KANE’S POV

“Brother…” Justin’s voice trembled.

His eyes moved nervously between me and the little boy still clinging to my leg. He looked afraid—truly afraid. And he should be. No one in this pack dared stand in front of me without bowing their head.

Justin stammered, “Danielle… she was in a car accident and needs a kidney transplant. Alaina owes her. I was afraid she might run away, so I brought her back to stay for a few days.”

I said nothing. I rarely involved myself in his business. He liked power games and petty control, while I dealt with real matters—the pack, our lands, our legacy. His cruelty bored me.

But my wolf stirred under my skin in a way I couldn’t explain. His low growl rumbled in my chest. Something about the woman’s scent lingered in the air. It was soft yet familiar.

Why did it feel like I had caught this scent before?

Justin took my silence as permission.

“Little brat, move!” he snapped, reaching for the child.

But the pup didn’t move. Instead, he pressed his head against my thigh. His small arms hugged me tight like I was some kind of shield. I froze.

The entire hall went silent.

Justin went pale. He looked like he was unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He knew better than anyone that no one was allowed to touch me. Not even my family members. Not without my consent.

Yet this filthy, dirt-streaked child was holding me, breathing against my skin—and my wolf… didn’t react.

I felt no disgust. No anger. Just stillness. I actually felt... a little warm inside.

I looked down. The pup’s scent was a bit sweet. He smelled like pine after rain. His small body shook, but his eyes were stubborn. His wolf, though young and undeveloped, was already trying to guard his mother.

Alaina knelt nearby. She had panic written all over her face. “Liam, don’t! Mommy will find your real daddy soon, okay?”

“Then hurry and find that bastard to take this brat away!” Justin growled, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

The pup sniffled, wiping his nose on my trousers. My wolf huffed. He was amused. A five-year-old… bold enough to cling to an Alpha.

“Are you my daddy?” he asked softly, tilting his small face toward me. “Will you protect my mommy?”

The entire room went still again.

I didn’t answer. I just watched him. Something deep in my chest stirred. I felt a strange heat that shouldn’t exist.

Justin’s jaw clenched. “Alaina, teach your son some manners.”

Alaina’s voice cracked. “Liam… be good. He’s really not your daddy.”

Her tone was trembling, almost pleading. I looked at her. The small mark of a wolf bond once severed was visible near her neck—a bond long broken, yet my wolf stirred uneasily at the sight.

When the boy realized I wasn’t answering, he slowly let go. Justin barked orders, and the nanny dragged them both away toward the back courtyard. I said nothing. I didn’t react either. I just looked down at my dirt-stained pants.

“Mr. Kane!” my assistant, Dana, rushed over, holding out a fresh change of clothes. “You should wash and change right away. I’ll dispose of these.”

I looked at the dirt marks. My wolf was calm. For the first time in years, I didn’t feel disgust.

“No need,” I said flatly, brushing his hand aside.

Dana blinked, looking surprised. “No need?”

I turned and walked away without another word.

The air outside was cold. The moon was full and high in the sky. My wolf prowled restlessly under my skin as I got into the car.

I leaned back against the seat. My mind was distant. My thoughts were still caught on that faint, familiar scent.

“Dana,” I said quietly. “It’s been six years. You still haven’t found her?”

Dana froze a bit. “Mr. Kane, that night… the hotel’s cameras malfunctioned. Nothing was recorded. And after you left, you told me not to investigate. By the time I started, everything was gone.”

My voice dropped to a dangerous tone. “Are you blaming me?”

“N-no, sir,” he said quickly. “It’s just been too long. There’s nothing left to trace.”

He knew better.

I leaned my head back, narrowing my eyes. It had been six years yet there was still no sign of her—the woman who had dared touch me, the woman whose scent still haunted my dreams.

Dana fidgeted. “Paul still won’t talk. He admitted to drugging your drink that night, but he swore there was no woman involved.”

“Lies,” I muttered, rubbing my temple. My wolf growled at the memory. That night was no hallucination. I could still hear her voice, trembling with fear and desperation.

“Don’t touch me… please don’t touch me.”

“I’ll give you money, just let me go…”

I remembered everything about her. Her scent. Her warmth. Her broken sobs. Even my wolf remembered her.

I let out a deep breath, shaking off the memory.

“Keep digging,” I ordered coldly.

“Yes, Alpha,” Dana said quietly. His hands tightened on the wheel.

The car moved through the city. The silence between us was heavy. I stared out the window, watching the moon cast silver light over the streets.

Then, suddenly, my senses caught a scent again. It was soft and familiar. My wolf lifted his head and growled low. He became alert.

“Stop the car,” I said suddenly.

Dana braked instantly.

My eyes went dark.

Alaina.

It couldn’t be, and yet… the scent she carried, the voice that trembled when she spoke… it was the same as that night.

The same woman who had once begged me not to touch her.

And my wolf knew it too.