Chapter Three – A Wolf in the Wind

The scent hit her like a wall of stone and smoke.

He was still nearby.

Mira dropped to her knees beside the unconscious nurse. She pressed two fingers to the woman’s neck. Her pulse is present but faint. No blood. No signs of trauma. Just… knocked out.

She exhaled shakily.

He didn’t hurt her. He could have, but he didn’t.

“Get me a gurney in Room 9 now!” she barked to a tech as footsteps raced toward her.

“Doctor Lane, what happened?”

“He’s gone,” she snapped. “Sedated and restrained, and somehow he still walked out of here. Find security. Pull the cameras. Check every exit.”

The orderly’s face went pale. “But… we’re five stories up.”

“I don’t care if he grew wings and flew,” she growled, her voice darkening more than it should have. “Find him.”

He nodded and ran.

Mira stood slowly, scanning the room. The leather restraints were shredded, not broken, not unclasped. Shredded.

Her stomach twisted.

Even among wolves, that level of strength was rare.

He didn’t just have power.

He had rage.

The bed was soaked with blood. Not enough to kill him, but enough to make a human faint. And still… he’d gotten up. Walked out.

The scent trail was strong. Too strong.

He wanted her to follow.

She grabbed her coat from the rack by the nurse’s station, ignoring the curious looks. No one stopped her. No one dared.

Outside, the night air hit her like a slap, cold and sharp, laced with the metallic edge of storm clouds.

But under the rain and concrete and city smog, she could still smell him.

Pine. Smoke. A hint of frost.

Grey.

Her wolf surged beneath her skin. Not fully shifting but close. Her senses sharpened. Her heartbeat slowed. Every instinct came roaring back.

It had been so long since she allowed the animal inside her to breathe.

She followed the scent into the alley behind the hospital.

And then she saw him.

Standing in the dark. Shirtless. Barefoot. Blood clinging to his skin like paint.

But not running.

Just waiting.

For her.

Mira’s feet moved on their own. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.

He turned as she approached. The same golden eyes. The same heat that rattled her bones.

“You came,” he said.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she replied hoarsely. “You left me no choice.”

Grey took a step toward her.

She should have backed away. Called for help. Raised a weapon. Anything.

But she didn’t move.

“You healed too fast,” she said, her voice shaking. “You should be in surgery. You had punctures in your lungs….”

“I heal,” he said simply. “That’s what Alphas do.”

She flinched at the word. “You’re not part of a registered pack. Who are you?”

He stared at her for a long moment. “You don’t know me. But I know you, Mira Lane.”

She stiffened. “How?”

“I’ve been searching for you for months,” he murmured. “The moment I caught your scent, I knew.”

Her blood turned cold. “You’re lying.”

“I couldn’t lie if I tried. Not about this. Not about us.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know your real name isn’t Lane. I know you were born under the red moon in the Iceclaw pack. I know you watched them burn.”

Her throat locked.

“I know you’ve been hiding in plain sight,” he continued. “In this hospital. Among humans. Cutting open their bodies because it’s easier than opening your own.”

“Stop,” she whispered.

“I felt you the moment you touched me,” he said. “I’ve waited so long. But I didn’t expect you to be my mate.”

Mira swallowed hard. “There’s no such thing.”

“Liar,” he said gently. “Your wolf is clawing to touch me. Isn’t she?”

A tremble passed through her body.

She hated that he was right.

“I don’t want this,” she said. “I didn’t ask for you.”

“Neither did I,” he whispered. “But here we are.”

Silence fell between them.

The wind rose. The moon crept out from behind the clouds.

And then, something changed.

Grey’s eyes narrowed. He turned his head slightly, sniffing the air.

Mira frowned. “What is it?”

“We’re not alone,” he said darkly. “Someone followed you.”

Before she could respond, a sharp crack rang out,.....a bullet.

Grey lunged forward, grabbing Mira and shoving her behind a dumpster just as the shot hit him square in the shoulder.

He groaned, teeth bared, claws unsheathing.

Mira’s heart dropped.

She recognized the sound of that gun.

Wolfsbane.

Grey’s skin hissed where the bullet lodged.

And then…

Another shot.

This one missed her by inches.

She looked up and saw the dark figure at the alley entrance.

Not police.

Not human.

A hunter.

End of Chapter Three

……………….

Who sent the hunter after Grey and why now? Can Mira save the man she never wanted to need before the poison takes hold?