The Alpha's Runaway Bride

Beyond the Clock

Serena's fingertips rested against the glowing seam of the grandfather clock's wooden door. A cold draft seeped through the narrow crack. She hesitated. "...No way."

Slowly, she wedged her fingers between the glowing edges and pulled. The heavy wooden door creaked open. The instant it opened wide enough to see inside, Serena stopped breathing. Snow. A forest. An endless forest blanketed in untouched white snow stretched before her. Snowflakes drifted lazily through the air beneath towering pine trees. The scent of fresh pine and crisp winter air replaced the familiar smell of polished wood from the manor.

"..." Her mind went completely blank. She blinked several times. "...What?" She looked behind her. The hallway of Sinclair Manor remained exactly where it should be. She looked back inside the clock. The snowy forest hadn't disappeared. "...No..." She leaned closer. This wasn't a picture. This wasn't some strange projection. Cold air poured from inside the clock and brushed against her face.

She reached one hand through. Nothing happened. No invisible wall. No glass. She slowly climbed through the opening. The moment both feet touched the snow, an icy chill shot through her body.

"Ah!" She gasped and immediately jumped backward. "My feet!" She had completely forgotten she was barefoot. The freezing snow burned against her skin. Without another thought, Serena scrambled back through the grandfather clock and landed on the polished wooden floor of the hallway. She stared back at the open doorway. "What... What in the world?" Her heart pounded inside her chest.

This wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Yet...

The cold lingering on her feet said otherwise. She suddenly sprang to life. "Oh!" Turning on her heel, Serena bolted upstairs two steps at a time. She yanked open one suitcase after another, throwing clothes everywhere before finally finding what she was looking for. A thick winter coat lined with fur. Her insulated snow boots. A wool scarf. "Thank God I didn't throw these away."

Within moments she was bundled up from head to toe. She rushed back downstairs. The glowing doorway still waited patiently for her. Almost... As if it had been expecting her. "...Alright." She swallowed. "I'm either about to have the greatest adventure of my life... or I'm losing my mind."

Taking one deep breath, Serena climbed back through the grandfather clock. This time, she stepped carefully into the snow. The boots crunched beneath her feet. Far above, pale snowflakes drifted gently through the quiet forest. She slowly looked upward.

The sky was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Bright. Almost silver. Thin mist floated high above the treetops, giving everything a dreamlike glow. "...Beautiful..." Tall pine trees surrounded her in every direction. Not a single footprint disturbed the snow. No tire tracks. No buildings. Nothing. Only silence. The kind of silence that only existed deep within untouched forests. Serena slowly turned in a circle.

"This... This is insane." She laughed. Not because anything was funny. Because she genuinely couldn't process what she was seeing.

"There was... a whole world... inside Grandpa's clock." Still trying to make sense of it all, she noticed something carved into the nearest pine tree. The markings looked old. She stepped closer. Her eyes widened. "...Grandpa?" She recognized the handwriting immediately. The carving read:

The doorway opens every night at 12:00 AM.

It closes at exactly 12:00 PM.

Never lose track of time.

Serena instinctively reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone. 12:30 AM. "...So I have plenty of time." She slipped the phone away and pulled her coat tighter against the cold. "I'm not going far." She looked deeper into the forest. "...Just a little exploring." With cautious steps, Serena began walking. Snow crunched rhythmically beneath her boots. The air smelled cleaner than anything she'd experienced before. No smoke. No traffic. No distant sirens. Only winter. Only the forest. She smiled to herself.

"This place is... kind of perfect."

Minutes passed. The fear she'd felt earlier slowly melted into excitement. She couldn't stop looking around. Every tree seemed taller.

Every snowflake brighter. It almost felt like she'd stepped inside a fairy tale. A laugh escaped her lips. She spun once beneath the falling snow. "I can't believe this is real!" Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe she really had fallen asleep. Maybe this was just the most vivid dream she'd ever had.

Either way... She intended to enjoy every second. Serena crouched down and scooped up a handful of fresh snow. It was soft. Light.

Untouched. She packed it into a snowball. "...Bullseye." She tossed it toward a nearby tree. The snowball exploded against the trunk.

She burst into laughter. "This is so much better than city snow." Back home, every patch of snow quickly became dirty from cars and people. Gray slush. Footprints. Mud. This...This was perfect. She flopped backward into the snow. Cold surrounded her. Stretching out her arms and legs, she swept them back and forth. "...I've never actually made one before." Sitting up, Serena admired the snow angel she'd left behind. "I was missing out."

She brushed snow from her coat and continued wandering. A flash of white darted across the path ahead. "Huh?" A snow hare.

Its white fur blended almost perfectly with the forest. "Oh, you're adorable!" Without thinking, Serena chased after it. "Come back!"

The little hare bounded effortlessly between bushes before disappearing into the trees. Serena stopped, laughing as she caught her breath.

"You're lucky you're cute." She stood there for another moment, taking everything in. This place felt untouched. Hidden. Secret.

Her own little corner of another world. Then... Somewhere in the distance... A long, chilling howl echoed through the forest. Serena froze. Another howl answered it. Much closer.

Her smile disappeared. "...Wolves?" The forest suddenly didn't feel quite so magical anymore. She looked around uneasily. "I think... I've explored enough for one night." Turning around, Serena began walking back the way she'd come. The crunch of snow beneath her boots seemed much louder now. Every shadow between the trees suddenly looked suspicious. Then... A low growl echoed behind her.

Serena stopped. Very slowly... She turned around. Standing only several yards away... Was the largest white wolf she had ever seen.

Its thick fur shimmered beneath the falling snow. Brilliant blue eyes watched her without blinking. It wasn't just a wolf. It was enormous. Far larger than any animal she'd ever seen on television. Serena's heartbeat thundered in her ears. "...Oh...That's not good."