Chapter 5

ISABELLA'S POV

The last thing I felt was the witch's cold fingers against my face as the magic worked its way through my bones. I tried to remain awake, but the strange warmth spreading beneath my skin grew heavier with every passing moment. Eventually, my head sank against the chair, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Morning sunlight creeping through the gaps in the wooden walls woke me.

The witch was gone, and the cabin had returned to its dusty, abandoned state. The crooked chair stood beside the fireplace, the floorboards were cracked, and the room was silent except for the rustling leaves outside.

For a moment, I wondered whether the events of the previous night had been a dream.

Then I noticed a small table beside the chair.

A loaf of bread, a flask of water, a folded dress, a cloak, and a pair of boots rested on it. The witch had left me everything I needed to continue my journey.

I rose and touched my face. My features felt unfamiliar beneath my fingertips, so I picked up the small mirror beside the clothes.

The woman staring back at me was a stranger.

My cheekbones were more pronounced, my jaw had changed shape, and my nose looked entirely different. The witch hadn't hidden my old appearance behind an illusion. She had reshaped the bones beneath my skin, just as she had promised.

I examined my reflection from different angles, searching for something familiar.

My eyes remained unchanged, carrying the same colour and unmistakable presence that belonged to me and Nia. My appearance was different, but I was still myself.

A smile spread across my face.

I could finally travel without constantly worrying about someone recognising me. I could find work, earn money, and build a life somewhere new without my past following me through every door.

I dressed in the clothes the witch had provided, pulled the cloak around my shoulders, and packed the bread and water. Then I stepped outside and followed the narrow trail leading away from the cabin.

The morning air was cold, carrying the scent of damp soil and pine. Sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the moss and fallen leaves beneath my boots. I hoped the trail would eventually lead me to a settlement where I could find food and somewhere to stay.

Then I caught the scent of blood.

I stopped and drew in another breath. The metallic smell was faint at first, but it grew stronger as the wind shifted through the trees.

Nia's instincts stirred within me, urging me to follow it. Whoever was bleeding had lost a considerable amount of blood, and the trail led away from the path.

I followed it through the undergrowth until the trees grew closer together and the ground began to slope downward.

I shifted into my wolf, my chocolate-brown fur brushing against the ferns as I lowered my nose to the ground. The familiar transformation came naturally, and the scents around me sharpened. I could follow the blood more easily now, tracing it between fallen branches and around the roots of old trees.

Along the way, I passed a small cave tucked between two rocky outcrops. I slowed to examine the entrance. It was sheltered from the wind and deep enough to offer protection from the elements. I continued following the scent, keeping the cave in mind in case I needed shelter.

A short distance farther, I found him.

A man lay beneath an old pine tree, his clothes torn and soaked with blood. A dark pool had spread beneath his body, and one hand rested against his chest, where a deep wound had torn through his shirt.

I lifted my head and examined the surrounding woods.

No footsteps approached. No voices carried through the trees. I couldn't tell whether his attackers were still nearby, so I approached cautiously.

He was still breathing, though barely.

I shifted back into my human form and knelt beside him. His skin was pale, and his breaths were so shallow that I had to watch his chest to be certain he was still alive.

“Can you hear me?”

His eyelids fluttered. When his eyes opened, they moved uncertainly across my face before settling on me.

“Please...” he whispered.

His fingers caught weakly at my sleeve.

“Don't let them...”

He struggled to finish the sentence, his breathing becoming more laboured.

“Don't let them kill me.”

His grip loosened, and his eyes closed.

I immediately checked his pulse. It was faint, but it was still there.

I couldn't leave him exposed in the woods. The cave I'd passed was the nearest shelter, and moving him there was my only option.

I worked my arms beneath his shoulders and began dragging him toward the rocks. His weight made the task difficult, and I had to stop several times to adjust my grip. By the time I reached the cave, my arms ached from the effort, and blood had smeared across my hands.

I dragged him inside and lowered him carefully onto the ground.

His breathing remained faint.

I pressed a clean section of my cloak against the wound to slow the bleeding. I had no proper medical supplies, but I knew enough about herbs to try to help him.

For the next six days, the cave became my home.

The bread and water the witch had left me ran out quickly. After that, I survived on mountain fruits and water from a nearby stream. I had to travel farther each day to find food, but I never stayed away for long in case the stranger's condition worsened.

His wound was deep, and his fever troubled him throughout the first few days. I gathered medicinal herbs from the mountains, relying on what my mother had taught me when I was young. I crushed suitable leaves between stones to make a paste for his wound and built a small fire to heat water in a shallow hollow among the rocks. The bitter herbal mixtures helped me care for him, while the warm water allowed me to clean the wound and rinse the cloth I used to cover it.

Whenever his fever rose, I stayed beside him and monitored his breathing. When it eased, I searched for more herbs and food, making sure I returned before darkness settled over the mountains.

By the sixth day, his fever had finally subsided, though the wound was far from healed.

I was sorting the herbs I'd gathered when movement behind me caught my attention.

The stranger was awake.

He had managed to raise himself against the cave wall, but his face was pale, and one hand remained pressed protectively against his bandaged chest. His breathing was uneven, and the effort of sitting upright seemed to exhaust him. His gaze moved anxiously around the cave before settling on me.

“Easy,” I said, moving closer. “You've been unconscious for six days. You need to lie back before you strain your wound.”

He lowered himself against the rocks, wincing as he moved.

“Where's my horse?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“I found you alone in the woods. There was no horse nearby.”

He closed his eyes briefly, as though the question had brought back an unpleasant memory.

“Bandits attacked me while I was returning from a business trip. They took my horse and everything I had with me, then left me there to bleed to death.”

He paused, struggling to draw a comfortable breath before continuing.

“I was trying to take a shortcut through the mountains. I thought I'd save time, but I never imagined I'd end up like this.”

I listened without interrupting. Even talking seemed to wear him out, and he kept one hand against his chest as though the pressure eased the pain.

After drinking some water, he looked at me again.

“My name is Terrence,” he said. “I'm Alpha Terrence, of the Blue Moon Clan in the south.”

I stared at him, momentarily speechless.

An Alpha.

I had spent six days nursing an Alpha back to health without knowing who he was. The revelation changed my understanding of the stranger lying in front of me, though it did nothing to make his condition less concerning.

Terrence seemed to notice my surprise, but he didn't question it. He shifted slightly against the rocks, then stopped with a grimace, his face tightening from the pain.

“You saved my life,” he said quietly. “I don't know how to thank you for staying here and caring for me when you had no reason to.”

I glanced at the bandages around his chest. He was still weak, and he would need more time before he could travel safely.

Alpha Terrence met my eyes.

“How can I repay you?”