Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter
The moon hung low, casting silver tendrils through the dense forest. The night air was crisp, sharp enough to sting as I moved through the trees, my senses on high alert. I wasn’t sure why I was out here—restlessness gnawed at my bones, like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Maybe it was the loneliness, or maybe it was the nightmares that wouldn’t leave me alone.
My ears pricked up at the sound—barely there at first, but unmistakable once I focused. A scuffle. A grunt. The sickening thud of flesh meeting flesh. I should’ve turned around. It wasn’t my fight. But something about the raw pain in that sound rooted me to the spot. My instincts screamed to go the other way, but my feet betrayed me, inching closer, slipping through the underbrush like a shadow.
The scent hit me next—blood, rich and metallic. I sucked in a breath, forcing the primal urge to surface back down. Peering around a thicket, I spotted him.
A man—no, not just any man. An Alpha. Even though the blood and dirt smeared across his face, his presence was undeniable. His dark hair stuck to his forehead, and his chest heaved with the effort to stay upright. Three bodies lay scattered around him—dead or unconscious, I couldn’t tell.
He stumbled, barely catching himself before collapsing. His hand clutched his side, where blood soaked his shirt, the dark fabric glistening in the moonlight. I should’ve left. My heart pounded a warning—don’t get involved. Don’t risk it. But before I knew it, I was stepping closer.
“Hey,” I called softly, my voice rough from disuse. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on me.
“Who’s there?” His voice was deep but strained—like every breath was a battle.
“Relax. I’m not here to finish you off,” I said, raising my hands. “You’re bleeding out.”
He swayed, and I took a tentative step closer. “I said—stay back.”
His growl was weak, but I still froze. Typical Alpha—ready to fight even when he was seconds from death.
“Fine. Bleed to death then,” I snapped, turning to leave.
“Wait—” His voice faltered, and I glanced back to see him sinking to his knees. His pride wouldn’t let him ask for help outright, but the desperation in his eyes spoke volumes.
Cursing under my breath, I hurried to his side, dropping to a crouch. “You’re an i***t, you know that?” I muttered, pulling his hand away from the wound. He hissed but didn’t push me off.
“Could say the same about you,” he shot back, voice softer this time.
Ignoring his attempt at bravado, I tore a strip from my shirt and pressed it to the gash. Blood seeped through instantly. “What the hell happened to you?”
He laughed—a bitter, broken sound. “Ambush. Should’ve seen it coming.”
I glanced at the bodies again. “You take them all down yourself?”
His lips quirked into a grim smile. “Most of them.”
His gaze met mine, sharp despite his injuries. “Why are you helping me?”
I hesitated. That was the question, wasn’t it? “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe I’m just tired of watching people die.”
He looked at me for a long moment, and something flickered in his eyes—curiosity, maybe. Then his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. I barely suppressed a gasp as his touch sent a jolt through me.
“You’re not with them,” he murmured, more to himself than me. “But you’re not... ordinary.”
I yanked my hand back, scowling. “Don’t try to figure me out. You’ll just get a headache.”
He chuckled, though it came out more like a cough. “Noted.”
I busied myself with cleaning the wound, trying to ignore the way his presence made my skin tingle. There was something about him—something magnetic and infuriating all at once.
“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Sienna.”
He nodded like he was committing it to memory. “Ash.”
Figures. The name suited him—sharp, unyielding, like the remnants of a fire that refused to die.
He sucked in a sharp breath as I pressed harder on the wound. “Sorry,” I muttered. “You need stitches. And rest. And probably someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”
Ash smirked, though it looked more like a grimace. “I’ll live.”
“Not if you keep being stubborn,” I shot back.
The forest fell silent around us, save for his ragged breathing and the occasional rustle of leaves. I tried to ignore the way his hand occasionally brushed mine when I shifted position. It shouldn’t matter. I’d helped him, and then I’d leave. Simple.
Or at least, it should’ve been.
Just as I finished securing the makeshift bandage, Ash tensed. His head whipped around, eyes narrowing at the darkness beyond the clearing. I heard it then—a distant, bone-chilling howl. My blood ran cold.
“They’re coming back,” he whispered, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach for a weapon but couldn’t.
I froze, caught between instinct and logic. I could run. Save myself. It wasn’t my fight. But Ash looked at me, something desperate and raw in his gaze.
“Go,” he rasped. “They’re after me.”
My jaw tightened. “Not a chance. You’re in no condition to fight.”
He managed a faint glare. “And you are?”
I ignored him, scanning the shadows. My pulse thudded in my ears, and I cursed my own recklessness. But I couldn’t just leave him. Not like this.
The howls grew closer, and I could sense movement in the trees. I glanced at Ash, his jaw clenched, eyes still sharp despite the pain.
“Can you stand?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he lied, struggling to push himself up. I slipped an arm under his shoulder, ignoring the way his weight leaned heavily on me.
“Stubborn i***t,” I muttered.
“You’re one to talk,” he shot back.
The shadows flickered, and I knew we were out of time. My heart hammered as I braced myself for the fight. I could feel Ash’s tension, his body coiled despite his injuries.
Then, a voice echoed through the darkness—a low, mocking tone that sent chills down my spine.
“Well, well... Looks like the Alpha has found himself a little savior. How quaint.”
I tightened my grip on Ash, my pulse thundering in my ears. I couldn’t see the speaker, but I could feel the malice radiating from the trees.
Ash growled, low and dangerous. “Kieran,” he whispered, his voice filled with both fury and dread.
I swallowed hard, forcing my fear down. We weren’t getting out of this easily.
“Stay behind me,” I whispered to Ash, even though my own hands were trembling.
The forest went still, and then, the figure stepped into the moonlight, grinning like a predator cornering its prey.
“Well, Ash... Ready to die?”
