Chapter 3
1222 Words
CHAPTER THREE: THE PULL
Blood and silver that’s what Lucien smelled as he tore through the forest, his black wolf form weaving between trees, following the thread that connected him to his beta.
The bond pulsed weakly, guiding him south, away from pack territory and into human land.
Lucien followed Ronan's scent through the trees, blood, silver, pain. It was faint but clear enough to track.
Until it wasn't.
The closer he got, the more the trail faded. Not because Ronan was dying. Because something else was drowning it out.
A human scent, strong, impossibly strong for a single person.
Vanilla and rain and something he couldn't name.
It wrapped around everything, choking out Ronan's trail until Lucien could barely catch Ronan's scent.
It was like his wolf was prioritizing the human scent instead of Ronan’s scent.
By the time Lucien reached the edge of the forest, Ronan's scent had nearly vanished, buried under that maddening human smell.
Lucien burst through the tree line and skidded to a stop.
An old clinic sat ahead, small and worn, tucked away from the main road. The faded sign read, "Dune Veterinary Clinic.”
Lucien shifted back to human form, his chest heaving. He stared at the building, trying to make sense of it.
Ronan's scent led here. He could feel the bond pulling him forward.
But the human scent was everywhere, overwhelming, coating the building, drowning out everything else.
He moved closer to the building, and the scent was more vivid now—Female Mixed with antiseptic, animals, and Ronan.
Lucien circled the clinic slowly, taking in every detail. The back door was locked, The windows were dark. But through the bond, he could feel Ronan inside. Weak, but stable.
Ronan, he sent through the bond, pressing his palm against the door. Can you hear me?
A pause. Then, faint and strained: Alpha... you came.
Relief flooded through him. Are you alright?
Can you shift?
Not yet. The silver... It's fading, but I'm still locked in wolf form.
Lucien's jaw tightened. Silver poisoning that severe should have killed him. The fact that Ronan was healing at all was a miracle.
The healer, Lucien said carefully. What is she?
I don't know. Ronan's mental voice was tired but firm. She smells human. But her touch... Alpha, it was like sunlight.
Did she know what you were?
No. She thought I was a dog. A very large dog.
Lucien exhaled slowly. A human. A vet. Who could heal silver wounds without even knowing what she was doing?
He was still pressed against the door, lost in thought, when he heard it.
Footstep fast and running towards him he spun around on instinct but he was late.
A wooden stick was aimed for his head.
He tried to duck but the wooden stick caught the side of his head, sharp and fast. Pain flared—hot, unexpected.
"GET AWAY FROM MY CLINIC YOU THIEF!!!
“Thief!?” A low growl rumbled from his chest before he could stop it, the sound more beast than man. His eyes darkened, wolf just beneath the surface.
He turned around slowly and in that moment, as their gazes locked, the world stopped.
A woman stood in front of him, chest heaving, stick raised for another strike. Small. Maybe five-foot-four. Dark hair falling loose from a ponytail.
Her eyes were wide with fury and fear.
Storm-green eyes.
She was...
Beautiful wasn't the right word. It was more than that. Something about her face, the fierce set of her jaw, the way her eyes blazed with determination despite the fear underneath made his chest tighten.
But it wasn't just her face.
It was everything.
The pull slammed into him like a physical blow. Every nerve in his body lit up, screaming at him to move closer. To reach for her.
His wolf surged forward, wild and hungry in a way it had never been.
But there was no bond.
No golden thread snapping into place. No recognition. No mate call.
Just this impossible, overwhelming pull that made his heart race and his hands shake.
What is this?
Lucien forced himself to breathe. To think. His hand went to his temple where the stick had connected, and when he pulled it away, there was blood on his fingers.
She'd actually hit him hard enough to draw blood.
Upon seeing how Lucien was bleeding she stumbled back a step, the stick wavering in her grip. Real fear flickered across her face now, mixing with the fury.
But she didn't run.
She lifted the stick higher I am usually not a violent person you brought this on yourself so leave now or I'll call the police
Lucien raised his hands slowly, palms out. "Wait…”
"I don't care what you want! This is private property!" Her voice shook, but she held her ground. "Leave. Now."
He could see her hands trembling. Could hear her heart pounding, smell the adrenaline spiking in her blood.
She was terrified.
But she was standing her ground anyway, facing down a man twice her size with nothing but a stick and sheer courage.
Something in his chest cracked open.
"I'm not here to hurt you," Lucien said, keeping his voice low, calm,
Then why were you trying to break into my clinic?" She didn't lower the stick.
"I wasn't. I was…" He paused, trying to find words that wouldn't sound insane.
“The dog!…my dog. I haven't seen him since yesterday. I followed his trail and it led here.”
She studied him, clearly weighing whether to believe him.
“What does your dog look like?”
“It's a gray dog”
Her eyes widened. "That's your dog?"
"Yes. I've been looking for him all night."
A soft whine came from inside the clinic.
Elara's expression shifted, the vet taking over. She glanced back at the door, then at him.
Come on then,” she said briskly, lowering the stick just slightly. “And next time, maybe wait until normal hours before scaring the life out of me.”
Her tone was sharp, but her voice trembled around the edges. She was trying to sound braver than she felt.
Lucien’s lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He took a step forward, and instantly her hand shot up again, stick raised, eyes flashing.
“That’s close enough,” she warned. “You so much as move weird, I swear I’ll break your nose.”
Lucien froze mid-step, torn between amusement and disbelief. No one, human or wolf had ever threatened him like that.
And meant it.
“Understood,” he said softly.
She turned back to the door and slid the key into the lock. The click echoed in the quiet morning air.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
She glanced back, one hand on the doorframe, waiting.
Their eyes met.
The pull yanked at him, fierce and undeniable.
The bond didn't flare, but damn, it felt like it should have.
Lucien stepped through the doorway.
The scent hit him like a wave vanilla and rain, everywhere, soaked into the walls, the air, wrapping around him until he could barely breathe.
His wolf surged forward, wild and desperate.
And for the first time in thirty-four years, Lucien Vale had no idea what was happening to him.
- Writer
