The massive wolf didn't move, its silver eyes locked on mine. We remained frozen in this bizarre standoff, me sprawled on my back, the creature towering over me. Its breath created small clouds in the cold night air.
The wolf took a step backward, allowing me space to sit up. I moved slowly, wincing at the scrapes and bruises from my fall. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs.
"Are you...letting me go?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
The beast huffed, almost like a sigh. Then it did something that stole my breath entirely—it bowed its massive head, lowering itself to the forest floor in a clear gesture of... peace?
I stared in disbelief. "You're not going to hurt me?"
The wolf's silver eyes held mine, and I felt something impossible—a connection, a silent communication. This wasn't just a wolf. This was something else entirely.
Cautiously, I extended my trembling hand. The wolf remained still, watching as my fingers hovered inches from its muzzle. When I finally touched the coarse black fur, a jolt ran through me, not unpleasant but startling—like static electricity but deeper, resonating in my bones.
"What are you?" I whispered.
As if in response, the wolf's fur began to shimmer. A faint glow emanated from beneath the black coat, illuminating the clearing with ethereal blue-white light.
I scrambled backward, shocked by the supernatural display. "Holy shit."
The glowing wolf stood, shaking out its massive form. The light pulsed gently, casting long shadows through the trees. It turned away from me, took several steps, then looked back expectantly.
"You want me to follow you?"
Another huff, impatient this time.
I weighed my options, which were painfully few. Go with this mysterious, glowing wolf into the unknown, or continue stumbling alone through the dark forest with wolf shifters potentially hunting me.
"I guess I don't have much choice," I muttered, climbing unsteadily to my feet.
My ankle protested sharply. I bit my lip against the pain and limped after the wolf, which moved slowly enough to accommodate my injured state. The creature's unnatural glow provided better illumination than my dead flashlight had.
We traveled in silence for what felt like hours. The wolf picked a path that seemed deliberately gentle—no steep inclines, no treacherous terrain. Occasionally it would stop, looking back to ensure I was still following.
"Do you have a name?" I asked during one such pause. "I'm Hazel."
The wolf's ears twitched.
"I'm talking to a wolf," I said with a hollow laugh. "I must be losing my mind."
Despite my skepticism, something about this creature calmed me. Its presence felt protective rather than threatening.
When we reached a small stream, the wolf stopped, indicating I should drink. I knelt beside the clear water, cupping it gratefully in my hands. It was ice-cold and delicious.
"Thank you," I said, sitting back on my heels. "Where are we going?"
The wolf settled beside me, its glowing form casting rippling light across the water. In the strange illumination, I could see exhaustion etched into my reflection—sunken eyes, dirt-streaked face, tangled hair. I looked like a wild thing.
"I don't even know if I can survive out here," I admitted quietly. "I've never been on my own. Never had to be."
The wolf's head tilted, listening.
"The human world scares me almost as much as going back," I continued, surprising myself with the confession. "I don't have ID, money, or a real education. What kind of life could I possibly build?"
My throat tightened. "But I couldn't stay. Not after everything Julian did. Not as an omega."
The wolf shifted closer, its massive body radiating unexpected warmth. I found myself leaning against its side, drawing comfort from this strange, silent companion.
"Julian wasn't always cruel," I whispered. "For six years, he was everything to me. My whole world. Then one night, he found his mate, and it was like..." I swallowed hard. "Like I never existed at all."
The wolf rumbled low in its chest. Whether in sympathy or something else, I couldn't tell.
"I don't regret leaving. I just wish I'd planned better. Prepared more." My fingers curled into the wolf's fur. "I wish I wasn't so afraid."
We sat in silence for several minutes. The night sounds—crickets, rustling leaves, distant owls—created a strange lullaby. For the first time in days, I felt something close to peace.
It shattered in an instant.
The wolf's head snapped up, its body tensing. A low growl rumbled from its chest.
"What?" I whispered urgently, scrambling to my feet. "What is it?"
Before the wolf could respond, darkness descended on us—not the natural darkness of night, but something deeper and more malevolent. The air thickened, pressure building like before a violent storm.
A man stepped into the clearing.
No, not just a man. A presence. Power incarnate.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp, aristocratic features that would have been beautiful if not twisted by fury. Intricate black tattoos snaked up his neck and disappeared beneath his fitted black shirt. His eyes—stormy gray and burning with rage—fixed on the glowing wolf beside me.
"Lykos," he growled, the single word vibrating with controlled violence. "What have you done?"
The wolf—Lykos—stood protectively in front of me, its light pulsing brighter.
"You were to track Alpha Maxen's movements, not bring me his human pet," the man continued, his gaze flicking to me with cold assessment.
I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Every instinct screamed danger, yet my body remained frozen. This man radiated lethal power unlike anything I'd ever encountered.
He stepped closer, and the air around him seemed to distort, bending to his will. "Explain yourself."
