The air inside the cabin turned suffocating.
I pressed my back against the wall, my breath coming in short, panicked bursts as the two massive wolves squared off.
The other one—the intruder—let out a low, amused chuckle. His voice was smooth, taunting, laced with an arrogance that sent shivers down my spine.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, licking his lips. "Not until I get my share of the lunch."
Dalton snarled, baring his sharp, gleaming fangs. His massive, muscular body tensed, every inch of him radiating danger.
"How'd you find her?" His voice was low and guttural, barely human anymore.
The other wolf grinned. "Walking around the pack," he said, tilting his head like he was reminiscing. "And then—boom. I caught a scent. Something delicious." His gaze flickered to me, his eyes gleaming with pure, predatory hunger.
I swallowed hard, my stomach knotting.
"Dalton," I whispered.
His ears twitched at my voice, but he didn't turn. His entire focus was on the other wolf. His stance was lethal—protective, possessive.
The other wolf sighed dramatically. "Look, just hand her over. No one has to get hurt."
Dalton's answer was a deep, rumbling growl that shook the floor.
And then—
The other wolf lunged.
It happened too fast.
One second, he was standing there, smirking. The next, he was a blur of motion, a streak of fur and claws, his jaws snapping open—
Aimed straight for me.
I screamed.
Dalton moved.
Faster than I could see. Faster than anything should be able to move.
His body slammed into the intruder mid-air, and they crashed against the far wall, shaking the entire cabin.
Snarls filled the air. Deep, vicious, primal.
They tore into each other.
Fangs flashed. Claws slashed.
Dalton pinned the other wolf down, his massive paws digging into his opponent's throat. The intruder kicked, twisting out of the hold, slamming Dalton against the wooden floor with a sickening crack.
The table shattered.
The chairs splintered.
I could do nothing but watch, frozen in horror, as they ripped into each other.
Dalton slammed the wolf's head against the wall. The intruder snapped his jaws, catching Dalton's shoulder, sinking his fangs deep.
Dalton let out a roar of pain.
Blood splattered across the floor.
I covered my mouth, biting back a sob.
I couldn't watch this.
I couldn't.
I wanted to turn away. To close my eyes. But the sounds—those horrific, animalistic growls and the crunch of bones—made my stomach churn.
I'd never seen something so brutal.
So terrifying.
Dalton slammed the other wolf into the fireplace, sending embers flying.
The intruder yelped, staggering.
Dalton didn't hesitate.
He charged, his claws glowing faintly—almost supernaturally—as he twisted, throwing the wolf with a powerful kick.
Straight through the broken door.
The wolf flew, landing with a heavy thud outside.
Dalton was on him instantly.
They crashed into the dirt, tearing at each other with pure, unrelenting fury.
It was worse out here.
No walls to contain them. No furniture to slow them down. Just pure, vicious instinct.
Blood stained the ground. Their snarls echoed through the trees.
I couldn't take it.
I turned away, pressing my hands over my ears.
I didn't want to see.
I didn't want to hear.
I didn't want to watch anyone die.
I didn't have a choice.
Even though I didn't want to see it, my body refused to obey. My eyes fluttered open on their own.
And then I wished they hadn't.
A lifeless body lay in the dirt outside.
The other wolf—the intruder—was dead.
My breath hitched, a choked sound escaping my lips as I staggered backward. My knees nearly buckled.
It wasn't Dalton.
Dalton was still standing.
Dalton won.
And he was coming back inside.
I watched, frozen, as he stepped through the ruined doorway, his massive form still covered in patches of blood—some his, but most of it belonging to the creature outside.
He wasn't human.
Not anymore.
His sharp claws glinted in the dim cabin light. His golden eyes burned with something feral, something wild. His mouth opened slightly, and he spat out a torn piece of fabric—probably from the intruder's clothing—onto the floor with disgust.
I flinched.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Dalton turned his head toward me, his glowing, wolf-like eyes locking onto mine. My heart slammed against my ribs.
He took a step forward.
I instinctively shrank back.
His ears flicked slightly, and then—right in front of me—his massive, wolfish form began to shift.
Bones cracked. Fur receded. His body twisted and contorted in ways that made my stomach churn.
And then, within seconds, he was human again.
Well—not human, exactly.
But close enough.
Dalton stood there, bare-chested, his skin smeared with blood and dirt, his breathing heavy from the fight. His sharp jaw was clenched, his eyes still holding that dangerous glow.
"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice was rough, strained, as if he was barely holding himself together.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My body was trembling.
"Y-yeah," I whispered. "I'm fine."
A blatant lie.
I was not fine.
Not even close.
I was standing in a half-destroyed cabin, my heart hammering in my chest, and I'd just watched a brutal fight to the death.
And Dalton—this man, this werewolf—had just killed someone right in front of me.
My fingers clenched around the fabric of my dress, my knuckles turning white.
Dalton studied me for a moment. His face was unreadable, but his body language was tense—like he was trying to gauge how terrified I was.
"Let me dump the body far away from this pack," he finally said.
His tone was casual. Like he was talking about taking out the trash.
Then—before I could even process what that meant—Dalton's body shifted again.
I barely had time to blink before he was back in his wolf form.
Huge. Fierce. Lethal.
Without another word, he stalked outside, gripped the dead body in his powerful jaws, and ran.
Just like that.
Gone.
I stood there, my body still shaking, my mind spinning.
I felt like I was going to be sick.
My eyes darted to the shattered remains of the cabin—the broken furniture, the deep claw marks on the wooden floor, the bloodstains that hadn't even dried yet.
This was real.
I was stuck in a world that wasn't mine.
A world of monsters and things I never even believed existed before I met Dalton.
And if one werewolf had already found me…
What if another one did?
What if someone else came sniffing around, looking for a fight—or worse, looking for me?
Dalton wouldn't be here to stop them.
I was alone.
My chest felt tight.
What if another werewolf showed up and said he wanted to eat me?
What if something even worse than a werewolf was lurking in these woods?
What if—
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe.
Panicking wasn't going to help.
Dalton would be back soon.
I just had to stay inside.
I wouldn't run. I wouldn't do anything stupid.
I would wait.
And pray that nothing found me before he returned.