A vicious snarl cut through the stillness of the night, raising the hairs on my arms. My protector—the massive black wolf—stood rigidly over me, its warm presence now transformed into a shield of lethal intent.
From the shadows emerged another wolf. Smaller. Brown fur with familiar markings.
Liam.
Julian's best friend and loyal packmate. He stalked forward, teeth bared, hackles raised.
"Liam, stop!" I called out, struggling to my feet.
The black wolf's growl deepened, a sound so primal it made my bones vibrate. Its massive body shifted, positioning itself between me and Liam.
Liam paused, his amber eyes flickering between me and my protector. Then he threw his head back and released a long, piercing howl that echoed through the trees.
A call for backup.
Panic flooded my system. "No! Liam, don't!"
Too late. Answering howls rose in the distance. The entire pack was coming—Julian, Selena, Alpha Maxen. Everyone.
My mysterious guardian tensed further, golden eyes narrowing. The patterns in its midnight fur seemed to pulse with power.
"You need to go," I whispered urgently, placing a hand on its flank. "They'll kill you."
The beast turned its massive head toward me, and for a moment, time stood still. There was intelligence in those golden eyes—deep, ancient understanding. Pain squeezed my chest at the thought of this creature being torn apart by my pack.
Liam charged without warning, a blur of brown fur lunging straight for my protector's throat.
What happened next defies explanation.
My guardian wolf reared up on its hind legs—impossibly tall, terrifyingly powerful—and let loose a howl that wasn't just sound. It was force. It was power. It was magic.
The howl slammed into Liam mid-leap, knocking him backward as if he'd hit an invisible wall. He tumbled across the clearing, whimpering in shock.
My mouth fell open. What kind of wolf could do that?
Before I could process what I'd witnessed, the massive black wolf lunged forward with blinding speed. Its jaws clamped around Liam's scruff, lifting him as easily as a pup.
Liam thrashed wildly, frantic yelps escaping his throat as he was shaken violently. Then came the sickening sound of bone meeting earth as my protector slammed Liam into the ground.
Once. Twice. Three times.
"Stop!" I screamed, horrified by the brutality. "You'll kill him!"
The black wolf released Liam, who scrambled to his feet, limping badly. Blood matted his fur, and one leg hung uselessly at his side. He backed away, whimpering, tail tucked between his legs.
My protector advanced slowly, its massive size making Liam look like a cub in comparison. Its lips pulled back to reveal teeth longer than my fingers.
Liam took one look at those deadly fangs and fled, crashing through the underbrush with desperate speed despite his injuries.
The sounds of the pack grew closer. Multiple wolves, moving fast.
"They're coming," I gasped, turning to the black wolf. "You have to run. Now!"
It turned those golden eyes on me again, seemingly unconcerned by the approaching threat.
"Please!" I begged, tears stinging my eyes. "There are too many. They'll surround you."
The wolf took a step toward me, hesitating.
"GO!" I shouted, slapping its flank hard enough to sting my palm. "RUN!"
A low rumble vibrated through its chest—frustration, perhaps, or reluctance. Then it pressed its huge muzzle against my face, briefly, gently, almost like a goodbye.
In that fleeting touch, something strange happened. A spark. A connection. A feeling of rightness that made no sense.
Then it was gone, melting into the shadows with impossible silence for something so large.
I stood there, shivering without its warmth, feeling inexplicably abandoned despite the absurdity of missing a creature I'd just met. A wild animal that should have terrified me. That should have eaten me.
The undergrowth exploded as wolves poured into the clearing. At least a dozen packmates, with more arriving by the second. Their eyes glowed in the darkness—amber, blue, green—all fixed on me.
Alpha Maxen pushed to the front, his massive gray form radiating fury. Behind him stood Julian's black and silver wolf, flanked by the russet form of his mate, Selena.
I had never felt more alone.
"I didn't do anything," I said quickly, holding up my hands. "Liam attacked first."
Alpha Maxen growled, circling me slowly. His nostrils flared, sampling the air. Scenting the stranger who had been here. Judging me.
One by one, the wolves shifted back to human form. Naked bodies emerging from fur, eyes still wild with bloodlust from the hunt. From the call to defend their territory.
