Chapter 3 - Abandoned Building
2187 Words
The spell that put morgan and Sophie into a deep sleep didn’t return morgans grandmother's house to England. It returned it to safety.
Colorado’s mountains were rich with natural ley lines — rivers of ancient energy that witches and white wolves had used for centuries. The base of Mount Massive was one of the strongest points on the continent, a place where magic pooled like water in a basin.
It was remote enough to hide a displaced estate.
Wild enough for wolves to thrive.
Far enough from Danny’s influence that he would never think to look.
The spell didn’t choose randomly.
It was a place of fate.
Morgan
I had just woken up.
Again.
Look yes, I know I’ve technically been asleep for four hundred years, but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed a nap. Immortality doesn’t come with a manual, and if it did, I’m pretty sure it would say: “Step 1: Eat. Step 2: Sleep. Step 3: Murder your enemies.”
Sophie had been playing in the overgrown garden outside all day. The house was old, dusty, and falling apart, but it still smelled faintly of my grandmother — lavender, old books, and a hint of magic. It made my chest ache.
Unfortunately, nostalgia doesn’t fill your stomach.
My senses were still weak from the centuries of ice, and I needed to feed. Probably twice. Maybe three times. Don’t judge me.
The nearest town was half a mile away. Sophie was safe here — or so I thought — so I told her to stay put and ran toward the lights. In hindsight, that was a stupid thing to do. But I was so hungry, and I just needed to feed to come back to Sophie. Simple right.
It got to around eleven at night, and the streets were quiet. My vision was still fuzzy, my strength not fully back, so I needed something, someone and fast.
As if summoned by the universe’s twisted sense of humor, three men stumbled out of the shadows, reeking of cheap spirits and bad intentions.
“Hey, beautiful,” one slurred, his eyes raking over me with clumsy entitlement. “Come with us. We’ll show you a good time.”
I smiled, a slow, calculated curling of lips that didn't reach my eyes. I reached out, tracing a nail down his jawline just hard enough to leave a white mark.
“Anything for you, darling,” I purred, my voice dropping an octave. “Why don’t we go somewhere… more private?”
I winked, and they followed like sheep to the slaughter. The hunger inside me blurred the edges of my vision, distorting the strange clothes, the buzzing neon signs, and this modern town that felt lightyears from the world I’d left behind. All that remained was this pulse.
At the dead end of the alley, the leader reached for my waist. I didn't just dodge; I moved faster than his neurons could fire. I caught his wrist mid-air, squeezing until the bone creaked, and drove my fist into his abdomen. The air left his lungs in a wheezing gasp.
The other two froze, their drunken hazes shattering into panic. They lunged, but they were moving in slow motion compared to the starvation clawing at my throat.
Cute.
I dropped low, sweeping their legs with enough force to crack shins. They hit the pavement with a wet slap. Before they could scramble away, I was on the leader, pinning him down not with weight, but with terrifying strength.
My fangs descended, aching and sharp. I didn't hesitate. I tore into the soft junction where the neck meets the shoulder. The hot, metallic rush hit my tongue, it was rich, heavy, and perfect. Strength flooded my starved limbs, knitting me back together. I drank deeply, efficiently like a predator, not a monster.
When I was done, I pulled back, wiping a single crimson drop from my lip. I compelled them, my voice layering over their minds like heavy fog.
“When you wake up, you won’t remember the blood or the fear. But you will never touch a woman again. Not even your own mothers, you disrespectful shits.”
They groaned, their eyes glazing over in forced agreement.
As my senses sharpened, the world snapped back into high definition focus. The hunger was gone, replaced by a warm, electric hum in my veins. I felt powerful again. I felt alive
And then I smelled it.
Sophie.
And wolves.
Multiple wolves.
Close.
Too close.
Panic slammed into me. I ran — faster than I had in centuries — back toward the house.
Felix
The closer we got to the abandoned building, the stronger the scent became, it was a human child, female, scared. My wolf didn’t like it.
We stopped on the porch. The place looked like it had been forgotten by time. Anna, Cole, Jasper, and I exchanged the same uneasy look.
Cole mind linked with the group
Cole: “Was this always here?”
Anna: “No. Not It wasn’t.”
I pressed down on the handle. It opened with a soft creak.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and fear.
“Cole, Jasper — check downstairs and the garden,” I ordered.
“Anna and I will take upstairs.”
They nodded and split off.
As Anna and I climbed the stairs, I heard soft panting — terrified, small. We followed the sound to the master bedroom.
A little girl was curled beside an old mattress, trembling so hard the floorboards shook.
“Anna, in here!” I called.
Anna rushed in, took one look at the girl, then shot me a glare that said don’t screw this up. She crouched down, voice soft.
“Hey there. It’s okay. We won’t hurt you. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
The girl looked at Anna with wide, wet eyes… and burst into tears.
Morgan
I reached the house and nearly gagged.
Wolf scent. Everywhere.
My wolf snarled inside me, ready to tear throats out. I forced that feeling down. I couldn’t shift. Not yet. Not until I knew what I was dealing with.
I masked my scent — a trick only royals could do — and pushed open the door.
Two wolves were in the garden. Two more upstairs. Sophie’s heartbeat was frantic.
I sprinted up the stairs and into the master bedroom.
“Get away from her. Now.” I practically vibrated with anger.
Two wolves turned toward me and the world tilted.
Felix hit me first.
Tall.
Muscular.
