Chapter 2 The Alpha Who Lived

I jerked my hand away from him so quickly my wrist burned.

The crowd stumbled backward as if death itself had appeared in the market.

But nobody died.

Not him.

Not anyone.

The silence around us felt unnatural.

Terrifying.

I stared at Gabriel like he was some impossible creature sent to haunt me. My chest rose sharply with each breath while panic clawed at my throat.

This had never happened before.

Never.

Every man who touched me suffered.

Some instantly. Some minutes later.

But it always happened.

Always.

Yet Alpha Gabriel Knight stood before me completely unharmed.

Alive.

Strong.

Looking at me like I was the one breaking apart instead of him.

"What are you?" I whispered before I could stop myself.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

The people around us remained frozen in fear. Nobody dared to move closer. Even Gabriel's warriors looked disturbed.

One of them finally stepped forward carefully.

"Alpha… we should leave."

Gabriel ignored him.

His silver eyes stayed on me, sharp and unreadable.

I hated the way my body reacted to that stare.

The heat crawling beneath my skin. The strange pull in my chest.

Wolves recognized danger instinctively.

So why didn't mine want to run from him?

Instead, it wanted to stay.

That frightened me more than anything.

"You need to stay away from me," I said quickly, taking another step back. "Whatever happened just now… it changes nothing."

"It changes everything," he replied calmly.

My pulse stumbled.

No.

He didn't understand.

Nobody ever did.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then explain it to me."

"I can't."

Because I didn't understand it myself.

Gabriel took one slow step closer.

The crowd immediately panicked again.

"Alpha!" "She'll kill you!" "Don't touch her again!"

His expression darkened slightly at their words.

Not fear.

Anger.

At them.

I swallowed hard.

Why would he defend me?

He didn't even know me.

"Go home," he said quietly.

I blinked.

"What?"

"You're frightened."

The softness in his voice caught me off guard.

No one had spoken to me gently in years.

Not since my mother died.

It made something painful tighten inside my chest.

"I don't need your concern," I muttered.

Gabriel studied me silently for a moment before crouching to pick up the apples scattered across the ground.

The entire market looked horrified watching their mighty Alpha touch something that belonged to me.

As if death would jump from the fruit onto his skin.

I quickly bent down too.

"Don't," I snapped.

Our hands brushed accidentally.

A sharp gasp escaped my throat.

Nothing happened.

Again.

Gabriel slowly lifted his eyes to mine.

I immediately pulled away like I had been burned.

My wolf stirred restlessly inside me.

Confused. Awake. Drawn to him.

No.

No, this was wrong.

I grabbed the basket from the ground and hurried backward.

"You need to forget this happened."

"I don't think I can."

My chest tightened.

"Why?"

His gaze held mine fully now.

"Because I can't stop looking at you."

The words hit me harder than they should have.

Heat rushed painfully into my cheeks.

I turned away before he could see it.

This was dangerous.

Men had flirted with me before the curse became known. Some had smiled at me exactly like this.

Every single one died.

I refused to let it happen again.

Without another word, I hurried through the crowd while people scrambled out of my path.

But I could still feel him watching me.

Every step.

Every breath.

Like his eyes were burned into my back.

By the time I reached the forest path near my cabin, my hands were shaking badly.

I pushed open the wooden door and locked it immediately before leaning against it heavily.

Silence filled the small house.

The same silence that had followed me for years.

Usually it comforted me.

Tonight it didn't.

I looked down at my wrist.

The place where Gabriel touched me still felt warm.

My breathing became uneven again.

Why didn't he die?

I walked quickly toward the cracked mirror hanging near the fireplace.

Dark hair. Pale skin. Fear in my eyes.

Same as always.

Nothing about me had changed.

So why had the curse failed?

A loud knock suddenly echoed through the cabin.

I froze instantly.

Nobody visited me.

Ever.

Another knock came.

Slow. Heavy.

My heart began pounding violently.

"Who is it?" I called carefully.

A familiar deep voice answered.

"Gabriel."

My stomach dropped.

What was he doing here?

I stayed completely still.

Maybe if I ignored him, he would leave.

Instead, his voice came again.

"I know you're inside."

Of course he did.

Werewolves could hear heartbeats.

I clenched my fists tightly.

"Go away."

"No."

Frustration flashed through me.

Why was he so stubborn?

"You shouldn't be here."

"Probably not."

The amusement in his voice only irritated me more.

I marched toward the door before unlocking it violently.

"What is wrong with you?" I snapped the moment the door opened. "Do you have some death wish?"

Gabriel stood outside beneath the fading evening light, hands resting calmly inside his coat pockets.

Even in darkness, he looked powerful.

Dangerously beautiful.

It annoyed me.

"You're angry," he observed.

"You followed me home!"

"Yes."

I stared at him in disbelief.

At least he admitted it shamelessly.

"You need to leave before something happens to you."

He tilted his head slightly.

"But nothing happened."

"Not yet."

Silence stretched between us.

Then his expression shifted subtly.

More serious now.

"Tell me about the curse."

Fear immediately tightened inside my chest.

"No."

"Gina—"

"Don't say my name."

The words came out sharper than intended.

Something flickered across his face.

Hurt.

Why would that affect him?

We were strangers.

"You shouldn't care about this," I whispered tiredly. "People around me die. That's all you need to know."

Gabriel stared at me for a long moment before speaking again.

"I don't believe you're dangerous."

I almost laughed.

"You should."

"Should I?"

His voice lowered slightly.

"Because right now, the only frightened person I see is you."

My throat tightened painfully.

I hated how easily he saw through me.

Years of isolation. Fear. Loneliness.

All exposed beneath his stare.

I looked away quickly.

"You need to leave."

Instead of arguing, Gabriel stepped backward slowly.

Relief almost hit me.

Then he spoke again.

"I'll come back tomorrow."

Panic immediately returned.

"No, you won't."

"Yes," he said simply.

"You don't understand"

"I understand enough."

His silver eyes locked onto mine once more.

"And I think you've been alone for far too long."

Before I could answer, he turned and disappeared into the dark forest.

Leaving me standing frozen in the doorway.

For the first time in years…

I was more afraid of a man living than dying.