The Wolf That Saved Me

Chapter 4: Trust & Survival

The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and my own blood. My head throbbed, my body ached, and every breath I took felt like fire scraping against my ribs. I barely remembered how I got here,..one moment, I was running from the hunters, the next, I was in Michael’s arms, his grip firm, unyielding.

Now, I was in some dimly lit cabin, laid out on a couch, the flickering glow of the fireplace casting eerie shadows against the walls. My body was shaking, a cold sweat coating my skin as the remnants of fear still clung to me. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my ribs.

“Stay down.” Michael’s voice was gruff, but there was something controlled about it, like he was keeping his emotions in check.

I swallowed hard, my mind catching up to reality. I wasn’t dead. The hunters hadn’t found me and Michael, Michael had saved me. Again.

I turned my head slowly, watching him. He was crouched near the fireplace, tending to his own wounds. His shirt was torn, blood staining the fabric near his side. I should’ve been grateful. Instead, anger flared inside me, cutting through the haze of pain.

“Why?” I croaked out.

Michael barely glanced at me as he ripped his shirt further, exposing the deep knife marks on his torso. “Because you would’ve died if I hadn’t.”

“No.” I pushed myself up, ignoring the way my body protested. “Why did you do this to me in the first place? Why did you bite me?”

His jaw tightened. He met my gaze then, his eyes unreadable. “Because you were dying. And I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “So instead of dying, I became… this?” I gestured to myself, to the barely healing wounds, to the monster I could feel clawing beneath my skin. “I lost everything because of you.”

Michael didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. “Then stop acting like a helpless girl and start fighting back.”

His words hit me harder than any wound I had taken tonight. I sucked in a sharp breath, my hands curling into fists. “Excuse me?”

“You think you can just sit here, wallow in self-pity, and hope this all goes away? That you’ll wake up and be normal again?” He stood, his towering presence making the room feel smaller. “You’re a werewolf now, Olivia. And you need to start acting like one.”

I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Neither did I,” he snapped. “Neither did any of us.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I watched as Michael’s wounds..deep, jagged gashes..began to heal right before my eyes. The torn flesh knitted back together, the blood drying, fading as if it had never been there. It should have terrified me. Instead, I was fascinated.

“You can do that too,” Michael said, noticing my stare. “But only if you accept what you are.”

I swallowed. “And if I don’t?”

“Then the next time the hunters come, you’ll die.”

I looked away, my fingers digging into the fabric of the couch. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong. But deep down, I knew he wasn’t.

Michael sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. The anger had faded from his voice when he spoke again. “I know this is hard. But you need to transform, Olivia. You need to learn to control it before it controls you.”

I exhaled shakily. “What if I can’t?”

He stepped closer, his voice quiet but firm. “Then I’ll help you. But you need to trust me.”

Trust. The word felt foreign, impossible even. But looking at him, at the way his expression softened just slightly, I realized something.

I didn’t have a choice.

I was either going to learn how to survive this… or I was going to die trying.

Michael stood by the doorway, arms crossed, watching me. He hadn’t said much. Just patched me up, made sure I had water, and waited. He was always waiting.

“You should rest,” he finally said.

I shook my head. “I can’t.”

Michael sighed, stepping further into the room. “Your body’s still adjusting. The full moon isn’t over, Olivia. You still have time.”

“Time for what?” My voice came out sharp, but I didn’t care. I was exhausted, raw. “To lose myself again? To kill someone else?”

His expression didn’t change. “To transform. To control it. You don’t have to be afraid of what you are.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who woke up covered in blood with your best friend’s body at your feet.”

Michael’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “No. But I know what it’s like to feel lost. And I know running from this won’t help.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, my nails digging into my skin. “I don’t want this,” I whispered. “I never asked for this.”

Michael knelt in front of me, his presence suddenly closer, warmer. “I know,” he said softly. “But it’s yours now. You can either let it consume you, or you can take control. It’s your choice.”

I turned away, staring at the shadows dancing along the walls. “I don’t think I’m strong enough.”

“You are,” he said without hesitation. “You survived the hunters tonight. You’re still here.”

I swallowed hard. The idea of letting go, of embracing this part of me, made my stomach twist. But what scared me even more was the thought of losing control again. Hurting someone else.

Michael stood up, backing away slightly to give me space. “You don’t have to decide tonight. But you should lay low. Give yourself time.”

I glanced up at him, expecting impatience or frustration, but there was none. Just quiet understanding.

“I don’t know how to do that,” I admitted.

He gave me a small, knowing smile. “Then let me help.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken things. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe I could still have some semblance of a life. But deep down, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take that step or if I ever would be.

I left the cabin unnoticed as I tried to find my way back home. The cold air stung my skin as I stumbled back, my heart hammering against my ribs. The hunters had surrounded me..five, maybe six of them, each armed to the teeth. Silver gleamed in the moonlight, wicked blades and loaded guns aimed right at me. My breath came in ragged gasps. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t strong enough.

Michael had warned me to lay low. To wait. To learn. But there was no waiting now. There was no way out.

One of the hunters stepped forward, smirking as he c****d his rifle. “Got you now, mutt.”

The moment he pulled the trigger, something inside me snapped.

Pain, white, hot, unbearable—tore through my body. My spine arched, bones cracked, muscles twisted, stretching, reshaping. A scream ripped from my throat, but it was swallowed by a feral snarl. My fingers curled into claws, my vision sharpened, and suddenly, I could hear everything, the hunters’ nervous breathing, the rapid thudding of their hearts, the metallic scent of their weapons.

Then I lunged.

My body moved on its own, instincts taking over. I tore into them, slashing, biting, ripping through their ranks. The coppery tang of blood filled the air. They screamed, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. The beast inside me had finally taken control.

Gunfire rang out, searing pain ripping through my side, but I barely felt it. I was too lost in the hunt, too consumed by the need to destroy everything in my path.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over.

Panting, I turned, my mouth dripping with blood, my chest heaving. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, but three hunters remained. I braced myself for another attack, but before they could react, a blur of movement cut through the air.

A woman.

She moved like liquid shadow, fast and effortless. Within seconds, the remaining hunters were nothing but corpses, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground.

I stood frozen, still trembling from the adrenaline. The woman straightened, flicking blood off her claws before meeting my gaze.

She was stunning. Tall and poised, with long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes as sharp as cut glass, and a smirk that sent a chill down my spine. Unlike me, there was no wildness in her, only control.

“You’ve got potential,” she said, tilting her head slightly as she assessed me. “But you’re reckless. Sloppy.”

I barely found my voice. “Who, who are you?”

She smiled, slow and knowing. “For now, let’s just say I’m someone who knows exactly what you’re going through.”

My limbs still trembled as I shifted back, my body aching from the transformation. She tossed me a jacket, which I gratefully wrapped around myself.

“What were you doing out here alone?” she asked, her tone almost amused.

I swallowed, still shaken. “I didn’t exactly plan this.”

“Well, next time, plan better.” She gave me a pointed look. “Unless you want to get yourself killed.”

There was something about her, an air of effortless confidence, of danger. And yet, I felt strangely safe around her.

Before I could respond, a voice cut through the night.

“Olivia.”

Michael.

I turned, my stomach twisting at the sight of him. He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, but his posture tense. His gaze flicked from me to the woman, something dark flashing in his eyes.

I looked between them, confusion tightening in my chest.

Michael exhaled sharply. “Of course it’s you.”

The woman just smirked, crossing her arms. “Hello, Michael. It’s been a while.”

I glanced between them, realizing something I hadn’t before.

They knew each other. And judging by the way Michael’s jaw clenched, their history a good one.