1

The hills are unusually quiet today. There have been rumors of werewolf sightings near the border. I don’t believe it. No one has ever seen a werewolf before, but the fear is enough to keep people indoors.

I rub my palms together. The evening sun is sinking behind the hills. I wouldn’t have come out here alone, but Rusty has gone out to the woods since day break, it's almost 6pm, and he's not back yet

The last time I saw him, he was chasing a squirrel into the trees.

Three hours later, my throat was raw from shouting his name, and the woods had turned into a labyrinth of shadows. The fading sunlight did nothing to calm my nerves especially when the howls started.

Not coyotes. Something deeper. Something… wrong.

I should’ve turned back.

But then I heard a whimper.

“Rusty?” I crashed through the underbrush, leaves slapping my face

And frozen. 

There, in a clearing, my golden retriever was crouched low, his tail tucked between his legs. Standing over him was… 

"What the hell is that?" Its golden eyes locked onto mine, and for a heartbeat, I swore it… smiiled. Then it lunged. 

Not at Rusty, at me.

I screamed as it knocked me onto my back, its massive paws pinning my shoulders. Hot breath hit my face, reeking of raw meat and something wilder, something that made my skin prickle with dread. 

It stumbles back, shaking its head like it’s trying to dislodge my scent.  Then, a crack of bones. The wolf’s body twists, contorts

And a man stands in its place.  

Tall. Black leather jacket. Hair pulled back, two strands loose over a face carved from nightmares.  

His eyes glow.  Not a man. Not human. I clutched Rusty against my chest, scrambling backward until my spine hit a tree.

He moves like smoke, closing the distance in one stride. A hand, too long, too sharp, grabs my jaw.  

He breathed his scent into my face, his head tilting nearer, so close. His lips almost brushed my skin as he muttered, "You're mine," like he was ordering lunch.   

Irritation flared. I spat right in his face. "I belong to no one."

His grip tightened. Then he laughed, low and dark. I twisted free, stumbling to my feet. I ran.  

A snarl ripped through the air.  

Something struck the back of my skull.  

Pain. Darkness.

The last thing I saw was those golden eyes, watching me fall.  

I’m going to die.

_____________

Consciousness returns in fragments.*

First pain.  A throbbing drumbeat behind my left eye.  

Second, cold. Stone beneath my bare legs. The rough scrape of rope around my wrists.  

Third, scent. Musk and leather and something wild, clinging to the fur draped over me.  

Wolf fur.

I bolt upright. The room spins. 

Rusty isn’t here.  

The chamber is small, windowless, lit by a single oil lamp. The walls are carved with strange symbols—claw marks, maybe, or some kind of language.  

And the door is open.  

A man leans against the frame, arms crossed. The same one from the woods. The not-human one.  

Kain.

His name slithers into my mind like he whispered it there himself.  

He’s shirtless now, tattoos snaking over his ribs—a twisting pattern of thorns and moons. His eyes gleam in the lamplight, brighter than they should.  

"You spit at an Alpha," he rumbled. "Brave or stupid."

I twisted against the ropes. “Where’s my dog?”  

"Alive.” He pushed off the wall, stepping close enough that I felt his breath on my cheek. “For now.”

The threat coiled low in my stomach. I lunged—or tried to. The ropes bit into my skin, drawing a sharp gasp.  

Kain tsked tilting his head. “Still fighting.” He dragged a calloused finger up my bare arm, igniting a traitorous fire under my skin. "Your blood smells like lightning,” he murmured, nostrils flaring. “Like the second before a storm breaks. I should hate it.”

I jerked away. “Don’t.”

Golden eyes locked onto mine. His lips curled, revealing a hint of sharpened canines. “Lock her up,” he called over his shoulder, voice dripping with false pity. “Until she learns her place.”

“You dare!”

The door slammed shut, cutting me off. I screamed, throwing myself against the ropes until my voice cracked. 

"Let me out!" I screamed, throwing myself against the heavy wood. It didn’t budge.  

Silence.  

I slid down to the floor, my back pressed against the cold stone. 

The room was small—too small. A single torch flickered outside the barred window of the door, casting long shadows across the floor. I didn’t know how much time had passed when I finally heard footsteps. 

My head snapped up.  

The lock clicked, and the door creaked open.  

For a second, my breath caught.  

Kain.

Same sharp jaw, same dark hair tied back. But the way he looked at me—  

His eyes weren’t cold. They burned.  

I scrambled back. "You’re not him."