Chapter 2 :The Stranger in Her Cabin
931 Words
Zara did not remember how she managed to get him back to the cabin.
Everything after the transformation felt like a blur.
One moment she had been staring at a giant wolf… and the next there was a man lying injured in the middle of the forest.
A man who had somehow turned from that wolf.
Even now, hours later, her mind struggled to accept what she had seen.
Yet the proof was right in front of her.
The stranger lay on the small couch inside her wooden research cabin, completely unconscious.
Moonlight slipped through the window and illuminated his face.
Zara stood across the room with her arms folded tightly across her chest, watching him.
Waiting.
Half-expecting him to suddenly grow fur again.
Or vanish completely.
But neither happened.
He simply slept.
She exhaled slowly.
“Okay… Zara,” she murmured to herself. “Let’s think logically.”
Step one: The man had been injured.
Step two: She had helped him.
Step three: Somehow he had turned from a wolf into a human.
The third step ruined the entire “logical thinking” process.
Zara rubbed her temples.
“This is insane.”
Still, she couldn’t deny what she had seen.
And there was another strange detail she couldn’t stop thinking about.
His wound.
When she had first treated it in the forest, the cut across his side had been deep and ugly.
But now…
She stepped closer to the couch.
The bandage wrapped around his torso was already stained, but the bleeding had slowed dramatically.
Carefully, she lifted the edge of the cloth.
Her eyes widened.
The skin beneath it was already closing.
Not healed completely—but far faster than any normal human body should.
Zara quickly covered the wound again.
“That’s definitely not normal.”
The man shifted slightly on the couch.
Zara froze.
For a moment, she wondered if he was waking up.
But he only breathed deeply and turned his head slightly to the side.
Up close, she could finally study his face properly.
He looked to be around thirty.
Strong features.
Sharp jawline.
Dark hair that fell messily across his forehead.
Even while unconscious, there was something about him that felt… powerful.
Dangerous.
Like a storm waiting to break.
Zara stepped back again, putting some distance between them.
Helping him had been the right thing to do.
But that didn’t mean she trusted him.
Especially not after watching him turn from a wolf.
Her gaze drifted toward the door of the cabin.
Technically, she could still leave.
Call the authorities.
Or maybe a hospital.
But what exactly would she tell them?
Hello, I found a giant wolf in the forest that turned into a man.
They would probably assume she had lost her mind.
Zara sighed and sat down on the chair near the table.
“Just great.”
The forest outside remained quiet.
Too quiet.
Almost as if it was watching the cabin.
A sudden sound broke the silence.
A low groan.
Zara’s head snapped up.
The man on the couch moved again.
This time his eyes slowly opened.
Golden eyes.
Exactly like the wolf’s.
For a moment he looked disoriented.
Then his gaze locked onto her.
His body tensed instantly.
In one quick movement he pushed himself upright.
The speed of it startled Zara.
“You should lie back down,” she said quickly. “You’re injured.”
The stranger ignored her.
His sharp gaze scanned the room like a predator studying unfamiliar territory.
Finally, his eyes returned to her.
“You brought me here,” he said.
His voice was deep, rough with exhaustion.
Zara raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yes. I wasn’t going to leave you bleeding in the forest.”
The man studied her for several seconds.
Then his expression changed slightly.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
And something else she couldn’t quite read.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly.
Zara frowned.
“Excuse me?”
He leaned forward slightly.
The movement made him wince as pain shot through his side.
But he ignored it.
“You have no idea what you’ve involved yourself in.”
Zara crossed her arms.
“Actually, I think I deserve an explanation.”
Silence filled the room.
The stranger stared at her for a long moment.
Then he inhaled slowly.
As if catching her scent again.
His golden eyes darkened.
“You’re human,” he said softly.
Zara blinked.
“Obviously.”
But his expression grew even more intense.
“That makes this impossible.”
She groaned.
“You said that earlier too. Maybe you should explain what you mean instead of repeating the same mysterious sentence.”
The man leaned back slightly.
For the first time, something like resignation crossed his face.
“My name is Kael,” he said.
“I’m the Alpha of the Ileri Pack.”
Zara stared at him.
“The Alpha of… what exactly?”
Kael watched her carefully.
“Of the wolves you didn’t know existed.”
Zara opened her mouth to respond—
But suddenly a distant howl echoed through the forest outside.
Her entire body went still.
The sound was deep.
Powerful.
And it definitely did not belong to a normal animal.
Kael’s expression darkened instantly.
“They found me,” he muttered.
Zara’s heart began to race.
“Who found you?”
Kael’s golden eyes lifted slowly to the window.
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
“The pack that tried to kill me.”
Outside the cabin—
Something heavy moved through the trees.
And it was getting closer.
- Writer
