2
1304 Words
KADE
The Human Girl
My pack, the Winterfang Pack was quiet that morning, just the way I liked it. Snow had covered the roof of the cabins. Smoke drifted from the chimneys. Wolf guards had returned from their patrols, checking borders and doing what needed to be done to keep our territory safe.
It was a normal day. A simple day.
Life in the pack was simple, so was my life.
Wake early, train harder than anyone in the pack. Attend to pack matters, patrol the borders. Keep my pack members safe. Of course, they depended on me for their safety.
Alphas like me didn’t get enough peace, but we got purpose. And that was enough for me.
I didn’t care much for women, compared to my brothers. Those ones flirted, bragged and chased after every she-wolf in sight. As for me, I didn’t have the time for them. And honestly, no woman ever held your attention long enough.
A few she-wolves had tried in the past. Beautiful and strong ones. She-wolves who would make good mates. But I wasn’t interested. My pack wanted me to choose one, even my beta had begged me to consider it more than once.
I still wasn’t interested. I didn’t find the idea of having a mate, but if I ever had one, she had to be powerful and brave. Not one who shattered easily. A weak mate could get the Alpha killed or worse destroy a pack.
So I was patient. Or maybe I simply didn’t care enough to find one.
But everything changed two days before Christmas Eve.
I was returning from patrol when the air shifted, carrying a strange scent with it. A scent that didn’t belong anywhere near our territory. It hit me like a strike to my chest, a sharp, sweet, warm scent, nothing compared to the usual human smell of sweat, fear, perfume, or oil.
I paused mid-step.
“What is that smell?” I whispered to myself, breathing in the scent again.
The scent was faint but it pulled me too deep, slicing through the cold air and sliding into my lungs. My wolf lifted its head, its ears forward, interested in a way it never was when it came to humans.
I was irritated.
Humans smelled basic. Forgettable.
But this one? This was nothing like that. This scent was beckoning to me.
I followed it out of our border, expecting the fade. But it didn’t. It only drew me closer and closer, persistent until I realised that the scent was coming from the human territory.
I was miles away from my pack.
Humans filled the place with noise and smells and useless celebrations. They were preparing for Christmas, whatever that meant. Wolves never cared for human holidays. Christmastime, Thanksgiving, Halloween…it was all nonsense to us wolves. Decorations, lights, spmgs….all useless.
We worshipped the moon only. The full moon. The source of our strength.
But that day, I crossed into their world anyway.
Snow fell softly as I entered the town, disguised as a human, hood pulled low. People walked quickly around me, carrying bags, some laughing while some complained about gifts. I ignored them, focusing only on the scent.
Then, it led me to a small street near a coffee shop. And right there, I saw her.
A human girl.
Dark hair falling past her shoulders, cheeks pink from the cold, her fingers wrapped around the warm drink. She wore soft, comfortable coats, boots dusted with snow, and she smiled politely at the woman who handed her the cup of coffee.
I stood behind a tree, furious at the way my heart reacted. It was too fast, too aware.
This was wrong. How did the scent of a mere human catch my attention so strongly?
She didn’t look special to anyone in that town. Everyone passed her without a second glance. But to me, she glowed. Like the moon had chosen her and the world hadn’t caught up yet.
I inhaled her scent again.
Warm honey. Soft smoke, winter air.
It irritated me all the more. There was something about her scent that I couldn’t name. The more I tried to figure it out, the angrier I got.
What was she? Why was I able to smell her from miles away? Why did every instinct inside me pull towards her?
I followed her from a distance. Not close enough for her or anyone else to notice. I observed her just close enough.
She was kind, too kind. She held the door open for strangers to walk in. She laughed softly when she saw kids playing or when they bumped into her. She even apologised to a man who almost spilt coffee on her.
This world didn’t deserve someone like her.
Then, I saw her boyfriend.
He walked beside her with a proud smug on his face, his arms wrapped lazily around her. He smiled like he owned something precious and didn’t appreciate its value. The way she looked at him made my wolf growl in rage.
She looked at him with so much loyalty, trust and sweetness.
It irritated me all the more.
Why was I even bothered that she belonged to someone else? Why did I want to rip that man’s hand off her shoulder?
None of it made sense to me.
I spent hours trying to understand it, pacing around the edge of the forest, breathing her scent from afar, forcing myself against the pull the scent brought.
I didn’t know what she was to me. But she was something. Something powerful. Dangerous.
When she left the town, I forced myself to return to my pack. I told myself I wouldn’t go back there, no matter what she meant. I had a pack to run, I had responsibilities and I couldn’t be seen wasting my time chasing human scents.
By the next day, the scent hit me again. Stronger, sweeter, like it was begging me to come back.
I forced the urge but it wasn’t for long because on Christmas Eve, I gave in to the pull.
I followed the scent to a lodge where humans gathered for a holiday party. Loud music, too much heat. Too many scents mixing in the air. I hated being here. But I didn’t hate watching her.
She walked into the lodge wearing a soft red dress, her hair loose around her shoulders. Her cheeks glowed with excitement as she walked hand in hand with her boyfriend into the lodge, feeling proud to be with him.
My chest tightened.
I didn’t go inside. I hid by a tree line by the shadows, watching through the windows.
Time passed slowly. An hour, maybe more.
Then everything shifted. Her scent had changed from the sweet warm honey scent to a sharp, salty scent filled with hurt. I felt it before I saw her.
I felt her pain travel through the air like smoke. My wolf was already growling inside me.
I stepped out of hiding and saw her as she ran out of the lodge, eyes filled with tears, her hands clutching her chest as if she had been stabbed. Everyone watched her. They whispered among themselves. I didn’t need to see what happened but the scent told me everything.
Betrayal, heartbreak, shock.
Her cheating boyfriend stumbled out moments later, his shirt unbuttoned, his hair messy, his face guilty.
Rage hit me that I almost shifted. I followed her quietly as she burst through the doors and into the snow. Her steps were fast, desperate to be far away from that place.
She didn’t know I was behind her. She didn’t know someone followed her. She didn’t know my wolf could smell her pain and I wouldn’t let her walk into the dark forest alone.
I didn’t know her yet, but I would soon.
- Writer
