Howl of Her Name - Book 1

Chapter 1: She Smells Like Trouble

I'm two sips into my iced vanilla chai when Aria elbows me so hard I almost spill it all over my jeans.

"There," she whispers, not so much a whisper as a desperate squeak. "That's her."

I follow her gaze through the café window. Outside, across the dusty parking lot, a girl moves like she's got knives under her skin. Hoodie up, head down, black boots crunching gravel. She doesn't look at anyone. Doesn't need to.

"New girl?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"New girl," Aria confirms. She leans closer, practically vibrating. "Moved into the cabin on Pine Hollow. Alone."

Alone. In Pine Hollow. Not even the raccoons live there.

"She looks..." I trail off.

"Hot?" Aria offers.

"Like a horror movie waiting to happen."

Juno giggles. She's already got her notebook open and is scribbling. "She's giving lone wolf vibes. You see that aura? She's totally supernatural."

"You said that about the UPS guy," I remind her.

"He had glowing eyes, Kaia."

"He had cataracts, Juno."

But Juno's not listening anymore. She's gone dreamy, watching the girl get closer. "Look at her. That's a girl who eats heartbreak for breakfast."

"She looks like she hasn't eaten anything in days," Aria mutters, a little too loud.

The bell above the café door rings.

In she walks.

She's taller than she seemed outside. Pale skin, sharp collarbones, and that haunted, don't-talk-to-me stare that makes you want to say something anyway. Her hoodie's too big, sleeves nearly swallowing her hands. A tangled pair of earbuds hangs around her neck. She smells like rain and pine and... ash?

She doesn't glance at the menu or the chalkboard specials. She walks straight to the counter like she already knows what she wants. Her voice is low and clipped when she speaks.

"Black coffee. No sugar."

A goth cliché, but on her it sounds like a threat.

Aria leans across the table, whispering, "I give it one week before she joins the pack."

I snort. "She doesn't look like the joining type."

"She's definitely not human," Juno insists. "You can tell."

"She could just be sad."

"She smells like moonlight."

"That's not a thing."

"It is if you believe in vibes."

The new girl turns. Her gaze sweeps the café—and lands right on us.

Right on me.

It's like getting slapped in the soul.

My lungs forget how to work. There's no warning. Just her eyes, locked on mine like she knows me, like she's mad at me for something I haven't done yet. They're a weird color. Too light to be brown. Almost gold. Animal gold.

Her mouth twitches, almost like a smile, and then it's gone. She picks up her coffee, turns, and walks to the corner booth.

"Holy crap," Aria breathes. "Did you see that?"

"She looked at you," Juno adds. "Like, looked at you."

"I'm aware."

"Like she wanted to eat you."

"That's not comforting."

Aria grins. "Maybe she's into girls."

"She's into murder, more like."

"Same thing," Juno says with a shrug.

I can feel her eyes on me again. I glance over. She's not staring now, just sipping her coffee, pretending we don't exist. But I know she knows I'm looking.

"What's her name?" I ask.

Aria shrugs. "No one knows. She hasn't spoken to anyone. Mrs. Devlin said she's renting the cabin under some fake name."

"Probably hiding from something," Juno says, scribbling faster. "Or someone."

"Maybe she's hiding from the law," Aria adds. "Or a dark past. Or an ex-girlfriend who tried to burn her alive."

I roll my eyes but can't stop glancing at her.

Then the bell rings again.

In walks her.

Kaia Blackwood.

Alpha of the Ashridge Pack. Local royalty. Tragic heartbreaker. Six feet of stormy silence wrapped in a leather jacket and an ego you could choke on.

She's followed by her two shadows—Reese, her muscle, and Mel, the one with soft eyes and a not-so-secret poetry blog.

Kaia's eyes scan the room, impassive. She's always scanning. Always calculating.

Then she stops.

Right on the corner booth.

Right on the girl.

Kaia's mouth doesn't move, but something shifts in her posture. Her spine straightens. Her hands curl slightly at her sides.

"Oh my God," Juno whispers. "Do you feel that?"

The air actually feels heavier.

"She sees her," Aria says.

The girl in the hoodie looks up. Eyes meet across the room.

If the silence had teeth, it would bite.

Kaia doesn't blink. Neither does the girl. It's like no one else exists. It's not a look, it's a pull. A question. A challenge. Something ancient and wild stretches between them.

And then the girl lifts her chin, just slightly. A dare.

Kaia's jaw tightens.

Reese says something. Kaia doesn't respond. Her gaze stays fixed like a compass needle.

Mel tugs her sleeve. "Let's go."

Kaia blinks, like she's waking up. She looks away. Walks to the counter.

The girl exhales. Barely.

"She knows," Juno says, clutching her notebook. "She's the mate."

"Don't," I warn.

Aria grins. "Oh, it's happening."

"I said don't."

I glance back at the girl.

She's already looking at me again.