CHAPTER SEVEN
889 Words
7: The Dream and the Warning
The cabin was warm, the fire in the hearth casting flickering shadows across the wooden walls. Elena sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers gripping the thick blanket draped over her shoulders. Sleep had been restless, her mind plagued by dreams she couldn’t shake. Dreams of running through the woods, of glowing eyes watching her from the darkness, of whispers in a language she didn’t understand.
And always—always—the presence of the black wolf.
Kieran.
She shivered despite the heat, glancing toward the window. Outside, the clearing was quiet. The pack had retreated to their cabins for the night, leaving only the distant rustling of leaves and the occasional howl in the wind. She didn’t know what time it was, but the moon was high, its silvery light illuminating the forest beyond.
Something was coming.
The feeling clawed at her insides, the same way it had the night she first saw Kieran shift before her eyes. A pull, a warning, an instinct she didn’t understand but couldn’t ignore.
A knock at the door made her jump.
She swallowed, rising to her feet. She didn’t need to ask who it was.
“Come in,” she called softly.
The door creaked open, and Kieran stepped inside, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. He was shirtless, dressed only in a pair of dark sweatpants, his skin glistening faintly as if he had just shifted. The raw power of him was undeniable, but there was something else too—something uncertain, hesitant.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” he asked.
Elena nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t even know what I’m feeling,” she admitted. “But it’s there. Something’s wrong.”
Kieran exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “It’s the bond,” he said. “It’s growing stronger.”
She flinched at the word. Bond. He had mentioned it before, but she still didn’t fully understand. Didn’t want to understand.
“What does that even mean?” she asked, frustration creeping into her voice. “I didn’t ask for this, Kieran. I didn’t ask to be hunted or bonded or—” She gestured vaguely around the room. “Trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.”
Kieran’s gaze darkened. “You think I wanted this?” he asked, stepping closer. “You think I don’t feel the same confusion, the same pull?”
His presence was overwhelming, his heat pressing into her even though he wasn’t touching her.
Elena swallowed. “Then explain it to me,” she said, her voice softer now. “Because I don’t understand any of this.”
Kieran’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer. But then he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
“There are things about my kind that humans don’t know,” he said. “Things that go beyond stories and legends.”
Elena crossed her arms, waiting.
“There’s something called a mate bond,” he continued. “It’s rare. Even among us. But when it happens, it’s… unbreakable.”
Her stomach twisted. “And you think that’s what’s happening to us?”
Kieran hesitated, then nodded.
Elena shook her head. “No. That’s not possible. I’m not—I’m human.”
“You are,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t change what’s happening.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy and thick.
Elena turned away, staring at the flickering fire. “And what happens now?” she asked. “What does this bond mean for me?”
Kieran was quiet for a long moment before answering. “It means you’re connected to me,” he said. “In ways you don’t fully understand yet. It means you’ll feel what I feel, sense things that aren’t natural to humans.”
She turned back to face him. “And if I don’t want it?”
Kieran’s expression was unreadable. “It’s not something you can choose,” he said simply.
A shiver ran down her spine.
She had come here to photograph wolves, to experience the beauty of nature through her lens. She had never imagined she would become part of something so… unnatural.
A low howl echoed in the distance, making her flinch.
Kieran’s head snapped toward the window, his entire body tensing. “He’s close,” he murmured.
Elena didn’t need to ask who.
Marcus.
The threat that had loomed over her since that night in the forest.
Kieran moved toward the door. “Stay here,” he said firmly.
Elena grabbed his wrist before she could think better of it. “Wait,” she said. “What if—”
Kieran turned back, his gaze locking onto hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, his voice fierce and unwavering.
Something inside her shifted at the certainty in his tone.
And then he was gone, slipping into the night like a shadow.
Elena took a shaky breath, staring at the empty doorway.
She wasn’t sure if she had imagined it, but for the briefest moment, she had felt something when she touched him—something deep, something electric.
Something terrifying.
She was in more trouble than she thought.
And she had no idea how to escape it.
- Writer
