Chapter 2: The Supreme Alpha.
1185 Words
Aria's POV
The stranger's silver eyes never left my face.
Neither did the terrifying wolf behind him.
I stood frozen beneath the moonlight, my fingers tightening around the crescent-shaped pendant hanging from my neck.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"Where did you get that necklace?"
His question hung in the air between us.
I swallowed.
"I don't know."
The answer sounded pathetic.
Again.
But it was the truth.
The stranger's jaw tightened.
For a brief moment, disappointment flashed across his face.
Then it vanished.
Replaced by something colder.
More controlled.
I hated that I couldn't read him.
Everything about him felt dangerous.
Not just because of his size or the authority radiating from him.
There was something else.
Something hidden beneath the surface.
And for reasons I couldn't explain, I wanted to know what it was.
The realization annoyed me.
I had much bigger problems.
Like the fact that I couldn't remember my own name.
---
The black wolf let out a low growl.
The stranger didn't even look at it.
"Enough."
One word.
That was all it took.
The wolf immediately lowered its head.
My eyes widened.
The creature obeyed him without question.
Who was this man?
A king?
A warrior?
Some kind of leader?
The stranger finally turned away from me.
"Shift."
I blinked.
Shift?
Before I could ask what that meant, something impossible happened.
The wolf's body began to change.
Bones moved.
Muscles twisted.
Fur disappeared.
I stared in horror.
My mind refused to process what I was seeing.
Seconds later, a young man stood where the wolf had been.
My mouth fell open.
No.
No way.
That wasn't possible.
People couldn't transform into wolves.
Could they?
The young man avoided looking at me.
His gaze remained fixed on the ground.
"My apologies, Alpha."
Alpha?
The title caught my attention immediately.
The silver-eyed stranger nodded once.
"Return to the patrol."
The young man left without argument.
Within moments, he disappeared into the forest.
Leaving me alone with the stranger.
Which somehow felt worse.
---
Silence stretched between us.
I shifted nervously.
The stranger crossed his arms.
His silver eyes studied me again.
The scrutiny made me uncomfortable.
Not because it felt hostile.
Because it felt personal.
Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
And somehow, I was the puzzle.
"What is your name?"
The question made my chest ache.
"I don't know."
The stranger frowned.
"You remember nothing?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
The admission hurt.
Every single time.
His gaze softened slightly.
The change was subtle.
So subtle that I almost missed it.
But it was there.
For the first time, he looked less intimidating.
Slightly.
Very slightly.
"Can you remember how you got here?"
"No."
"Where you came from?"
"No."
"Your family?"
The question hit unexpectedly hard.
A strange emptiness opened inside my chest.
I wanted to answer.
I wanted to say yes.
But there was nothing.
No faces.
No voices.
No memories.
Just emptiness.
I looked away.
"No."
Something flickered across his expression.
Sympathy.
The realization shocked me.
A man like him didn't seem capable of sympathy.
Then again, I didn't know him.
---
A cold wind swept through the trees.
The stranger glanced toward the sky.
His expression immediately darkened.
I followed his gaze.
Dark clouds were gathering overhead.
The moonlight was disappearing.
Storm clouds.
Wonderful.
As if my situation wasn't already terrible enough.
The stranger looked back at me.
"Can you walk?"
I blinked.
The sudden question caught me off guard.
"I think so."
"Good."
That was it.
No explanation.
No elaboration.
Just good.
I stared at him.
"Good?"
His eyebrow lifted.
"Do you require a longer answer?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
The man was impossible.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
Gone almost instantly.
But I saw it.
And somehow, that brief glimpse of amusement made him seem more human.
Dangerous.
But human.
"You're coming with me."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
The stranger looked genuinely surprised by my reaction.
As though refusing him had never occurred to anyone before.
Which was probably true.
"I can't leave you here."
The practical logic was hard to argue with.
Still...
I hesitated.
Trusting a complete stranger didn't seem particularly wise.
Then again, neither did staying alone in a forest full of giant wolves.
The decision practically made itself.
"Fine."
His lips twitched.
As though he found something amusing.
Again.
I was beginning to suspect he enjoyed confusing me.
---
We walked through the forest in silence.
Or at least, he walked.
I stumbled over every root, branch, and uneven patch of ground imaginable.
After the fourth near-disaster, I heard a sigh.
A deep.
Long-suffering sigh.
I looked up.
The stranger had stopped walking.
His expression suggested I was personally testing his patience.
"I'm trying," I said defensively.
"Are you?"
My jaw dropped.
The man actually had a sense of humor.
A terrible one.
But still.
"You're rude."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
For one horrifying second, I wondered if I had just insulted someone important.
Very important.
Dangerously important.
The stranger simply stared at me.
Then—
To my complete shock—
He laughed.
The sound was brief.
Low.
Unexpected.
But it was definitely a laugh.
My eyes widened.
His expression immediately became serious again.
As though the moment had never happened.
I wasn't fooled.
I had heard it.
And somehow, the discovery felt important.
---
An hour later, the trees finally began to thin.
Lights appeared in the distance.
Hundreds of them.
Golden lights glowing against the darkness.
I stopped walking.
My breath caught.
A massive city stood beyond the forest.
Stone walls stretched toward the horizon.
Watchtowers rose into the sky.
Grand buildings gleamed beneath the moonlight.
The sight was breathtaking.
"What is this place?"
For the first time, genuine pride appeared in the stranger's eyes.
"Silvercrest."
The name sent an odd shiver through me.
As though I should recognize it.
But no memory came.
Only curiosity.
People lived there.
Lots of people.
Which meant answers.
Possibly.
Hopefully.
The stranger started walking again.
I hurried after him.
Then another question occurred to me.
One that probably should have been asked much earlier.
I glanced at him.
"You still haven't told me your name."
The stranger didn't answer immediately.
For several seconds, he simply looked ahead.
Then finally—
"Lucas."
The name suited him.
Strong.
Sharp.
Unforgettable.
Unfortunately, what he said next nearly made me stop walking.
"Alpha Lucas."
My eyes widened.
The title again.
The one the wolf had used.
The one everyone seemed to obey.
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
Because suddenly, I wasn't just walking beside a stranger.
I was walking beside someone powerful.
Very powerful.
And judging by the uneasy looks the guards gave him as we approached the gates...
Powerful might be an understatement.
Then one of the guards dropped to one knee.
Another quickly followed.
Then another.
My pulse quickened.
The giant gates began opening.
Slowly.
Silently.
Respectfully.
And as I stepped through them beside Lucas, one terrifying thought crossed my mind.
Just who had rescued me in that forest???
TBC.............
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