CHAPTER 3: A Stranger in the Shadows
1186 Words
The forest was an unforgiving maze of towering pines and twisted underbrush, stretching endlessly in every direction. Selene stumbled forward, her body aching from the bruises left by Killian’s enforcers. The silver burns on her wrists still pulsed with pain, but she refused to stop. She couldn’t. Stopping meant dying, and she wasn’t ready to let the darkness claim her.
The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay. The wind howled through the trees, carrying distant howls that sent shivers down her spine. Rogues. She wasn’t in pack territory anymore. The moment Killian had cast her out, she had become nothing more than prey to the monsters lurking in the shadows.
Her wolf whimpered, still weak from the rejection, but Selene forced herself to keep moving. Every step felt like a battle, her strength draining faster than she could recover. The pain of losing her mate bond had left her vulnerable, her once-sharp instincts dulled by the weight of betrayal.
A twig snapped behind her.
Selene froze.
The sound was deliberate. Not the careless movement of an animal, but something—or someone—watching her.
Slowly, she turned, scanning the trees. The darkness pressed in, but she could sense it now. A presence, it was unlike anything she had ever felt before—powerful, ancient, and impossibly intense.
Her heart pounded as her gaze landed on a figure standing between the trees.
Tall; broad shoulders; eyes that glowed an eerie silver in the moonlight.
Not a rogue. Not a mere wolf.
A Lycan.
Panic surged through her veins. Lycans were the oldest, most dangerous of their kind—stronger, faster, and nearly impossible to kill. They were the kings of the supernatural world, and she was nothing more than a broken she-wolf with no pack, no mate, and no way to defend herself.
Her breath hitched as the stranger stepped forward, his movements slow, calculated, like a predator toying with its prey. The moonlight revealed sharp, chiseled features, dark tousled hair, and a gaze that pinned her in place.
Selene’s body screamed at her to run, but she knew it was pointless. She wouldn’t make it two steps before he caught her.
"You're far from home, little wolf," his voice was deep, rich, sending a strange shiver down her spine.
She swallowed hard. "I don’t have a home."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, though there was no amusement in his expression. "No pack, no mate, and wandering into rogue territory? That makes you either reckless or desperate."
Her throat tightened, but she lifted her chin. "Maybe I’m both."
The Lycan’s silver eyes darkened, scanning her as if he could see straight into her soul.
"You're injured," he noted.
"Nothing I can’t handle," she shot back, though the ache in her limbs betrayed her words.
His smirk faded, replaced by something unreadable. "Wolves don’t survive long out here on their own. Especially not ones as… damaged as you."
Selene’s fists clenched. "I’ll manage."
He tilted his head, watching her in silence for a long moment. The weight of his gaze was suffocating, but she refused to look away.
Then, without warning, he turned.
"Follow me," he commanded.
Selene blinked. "What?"
"I won’t repeat myself," he said over his shoulder.
She hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her not to trust him. He was dangerous—more dangerous than anything she had faced before.
And yet…
Something about him called to her. Not like a mate bond. Something deeper, darker, as if their fates had already been intertwined long before this moment.
Selene took a shaky breath, her body protesting as she forced herself to move.
Then, with no other choice, she followed the stranger into the night.
---
The deeper they went into the forest, the more unnerving the silence became. The only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves beneath their feet and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures. The Lycan walked ahead of her, his pace unhurried, his posture relaxed—yet there was a lethal grace in the way he moved, like a predator that knew it had nothing to fear.
Selene’s instincts screamed at her to turn back, to run. But where would she go? Back toward Killian’s pack, where she would either be slaughtered or dragged back in chains? Into rogue-infested woods, where her weakened state made her easy prey? No. Right now, this stranger was the lesser of the surrounding dangers.
She studied his back as they walked. His black shirt clung to his broad shoulders, his muscles flexing beneath the fabric with every step. He moved with the ease of someone who had long since conquered the wild, the kind of confidence that came from knowing he was at the top of the food chain.
And he was leading her somewhere.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked.
He didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was calm, measured. "Somewhere safe."
Safe. The word felt foreign on her tongue. Could she even trust such a thing existed anymore?
"Why?" she pushed. "Why help me?"
The Lycan glanced at her, his silver eyes unreadable. "You ask too many questions."
She bristled but kept walking.
Minutes passed, then an hour.
Selene hesitated at the threshold. Something about this place felt… different. The air was charged, almost humming with an unseen energy.
The Lycan didn’t wait for her hesitation to pass. He opened the door and stepped inside, expecting her to follow.
After a moment’s pause, she did.
The interior was surprisingly warm, lit by a fireplace crackling in the corner. It was inviting in a way that made her defenses waver.
She turned to face him. "What do you want from me?"
He regarded her for a long moment before finally answering.
"Rest, eat, heal. Then, we’ll talk."
Her brows furrowed. That wasn’t an answer. It was an order. But before she could argue, exhaustion overtook her. Her body, pushed to its limits, could no longer keep up with her stubbornness.
Selene wavered, her vision swimming. Then, just as darkness crept at the edges of her sight, she felt strong arms catch her before she hit the ground.
The last thing she saw before unconsciousness claimed her was the Lycan’s piercing silver gaze, watching her with something she couldn’t quite name.
Something dangerous.
Something familiar.
---
She woke to the feeling of warmth surrounding her. A thick blanket covered her body, and the scent of food lingered in the air. It took her a moment to remember where she was—to remember the stranger who had led her here, who had caught her before she fell.
Selene sat up slowly, her head still foggy. Across the room, the Lycan sat in a chair, watching her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. And then, in a voice laced with something ancient and knowing, he finally spoke the words that would change everything.
"My name is Xander. And I’ve been waiting for you, Selene."
- Writer
