Waking To A Stranger’s World

Chapter 3: Waking to a Stranger’s World

Nora’s POV

My eyes fluttered open slowly.

A sharp ache spread through my body, but something soft cradled me.

Where am I?

I blinked, trying to focus.

White walls. A small room with a window letting in pale light.

I tried to sit up.

Pain flared in my ankle.

I bit my lip and leaned back.

Suddenly, a soft knock came at the door.

The door opened quietly, and a woman walked in.

She smiled gently.

“Ah, you’re awake. Good.”

I looked at her, confusion clouding my mind.

“Where… where am I?” I whispered, my voice weak.

The woman stepped closer.

“You’re safe here,” she said. “I’m the healer.”

I frowned.

“Who… who brought me here?”

She paused, then answered, “The Alpha.”

“Alpha?” I repeated slowly.

She nodded.

“Yes. His name is Axel. He found you in the forest.”

My heart jumped.

Axel? The man I had never met… the stranger who saved me.

I tried to remember what happened after I ran away.

The forest.

The rogues.

That powerful man who appeared out of nowhere.

I looked at the healer again.

“What… what kind of man is he?”

The healer smiled faintly, but there was sadness in her eyes.

“Axel is the Alpha of this pack. The strongest, the most feared.”

I swallowed hard.

“Feared?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“He is cold. Hard. Since he lost his mate, he barely speaks to anyone.”

I blinked, surprised.

“Lost his mate?”

The healer’s eyes darkened a little.

“Yes. Her name was Lilian. He loved her deeply. But she is gone.”

I felt a strange ache in my chest.

The woman continued, I could remember him calling Lillian, so?

“The Alpha doesn’t help others often. He is focused on the pack and protecting it. He doesn’t show kindness easily.”

I bit my lip, thinking back to yesterday.

He wasn’t cold when he saved me. Not at all.

But now, I was here, in his world.

A strange place that didn’t feel safe at all.

I looked at the healer, my voice trembling,

“Will he come back?”

The healer shook her head gently.

“You are in the pack house, though not near the Alpha’s quarters or his room. It’s safer here for now.”

I looked at the healer, my voice trembling,

"Will he come back?"

The healer slowly shook her head.

"You are in the pack house, though not close to the quarter or is room."

I felt a shiver slither down the back of my neck.

"Should I… stay here?" I whispered.

She sighed and nodded.

"For now, yes. Safer than being out there by yourself." I nodded slowly.

The healer took out a small bowl and some cloth.

"Let me disinfect your wounds and change your bandages."

I didn't move, the chill of the cloth against my skin making me shiver.

She finished and stepped closer, her voice low.

"Listen carefully, Nora. Axel is not someone to be underestimated."

I glared up at her.

"How did you know my name?"

She smiled gently.

"The Alpha told me to watch you. And you're lucky he saved you at all."

I gulped down a hard swallow.

"Why am I fortunate?"

"Because Axel never helps anyone. Not even women. Since his mate died, he's been alone."

I recalled the male who had saved me.

Hard, taciturn.

Unlike the sadistic Alpha who had rejected me beforehand.

But in this place, I was not safe.

The healer made one final warning.

"Keep your back covered, Nora. Make no mistakes. You don't want to be a thorn in the Alpha's side."

I slowly nodded, fear crawling into my heart.

The healer stood up and moved towards the door.

"If you need something, call for me."

I was left alone, staring at the white walls.

My savior who saved me was the most feared Alpha in the land.

And I was trapped in his frosty world.