Selene woke up late the next morning, her head pounding with questions she couldn't answer. Damon's words echoed in her mind.
Forget me. For your own sake.
Forget him? As if she could.
Her sketchbook lay open on her nightstand. She had fallen asleep drawing again, and now golden eyes stared up at her from the page, surrounded by shadows that looked almost alive. She groaned, shutting the book, but the image burned in her mind all the same.
By the time she reached campus, she was exhausted. Clara spotted her immediately.
"Wow, you look like death warmed over," Clara said, shoving a coffee into her hand. "What's going on with you? Don't tell me you were out all night sketching again."
Selene forced a smile. "Something like that."
Clara narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something."
"I'm fine," Selene lied. She wasn't about to explain she was haunted by a man with glowing eyes and a growl that could shake her to her core. Clara would laugh—or worse, worry.
Class passed in a blur. Selene's thoughts never stayed on her assignments; they always wandered back to Damon. His warnings. His nearness. The way his gaze had lingered on her lips for just a heartbeat.
By evening, she was back at the forest's edge.
Her hands trembled as she stepped past the tree line. She had told herself she wouldn't come again. That she'd listen, for once, to common sense. But something inside her was restless—an invisible thread pulling her deeper.
The forest was quieter than usual. Too quiet. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"Back again?"
The voice rolled through the shadows, low and rough. Selene froze, her pulse quickening. Damon stepped out from between the trees, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
She should have felt fear. Instead, relief washed over her.
"You keep saying I shouldn't be here," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Yet you always find me before anything else does."
Damon's expression hardened. "Because if I didn't, you'd already be dead."
Selene's throat went dry. "Then why save me?"
His jaw clenched, his gaze burning into hers. "I don't owe you answers."
"But you do keep saving me," she pressed, her voice rising. "So which is it, Damon? Am I just a nuisance, or—"
She cut off when he stepped closer, towering over her, his presence overwhelming.
"Or what?" His voice was dangerous, but there was an edge beneath it—something unspoken.
Selene swallowed, her courage faltering. "Or you care."
The silence that followed was deafening. Damon's golden eyes locked on hers, unblinking. For a moment, she thought she had gone too far.
Then, suddenly, he turned away. His shoulders were tense, his jaw tight.
"You don't understand what you're walking into," he said at last, his voice low. "This forest isn't just trees and shadows. It's a boundary. A line between your world and mine. And once you cross it…" He glanced back at her, his gaze sharp. "…you can never go back."
Selene's heart pounded. "Then tell me what your world is."
Damon didn't answer. His silence was louder than words.
Before Selene could press him, a rustling sound shattered the stillness. Her body stiffened, panic rising. Damon's head snapped toward the noise, his eyes flashing brighter.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
Selene obeyed, though fear made her knees weak.
The rustling grew louder until a figure stepped out of the shadows. Selene gasped.
It wasn't Damon.
Another man emerged, tall and broad like him, but with wild red eyes that glowed unnaturally. His smile was sharp, cruel.
"Well, well," the stranger drawled. "The mighty Alpha Damon, babysitting a human."
Selene's stomach dropped. Alpha?
Damon stepped forward, his body tense, his voice a growl. "Leave her out of this, Kieran."
Kieran's eyes flicked to Selene, his grin widening. "She smells… tempting. You've broken your own rules, Damon. A human in the forest? How deliciously reckless."
Selene's pulse spiked. Damon moved, putting himself firmly between her and Kieran, his golden eyes blazing.
"She's under my protection," Damon snarled.
Kieran laughed, a dark sound that sent chills racing down Selene's spine. "Since when does the Alpha protect prey?"
The tension crackled like fire. Selene clutched her sketchbook tight, her body trembling. She didn't understand everything, but one thing was clear: Damon wasn't just dangerous. He was powerful.
And now, that power was about to be tested.
Author's Note:
⚡ Things just got serious! Damon isn't just a mysterious stranger—he's an Alpha, and Selene has already caught the attention of others. What do you think of Kieran's appearance? Don't forget to vote with Power Stones and comment—I love reading your thoughts! ❤️