Julian was the first to speak. "What the fuck happened here?" His voice was cold, detached. Not the voice of the boy who had loved me for six years.
"I got lost," I said, wrapping my arms around myself for warmth and dignity. "I hurt my ankle. I was freezing to death."
"And the rogue?" Selena demanded, pressing herself against Julian's side possessively. Her perfect face was twisted with disgust as she looked me over. "Why were you with a rogue wolf?"
"I wasn't with anyone," I lied, not even understanding why I felt compelled to protect the stranger. "He just appeared."
Alpha Maxen approached, fully shifted now, his imposing height making me shrink back instinctively. "Liam says you were cuddled up to the intruder. Protected by it."
I glanced around, spotting Liam at the edge of the clearing, being tended to by two pack healers. His human form revealed the extent of his injuries—a dislocated shoulder, deep gashes across his chest, a face swollen almost beyond recognition.
"I was freezing," I said quietly. "I would have died. He kept me warm."
"He?" Julian stepped forward, eyes flashing gold with anger. "You refer to this monster with familiarity? After what it did to Liam?"
"Liam attacked first!" I insisted, frustration making my voice crack. "The wolf was just defending itself—defending me!"
A heavy silence fell over the clearing. Dozens of eyes stared at me with varying degrees of suspicion and hostility.
"Defending you," Alpha Maxen repeated slowly. "A human. Against one of our pack."
The way he said it made my blood run cold. As if my humanity was suddenly a dirty word. A defect. A betrayal.
Selena's perfect lips curved into a cruel smile. "Maybe she's conspiring with rogues now. Since she can't have what she wants here."
Julian didn't contradict her. He just stared at me with those empty blue eyes that once held so much love.
"I'm not conspiring with anyone," I said, voice trembling. "I told you, I was lost. I was cold. The wolf helped me. That's all."
Alpha Maxen's face was unreadable as he studied me. The father who had taken me in six years ago, who had dried my tears and taught me to navigate life among wolves, now looked at me like I was a stranger.
"Alpha," one of the older wolves stepped forward. "The rogue's scent... it's not like anything I've smelled before. Powerful. Ancient."
"Dangerous," another added.
"And it chose to protect her," a third said, pointing accusingly at me. "A human. Over attacking one of our pack. That's not natural."
Whispers spread through the gathered wolves. Suspicious glances. Hostile murmurs.
"Take her back to the packhouse," Alpha Maxen ordered finally. "We'll sort this out there."
Two beta wolves moved to flank me, not touching but clearly my guards rather than my escorts.
As we began the trek back through the forest, I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder at the shadows where my protector had disappeared.
Thank you, I thought silently. And be safe.
Something told me our paths would cross again. Something deep and instinctual that I couldn't explain. A feeling of unfinished business. Of interrupted destiny.
I limped between my guards, wondering what punishment awaited me at the packhouse. Wondering if I'd ever see those golden eyes again.
Wondering why, despite everything, I hoped I would.
The forest seemed darker now that I was alone again. Colder. More hostile. Just like my future without Julian. Without my protector.
Behind us, Alpha Maxen organized search parties to hunt down the rogue wolf. To kill it if they found it.
I prayed they wouldn't. I prayed my mysterious guardian was already miles away, safe from the pack's wrath. Safe from the consequences of showing kindness to a human who didn't belong.
From choosing me when no one else would.
The journey back to the packhouse was painfully slow due to my injured ankle. Each step sent daggers of pain shooting up my leg. By the time we reached the edge of pack territory, I was sweating despite the cold, nauseated from the effort of staying upright.
Neither of my guards offered help. Neither showed concern.
This was my new reality. The cherished adopted daughter of the Alpha was gone. In her place stood a human outsider who had been caught with a dangerous rogue. Who had defended that rogue against her own pack.
I stumbled on a tree root, nearly falling.
"Keep up," one guard snapped without looking back.
As the packhouse came into view, illuminated by security lights that made it look more fortress than home, dread settled in my stomach.
My mysterious protector was gone, leaving only questions and suspicions in its wake.
And the howls of the hunting parties echoed through the night, promising violence if they found what they sought.
I closed my eyes briefly, sending one final plea into the darkness.
Run far. Run fast. Don't let them find you.
Somehow, I felt the wolf would hear me. Somehow, I knew it already had.