned to her, his eyes softening. "You don't know how long I've waited for you."

"Why me?"

"Because I'm cursed too," he said. "And I thought you might be the end of it."

She stepped closer, heart thudding.

His body was heat and muscle and danger, but his gaze was gentle. His lips parted, but he didn't speak.

So she did.

Keisha leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn't a soft kiss. It was hungry. A collision.

His hands found her waist, gripping tight. Her fingers tangled in his hair. He pulled her closer, pressing her against the wall, his mouth moving against hers like he needed her to breathe.

When he kissed down her neck, she gasped, arching against him.

His voice was a whisper against her skin. "You smell like moonlight."

She tugged his shirt up, fingers running over his chest.

But when his lips reached her collarbone, he froze.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He pulled back, pupils blown wide.

"I can't," he said. "Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because once I have you..." His voice broke. "I might not be able to let go."

Keisha didn't sleep.

Her body burned.

But her mind kept replaying Damian's voice. His warning. His restraint.

And behind it all... Lucien's black eyes.

She stood at the window as dawn arrived, the city painted in silver and smoke. A flicker of movement caught her eye.

Across the street stood a tall man in a black coat.

Not Damian.

Lucien.

Again.

He didn't move. Didn't blink.

But this time, he smiled.