Alpha's Human Mate: Golden Wolf

Chapter3

Aurelia’s POV

The forest behind us still smelled like smoke and pine. My friends chattered nervously, their voices echoing softly against the trees, glancing at me with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“You okay, Aurelia?” one of them asked.

I forced a smile, but my throat felt tight, like I’d swallowed a stone. My hands fidgeted in my lap as we walked back to the car.

“I… I’m fine,” I said, though I wasn’t.

How could I even begin to explain? The man in the woods,the way he had looked at me, called me mate, my pulse still thundered in my chest. My mind refused to settle. I felt a tug, a pull, something inside me awakening that I didn’t understand.

They exchanged glances but didn’t press further. Questions hung in the air—questions I had no answers for. I didn’t even know what kind of danger I had stumbled into or why my body ached with an unfamiliar longing just thinking about him.

The ride home was silent. City lights flickered past like stars trapped behind glass. I stared out the window, trying to make sense of everything, but his scent lingered in my memory like a strong perfume I couldn’t escape. My chest tightened at the thought. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him?

When I finally stepped into my apartment, the quietness hit me like a wave. The normalcy of it felt hollow. I dropped my bag, sank into the couch, and tried to ground myself. But my body had other ideas. My senses felt sharper, the faint hum of the refrigerator, the lingering scent of the neighbor’s dog outside, the subtle vibration of the city beneath my feet.

And then there was him. His scent, etched into my memory, flaring inside me like fire. My lungs filled with it even though he wasn’t here. I shivered, simultaneously scared and… intoxicated.

I pressed my palms to my knees, trying to calm the strange pulsing in my veins. My heart ached for him, the strength in his gaze, the tension in his shoulders, the sound of his low growl as he watched me in the forest. Even now, I could hear it echoing in my mind.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine him. How carefully he had carried me through the woods, how he had spoken to me, patient and steady, not rushing, not demanding. He said he’d love me the way a human wants to be loved, not owned. The words burned into me, stirring my thoughts.

And the changing of his eyes color, his gray gaze shifting to molten amber, had left a mark on my soul. My pulse still thumped wildly when I remembered it, shaking me, pulling me toward him even when fear and reason screamed otherwise.

I touched my wrist and noticed a faint warmth, a vibration I didn’t understand. My body tingled in places I couldn’t explain, muscles coiling with strength I didn’t know I had. It was subtle, almost like a whisper from somewhere deep inside me, yet I could feel it clearly. What is wrong with me?

I stumbled to my room, pacing as fragments of the encounter replayed in my mind. His voice, low and steady:

“We have to keep this secret. No one can know you’re mine yet. No one can know who you are.”

The secrecy only made my longing worse. I wanted him. I wanted to see him, to feel the press of his arms, the pull of his scent against mine again. My instincts, my confusion, and attraction all tangled together, sharp and urgent.

Just then, the soft click at the door made me freeze.

“Mum?” I whispered, my voice catching.

The door opened, and Seraphina stepped in. Her eyes swept the room, sharp, calculating. Then she froze slightly, nostrils flaring. Her gaze snapped to me.

“Alpha’s scent…” she breathed, almost inaudible. Her lips pressed thin. “Aurelia… what have you done?”

My stomach clenched, my pulse raced. I wanted to disappear, to explain, but the words stuck in my throat.

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered.

Her eyes narrowed, and she took a cautious step closer, sniffing the air like a predator tracking prey. The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end. Her presence was commanding, powerful, yet I couldn’t pull my mind from the memory of Kael’s scent—the warmth, the fire, the pull that still made my chest ache.

“You’ve been in contact with him, haven’t you?” she asked, voice low but dangerous. “The Alpha. Kael Thorne.”

My throat closed. “I… I..”

“You don’t get it, do you?” she snapped, stepping closer, eyes flashing. “Do you know what it means for him to be in contact with you?” Her tone turned sharp, almost vicious. “For him to touch you? For him to claim you, even just a trace of it?”

“I… I didn’t know… it just—” My voice faltered.

“Never see him again,” she hissed, her words cutting like knives. “Do you understand me, Aurelia? You will not allow yourself to be near him. Not now, not ever. If you do, I swear… you will not survive what’s coming.”

Her warning made the air around me crackle. Fear and awe twisted inside me. I had never seen my mother like this—her power, her knowledge, her protectiveness, all radiating in a single gaze.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell her I didn’t understand, that I couldn’t stop thinking about him, that I wanted him. But I stayed silent. I could feel her disappointment and fear pressing down on me like a weight. Although she was always protective of me, I have never seen her react this way.

She finally backed away, her skirt swirling slightly behind her as she turned.

“Remember this. Your life… it is no longer your own. If Kael Thorne finds you, if his wolf finds you… you will never be able to go back.”

And then she was gone, leaving the apartment heavy with silence, my heart hammering, my mind racing.

What is going on? Why does it feel like everybody knows something I did not? The terms my mother used… the same as the ones Kael used… like something from werewolf folklore. I was overwhelmed. Tears rolled down my face, and I fell against the window.

The city lights reflected in my wide eyes as my chest rose and fell rapidly. My pulse accelerated, a low hum vibrating through my body. My hands shook uncontrollably.

And then it happened.

A flash of gold.

My eyes tingled. My vision sharpened beyond normal. Every shadow, every flicker of light, every tiny detail expanded before me. I could see the faintest veins in the leaves outside, the subtle quiver of a moth’s wings, the distant glint of metal reflecting the streetlights.

My ears picked up the faintest noises—the hum of a car, a distant siren, the beat of wings in the night. Every sound, every vibration, became a symphony I couldn’t ignore.

I gasped, pressing my hands to my face. What is happening to me?

My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins. Muscles tightened, coiling like springs, ready to run for miles without effort. A primal sense of awareness, of power, of something ancient and deep inside me, stirred.

I fell to my knees, breath coming in ragged gasps. My limbs tingled, my mind buzzing with energy I couldn’t name. I could feel my own heartbeat in ways I had never noticed, the pulse of the city, the wind outside, the distant hum of life vibrating through everything.

I was scared.

“Mum!!!” I called out, my voice cracking, trembling.

The air seemed to respond. The golden flare inside me pulsed, a rhythmic thrum, a heartbeat that was not entirely mine. My vision sharpened even more, picking up patterns of movement, shifts in light, subtle details I had never noticed.

The floorboards beneath my knees creaked, the faintest draft of air brushing against my skin carried a story I could feel more than hear.

My hands shook as I pressed them to the glass of the window. The cityscape below was alive in a way it had never been before. Each flicker of light, each movement of a car, each pedestrian, I could feel them all.

It feels like I am being possessed by somethi

ng, something ancient, something more than human.