Chapter 4 Truth and Trust

Rain followed them all the way back to Brennan's Books & Brews. It soaked Kai's hoodie until it clung to his shoulders and turned Lena's hair into dripping curls. Bandit's small paws left wet prints on the sidewalk, but the little coyote stayed close, as if sensing the heaviness between his humans.

Inside, the air smelled like old paper and coffee grounds. Warm. Familiar. But tonight it felt like walking into a confession box.

Kai locked the door behind them, flipping the sign to CLOSED though the city outside still pulsed with headlights and late-night sirens.

Lena stood by the counter, arms wrapped around herself. Drops of water pooled around her boots, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Kai," she began, voice raw, "I need you to tell me everything."

He nodded, throat tightening. "You should sit down."

She didn't move.

So he took a breath, letting the wolf steady him-its silent strength pulsing under his skin.

"I'm a werewolf," he began. "Not bitten. Born. My parents were from a pack on the outskirts of Crescent Hollow. They raised me away from the city, taught me what it meant to be both man and wolf."

Lena's gaze didn't waver, but her lips parted as if to ask something. He kept going.

"When I was seventeen, there was an accident. My parents... they died. After that, I ran from the pack. I couldn't bear it. I moved into the city, tried to live as human as I could. I haven't shifted fully since then."

Lena swallowed hard, her voice cracking. "So all this time... the way you knew about Bandit, the way animals seem to like you..."

"It's the wolf," Kai said quietly. "It never fully leaves, even when I'm human."

"And Talon?" she asked. "The man from yesterday?"

Kai's jaw tightened. "He's my cousin. Beta of the Hollow Pack. They want me back-for reasons I don't fully trust."

She looked away, fingers curling tight against her sleeves. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to drag you into it," Kai confessed. "You deserve a normal life."

"And what if I don't want normal?" she whispered.

His breath caught. The wolf leaned forward in his chest, aching to reach her.

---

The shop grew quiet, the rain outside a steady hush against the windows.

Lena sank onto a stool by the counter. Bandit settled at her feet, his warm presence grounding her.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked.

Kai hesitated. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know. Just... when those men came after me, they didn't sound like ordinary muggers. They asked what I am."

He stiffened. "What are you, Lena?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it, looking lost for a heartbeat. "I don't know," she admitted. "But strange things happen around me sometimes. Animals calm down when I speak. Plants bloom faster. And... sometimes, when I'm hurt or scared, I whisper words I don't remember learning-and they work."

Kai's pulse quickened. The wolf's ears pricked, recognizing something familiar.

"Magic," he murmured.

"I don't know if it's magic," she said, voice breaking. "All I know is it feels real."

---

Silence settled between them again, heavy but honest.

Kai stepped closer, the wolf's longing sharp enough to hurt.

"I should have told you sooner," he said softly. "But I was scared. Scared you'd leave."

"And I should have told you about me," she whispered. "But I was scared you'd think I'm crazy."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, there were no secrets left to hide behind.

---

Elliot's voice broke the silence, floating down the back stairwell. "Everything okay?"

Kai turned to see his best friend, half-dressed in pajama pants and an old college sweatshirt, blinking sleepily.

"We're... talking," Kai said.

Elliot's gaze flickered between them, then softened. "Want me to go upstairs?"

"No," Lena said quickly, surprising herself. "You should know too."

Elliot stepped closer, curiosity warring with concern. "Know what?"

"Kai told me," Lena said, voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "About what he is."

Elliot's eyes widened. "You mean... the thing I've always kind of guessed but didn't want to say out loud?"

"Yes," Kai admitted.

"And you're okay with it?" Elliot asked Lena.

"I don't know," she confessed honestly. "But I don't want to run away."

Elliot exhaled, a slow smile breaking through. "Then that's good enough for me."

---

They all sat around the counter-Lena cradling a mug of tea Kai had made, Elliot perched on a stool, Bandit curled between them. For the first time, it felt like something bigger than fear bound them together.

"What now?" Lena asked softly, after the tea had cooled.

Kai rubbed his palms against his jeans. "Those men tonight-they weren't just random. Talon must have sent them. Or someone else who knows about you."

"Why would anyone care about me?" she asked.

"Because if you really do have magic," Kai said, "packs, witches, even hunters-they'd all be interested. Some to protect you. Some to use you."

Lena's shoulders sagged, the weight settling in. "I never asked for any of this."

"Neither did I," Kai admitted. "But we can figure it out. Together."

---

The wolf's voice in his chest whispered a dangerous truth: She's ours.

But Kai pushed it back, focusing on the woman in front of him, her vulnerability stronger than any power.

"Lena," he said quietly, "I can keep you safe. But you have to trust me."

"I do trust you," she breathed.

The words made something inside him loosen, a knot of fear that had lived there for years.

"And you have to promise me something," she added.

"Anything."

"No more secrets," she said, her gaze fierce despite the exhaustion. "Not between us."

Kai nodded, voice hoarse. "No more secrets."

---

Bandit stirred, pressing his cold nose against Lena's knee. She stroked his head absently, her mind racing.

"I don't even know what I am," she whispered. "How do we find out?"

Kai hesitated. "There's someone who might know. An old witch named Maribel. She used to help the Hollow Pack with magic."

"Will she talk to you?" Lena asked.

"I don't know," Kai admitted. "But it's worth trying."

---

Elliot yawned, rubbing his face. "Sounds like tomorrow's going to be interesting."

Kai glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight.

"You should both get some rest," he said.

Lena bit her lip. "Can I stay here again? Just for tonight. I don't feel safe going home."

"Of course," Kai said immediately. "You can take the guest room upstairs."

"Thank you," she whispered.

---

Upstairs, the apartment above the shop was simple but warm-two bedrooms, a living room crowded with mismatched furniture, and shelves lined with dog-eared paperbacks.

Kai showed Lena to the guest room. Bandit leapt onto the quilted bedspread, circling twice before curling up.

"Goodnight," Kai said softly.

"Goodnight," Lena murmured.

She paused at the door. "Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you told me," she said, her voice small but sure.

"Me too," he whispered.

---

Kai lay awake for hours after, staring at the cracks in his ceiling.

The wolf inside him was quiet now, but not asleep. Its presence felt different-less like a curse, more like a part of him he could finally acknowledge.

He thought of Lena's confession. Her fear. Her strength.

And her trust.

A warmth spread through his chest, mingling with the wolf's quiet approval.

For the first time in years, he didn't feel alone.

---

He drifted into restless dreams.

Lena stood again under the moon, hair loose, hands glowing faintly with silver light. Bandit sat at her feet, howling into the night.

"Kai," she called softly. "Come to me."

He stepped forward-but the ground cracked, darkness swallowing his feet.

"Kai!" her voice broke with fear.

Then Talon's voice echoed from the shadows: You can't outrun blood, cousin.

Kai woke with a start, breath ragged, sweat cooling on his skin.

Outside the window, dawn broke over Crescent Hollow, painting the rain-soaked streets in pale gold.

Today, they would find answers.

And Kai swore to himself, for the first time in a decade, he wouldn't run.