Lykos growled, the sound resonating through the clearing.
"Not good enough," the man snapped. In a blur of movement too fast to track, he was suddenly beside me, his hand clamping around my arm like an iron vise.
Pain exploded from his touch. I gasped, looking down to see his fingers digging into my flesh. Black veins spread from beneath his grip, crawling up my arm like poison.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his face inches from mine. "Why did my wolf bring you to me?"
His wolf? The realization hit me with stunning clarity. The tattoos. The overwhelming power. The casual reference to Alpha Maxen, as if the powerful leader of my former pack was merely a subject.
This was the Lycan King.
Terror washed over me in an icy wave. The rumors, the whispered stories—they didn't do justice to the reality of his presence. He was devastation wrapped in human form.
"I-I don't know," I stammered, my voice embarrassingly weak. "I was running. He found me."
His grip tightened, sending fresh agony through my arm. "Lying is unwise."
"I'm not lying!" I gasped. "Please, you're hurting me."
Something flashed in his eyes—confusion? Surprise? It vanished instantly, replaced by cold calculation. His nostrils flared slightly, and I realized he was scenting me.
"Human," he muttered, as if confirming something to himself. "Yet..."
Whatever he was about to say was cut short by a blur of glowing fur. Lykos slammed into the king, his massive jaws clamping around the arm that held me. The impact broke the king's grip, sending me tumbling to the ground.
An inhuman roar split the night. The wolf and the king became a blur of motion, grappling with a violence that shook the trees around us.
I didn't wait to see more. Ignoring the burning pain in my arm and the throbbing of my ankle, I scrambled to my feet and ran.
Branches whipped my face as I crashed through the underbrush. Behind me, snarls and crashes told of the continuing battle. I had no idea why the wolf had attacked its master, but I wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
I ran blindly, no longer caring about direction or destination. My only thought was escape.
The forest grew denser, darker. Without Lykos's glow, I could barely see. I tripped repeatedly, each fall more painful than the last. My lungs burned, my legs screamed with exertion, but I pushed on.
A terrible silence fell behind me. The fighting had stopped.
He was coming.
Panic gave me renewed strength. I veered sharply right, hoping to throw off pursuit. My foot caught on something—a root, a stone—sending me crashing to the ground once more. This time, pain exploded in my knee as it struck a rock.
I bit back a scream, forcing myself up. Keep moving. Just keep moving.
The air shifted. Pressure built. He was close.
I darted between two massive pine trees, ducking under low-hanging branches. Where could I hide from someone who could track by scent? Who could move faster than my eyes could follow?
A shadow detached itself from the darkness ahead. I skidded to a stop, changing direction. Another shadow to my left. I was being herded.
"Enough," came his voice, eerily calm and directly behind me.
I spun, backing away. The Lycan King stood mere feet away, not even breathing hard from the chase. His clothes were torn from the fight, revealing glimpses of a muscular torso covered in more intricate tattoos. Blood—his own—smeared his jaw, but he seemed unconcerned by the injury.
"Stay away from me," I warned, though the tremor in my voice ruined any attempt at bravery.
His expression remained impassive. "You cannot run from me."
"Watch me," I spat, turning to sprint again.
I made it exactly two steps before he tackled me from behind. His body pressed mine into the forest floor, one hand tangling in my hair to pull my head back. His other arm wrapped around my waist like a steel band.
"I said enough," he growled into my ear.
I thrashed wildly, trying to break his hold. It was like fighting a mountain.
"Get off me!" I screamed, terror and rage merging into desperate strength.
His grip only tightened. "Be still, human, or I will make you still."
"Fuck you," I snarled, driving my elbow backward with all my strength.
I felt the blow connect with his ribs. He grunted, momentarily loosening his hold. I twisted, slipping partway from beneath him, but he recovered instantly. His hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my screams. His weight shifted, pinning me completely.
"Listen carefully," he said, his voice a deadly whisper against my ear. "My patience is exhausted. You will cease struggling. You will answer my questions. Or I will render you unconscious and you will answer them when you wake. The choice is yours."
His cold precision terrified me more than any shouting could have. This was a man accustomed to absolute obedience.
I nodded slightly, the only movement his grip allowed.
"Good," he said, removing his hand from my mouth but maintaining his oppressive weight atop me. "Now, who are you and why are you in these woods?"
"Hazel Croft," I gasped, struggling to breathe under his weight. "I was running away from the Blue Mountain Pack."
"Why?"
"They cast me out. Made me an omega." I swallowed hard. "They hurt me."
Something shifted in his expression—not sympathy, exactly, but a flicker of interest. "Human. Omega. And you survived long enough to escape?"
Before I could answer, darkness crowded the edges of my vision. The combination of exhaustion, fear, and his crushing weight became too much. The last thing I saw were those stormy gray eyes, studying me with cold fascination as consciousness slipped away.