Chapter Two
972 Words
The forest hummed with danger not the obvious kind, not claws or snarls or the snap of
branches, but something deeper, older. Something that vibrated beneath Gabrielle’s skin the
moment her foot crossed the invisible boundary separating the Blackwood pack lands from the
forbidden forest. Goosebumps graced Gabrielle’s arms, The forest felt alive, watching her,
judging her, welcoming her. The trees bent inward, whispering secrets only her blood could hear.
Gabrielle wrapped her arms around herself, she could hear her heart beating rapidly.
She stopped walking.
Her breath fogged In front of her, even though the night was warm.
“ I shouldn’t be here” she whispered to herself.
Every story she had ever heard about this forest ended the same way, humans didn’t return.
Wolves only entered it during sacred hunts or punishments. The forest belonged to the moon, to
the gods, to things far beyond her understanding.
And yet….she took another step.
The moon glowed brighter than she had ever seen it. Her silver pendant pulsed against her chest,
growing warmer with every heartbeat. Gabrielle pressed her palm against it instinctively,
confusion swirling in her mind.
She gasped, confused “What’s wrong with me tonight?” she murmured.
She had lived in fear all her life, fear of Ava, fear of Alpha Lucas, fear of punishment. But this
felt different, this fear wasn’t warning her to turn back. It was urging her forward.
She didn’t stop walking. The deeper she went, the quieter the world became. No insects, no birds
and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The trees grew taller, their branches twisting inward
like it was watching her pass.
Her chest tightened.
She thought of her mother, the way she would go pale whenever the moon shone too brightly,of
the way she had forbidden Gabrielle from wandering at night.
“Promise me you’ll never go into the forest,” her mother had once said, gripping her shoulders
too tightly. “Promise me”
Gabrielle had promised.
Her throat burned with guilt as she broke it now.
The pendant suddenly flared hot against her skin.
She gasped, clutching it as pain shot through her chest, sharp and stole her breath. Her visions
blurred, the forest spinning around her.
“No…no, please she whispered”.
Her legs gave out.
She collapsed beside a massive oak tree, palms scraping against the tree barks as she struggled to
stay conscious. Her heart raced wildly, each beat echoing in her ears like thunder. She didn’t
understand why this was happening, was this why her mother made her promise not to go into
the forest?, was she going to die?
A low growl echoed behind her.
Every muscle in Gabrielle’s body locked.
She didn’t want to turn around, she knew what stood behind her.
Still, slowly, she turned her head, dread spreading through her veins and met a pair of glowing
silver eyes.He was tall, broad shouldered, dressed in black. His dark hair fell into his eyes and
power radiated from him in suffocating waves. His presence made her feel small. Fragile.
Exposed. His jaw clenched tightly as he stared at her like she was both a threat and a mistake.
“You are not supposed to be here, human.” he said coldly.
His voice alone sent shivers through her bones.
She tried to stand but her knees buckled.
She cried out softly as she fell forward—but she never hit the ground
He moved faster than she could blink, and caught her. The moment his skin touched hers, the
world exploded and a jolt of energy surged through her body, stealing her breath. She could feel
her heart beating in sync with his. Heat flooded her veins, leaving her dizzy and breathless.
She gasped, fingers clutching at his shirt as power surged through her veins, wild and
uncontrollable. The forest flared with silver light around them.
He stiffened. For a brief, impossible second, Caden’s control slipped. An unfamiliar instinct
surged forward — not the Alpha, not the warrior but the protector. His wolf did not see a servant.
Did not see a human. It saw something meant to be guarded at all costs. The realization unsettled
him more than the bond itself.
Caden Blackwood did not protect weakness. Yet every fiber of his being screamed that if
anything happened to the trembling girl in his arms…He would burn the world to the ground.
He had been hunting when he sensed it a pull that made his wolf howl in terror. He had never felt
fear before.
“No” he muttered, confusion clouded his face.
Gabrielle held onto him tighter, terrified of the storm raging inside her.
His arms tightened around her against his will as something primal roared to life Infront of him.
“This is impossible” he said in horror
Gabrielle’s body shook violently. “Please something is wrong with me,” she whispered. “I feel
like I’m burning”
His eyes searched her face, fear breaking through his control.
“You’re my mate.”
The words fell from his lips like a curse.
Tears slipped down Gabrielles cheeks “What does that mean?”
His silver eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched hard enough that his teeth creaked.
“It means” he said slowly, releasing her like she burned him, “that your life is about to become
hell.”
She stumbled back, heart shattering.
“Because I’ll never accept a human as my Luna”
The bond snapped tight between them, screaming its existence into the night. Somewhere far
away, wolves lifted their heads and howled. The pack had felt it.
And Gabrielle stone—human, servant, nothing, collapsed at the foot of the Alpha heir, unaware
that the moment she crossed into the forest, her fate had already been sealed..
- Writer
