Shadows that watch
1188 Words
Mira's POV
The growl came again, sharp and quick, but I refused to let fear choke me this time. It was not loud enough to shake the walls, just enough to warn. I sat up slowly, breathing through the pain in my ribs. Nora lifted her gaze from the herbs she was sorting, calm as always.
“Do not panic,” she said softly.
I nodded. “Is it close?”
“Probably not. Strays wander around sometimes.” She spoke gently, but her fingers tightened around the cloth in her hands.
The window rattled once, then fell silent. A shadow brushed past, low to the ground, and then it was gone. No more growling or scratching. Just the quiet evening settling over the compound again.
I exhaled shakily. The fear left my body slowly, almost reluctantly, and I lowered myself back on the cot.
Not long after, Alpha Rowan stepped inside the infirmary. His presence made the air shift. He never made a sound when entering, yet the room always seemed to recognize him first.
“You heard it,” he said, voice cool and steady.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He studied me for a long moment. His eyes were unreadable, cold even, but something sharper rested underneath. Curiosity, suspicion, something I could not name. He stood at the foot of my cot, hands behind his back, expression calm.
“You reacted better than before,” he said.
“You will need to keep trying.” He watched me with that quiet intensity that made me feel both seen and exposed. Then his attention shifted to Nora. “Monitor her closely.”
Nora nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
Rowan left without another word. When the door closed, I felt the room breathe again.
---
Twelve days passed.
My body healed slowly. My cuts stopped bleeding, the bruises faded to a dull yellow, and the headaches became rare. But the hollow space in my chest, where my wolf used to live, remained silent. Sometimes I felt a faint spark, almost like a heartbeat, but it always slipped away before I could hold on to it.
During those days, Nora became my shadow. She cleaned my wounds, made me drink bitter tea, told me when to rest and when to sit up. She did not ask questions, and that made me trust her more than I expected.
“You are recovering,” she said one morning as she checked my temperature. “Better than I thought you would.”
“I guess I am,” I replied quietly.
She smiled faintly. “Good. You look less fragile.”
I looked at my hands. “I do not feel less fragile.”
“You will.”
I hoped she was right.
Alpha Rowan came often. Not to comfort me, or to check on me like a patient. He came to observe. Every time he walked in, his eyes went straight towards me. Cold, sharp and calculating. As if I were a puzzle he needed to solve.
One evening, he stepped into the infirmary as Nora was helping me sit up.
“You can leave us,” he told her. His tone was not harsh, just final.
Nora looked at me, then back at him, then slowly walked out.
The room fell silent.
“Stand,” he said.
“I… I can try,” I whispered.
He stepped back, watching. Not helping. Not guiding. Just watching.
I pushed myself up slowly. My legs shook. My head felt light. I held the wall, breathing hard.
Rowan’s expression didn’t shift, but his eyes narrowed a little. Not in anger but in thoughts.
“Where are you from?” he asked, voice unreadable.
My throat closed. I looked down. “I… It's far away.”
Silence.
I could feel him studying me harder. His gaze was like pressure against my skin. He didn’t call me a liar, but everything in his body showed he didn’t accept my answer completely. He took a slow breath, almost as if confirming something to himself.
“You can sit,” he said.
I sat down slowly.
He was watching me.
He didn’t believe everything I said.
And he was waiting.
“Why did you come alone through the forest?” he asked.
“I did not have a choice.”
He stepped closer, slow enough for me to notice but quick enough to unsettle me. “People do not end up half dead in my territory without a reason. And you keep avoiding yours.”
“I told you what I could, Alpha.”
“Not enough.”
We stared at each other. I hated that my breath caught and that he noticed.
His jaw tightened. He turned towards the door. “When you can walk without pain, I want you to start doing small tasks around the infirmary.”
I blinked. “Tasks?”
“Simple ones. Cleaning, sorting, and carrying herbs. It will help you regain your strength.” His eyes flicked back to me. “And it will help me see more of you.”
Before I could reply, he left.
My chest hurt from the fear that he was seeing too much.
Nora walked back in. She studied my face. “What did he say?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
She sighed. “The Alpha does not waste words on people who mean nothing.”
I looked down. “I do not know what that means.”
“It means he is watching you for a reason.”
I had no answer.
---
By the end of the twelfth day, I was strong enough to stand without shaking. Nora helped me wash up and put on a fresh shirt. The infirmary felt almost comfortable. Warm fire, clean sheets and soft footsteps.
But comfort never lasted long in this place.
The door opened again, and a young woman stepped inside. Tall, slim, beautifully dressed, eyes sharp as glass. Her expression was already twisted in dislike even before she spoke.
“So this is her,” she said.
Nora stiffened beside me. “Selene, the Alpha did not say anyone should disturb her.”
Selene ignored her. She walked straight to my cot, her eyes dragging over me like she was looking at something stuck to her shoe.
“You are the girl they found in the forest?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered softly.
Her lips curled. “You look like one.”
I said nothing.
She leaned closer, her perfume sharp and sweet. “Do not get comfortable here. Omegas who come from nowhere do not last long in this pack.”
Nora stepped forward. “Selene. Enough.”
Selene smiled slowly, enjoying the discomfort she had caused. “I will be around, Mira. The pack has rules. You will learn them soon.”
She walked out without waiting for a response.
I exhaled, feeling the room turn cold again.
Twelve days, and I already had an enemy.
And somewhere deep inside me, in the hollow space where my wolf slept, something stirred as if waking up to the warning.
- Writer
