CHOICES 1
1150 Words
CHAPTER 2
ADELA’S POV
Dragging him into the cave wasn't something I ever thought I'd see myself doing, not in a thousand years.
His blood smeared my hands, and the musky scent of iron trailed behind us, marking where I’d been like a path of guilt, taking a mental note to come out later to try clearing the air.
My nose flared– he definitely smelled weird. My breath came in short bursts, and still I didn’t stop until the shadows swallowed us whole.
I collapsed beside him, pressing my back to the cold stone wall. The silence inside the cave was thick. It let me think. It also made me hear things I didn’t want to–like the rapid beating of my heart and the too-steady rhythm of his.
He was still alive.
Barely.
I hadn’t even meant to bring him here.
My wolf had been pacing beneath the surface, agitated, not out of concern, but something more primal. She didn’t trust him, not completely. But she was drawn to him in a way that twisted my gut.
“Focus. This is foolishness.
He’s a threat. A monster. I should’ve left him for dead.
Or finish the job once and for all,” I frustratingly said to her.
She didn’t argue, but she didn’t retreat either. Her silence felt too alert, too watchful.
Her response was a faint growl. Not a warning. Not agreement. Just... recognition.
I slammed my eyes shut and tried to quiet her. But she wasn’t wrong, and I didn't like it one bit.
I should’ve walked away.
Instead, I was here, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. His shirt was torn open, revealing angry, raw gashes that stretched across his torso like claw marks–or something worse. The wounds weren’t healing.
Vampires usually heal faster than this.
Unless something was definitely wrong with him.
I found myself studying him for too long. Blood crusted along his jawline. His lips, pale and parted slightly, twitched every so often like he was stuck in a dream. Or a nightmare.
And gods help me, but even like this, he was beautiful.
The word slipped into my mind uninvited, and I recoiled from it.
You don’t think your enemy is beautiful.
Except I just did.
And that terrified me.
The thought came uninvited, and I shoved it back immediately, disgusted with myself.
You’re staring at him? Are you mad?
He’s the enemy.
A killer. A vampire. Not one of us.
I turned away and raked a shaky hand through my hair.
My fingers hovered over the link to my Alpha, and I finally gave in.
“Alpha,” I mindlinked,
“Any sightings?” he asked.
My stomach knotted. I could say it. I could tell him I had Draven–the Draven, bleeding out beneath me. It was what I’d been sent to do.
But my mouth wouldn’t form the words.
"Still tracking," I lied, biting down hard on the guilt. "I have a lead. He's close, but I haven’t seen him yet."
A pause.
"Be careful. Report any sightings immediately."
The link faded, but the weight of what I’d done sat heavy on my chest.
What the hell was I doing?
Lying tasted bitter. My wolf whimpered in disapproval, curling in on herself.
I shouldn’t have lied to him.
He trusted me, I was his favourite warrior.
But the truth would only cause more problems.
What would he do if he knew I had him here? Bleeding. Vulnerable. Alive.
I needed to be certain about the whole situation on ground before I made any move– especially with this said bond we shared.
And that was what I told myself, I was doing this for me.
I opened my eyes and forced my attention back to the vampire–Draven.
The same vampire I was sent to kill.
Except… he didn’t look like the ruthless creature they said he was.
He looked like something broken. Left behind.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed before he stirred.
First, a twitch of his fingers. Then a slow, agonizing groan as his eyes fluttered open–one after the other, thick lashes parting to reveal piercing storm-gray irises.
And of course, the first thing out of his mouth was—
“Still breathing. Shame,” he rasped, voice like gravel. “If you wanted to stare, little wolf, you could’ve waited ‘til I was conscious.”
I had jumped back, hand on my dagger, caught off guard by the sound of his voice–hoarse but still laced with arrogance.
I scowled. “I was checking your wounds. Making sure you weren’t faking it.”
He flinched, just barely, and his gaze drifted toward the cave ceiling. “Wish I was.”
There was a strange weight in his tone. Not self-pity. Not weakness. Something rawer.
I folded my arms. “What happened to you?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just stared at the cracks in the stone above, like they had secrets to tell.
“Let’s just say I pissed off the wrong people.”
“That’s vague.”
“You want details?” His eyes slid back to me. “I was hunted. Cornered. Torn open. And for a while, I didn’t care if I made it out.”
That... caught me off guard.
I swallowed down the flicker of something unnamable rising in my chest.
“You knew my name,” I said softly. “Back there. Before you passed out.”
He turned his head to face me fully, and something shifted in his eyes.
“I saw you,” he said simply. “In the dream.”
My skin prickled.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“If I was manipulating you,” he muttered, “I wouldn’t be half-dead at your feet.”
He had a point.
I let the silence stretch between us, watching him.
The cave felt smaller now. The air heavier.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
What is this between us?
I didn’t mean to say it aloud. But the words left my lips in a breathy whisper before I could stop them.
Draven blinked slowly. “A mistake,” he said. “Or maybe a curse.”
I felt that answer settle somewhere deep in my bones.
Suddenly, my fingers twitched toward the dagger at my hip.
He noticed.
“You're going to kill me now?” he asked, voice quieter.
“Shhhh” I whispered as I put a finger to my lips to shush him
Something in the air shifted.
Draven’s eyes met mine, sharper now.
“Friend of yours?”
“Can you shut it?!” I whisper-yelled at him.
I caught it instantly–sharp. A scent.
Faint, but closing in.
I straightened, every instinct flaring.
Someone–or something–was outside the cave.
- Writer
