Chapter 3. Alpha Kael
1074 Words
The news hit me like a bolt of lightning, pulling me from my early morning routine with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A human. In my territory. My mind immediately went into overdrive, questioning everything. Humans don’t come here. They don’t wander into the depths of the Shadowfang territory unless they have a death wish.
I stared out into the dense woods, the shifting shadows of the trees mocking the peace I thought my pack had earned. Something felt off. Dangerous. This wasn’t an ordinary occurrence. And the thought of a lone human in our land—my land—rattled me more than I cared to admit.
"Alpha," a voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to find my Beta, Lucian, standing at the edge of the clearing. His expression was grim. “The human... they’ve brought her in.”
I nodded curtly, unable to form the words. I didn’t know what to make of her yet, but I wasn’t about to let this go without answers. "Is she alive?"
Lucian glanced down, as though weighing how much to say. "Barely. But the healer’s with her now."
“Good,” I muttered, turning away. My boots thudded against the earth as I made my way toward the healer’s hut. The air was thick with tension, and every step I took felt heavier than the last. I couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at me. Humans were fragile, easy prey in this world, especially in the wilds of the Shadowfang territory. I couldn’t fathom why one would be here... or why they were still breathing.
As I reached the healer's quarters, I stopped in the doorway, watching for a moment as Kiera worked quickly, her hands deftly applying poultices and bandages to the unconscious human. Her breath came in shallow bursts as she murmured soothing words, though I could tell she was concerned.
"What do you make of her?" I asked, my voice rougher than intended. I didn’t care. I needed answers.
Kiera glanced up briefly, her dark eyes narrowing. "There’s something strange about her, Alpha," she said, her voice low, almost reluctant. "Her heart rate is slow—unnaturally slow for a human. Her pulse... it’s erratic. It doesn’t match anything I’ve seen before."
I frowned. "What are you saying?"
"She shouldn’t be alive. Not with the condition she’s in." Kiera reached for another vial of herbs, her brow furrowing in thought. "And yet... here she is, breathing. Her body is healing at an abnormal rate. I don’t know what to make of it."
I crossed my arms, stepping closer to the cot where the woman lay. Her face was pale, lips parted in a faint, steady breath. There was something almost... ethereal about her. Her blonde hair, tangled and matted with dirt, framed a delicate face—one that was strangely familiar, though I couldn’t place why.
I knelt by her side, my gaze never leaving her. My senses flared as I tried to detect anything, anything at all, that might explain her presence here. But nothing. No trace of magic, no telltale scent of a rogue wolf. Just a human. A human who should have been dead long ago.
"Where did she come from?" I asked, more to myself than to Kiera.
Kiera sighed. "She stumbled into the borderlands, just outside of the old ruins. She was in no shape to be traveling through there, not with the wild wolves and the dangers lurking in the shadows."
I nodded slowly. The ruins... they were forbidden for a reason. Too many memories tied to that place, and too many stories of travelers who disappeared, never to be seen again. The fact that this human had ventured so deep into our land spoke volumes.
"Keep me updated," I ordered, my tone final. I stood, turning away, though a part of me lingered in the room. My eyes strayed back to the woman as though something was pulling at me, demanding I stay. I couldn’t explain why.
I needed to leave, but the stillness in the air kept me grounded.
---
Hours passed.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease, not even as the sun began to set behind the thick treeline. The shadows grew longer, and still, the woman remained unconscious. My mind raced with unanswered questions. Who was she? What had she been doing in my pack’s domain?
The wind picked up outside, the rustling of the trees reminding me how quiet everything had become. There was a stillness about her that unsettled me—almost as though she was a dream, a mirage, something that didn’t quite belong in the physical world. I leaned against the wooden post, watching her carefully.
And then... she stirred.
My heart skipped a beat as her eyelids fluttered, her lashes brushing her pale cheeks. She blinked, her eyes—wide, green—flashing open for a split second before they darted to the ceiling. Her breath hitched as though the sight of the room startled her.
For a moment, all I could hear was the beating of my own heart. She stared at the wooden beams above her, and I could almost see the panic creeping into her expression.
Before I could speak, before I could ask anything, her voice came. It was low, soft, barely a whisper, but the words she spoke sent a cold shiver down my spine.
"This isn’t real."
The words echoed in my mind, the weight of them pressing down like a heavy stone. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn’t look away. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
A strange, foreign sensation crept through my chest, a gnawing sense of dread that I couldn’t explain. And then... she closed her eyes again, as though the world around her was too much to bear.
"Alpha?" Kiera’s voice cut through the tense silence. She’d been standing by the doorway, watching. "What do you think that means?"
I didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, I stood, my fingers brushing against the cot as I leaned over the woman. She was still too weak to comprehend the full consequences of her words, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling that surged inside me.
I couldn’t let her slip away before I understood who she was... and what she knew.
"Wake her," I ordered quietly, my voice hoarse with an emotion I couldn’t name.
- Writer