Dark hair that looked annoyingly soft. Eyes that locked onto mine like he’d been waiting centuries.
His scent slammed into me. He was warm, sweet, intoxicating.
My knees nearly buckled.
Mate.
My wolf surged toward him like she’d been starved for centuries.
But then Anna’s gaze met mine.
And something else struck me.
Not scent.
Not heat.
Something deeper.
Older.
A pull in my chest, soft but undeniable — like a second heartbeat syncing with mine.
My breath caught.
No.
Impossible.
A wolf has one mate. One anchor. One.
I had walked away from the slaughter of my entire family. I had dragged myself out of a graveyard of my own making. That was supposed to be the hardest thing I’d ever survive.
And yet I’m standing here struggling to breathe.
I wasn’t about to let a rogue feeling undo me now.
Felix stepped forward, but Anna moved first, instinctively placing herself between him and Sophie… and between him and me.
Her pupils dilated. Her breath hitched. For a split second, she looked at me like she recognised me — not my face, but something inside me.
Something she wasn’t supposed to feel.
Something she didn’t understand yet.
I tore my gaze away, heart pounding.
How?
I had masked my scent. Was her instinct that sharp? I clenched my jaw. If she connected the dots…if she realized what that magnetic pull actually meant. Everything would change.
I just had to pray she dismissed it as attraction.
Felix didn’t seem to notice the bond. Thank the moon.
Anna cleared her throat, voice steadier than she looked. “Who are you?”
“Does it matter? Get away from her.”
“No,” the male snapped. “You’ll answer her.”
I stepped toward him.
“You’re joking, right? You don’t own me. And don’t ever speak to me like that again.”
He blinked, stunned — then smiled. A slow, dangerous, devastating smile.
“Okay. Sorry.” His voice softened. “You’re a wolf, correct?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
“Excuse me?”
“Grey? Brown? Black?”
“Grey,” I lied. It is technically the closest to white.
I panicked.
“What pack?”
“I’m not in one.”
Again not technically a lie. My family were brutally murdered.
He nodded slowly. “Then you’re coming with us.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re without a pack. You won’t survive out here long, alone. To be honest I’m surprised you’ve survived this long without one. Plus the Greyhounds are the closest pack to this territory — but they… beat their members.”
I grimaced.
“No. Sophie and I are staying here.”
“I’m sorry, miss,” he said gently. “That’s not allowed. Territory rules.”
Damn it. I knew pack rules. But I can’t join a pack. For God sake I’ll be discovered so quick my head will be cut off before I can blink.
Felix stepped forward again seeing my resistance, jaw tight.
“You don’t understand. You can’t walk away.”
I glared back. “Watch me.”
Anna swallowed hard. “Wait… there’s a treaty.”
“A what?”
Felix’s voice softened. “Wolves around here can’t exist unbound. If you don’t join a recognised pack within 72 hours of settlement, the Council will mark you as a threat.”
I completely froze. I can’t find secrets about my family whilst making enemies out of the two largest packs in Colorado.
Anna continued, gentler. “It’s not punishment. It’s protection. Wolves attract hunters. And your solitary life becomes noticeable very quickly… you can become unstable without a pack anchor. Shifting can become out of control and the last thing we want to do is terrorise the town and showcase ourselves to humans.”
My breath hitched.
Felix held my gaze. “You don’t have to stay forever. But right now? You need us.”
He wasn’t wrong and honestly… hiding inside a pack while I hunted my family’s killers wasn’t the worst idea. Especially with this walking temptation staring at me like I was dessert.
Morgan, stop it. You’re not here to fall in love.
I sighed. “Fine. We’ll go. Sophie is human you’re right. So she stays with me, ALWAYS!”
“Of course. She’s your daughter, right?”
“Uh… yeah. She’s mine.”
Not technically. But close enough.
“Flick,” Anna said sharply, “a word?”
They stepped outside. Sophie clung to my waist like a koala. I stroked her hair and tried to listen in — because of course I did.
Anna
I dragged Felix down the hall.
“What are you doing?”
“What?”
“Flick, Mum and Dad are not going to let you bring another wolf and a mortal into the pack house. Why do you want her here? And if you’re planning on screwing her too—”
“I’m not,” he snapped. “She’s… definitely interesting, okay? And we can’t leave her and the kid in this dump. Plus do you really want to send her to the loonies across the mountain. No I didn’t think so. She’s got her back up yeah, but who wouldn’t. she’s protective of her kid.”
Felix sighs
“Look we will take them to mum and dad. They can sus them out. Not our problem. We look like the heroes and boom back to normal life”
Anna sighed. “Fine. But if you get in trouble, I’m not covering for you again. I’m done with your games. So please start acting like a god damn alpha.”
“Alright. I’ll be better. Just… put them in your room for now.”
“MY ROOM? Why can’t you find them a spare? You’re this promising alpha.”
“Because you’re better at this girly stuff than me. And it makes sense to keep an eye on them. Plus being an alpha means delegating sooo there. Delegated” felix says with a wink
“You are insufferable” Anna says with bite
“Yes. I know. Let’s go”
Morgan
They came back in, and Felix gave me a small nod.
“We’ll take you both to the pack house,” he said. “You’ll stay in Anna’s room for now.”
I held Sophie tighter. Nodded and made my official introductions.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
But maybe… it needed to be.
Because the wolves who killed my family were still out there.
And now?
I wasn’t alone anymore.
- Writer
