Dawn's Second Chance

Chapter 5

Dawn's POV

“You should not be here.”

“Well you shouldn't be this handsome” my mind screamed but I didn't dare say that out loud. That would have been mortifying.

I couldn't think of the right answer so I told him the first thing that came to my mind. “I only wanted to know who you are.”

He was not impressed by my answer and lashed back at me, “I am no one you need to know. Go back to the pack house. Do not come here again.”

I stayed where I was. “Naomi said you are her brother. If that is true, then you are part of Silverstorm. Why live out here alone?”

“That is not your concern,” he growled at me. “Turn around and leave.”

I felt a sting in my chest, I did not like him talking to me that way, but I could not make myself leave. “You cannot expect me to forget I saw you, I know where you live now.”

“ Listen here woman, I do not know you, and I do not care about who you are, but the next time I see you here, I'll hang you by your neck, now get off my damn porch.”

He turned around and walked back inside, shutting the door. I stood there longer than I should have, staring at the cabin until I finally forced myself to leave. I don't know why, but his words hurt more than I expected.

The next day, Naomi found me in the kitchen again.

“You saw him again, did you not?” she asked as she leaned over the slab.

I looked down at the plate in my hands. “Yes. He told me not to return.”

Naomi let out a long breath. “You should listen to him. He keeps to himself for a reason.”

“I just want to understand,” I said, refusing to lower my voice. “Why does he stay hidden?”

She shook her head. “I told you what is wrong with him, why go to such length for someone who won't reciprocate anything you offer?.”

Her question left me even more unsettled because she was right. Why was I doing all this?

Later that night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His words refused to leave my mind. I knew I should listen, that he wanted me far away, but curiosity gnawed at me. By the next evening I was walking the path into the forest again, telling myself I only wanted answers.

Wayne had been very clear, and his words still echoed in my head, but my curiosity was stronger than my fear. As I started walking, the path was suddenly becoming more familiar. I knew where the ground dipped and where the trees stood closer. My heart raced as I saw the cabin, yet I didn't turn back. I knocked once, and when he opened the door, his eyes narrowed in anger.

“You again,” Wayne said. “I told you not to come back.”

“I heard you,” I answered quietly, “but I wanted to talk to you.”

“There is nothing for you here,” he said. “Go back to the main house.”

“I cannot,” I said firmly. “I have nowhere else to be. You live here, I live there. I am not trying to disturb you.”

He exhaled loudly but stepped aside. “Five minutes. Then you leave, and never come back.”

I entered carefully and sat on a chair by the wall. The cabin was plain, with a small table, a bed, and shelves of books. I looked at the books, then back at him.

“You read a lot,” I said.

“Does that surprise you?” he asked.

“I do not know you,” I said honestly. “It is hard to be surprised when you know nothing.”

His lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smile but refused. “You are stubborn.”

“I doubt that,” I muttered.

“Maybe they just don't know you well enough,” he said. “And stubbornness can get you hurt.”

I shrugged, looking at the books again. “So can loneliness.”

His eyes moved to mine, but he said nothing. When I finally stood to leave, he stopped me.

“Do not come tomorrow.”

I nodded, but I already knew I would.

The next day, I returned. He was standing outside, as though he had been waiting. Maybe he was? Maybe I was being delusional? No one knows. But he was lonely and I also needed a friend.

“You did not listen,” Wayne said flatly.

“I never said I would,” I replied. “If you want me gone, you will have to chase me away.”

He stared at me. “Do not tempt me.”

I crossed my arms. “Then talk to me instead. It is better than me sitting here in silence.”

This time, he let me sit longer. We spoke about nothing important, but it was progress. He asked where I came from, and I told him only part of the story. I never mentioned Vincent or the pack that cast me out. He did not press, and I was grateful.

Each day after, I returned. Slowly, he began to accept my presence. He still warned me to stop coming, but his voice had less force. Sometimes I caught him watching me, and I quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. We were friends now, and that made me feel happy.

One evening, after leaving Wayne’s cabin, I returned to the main house later than usual. The halls were quiet, and I thought I could sneak back to my room unnoticed, but Levi was standing near the stairway.

“You were gone for long today,” he said.

I didn't want to tell him I had met Wayne, so I lied instead. “I was walking.”

“At night?” His voice was not accusatory, just full of curiosity.

“I needed time to myself,” I shrugged, trying to make my lie believable.

He stepped closer to me, this was the closest I had been to him before. “You do not need to keep secrets here, Dawn.”

“I am not keeping secrets,” I said quickly.

He studied me in the silence and at that point, I wished he would look away, but he did not.

Finally, he said, “I worry about you.”

“You do not need to,” I whispered.

“Maybe not,” he said softly, “but I do anyway.”

His hands stretched out to me, moving towards my cheeks, but before he could touch me, someone passed down the hallway, breaking the moment. I said a quick good night and hurried to my room, heart pounding.

Days turned into weeks. I kept visiting Wayne, though I never stayed too long. He asked questions sometimes, short and sharp, but never too personal. I asked questions too, but he gave vague answers. Naomi noticed my absences and teased me once.

“You vanish often,” Naomi said as we cleaned in the kitchen.

“I like walking,” I answered.

She smiled knowingly. “You mean you like finding trouble.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” she said innocently. “Just be careful, Dawn. Some things are better left alone.”

I wanted to ask her more, but she changed the subject.

Meanwhile, the tension between Alpha Levi and I grew stronger after that night. It was not in the words we spoke, but in the stolen glances, the way I couldn't help the way cheeks flamed up when he was near. Sometimes he reached past me to grab something, and his hand brushed mine. Sometimes we walked side by side through the pack grounds, and he stepped so close that our arms almost touched. Each time, I felt the heat rise in me, but I said nothing.

One evening, I was carrying water back from the tap to the gardens, the path was a little bit dim, and I was alone. Suddenly, Alpha Levi appeared at my side.

“You should not walk alone this late,” he said.

“I am fine Alpha,” I answered.

“I will walk with you then,” he said, taking the bucket from my hand and walking forward.

The silence stretched between us as we walked to the gardens. I was very aware of every step and every breath we took. When we reached the garden, he set down the water. He reached out to steady the bucket as I tried to pick it up, and his hand brushed mine. This made me freeze, my heart beating faster with every breath I took.

“Dawn,” he said quietly.

I looked up at him, unable to speak.

Our eyes met and he leaned closer, so close I could feel his breath, our lips so close that if I moved even an inch forward, our lips would meet. My heart hammered, but I did not move away, and I wasn't sure I was going to.