The Alpha's Human Mate

Elara's POV I didn’t believe in anything supernatural. I believed in evidence, logic, and facts. That was why I became a journalist. If something looked strange, I looked closer until it made sense. That was also why I ended up here. The missing people all had one thing in common—they were last seen near the forest outside Valmere City. At first, it looked like random disappearances. People get lost, people run away, people exaggerate stories when they are scared. But the more I checked, the more it didn’t feel random anymore. Too many cases. Same direction. Same silence after. It started to feel connected. So I followed the last known trail myself. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t want anyone stopping me or telling me I was chasing shadows again. The forest was too quiet when I arrived. Not peaceful, quiet. Wrong quiet. No insects. No birds. No wind moving through the leaves. It was like the world had been turned down to nothing. I stood at the edge for a moment, staring into it. “It’s just a forest,” I whispered to myself. But my body didn’t agree. I stepped in anyway. The deeper I went, the heavier it felt. Like the air itself was pressing against my skin. My footsteps sounded too loud, even though I was trying to be careful. I checked my phone. No signal. That made sense, but it still made my chest tighten. I kept walking. Then I saw it. A broken branch. I stopped immediately. It was fresh. The wood was still light inside, not dark and old. Something had snapped it recently. I crouched down and touched it. It wasn’t broken like an animal would do it. It was too clean. Too controlled. My stomach tightened. I slowly stood up. That’s when I heard it. Footsteps. I froze completely. They were close. But not messy. Not random. Slow. Steady and controlled. Like whoever was walking already knew exactly where they were going. My hand went to my flashlight, but I didn’t turn it on yet. My breathing became shallow as I listened. Step. Pause. Step. They were getting closer. I turned off my flashlight completely, just in case. Then I saw them. Three men stood between the trees. They weren’t talking. They weren’t searching like lost people. They were scanning the forest with sharp focus, like hunters tracking something. Or someone. Me. My heart started beating too fast. I took a slow step back. My foot hit a dry branch. Snap. The sound broke the silence like a gunshot. All three men turned at the same time. That was when I ran. I didn’t think. I just ran. My body moved before my mind could even process what was happening. Branches hit my face and arms, scratching my skin, but I didn’t stop. Behind me, I heard footsteps. But they weren't rushing, that was the worst part. They were steady. Controlled. Like they already knew I couldn’t escape. “Stop!” I shouted without thinking, half out of fear, half out of frustration. The moment I spoke, something changed. The air shifted. It felt heavier, like the forest itself had reacted to my voice. Then the footsteps stopped completely. That made me hesitate. Why would they stop? I slowed down, confused, trying to listen. Silence again. Too deep. Too unnatural. Then I hit something solid. I crashed into it hard and fell straight to the ground. Pain shot through my palms as I gasped for air. My flashlight rolled away and flickered across the dirt. For a second, I couldn’t move. Then I looked up. And saw him. He stood right in front of me. Tall, still, and calm. Like he had been waiting there the entire time. But something about him wasn’t normal. The air around him felt different and heavier, like everything in the forest had quietly stopped moving because of him. My chest tightened for no reason I could explain. Not fear exactly, something else. Something I didn’t understand. I pushed myself up slowly, keeping distance between us. “Who are you?” I asked. He didn’t answer immediately. His eyes moved past me instead. I turned slightly, the three men were still there—but they had stopped at the edge of the clearing, not approaching. Waiting, waiting for him. That realization made my stomach drop. The man in front of me finally spoke. “Leave.” One word, calm and final. And just like that, they obeyed. They turned and disappeared into the forest without hesitation, no questions, no resistance, Nothing. I stared after them, stunned. “What… is this?” I whispered. I turned back to him. He finally looked directly at me. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly. “That’s not an answer,” I replied, forcing my voice to stay steady even though my hands were shaking. He stepped closer. I should have stepped back, but I didn’t. Something about him made it hard to move, like my body wasn’t fully listening to fear. “My name is Kael,” he said. Kael. It felt sharp, strong, like it belonged to someone dangerous. Then he looked at me again, more focused this time. “Elara.” My breath caught. My whole body froze. “How do you know my name?” I asked quickly. He didn’t answer. Instead, he just watched me. Not like a stranger, but like someone confirming something they had already known for a long time. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said finally. My heart dropped slightly. “That’s impossible,” I said quickly. “I don’t know you.” But even as I said it, something inside me felt uncertain, like part of me didn’t fully believe my own words anymore. Kael took one more step forward. And I realized something slowly, deeply, and uncomfortably clear. This wasn’t just an investigation anymore. I hadn’t just found something strange in the forest. I had walked straight into something that already knew my name… long before I ever arrived.