Chapter Eleven: Runs, Risks, and Reluctant Roads

A couple of uneventful days crawled by after Electra's kiss, the pack house settling into a quiet hum that did nothing to still my restless mind. Those days blurred together—hours spent scrubbing pots in the kitchen until my hands pruned, losing myself in the rec room's PS4 until my eyes burned, dodging her at every turn. I'd catch myself stealing glances—her sipping coffee at breakfast with Lila, her shadow slipping past in the hall as I hauled laundry—but I'd wrench my eyes away, fighting the urge to linger. Shauna had been tied up with training drills since the party, leaving me alone to stew, and I needed her now more than ever to yank my thoughts off the spiral they kept tumbling into.

The truth gnawed at me like a splinter I couldn't pull free: I couldn't stop thinking about Electra. That shy look she'd given me after kissing me outside the pack house, her lips soft and quick against mine, her hair just a little mussed from sleep—it clung to me. It wasn't wild or heated like with Shauna, just a fleeting brush that sparked a craving I couldn't shake, a quiet pull that had me clenching my fists to keep from tracking her down. Every glimpse stoked it—her green eyes catching the morning light over a mug, her laugh weaving through the pack's chatter at lunch—and I was sinking deeper, wrestling a tide I didn't know how to fight after days of pretending she was invisible.

I needed a distraction, anything to snap the loop. Shauna texted late that afternoon—she'd swing by my room in an hour, finally free from Cade's latest enforcer drills—and with nothing else to fill the time, I decided to hole up there and wait. The pack house felt still, afternoon sun slanting through the windows, casting long shadows across the hardwood as I trudged upstairs. My boots echoed in the quiet hall, the air thick with the faint tang of pine cleaner from someone's chore shift. Rounding the corner to my room, I stopped short—Cade leaned against my doorframe, broad shoulders relaxed but his hand rubbing the back of his neck like he was bracing for a fight.

He turned as I approached, hazel eyes meeting mine with a casual, "Hey, Kyan," but a weight hung in his voice, heavier than his usual alpha tone.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, pausing a few feet away, arms crossing over my chest. He didn't drop by just to chat—something was brewing, and my gut tightened in anticipation.

He shifted, hand stilling on his neck, a flicker of unease crossing his face. "Listen, I need you to do something for me." He paused, waiting for my nod before continuing, his words measured. "I need you to represent our pack at the next aging ceremony—couple days from now."

I raised an eyebrow, sensing the hitch before he spelled it out. Aging ceremonies—pack rites for wolves hitting eighteen, new adults stepping into their roles—were standard beta work, even for one sidelined like me. "What's the catch?" I asked, voice flat, arms tightening as I studied him.

He sighed, a heavy sound laced with apology. "It's the Midnight Pack."

"No," I shot back, sharp and instant, jaw locking tight. My mind flashed to Natalie—tangled in some Midnight wolf's arms, me walking in on them a year ago, the gut-punch of it a secret I'd kept locked tight. I'd told a few people after, needing to vent, but she'd lied—spun it around, told everyone I'd cheated, her words sticking to me like mud while the truth stayed buried. That's why I couldn't go—not the pack itself, just her, and the whispers she'd left behind, the kind Dr. Ellis had poked at in therapy.

"Kyan, I need you to do this for me," Cade said, his tone dipping into something rare—vulnerability cutting through his alpha edge. His eyes searched mine, pressing the weight of his ask, leaning on his oldest friend.

"I can't," I muttered, turning my gaze to the forest beyond the window, its green sprawl safer than facing him. Any other pack—Silver Ridge, Dawn Hollow—I'd have gone without a second thought, shaken hands, toasted their new wolves. But Natalie? I'd caught her mid-betrayal, her gasps not for me, and Midnight was her ground now."

Callie could have the baby any day, and I need to stay here," Cade pressed, his voice firming though worry lingered beneath it. He let the words hang—his mate, the Luna, on the brink of giving birth, anchoring him to the pack house while a thousand wolves relied on him. "Kyan, just go. Keep your head down. Please."

I groaned, frustration clawing up my throat as I dragged a hand through my hair, Natalie's image flaring—sweaty, breathless, not mine. "Fine!" I snapped, the word bitter on my tongue. "I won't be happy about it, though."

