A STRANGER'S BED

Evan’s POV

People call me a lot of things, cold headed, heartless ,emotionless and calculating. They don’t know that those words are shields I’ve learned to wear. I am Evan Cooker, Alpha of my pack, and I carry my authority like a shadow, silent but impossible to escape.

A few weeks ago, something unusual caught my attention. A faint whiff of human scent drifted into my territory from the direction of the woods. I thought it was nothing, probably a hiker or some unfortunate soul lost in the wrong part of town. But then, one night during my patrol, I noticed it again. And this time, it was stronger.

Following the scent, I found myself standing at the edge of a small clearing where a little wooden house sat, leaning slightly to one side. No one had lived here for years, everyone knew it was abandoned after its last owner mysteriously disappeared.

Who would be foolish enough to live here? I asked myself.

Night after night, I returned. Not out of duty, but curiosity. And then I saw her, the human girl. She couldn’t have been more than her early twenties, with a dog that followed her everywhere

I watched the way she treated that dog, how she spoke to it like it was her only family. I noticed she planted small saplings in the yard every few days, like she was determined to bring life to a place everyone had forgotten.

I didn’t understand why I kept coming back time after time. I told myself to stop, but every night I found myself in the same spot, hidden in the trees, watching her from a distance.

One night I couldn’t make it, I sent my Beta, Brooklyn my right hand man.

“Brooklyn,” I’d ordered him once, “keep your distance but make sure she’s safe. Rogues are always on the prowl at night.”

Brooklyn had raised a brow at me that night. “Safe? Since when do you care about?”

I cut him off with a look. “Just do it.”

Truth was, no one had seen me take an interest in anyone since… Well, since the last time I made the mistake of letting someone close.

The turning point came one evening when I overheard two of my pack members Ivan and Chuks whispering.the human girl in the woods,” Ivan said with a smirk. “I say we pay her a little visit. Might scare her enough to pack up and leave.”

They didn’t know I was close enough to hear. My wolf stirred in my chest, a low growl rumbling through me, I didn’t waste time. I had to follow them, making sure they didn’t catch my scent until they were almost at her door.

That’s when I heard the deep, frantic barking of her dog, echoing into the night.

“Idiots,” I muttered under my breath. “She’ll run straight into trouble.”

And then I saw her, she came running, barefoot, her hair wild, eyes wide with fear and for the first time, I saw her up close.

She was breathtaking with milky skin, full lips I wanted to taste, and a face that carried strength despite her panic. Something inside me, the part I thought was long dead recognized her instantly as mine, My Luna.

She watched, horrified, as my body shifted, my bones snapping, fur spilling out, my wolf form emerging in front of her.

She tried to run but stumbled, hitting the ground hard. All I could hear was her scream which tore through the night, and strange as it sounds it was music to my ears.

I looked at Brooklyn, no words needed. He knew my command and dragged Ivan and Chuks back to the pack while I scooped her into my arms. She was trembling, breathing fast, but I held her gently.

I carried her to my room and placed her in my bed, she looked beautiful and so appetizing that I wanted to eat her up.

Elizabeth’s POV

When I woke up, my first thought was Pinky, my pinky I called her name, but there was no response, only the sound of my own voice echoing in a room I didn’t recognize.

It was huge, and the bed alone could fit ten people my size also the sheets were smooth and smelled faintly of pine and something else… something warm. The air was cool, but the scent made me feel oddly safe

This was definitely not my stepmother’s doing, if she ever wanted me in a bed like this, it would be to suffocate me in it

I tried to sit up but pain shot through my shoulders and waist. My head throbbed, and when I reached up, my fingers touched bandages and memories flooded back, oh the wolves, the transformation, the golden eyes that had burned into mine.

I Panic and swung my legs over the side and tried to stand but the room tilted. Still, I forced myself toward the door and I noticed it was locked.

The click of the handle startled me because I thought I was imagining things but then, the door opened to reveal a tall man, not the one from the woods, but still imposing.

“How do you feel?” he asked

“Where TF am I? What’s going on? Why do I have bruises? And what the hell am I doing here?” The questions spilled out of me all at once.

He sighed. “I’m not the one you should be asking, I only came to check on you.”

“Then who should I be asking?” My voice sharpened. “And who are you?”

“Brooklyn,” he said simply, “Beta of the pack.”

"Pack?, how? I echoed, My mind was spinning.

I decided right then that I was getting out of here. If I could escape Marian without her knowing, I could escape this too.

“I need the restroom,” I said, keeping my tone calm.

He pointed. “Over there.”

“Are you just going to stand there?” I asked. “A little privacy?"