Chapter Four

POV: Bella

A deep rumbling growl filled the cabin, low and unnatural, vibrating against the very walls.

My eyes snapped open, my heart slamming into my ribs.

The fire had burned low, leaving the cabin bathed in flickering shadows, and the air had grown thick, charged with something unnatural. A strange energy pressed against my skin, making the fine hairs on my arms stand on end.

I sat up abruptly, my breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. Then I heard it again, a deep, guttural snarl.

My gaze flew to the wolf.

It was shaking.

Its massive form convulsed violently, its limbs twitching, its chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. The low whimpers it let out, sent a chill down my spine.

Something was wrong.

I threw off the blanket and rushed toward the wolf, dropping to my knees.

"Hey," I whispered, my fingers hovering over it burning-hot fur. "Stay with me, big guy."

Its body trembled harder. Its paws clawed at the wooden floor, it fangs bared as another tortured sound left its throat.

My pulse skipped. This wasn’t just pain.

This felt different entirely.

Something is terribly wrong.

Then, all at once, its bones cracked.

I barely had time to react before the air around it shimmered and warped.

The sound of snapping bones and tearing muscle filled the room, so visceral it made my stomach churn.

I staggered back, horrified, as its body twisted and contorted.

This wasn’t a natural shift.

It was violent.

Its fur receded, its limbs stretching, elongating into something unnervingly human.

A scream rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back.

I had seen wolves shift before, but this wasn’t normal.

This was agony.

The energy in the air turned frantic, crackling like a brewing storm. The firelight flickered wildly, shadows dancing across the walls as the final snap of bone echoed through the cabin.

Then, suddenly, everything stopped.

The air fell silent.

My ragged breaths were the only sound, mixing with the faint pop of burning embers.

My entire body locked.

Because where the injured wolf had been…

A man now lay in his place.

Naked. Muscular. Unmistakably familiar.

I wiped my eyes, hoping it was just my imagination. But it was real, he was lying there, helpless.

It was Alpha Sage 

My lungs forgot how to function.

A cold wave of disbelief crashed through me, freezing me in place.

No. No, no, no, this couldn’t be real.

But it was.

Sage lay on his side, his breathing uneven, his body covered in sweat and blood. His dark hair clung to his forehead, damp from the fever that had wracked his body.

He was weaker than I had ever seen him.

And yet… he was still him.

Still the man who had broken me.

Still the man who had thrown me aside like I was worthless.

And now, fate had thrown him at my feet.

My mate.

After four years, he was right here, in my cabin, naked and vulnerable.

My pulse slammed against my ribs.

And I hated myself for how I reacted.

For the way my body instantly recognized him, for the way my breath hitched, for the way my heart clenched in something too sharp, too painful.

Because it was obvious the mate bond didn’t care about the past.

The mate bond didn’t care about rejection.

And that infuriated me.

My nails bit into my palms as I clenched my fists.

Then, slowly, Sage’s eyes flickered open.

Golden-green met my amber eyes.

And just like that, everything between us reignited.

My breath caught.

The air crackled between us, heavy and thick.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Sage blinked slowly, his expression unreadable as he took me in. His eyes, though exhausted, still held that same intensity—that same raw dominance that had once commanded entire packs.

Only now, there was something else.

A broken aura surrounded him.

His gaze traced over my face, over every little detail, as if he was trying to remember. Trying to believe.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry.

Then, he did something that made her heart stop.

He reached for me.

It wasn’t aggressive. It wasn’t dominant.

It was slow. Hesitant.

As if he wasn’t sure if I was real.

Something inside me snapped.

I jerked back, rage crashing into me like a wave.

"Don’t touch me."

My voice came out sharp, venomous.

Sage’s hand dropped immediately.

For the first time, his face changed. A flicker of something, regret, confusion, something too raw to name, crossed his features.

And my chest heaved.

I could feel it.

That pull. That infuriating connection.

I hated it.

I hated him.

Hated myself more for still feeling anything at all.

I needed to get him out of here, now.

I whirled around, grabbing the nearest blanket, and threw it at his face.

"Cover yourself," I snapped. "Then get out."

Sage caught the blanket, but he didn’t move.

My stomach twisted.

Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why wasn’t he arguing? Where was the arrogant Alpha I had known?

I crossed my arms over my chest, nails biting into my skin. "You heard me. I don’t care how you got here. I don’t care why you’re here. You need to leave."

A muscle ticked in Sage’s jaw.

And then, finally—his lips parted.

His voice came out hoarse, strained.

"Bella."

That one word almost shattered me.

I clenched my fists. "Don’t Say My Name."

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. His shoulders tensed, like he was fighting something inside himself.

Then, barely in a low voice above a whisper—he said

"You look different."

My stomach twisted.

I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t feel anything.

But hearing him say that, hearing him acknowledge the time that had passed, the changes that had occurred, it hurt.

I forced herself to lift my chin, to stand taller.

"And you look like a stray dog I should have left in the rain," she shot back.

A ghost of a smirk almost, almost, touched his lips.

But then, his expression changed.

His face drained of color.

His entire body swayed.

My heart lurched.

His knees buckled.

And before she could react—Sage collapsed.

The blanket slipped from his grasp, pooling around him as he crumpled to the floor.

I froze.

Panic surged through me, my body moving before my mind could catch up.

I dropped to my knees beside him, pressing a hand to his sweat-drenched forehead.

He was burning up.

His breath was shallow, weak.

I didn’t want to care.

I didn’t want to feel this.

But I did.

And as I pressed my fingers against his pulse, counting the weak beats, one thought swallowed hlmebwhole.

Alpha Sage was back.

And he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.