Chapter 3 The Girl In The Woods

Gabriel's POV

I noticed her long before I touched her.

Long before I knew her name.

Long before the entire market looked at me like I had just shaken hands with death itself.

The first time I saw her was three months ago.

It was raining that night.

Not ordinary rain either. It was the kind that soaked through skin and bone, carrying the scent of wet earth and storm across the forest. I had been returning from the southern borders after settling a dispute between two smaller packs.

Darius kept talking beside me about patrol routes and warriors, but my wolf had stopped listening.

Because something strange entered the air.

A scent.

Soft jasmine. Winter smoke. And sadness.

That was the only way I could describe it.

Sadness.

My wolf reacted instantly.

Every muscle inside me tightened as the scent drifted through the trees. I remember slowing my horse unconsciously, searching the darkness around us.

Then I saw her.

A girl standing near the river.

Her dark cloak covered most of her body while rain poured heavily around her, but even from a distance, something about her felt wrong.

Not dangerous.

Lonely.

She stood completely still beside the rushing water, staring at her reflection like she hated the person looking back at her.

I should have left.

Instead, I watched her.

The moonlight slipped through the clouds for only a second, but it was enough for me to catch sight of her face.

Beautiful.

Not the polished beauty pack women spent hours creating for festivals and gatherings.

No.

Her beauty was quiet. Painful. The kind that made a man stop breathing without understanding why.

Then she looked up suddenly.

Straight toward me.

Even through the rain, I saw fear flash across her face before she disappeared into the forest.

I never forgot her after that.

For weeks, I caught traces of her scent near Moonridge territory. Sometimes during patrols. Sometimes during hunts. Always faint enough to disappear before I could follow properly.

It irritated me more than I cared to admit.

Because I wanted to find her again.

And I didn't know why.

"Gabriel."

Darius's voice pulled me back to the present.

I glanced toward him from across my office.

My Beta leaned against the wooden wall with crossed arms, watching me carefully.

"You've been staring at the same paper for ten minutes."

I looked down at the untouched documents spread across my desk.

Right.

Work.

I exhaled slowly before leaning back in my chair.

Nightfang Pack depended on me for everything. Protection. Leadership. Stability.

I didn't have time to think about mysterious women hiding in forests.

Yet somehow, that was exactly what I had been doing since leaving her cabin.

Darius narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This is about the cursed girl."

Not a question.

A statement.

I remained silent.

That alone answered him.

His expression darkened immediately.

"You need to stay away from her."

My wolf growled softly inside me at the words.

Interesting.

Usually my wolf ignored conversations like this unless danger was involved.

But the mention of Gina alone had him restless.

Protective.

I hated how much that unsettled me.

"She's dangerous," Darius continued carefully. "You heard the stories."

"I did."

"And you still touched her."

I remembered the feel of her wrist beneath my fingers.

Warm. Soft. Trembling.

My jaw tightened.

"Yes."

Darius stared at me like he no longer recognized his Alpha.

"You could've died."

"But I didn't."

"That doesn't mean the curse isn't real."

I stood from my chair and walked toward the large window overlooking the training grounds outside.

Warriors moved below with swords and spears while torches burned against the dark evening sky.

Everything looked normal.

But my instincts had been screaming since this afternoon.

Because something about Gina wasn't normal.

Not the curse.

Not the fear in her eyes.

Not the way my wolf reacted to her.

I had touched hundreds of women before.

None affected me like this.

None made my wolf pace endlessly beneath my skin.

Darius sighed behind me.

"You're thinking about her again."

"Yes."

"At least you're honest."

I almost smirked.

Darius had known me since we were boys. There was little I could hide from him.

Unfortunately for both of us, that also meant he noticed when something truly mattered to me.

And Gina mattered far more than she should.

"She's alone," I said quietly.

Darius frowned.

"What?"

"That cabin." I turned toward him. "Did you see the condition it was in?"

He shrugged slightly.

"It looked abandoned."

"Exactly."

Something dark twisted inside my chest remembering the emptiness in her home.

No family scent. No warmth. No signs of visitors.

Just silence.

A woman that young shouldn't look that lonely.

