Chapter 3
1364 Words
Gabriela
I hit the Alpha.
It took a few seconds—maybe minutes—for it to fully sink in.
The moment I crossed the mansion doors and the cold indoor air replaced the damp scent of the forest and garden, my legs truly began to shake. Not that false steadiness I had maintained in front of him. Not the proud posture I held beneath dozens of unfamiliar wolf shifter stares.
But a raw tremor. Human.
I hit… the Alpha.
And even more shocking—I survived. I was whole.
My hands were still burning. Not from the impact against his warm, solid muzzle, but from the delayed awareness of the reckless act I had committed.
I could be dead right now. After surviving so much hardship my entire life, only to end beneath the sharp teeth of a giant wolf. My parents would be horrified if they saw me challenging someone so dangerous and imposing.
The thought sent a cold wave down my spine.
I leaned against the hallway wall, trying to steady my breathing. My heart felt like it wanted to tear through my chest. The scent of the forest still clung to me.
His scent clung to me.
Ethan.
Even his name feels heavy.
There are men who occupy space.
And there are men who dominate an entire room simply by breathing.
He was, without question, the second kind.
His presence wasn’t merely physical. It was crushing. Dense. As if the air itself obeyed him before he even spoke.
When he stared at me in wolf form, something inside me recognized it.
Not as prey.
But as if something was… connected.
And that terrified me more than his massive teeth.
My scar burned again.
My hand moved to my arm almost on reflex. My skin was hot—feverish, sensitive. As if something beneath it was waking after years of dormancy.
That mark had always been a cruel reminder of the night I lost everything. Of the creature that tore my flesh and disappeared before I could see his human face.
For years, I convinced myself it was bad luck. A random attack. A rogue shifter.
But today…
Today the mark reacted. Not to fear.
To him.
When the wolf lowered his muzzle to my scar, I felt it. It wasn’t just pain. It was vibration. A response. As if the mark recognized him.
Or worse.
As if he recognized the mark.
“Who marked you?” his voice had echoed in my mind.
Who. Not what.
He knew it wasn’t random.
Maybe with nothing more than scent, Ethan already knew more than I had discovered in years.
I closed my eyes, trying to organize my racing thoughts.
Victor reacted too.
When he touched my scar, the burning was immediate. And his fever dropped after I held him.
That’s not coincidence.
It can’t be.
I’ve never believed in destiny.
But I believe in patterns.
And everything here is connected.
The mansion felt different now. Less like a prison.
More like a chessboard.
And somehow, I was standing in the center without knowing the rules.
I pushed off the wall and walked down the quiet hallway toward the guest wing. My steps echoed softly against the wooden floor.
Then the memory struck me.
“Look at me.”
The command.
The air had vibrated—not just sound, but pressure. Invisible and heavy. Like something slamming into my chest.
My knees nearly buckled at the memory. That force trying to shove me down. To dominate me.
And my answer?
“I already am.”
Damn it, Gabriela. Why were you so reckless?
Humans don’t resist an Alpha command. I’ve heard that my entire life. My parents always said Alphas could e*****e humanity if they wanted to—that only the Moon Goddess’s punishment kept them in check.
I’ve seen humans kneel.
I’ve seen strong men cry from a single growl.
And me?
I almost fell.
But I didn’t.
“What’s wrong with me…?” I whispered.
My scar burned stronger—but not painfully.
Like an answer waiting beneath the skin.
My nightmares had worsened in recent weeks. As if something around me sensed what was coming.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
Heavy. Steady. Controlled.
My body recognized him before my mind did.
I didn’t turn immediately.
“You shouldn’t be walking alone.”
His voice was low. Rough. Controlled.
But something in it was strained.
I inhaled slowly before turning.
He was dressed now. A fitted black shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms. Dark trousers hugging every movement as he stopped a few steps away.
Even clothed, he looked dangerous.
“I’m inside your fortress,” I replied. “I assumed I was safe.”
His jaw tightened.
“Safety isn’t the issue.”
“Then what is?”
There she was again. The brave version of me overriding reason.
Silence.
He studied me as if dismantling me piece by piece.
“Your mark.”
My hand went to my arm.
“What about it?”
He stepped closer.
My body reacted. Not with fear.
With heat.
“It reacted to me.”
“You reacted to it,” I shot back before thinking.
His eyes darkened.
“You don’t know what you carry.”
“Then tell me. I’ve had this scar for years, and it’s never burned like this.”
Now he stood directly in front of me. Too close. His scent surrounded me—wood, night, something untamed.
“That mark wasn’t made by an ordinary wolf.”
My heart pounded.
“I know.”
His brow lifted.
“You know?”
“I survived. Ordinary wolves don’t leave survivors.”
The silence shifted.
“Who was it?” he pressed.
“I never saw his face. Just felt the teeth.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“It carries Alpha energy.”
My stomach twisted.
“You’re saying an Alpha marked me?”
“I’m saying you were marked on purpose.”
The world tilted.
“That’s impossible,” I laughed weakly.
“Nothing here is impossible.”
“And Victor?” I whispered. “Why did he react to me?”
His gaze changed.
Not just the Alpha.
The father.
“He calms down when you touch him.”
My throat dried.
“And that’s… bad?”
“That’s impossible.”
Silence again.
This time I stepped forward.
“Then stop treating me like a threat and tell me what’s happening. I just got here. I need to know if I’m staying—or leaving in a coffin.”
His golden eyes flashed.
“You resisted my command.”
The air felt colder.
“I almost fell.”
“But you didn’t, Gabriela.”
Not accusation.
Fact.
“What does that mean?”
He opened his mouth—
A howl cut through the night.
Long. Loud. Threatening.
It came from the forest.
Another answered.
Then another.
My blood froze.
Ethan went completely still.
His eyes turned gold again.
Predatory.
“It’s not my pack,” he murmured.
My stomach dropped.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone’s coming.”
In one single day, my entire life had turned upside down.
“I’ll stay with Victor—he might need me.”
I turned to run, but Ethan’s hand grabbed my arm. Forced me to face him. His canines were extending now. His eyes wilder by the second.
My scar burned violently.
“There’s something very different about you, female,” he growled. “And I’m going to find out what.”
“You already did. It’s the scar.” I tried to pull free.
“No… there’s more.”
Footsteps echoed.
Valéria appeared.
“Gabriela, stay with Vic. Mr. Ethan, they’re calling you at the gate!”
Her eyes were wild too.
Ethan released me.
I ran.
Through unfamiliar halls. Toward the child’s room.
When I entered, I lay beside Victor and pulled him against my chest. He let out a tiny growl—then melted into me.
The howls stopped.
Silence swallowed the property.
Even tense… even afraid…
I closed my eyes.
And fell asleep.
Unaware of what the next day would bring.
- Writer
