CHAPTER 7: Whispers of the Past
1283 Words
The air between them was thick with tension. Selene sat near the flickering fire, her body still aching from the night’s chaos. Though Xander had led her to the safety of his camp, she could not ignore the storm raging within her. Every breath she took carried the scent of damp earth, burning wood, and something uniquely him—wild, untamed, and undeniably powerful.
Xander sat across from her, his silver eyes flickering in the firelight. He was studying her, as he always seemed to be, his gaze holding the weight of a thousand unspoken words. The silence between them stretched, thick with questions neither of them dared to voice just yet..
A small smirk tugged at the corner of Xander’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You ask a lot of questions, little wolf.”
“Maybe because no one’s giving me any answers,” she shot back.
Xander leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “What is it you want to know?”
Selene hesitated. There were too many questions fighting for space in her mind. Why had he saved her? Why did he look at her like he knew her, like he had been waiting for her? And most of all, what was he hiding?
Instead, she settled on the one question that felt safest to ask. “Why did you help me?”
Xander’s expression didn’t change, but something in his gaze darkened, as if her question had touched a wound buried deep beneath the surface. “Because you needed saving.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”
Selene huffed in frustration, but she knew pushing him wouldn’t get her anywhere. Xander was a mystery, one that wouldn’t unravel easily. And yet, something about him called to her, a pull she couldn’t explain. It wasn’t the mate bond—no, that had been shattered the moment Killian rejected her. This was something else. Something older. Something dangerous.
She looked away, staring into the fire. Memories of the past clawed at the edges of her mind—memories of a life she had lost, of a love that had been nothing but a cruel illusion.
“You’re not as weak as you think you are.”
Selene glanced up, surprised by Xander’s words. “What?”
“You’ve been running, fighting, surviving. Despite everything that’s happened to you, you’re still standing.” His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it, something almost… protective. “That takes strength.”
Selene scoffed, though there was no real humor in it. “Strength? I barely escaped with my life.”
“And yet, you did.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. The way he spoke, it was as if he saw something in her that she couldn’t see in herself.
The wind howled through the trees, a haunting sound that sent shivers down Selene’s spine. It reminded her of the night she lost everything—the moment she became nothing more than a discarded mate, a broken soul wandering the darkness. But she wasn’t alone anymore, was she? Xander was here. And that terrified her more than anything.
She wrapped her arms around herself, watching as Xander’s gaze softened, just slightly. “Who are you, Xander?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
A long silence stretched between them before he finally spoke.
“A ghost,” he said. “A relic of something that should have died long ago.”
Selene frowned. “That’s not an answer either.”
“No,” Xander admitted, his lips pressing into a thin line. “It’s not.”
Frustration flared in Selene’s chest, but before she could push him further, the sharp sound of snapping branches in the distance had them both on high alert. Xander was on his feet in an instant, his posture shifting from calm to lethal in the blink of an eye.
Selene’s heart pounded. “What is it?”
Xander’s nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. His expression darkened. “We’re not alone.”
A chill ran down Selene’s spine. She scrambled to her feet, every instinct screaming that danger was near. The fire crackled between them, casting long shadows against the trees, but the darkness beyond felt suffocating, alive with unseen threats.
Xander turned to her, his voice firm. “Stay behind me.”
Selene bristled. “I’m not helpless.”
“No,” Xander agreed, his silver eyes flashing with something unreadable. “But you’re not ready for this.”
Before she could argue, the shadows shifted. Figures emerged from the darkness—tall, broad, and radiating menace. Wolves. And not just any wolves. Killian’s enforcers.
Selene’s breath caught in her throat as recognition slammed into her. She had seen these wolves before, had felt their claws tear into her flesh when they dragged her to Killian’s feet. They had hunted her before. Now, they had found her again.
The leader stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming in the firelight. “You’ve led us on quite the chase, Selene.”
Xander shifted, positioning himself between her and the intruders. His presence was a solid wall of unwavering strength, an unspoken warning that he would not allow them to touch her.
The enforcer smirked. “And now, you’re hiding behind another Alpha? Pathetic.”
Selene clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. She wanted to scream, to fight, but the fear clawing at her throat held her still.
Xander, however, remained unnervingly calm. “Turn around,” he said, his voice like steel. “Walk away while you still can.”
The enforcer laughed. “Or what? You’ll kill us?”
Xander tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “Yes.”
Silence fell. The fire crackled, the wind whispered through the trees, but no one moved. Then, in a blur of motion, the enforcers lunged.
Selene barely had time to react before Xander moved. One moment he was standing beside her, the next he was tearing through their attackers with a ferocity that left her breathless. He was faster than any wolf she had ever seen, his strength unnatural. He didn’t just fight—he dominated.
The sound of snarls and snapping bones filled the air. Selene stumbled backward, her pulse hammering as she watched Xander rip through their enemies like they were nothing. The enforcer who had taunted them barely had time to shift before Xander’s claws sank into his throat, silencing him with a sickening crunch.
Within moments, it was over.
The clearing was littered with bodies, and Xander stood at the center of it all, his breathing steady, his expression unbothered. Blood dripped from his fingers, but his silver eyes remained locked on her.
Selene swallowed hard, her mind struggling to process what she had just witnessed. He had slaughtered them—effortlessly. And he hadn’t even shifted.
Xander took a step toward her. “Now do you see?”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “See what?”
“That you don’t have to be afraid.”
Selene wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust the strange pull between them, the way he shielded her as if she was something precious. But how could she trust a man who had just proven he was more monster than wolf?
As she stared at him, the weight of everything crashed down on her. The past she couldn’t outrun, the future she couldn’t predict, and the bond she couldn’t explain.
And in that moment, she knew—whatever Xander was, whatever he wanted from her—her fate was already tied to his.
- Writer
