She hides in an abandoned cabin to avoid being claimed, until the Alpha King shows up at her door.
Part 1
The wind whipped my tangled hair across my face as I stood by the swollen river.
I clutched my thin cloak tighter against my chest.
The cold had seeped into my bones hours ago.
I was trying to gather enough firewood to survive another freezing night.
Isolation had been my only shield for the past three months.
Hiding from the supernatural world seemed like the only way to stay alive after the pack wars.
The silence of the ancient woods was my greatest comfort.
But today a faint unfamiliar sound cut through the bitter wind.
It was a desperate whimper that made my blood run cold.
I froze in my tracks.
My hands loosened their grip on a pine branch.
My eyes scanned the churning gray water of the rapids.
A fallen pine log had wedged itself against some jagged rocks halfway across the river.
A dark shape trembled on top of the mossy wood.
It was a helpless wolf pup.
He was small enough to fit inside a single loaf of bread.
His muddy fur was plastered flat against his emaciated body.
The whimpering pup tried to stand on his unsteady paws.
His tiny claws scrabbled uselessly against the wet bark of the log.
He slipped sideways with a sharp yelp.
Half of his frail body dangled right over the rushing rapids.
Another yelp escaped his throat.
I looked around the darkening forest for any sign of his pack.
There were no adult wolves anywhere in sight across the tree line.
The mother was nowhere to be found.
My feet remained rooted to the frozen dirt.
I had barely enough dried meat stored to keep myself fed through the winter.
Winter in this harsh wilderness offered no mercy for the unprepared.
I could not afford to care for a wild beast under any circumstances.
But then the pup’s bright amber eyes locked onto mine across the water.
My hands fumbled with the leather laces of my winter boots.
I tossed my boots onto the slippery river bank.
My woolen cloak followed immediately after.
The river water hit my bare skin.
The shock forced the air from my burning lungs.
My chattering teeth clamped down hard on my lower lip.
I forced my numb feet forward into the rocky current.
The current tore at my soaked skirt.
The clinging fabric acted like a lead weight pulling me downstream.
I stumbled on the moss-covered stones.
My knees slammed against a submerged rock.
A blinding pain shot up my right leg.
I bit my tongue and refused to give up.
I forced myself upright again against the crushing weight of the river.
The water was waist-deep now.
My fingers went numb from the freezing temperature.
The log shifted ominously with a groan under the pressure of the current.
The helpless pup whimpered even louder.
I lunged forward in pure desperation.
My raw hands grasped the rough bark of the log.
The tiny wolf bared his needle-like teeth at my approaching face.
His whole body vibrated from the bone-deep cold.
I ignored the warning growl rumbling in his chest.
I scooped the shivering bundle into my arms.
He was light.
I held him tight against my trembling chest.
His rapid little heartbeat pulsed against my goosebump-covered skin.
The journey back to the muddy shore felt like an impossible eternity.
My legs dragged through the churning water.
My numb feet finally hit the soft river bank.
My shaking knees buckled beneath me.
I collapsed onto the muddy ground and gasped for air.
I wrapped my dry cloak around the shivering pup.
I carried him back to the dark cabin hidden in the woods.
The stone hearth still held a few glowing embers from the early morning.
I coaxed the small fire back to life.
The exhausted pup nestled deep into my worn blankets by the warmth.
His bright amber eyes fluttered shut in deep sleep.
I stayed awake all night watching his chest rise and fall.
The suffocating weight on my chest lifted just a bit.
Dawn broke with a cold gray light filtering through the dirty glass.
A thunderous knock shattered the morning silence.
The heavy wooden door rattled in its old frame.
My racing heart slammed against my ribs.
I grabbed my heavy iron fire poker with white-knuckled hands.
I crept slowly toward the main entrance.
I slid the rusted iron deadbolt back with a loud clank.
I pulled the creaking wooden door open just a cautious fraction.
A towering man stood on my rotting wooden porch.
His broad shoulders blocked out the weak morning sunlight.
He wore thick dark leathers that smelled of pine and rain.
The harsh angles of his chiseled face betrayed zero mercy.
It was Cole.
The notorious alpha king of the northern pack.
His piercing golden eyes stared directly at the tiny pup resting by my fire.
Those powerful ancient eyes lifted to meet my own wide gaze.
A dangerous primal rumble resonated from his muscular chest.
You have something that belongs to me.
