Chapter 2
"The Alpha Who Shouldn't Want Her"
"Interesting…"
The word left his lips like a quiet verdict.
And somehow… it felt more dangerous than any growl.
My breath hitched as his fingers lingered against my skin for a second longer than they should have.
That strange sensation—it didn't fade.
It spread.
Slow. Warm. Unfamiliar.
My heart began to race, not just from fear… but something else I couldn't understand.
His gaze darkened.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The forest around us felt… still.
Like even the wind was holding its breath.
(His POV....)
She should have been dead.
The moment I sensed her presence in my territory, I had expected nothing more than another foolish human wandering too far.
Weak. Fragile. Easy prey.
I had followed her scent through the forest—fear, cold, and something strangely… different.
Something that didn't belong.
And yet—
Here she was.
Alive.
Breathing.
Looking at me like I was the monster everyone said I was.
They weren't wrong.
But that wasn't what caught my attention.
It was the way my wolf reacted.
Restless.
Alert.
Drawn to her.
That had never happened before.
Not once.
(Back to her POV...)
His fingers slowly pulled away from my skin, but the feeling remained.
Burning.
Lingering.
Wrong.
"W-what are you?" I whispered before I could stop myself.
The moment the words left my lips, I regretted them.
His expression hardened.
Danger flickered in his golden eyes.
"Careful, human," he said quietly. "You're asking questions you won't survive the answers to."
My throat went dry.
"I didn't mean—"
"You did," he cut me off.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it didn't need to be.
Power radiated from him in waves, pressing down on me, making it hard to even breathe.
"Humans don't wander into my territory by mistake," he continued, his gaze never leaving mine. "So tell me… why are you really here?"
Panic clawed at my chest.
I couldn't tell him the truth.
I couldn't tell anyone.
"I told you," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to come here. I just… got lost."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unbelieving.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
And for a second—
I thought he would kill me.
Instead…
He leaned closer.
Too close.
My breath caught as his face hovered inches from mine.
I could feel the heat of his body.
The power.
The danger.
"If you're lying…" he murmured, his voice dropping lower, darker, "you won't live long enough to regret it."
A shiver ran through me.
Not just fear.
Something else.
Something worse.
(His POV...)
She was lying.
I could hear it in her heartbeat.
Fast. Uneven.
Terrified.
But there was something else too.
Something that didn't match her words.
Something hidden.
And that… intrigued me.
I should have killed her.
Any other human wouldn't have lasted this long.
But my wolf—
It refused.
Every instinct in me was telling me to end this.
To get rid of the threat.
And yet…
I couldn't.
(Back to her POV)
He suddenly pulled back.
The distance between us returned—but the tension didn't fade.
If anything… it grew stronger.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The question caught me off guard.
"M-my name?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Do I look like I repeat myself?"
I swallowed.
"Ava," I said softly.
The moment my name left my lips, something changed.
I felt it.
A shift in the air.
In him.
His eyes darkened again.
More intense this time.
"Ava…" he repeated slowly.
The way he said my name—
It didn't sound normal.
It sounded like he was tasting it.
Claiming it.
My heart skipped.
Before I could say anything—
A sudden howl echoed through the forest.
Loud.
Sharp.
Warning.
His head snapped toward the sound instantly.
His entire body went still.
Tense.
Dangerous.
"What was that?" I whispered, fear creeping back in.
He didn't answer.
For the first time since I had seen him…
He looked… irritated.
"No," he muttered under his breath.
Another howl followed.
Closer.
Urgent.
His jaw clenched.
"They're not supposed to be here," he said coldly.
My heart dropped.
"They?"
And then I heard it.
More footsteps.
Multiple.
Surrounding us.
Fast.
Not like before.
This wasn't just one predator.
This was a pack.
Panic surged through me.
"You said this was your territory—" I started.
"It is."
His voice was sharp.
Deadly.
"Then why are they here?" I whispered, my voice shaking.
His eyes flickered back to me.
And for the first time—
I saw something unexpected.
Not fear.
Not anger.
But calculation.
"They're not here for me," he said slowly.
My stomach twisted.
"Then…?"
His gaze locked onto mine.
Cold.
Certain.
"They're here for you."
My blood ran cold.
"What?" I whispered.
"That's impossible—I don't even—"
"Quiet."
The word came out like a command.
I froze.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Encircling us.
Trapping us.
I could hear low growls now.
Different.
Not like his.
More savage.
Less controlled.
His body shifted slightly in front of me.
Blocking me.
Protecting me.
And that made no sense.
Why would he—
"Stay behind me," he said.
My eyes widened.
"You're… protecting me?"
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"Don't misunderstand, human," he said softly.
"If they touch you…"
His eyes flashed.
Deadly.
"I'll kill them all."
My heart slammed against my chest.
The air around us grew heavier.
Darker.
And then—
Figures began to emerge from the shadows.
Eyes glowing.
Bodies shifting.
Wolves.
But not like him.
Wild.
Hungry.
Dangerous.
And in that moment—
I realized something terrifying.
I wasn't just caught between monsters.
I was standing behind the most dangerous one of them all.