"She's feared for a reason," Darius argued. "People don't isolate someone without cause."

"Fear makes people cruel."

He studied me carefully then.

"You already care about her."

The words landed heavily.

Maybe because they were true.

I looked away.

Darius cursed under his breath.

"This is bad."

"I know."

"No, Gabriel, you don't." He pushed away from the wall sharply. "If the elders hear about this, they'll lose their minds."

I almost laughed.

The elders feared anything they couldn't control.

A cursed woman who somehow survived alone for years?

They would absolutely see her as a threat.

"She needs protection," I said.

"She needs distance."

I met his stare coldly.

"She's not our enemy."

"You don't know that."

Neither did he.

The room fell silent for several seconds before Darius finally spoke again.

"There's something else."

My instincts sharpened instantly.

"What?"

"The market incident spread faster than expected."

Of course it did.

News traveled like fire between packs.

Especially scandalous news.

"What are people saying?"

"That you touched the cursed girl and survived."

I crossed my arms.

"And?"

"And some believe it means the Moon Goddess has chosen her."

That wasn't good.

Religious rumors created chaos quickly among wolves.

Especially when curses were involved.

"What do the priests think?"

Darius hesitated.

That alone told me enough.

"They're afraid," he admitted quietly.

Interesting.

Priests rarely feared ordinary things.

Before I could respond, a sharp knock echoed against the office door.

"Enter."

One of my warriors stepped inside quickly before bowing.

"Alpha."

"What is it?"

"The Moonridge elders are requesting a meeting tomorrow morning."

Darius and I exchanged a look instantly.

This was about Gina.

It had to be.

"Did they say why?" I asked.

"No, Alpha. But they sounded... nervous."

I dismissed the warrior with a nod before silence returned again.

Darius rubbed his face tiredly.

"They're going to ask you to stay away from her."

"They can ask."

His eyes narrowed.

"You're not listening to them."

"No."

I answered too quickly.

Too honestly.

Darius stared at me for a long moment before muttering, "You're serious."

More serious than I should be.

That realization settled heavily inside my chest.

Because this wasn't normal behavior for me.

I didn't chase women.

I didn't obsess over strangers.

And I definitely didn't ignore danger signs.

Yet here I was thinking about the frightened look in Gina's eyes instead of handling pack business.

I remembered the moment I touched her in the market.

Everyone expected death.

Even her.

But the second our skin met, my wolf had gone completely still.

Not threatened.

Not afraid.

Recognizing.

As if some hidden part of him already knew her.

A slow knock interrupted my thoughts again.

This time, the scent reached me first.

Moon incense.

Priestess Selene.

Darius muttered a curse under his breath.

"Perfect timing."

The door opened before permission was given.

Selene entered gracefully in silver robes, pale hair falling over one shoulder while moon symbols glowed faintly against her skin.

Most wolves respected her.

Some feared her more than Alphas.

Her icy gaze landed on me immediately.

"You touched the cursed girl."

Straight to the point.

I nodded once.

Selene's expression darkened.

"That was foolish."

"I survived."

"For now."

Darius shifted uncomfortably beside me.

I watched Selene carefully.

"You know something."

Her silence confirmed it.

Interesting.

Selene walked closer slowly, moon charms around her wrists clinking softly.

"The girl should have died years ago."

Something cold entered my chest at her words.

"She's still alive."

"She was never meant to be."

My wolf snarled violently.

The reaction shocked even me.

Selene noticed.

Her eyes sharpened instantly.

"Oh no."

Darius frowned. "What?"

But Selene kept staring at me.

At my eyes. My posture. The restless energy beneath my skin.

Then realization crossed her face.

"You've formed a bond."

I stiffened immediately.

Impossible.

Mate bonds didn't form this quickly.

Did they?

"That's not possible," Darius said instantly.

Selene looked almost disturbed now.

"It shouldn't be."

A strange tension filled the room.

Then she spoke the words that made my blood run cold.

"You need to stay away from that girl, Alpha Gabriel."

Her voice dropped lower.

"Because if the Moon Goddess realizes the curse failed..."

She paused.

For the first time since entering the room, genuine fear appeared in her eyes.

"She will come for both of you."