He was breathing hard too. His eyes flicked to my face, then my lips, then away again. But it was too late.

That moment when he touched me, it felt like something unlocked. Like a dam breaking open somewhere in my chest.

And it scared the hell out of me.

“I’m not what you think I am,” he said finally, his voice quieter now. “And if you knew what I was… you’d run.”

“You don’t know me,” I said.

He turned fully now, looking at me like he was trying to decide if I was a threat or a lifeline.

“I know enough,” he murmured. “You don’t belong in this place. With us. With me.”

“I didn’t come here to belong,” I snapped, my voice cracking. “I came here to survive from my past and help athletes.”

He flinched.

And then, something inside him shifted.

He stepped closer again. His hand lifted slightly, as if reaching for me, then dropped back to his side.

“I can’t let myself want this,” he said.

I didn’t ask what “this” meant. I already knew.

Neither of us moved.

The tension between us felt like a string stretched to breaking. The space where a kiss could happen but doesn’t.

And it was him who walked away first.

“What was wrong with me” I asked no one in particular

Kael

***Alone ***

My hands were still shaking.

The wolf wasn’t just stirring anymore. He was clawing at the surface, demanding answers I didn’t have.

She smelled like moonlight. And the second I touched her, it was like my bones remembered her even if my mind didn’t.

She was something more. Not just a woman. Not just a healer.

She was a trigger.

And if I wasn’t careful, she’d unravel everything I’d kept buried.

I had to stay away.

Except I already knew It won't be easy

Sasha

***Later That Night***

The ache in my wrist was subtle.

I sat in the small clinic room they’d given me, replaying every second of what happened.

His voice. His touch. The way he looked at me...like he was torn between kissing me and throwing me into the snow to keep me safe.

He said I wasn’t normal either.

But what the hell did that mean?

What did he see in me that I couldn’t?

I didn’t know if I was

more scared of Kael Darius…

Or the way I already wanted to touch him again.

Sasha

***The next day***

I was getting used to the cold.

Not just the air, but the people. The players still didn’t talk much, but they listened. Talon nodded when I asked him to stretch. Bray gave me a smirk when I cracked his back into place. Even the coaches had stopped treating me like I was made of glass.

Progress.

Kael, though?

Kael was another story entirely.

He kept his distance. Mostly For the past few hours, his expression unreadable. Like he wanted to come closer but didn’t trust himself to. Like he was fighting something only he could hear.

We were alone in the recovery room after team training. I was organizing ice packs, pretending not to notice that he’d stayed behind.

“You should stretch more,” I said without turning. “You’re favoring your left hip.”

“I’m fine,” he replied.

“You’re limping.”

He didn’t respond.

I turned, finally. “Kael. Sit down.”

To my surprise, he did. Right on the mat, legs extended, arms behind him.

I crouched beside him and reached for his leg. He flinched, but not from pain. From the contact.

“Still nervous I’ll break you?” I teased gently.

His jaw ticked. “Not the breaking I’m worried about....”

“What then?”

He looked at me. Really looked.

And for a second, I forgot what air felt like.

“I don’t know what this is,” he said quietly. “You. Me. The way it pulls.”

I swallowed.

“Then stop pulling.”

“I can’t.”

My hand rested on his thigh, dangerously close to his hip. His body was warm. Almost hot, even through his sweatpants. He tensed under my palm, but didn’t pull away.

“You’re burning up,” I murmured.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s something.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but something in his posture snapped. spine straight, nose lifted slightly. His head turned, like he heard something I didn’t.

“What is it?” I asked.

His lips parted. “We’re not alone.”

I froze. Looked around. The room was empty.

But then, just faintly, I heard it.

A voice. No louder than breath.

**“She doesn’t belong with you, Kael. She never will.”**

My blood ran cold.

“Did you hear that?” I whispered.

He stood quickly. “Stay behind me.”

The shadows in the corner of the room shifted. The lights flickered once, then steadied. And the temperature dropped so fast my breath turned white.

I stared into the dark, heart hammering.

“Kael…” I whispered.

The voice returned, stronger now, laced with venom.

**“You were mine. You still are. Wolf girl will change that.”**

Kael’s fists clenched. His body vibrated like a storm barely contained.

“You need to leave, Sasha,” he said, voice tight.

“I’m not...”

“Go. Now.”

I stepped back. The lights above buzzed louder, flickering again.

And then I saw her.

Just for a second. A flicker in the mirror across the room.

A woman, tall, eyes glowing like the sun, hair whiter than snow... She really looked like a goddess..

And now gone before I could even blink.

Kael

***Alone with the Storm**

I should’ve known she’d come.

And now she was watching closely.

Marking Sasha as a threat.

I could feel Sasha’s scent fading as she ran down the hall. Could feel her confusion, her fear.

**You can’t have her,** She growled into the silence again.

**“She will ruin you, Kael. She’s already starting to.”**

“You’re not supposed to be here, you were never meant to have a mate.” I growled

**“ That doesn't stop me from destroing her.”**

I slammed my fist into the wall and didn’t stop until the pain grounded me again.

Sasha

***That Night**

I couldn’t sleep.

The voice kept echoing in my head.

“She doesn’t belong with you, Kael…”

Who the hell was she?

Why did she sound… *wrong*? Like something not meant to speak in this world.

And why was Kael so afraid?

There was something going on in Frost Hollow. Something no one was telling me.

And no matter how close I try to get with these people… I was starting to wonder if I’d ever really be part of this place.

Or if I’d just stumbled into a secret that wanted me dead.

And why did she mention I was a wolf....