He clapped my shoulder, a grin breaking through his tension. "Thanks, buddy." He turned to walk off, boots thudding on the hardwood, then tossed back over his shoulder, casual as if it were an afterthought, "Oh, and I need you to take Electra with you. She's got to get acquainted with our neighbouring packs." He strode away before I could choke out a response, leaving me rooted there, staring at his retreating back.

"Well, shit," I muttered, the week piling up like a storm I couldn't dodge. Electra—of all people—tagging along to Midnight? The one person I'd been sidestepping like she carried a live spark, now stuck with me for days, with Natalie's ghost lurking in the shadows? I shook my head, shoving my door open, the hinges creaking as I stepped inside. The room was dim, blinds half-drawn, the air stale with the scent of laundry heaped by the dresser. I flopped onto the bed, springs groaning under me, and stared at the cracked ceiling, my mind drifting right back to her.

I'd seen her that morning in the common room—yoga pants clinging to her legs, a tight sports top hugging her frame, her hair pulled into a messy bun that caught the light just right. A growl rumbled low in my chest, the memory stirring a heat I couldn't shake, my jeans tightening as I pictured her closer—her shy smile, that soft kiss—until a sharp knock knock jolted me out of it. My breath caught as I sat up, adjusting myself quick, the fabric a sudden irritation. Crossing the room in three strides, I yanked the door open to find Shauna smiling at me, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, hazel eyes glinting with that familiar mischief.

"Well, hey there," I grinned, leaning against the frame, relief flooding through me like a cold stream.

"Hey yourself," she said, her smile widening as her hand trailed down my chest, fingers brushing over my shirt, sparking a different kind of warmth.

"Come inside," I murmured, stepping aside, voice low as she brushed past, her leather-and-sweat scent a welcome anchor.

The door clicked shut, and she didn't waste a beat—arms looping around my neck, pulling me close. I scooped her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, thighs gripping tight as she rubbed against me. Her lips found my neck, kissing and nipping, sending a jolt straight through me, a growl rumbling in my throat. I carried her to the bed, the frame creaking as I set her down, her nails digging into my shoulders. We didn't talk this time—no banter, no catching up—just raw need, a distraction I craved to drown out Electra's echo. Clothes hit the floor—my shirt, her tank, jeans in a tangle—and it was fast, urgent, her gasps filling the room as I tried to lose myself in her.

But even with Shauna's heat beneath me, Electra was all I could see—that shy glance after her quick kiss, her lips soft and fleeting against mine, her hair a little mussed from sleep. Shauna's touch blurred into a memory I couldn't outrun, every move shadowed by green eyes and wildflowers. Natalie flickered in too—her betrayal, catching her mid-act, a sting I'd buried but couldn't forget—mixing with Electra's pull until my head was a snarl of past and present. When it was over, we lay there, breathless, sheets twisted around us, her head on my chest—but my mind was miles away, caught between a wound I loathed and a want I couldn't escape.

She propped herself up, smirking down at me, her hair a tangled curtain. "You're quiet today. What's eating you?"

I forced a grin, running a hand through my own mess of hair. "Just... pack stuff. Cade's got me running to Midnight for some ceremony in a couple days."

Her brows shot up. "Midnight? Nice spot—good hunting grounds." She paused, studying me, her smirk fading into something sharper. "You okay with that?"

"Yeah," I lied, shrugging, the weight of Electra's inclusion—and Natalie waiting there, her cheating still a knife-twist in my gut—a stone I wouldn't drop. "Just another job."

She didn't buy it—I could see it in the narrowing of her hazel eyes—but she let it slide, rolling off me to grab her clothes. "Well, don't trip over yourself out there. I'd hate to patch you up again." She winked, tugging her tank back on, and I chuckled, the sound hollow.

"Deal," I said, watching her saunter out, the door clicking shut behind her. Alone again, I flopped back, staring at the ceiling, the room too quiet now. The Midnight trip loomed—two days off—and Electra with it, Natalie's shadow hovering close. I'd have to face them both, keep my head straight, and dodge the mess threatening to spill over. But that kiss clung to me, soft and shy as it was, a craving even Shauna couldn't erase. Natalie's betrayal flashed again—walking in on her, the shock, the rage—and now Electra's pull layered over it, a double-edged ache. I needed a plan to survive this trip without torching Cade's deal or letting old wounds bleed out, but all I had was a growl in my throat and a mind that wouldn't let either of them go.