CHAPTER TWO: NOWHERE TO GO

Ariel's POV

I could loudly hear my heart's rapid beats as I raced frantically for my life. I will definitely be dead if I get caught by them. I'm in the middle of a thick forest with no clue of where I'm going. My whole body still hurt from the intense beating I got earlier on but that was nothing I wasn't already used to, as long as I could get far away from them, I'm fine.

After running for what felt like forever, I hoped that I had given them at least a day's journey before they could ever find me. Somehow they always did, no matter how far I ran. I finally stopped and sat underneath a huge tree glad that it could provide some shade from the scorching sun as I tried to calm myself down. 

I hear movements from behind me and quickly spring to my feet, fear gripping me as I dreaded the thought of already being found by them. 

I steady myself behind the tree while quinting my blurry eyes trying to get a better look at who was approaching me.

“Who are you?” I say, internally begging every God that might exist to save me. 

Then the voice I heard shocked me. It was different, soothing, like nothing I had ever heard before. A really tall, lean looking man slowly approached me. He smelt so nice I couldn't help but wonder what it was… his eyes were a dark shade of grey and a few strands of his short hair fell on his face giving him an ominous aura. I took him in as he stood a great distance away from me with his hands raised like a Greek God. 

I tried to look for an escape route as we conversed, my head was telling me to run but my heart wouldn't let me move and kept me rooted on a spot. There was something about him, something that made me want to trust him and when he reached out his hand to me, I couldn't help but take them. 

But the moment I touched him, something sparked, like electricity coursing through me, electrifying every sense in me. I quickly retrieve my hands, shock and confusion drowning me. 

And then the voice! I had managed to suppress her so far but not this time around. It seemed as though the touch had awoken her. 

Our Mate! Finally!!

And then the strange man before me said the exact same thing. I couldn't help but ask Lyra what all this meant…what do they both mean by mate. I was brought back to reality by his voice reminding me that I wasn't alone, as he interrupted me asking if I was alright. 

Damn it! He must think I'm crazy now, talking to myself and all…

I tried my best to explain who Lyra is to him, and then the next words he spoke, the much needed one… “I believe you” that came out from his mouth became a lifeline to me.

He reached out to me once again but as I tried to get a hold of his hand, a fierce, horrifying pack of wolves jumped out from nowhere tactically circling us.

This was it for me, the day I finally die. Well getting eaten to death somehow seemed better than being beaten to death by them. Zayn screams that I should get behind him which I did gladly although not so sure there was much he could do to save us. 

I couldn't help but tremble in fear, as I thought of all the things I didn't get to do throughout my miserable life. I watched as the wolves geared forward towards us but somehow got intercepted by another larger looking pack of wolves. 

I tried my best to control my raging breath as intense fear overwhelmed me. There were a lot of quick movements, my eyes unable to follow and before I knew what was happening, my legs gave way. I fell loudly to the floor as my eyes slowly shut close. I could feel myself being lifted from the ground by the now familiar scent I was addicted to and the last thing I could make out before everything turned black were the words, protect your Luna. 

My eyelids fluttered open to soft golden light seeping through transparent curtains. For a moment, the world felt quiet, peaceful even—a clear contrast to the chaos that I am so used to. I inhaled deeply, expecting the musty scent of my tiny room back home, but instead, my nose was flooded with something unfamiliar: fresh air, clean linen, and a faint, familiar scent that stirred something deep inside me.

I shot up in the bed, the thick blanket pooling around my waist. The room was large, warm, and rustic, with dark wood paneling and a stone fireplace that crackled softly. There were a couple of paintings on the wall looking quite exquisite and obviously expensive. A plush armchair sat by the window, and on a nearby table lay a pitcher of water and a neatly folded towel. It was too perfect, too comfortable, and entirely wrong.

My pulse quickened. “Where... am I?” I whispered, my voice hoarse.

Flashes of what had happened earlier came rushing back—a group of wolves with piercing silver eyes, my own internal scream, and then... nothing. I pressed my hands to my temples, trying to sort through the haze.

“It was a dream,” I murmured to myself. “It had to be a dream.”

The door creaked open, and I froze.

He stepped inside, tall and broad-shouldered, his presence filling the room like a sudden storm. His dark hair was slightly tousled, as though he’d just run a hand through it, and those eyes—those impossibly sharp, silver-grey eyes—pinned me in place.

It was him. The man... He survived? We survived.

“You’re awake,” he said, his deep voice calm yet laced with something that sounded like relief.

I scrambled back, pressing myself against the headboard. “Where am I? What’s going on?”

He paused at the edge of the room, his hands raised just like earlier as if to show he meant no harm.

“You’re safe here. This is my home.”

“Safe?” My voice cracked as my mind raced. “I don’t even know you! How did I get here? What...what happened to me?”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, something raw flickered in his eyes. “You fainted, I got really scared you know. For a moment I thought you might have died from shock”. He replied while stifling an obvious chuckle. 

“Wolf,” I said, there were wolves there…

How did you get away?. 

“I could see his hesitation, then he took a step closer. His gaze softened, but his presence was no less commanding. “The rogues fled because they were outnumbered but I have a group of warriors still chasing after them. You don't have to worry Ariel, you're safe with me.”

My breath hitched at the sound of my name on his lips, familiar and foreign at the same time. “How do you know my name?”

“It was imprinted on your sweater.” 

And then it hit me, my clothes had been changed. I gave him a “what the fuck, I'm going to kill you if you don't explain look” as he quickly stepped back raising his hands in defense.

“I didn't get to change you myself, although I wanted to but I had the pack nurse do it I promise.”

“What did you mean by you have warriors chasing after them?”

Zayn exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “This might be hard to understand for now, but… I am a wolf, the alpha of the Shadowcrest pack and you my dear are my fated mate. I have waited my whole life for you.” He paused, his eyes scanning my face for any sign of understanding.

“I couldn't help but laugh, I guess either I'm hearing things or I'm not the only crazy one in the room.”

Zayn stepped closer, his movements deliberate and careful, as if I might bolt at any moment. “You’re a wolf,” he said, his voice steady. “You always have been. You just didn’t know it yet.”

I burst out in laughter once again, sharp and bitter, verging on hysteria. “You’re insane. This is insane.”

But before I could say any other thing, the air in the room shifted. Zayn’s eyes darkened, the silver swirling like a storm. A low, resonant growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through the floor beneath me.

It wasn’t human.

I clutched the blanket tighter, my heart pounding so hard it drowned out all thought. “This... this can’t be real.”

Zayn held my gaze, unwavering. “It is. And whether you want to believe it or not, your life changed the moment we met. You’re part of this now. You’re part of me.”

He drew closer, closing the distance between us as he bent towards me softly cupping my face in his palms, his face barely a breath away from mine. His eyes grew soft as he stared at my face, his eyes darting from my eyes down to my lips, boring holes into my soul. 

“But first you'll have to answer me, he said, a terrifying change in his tone and demeanor. Who did this to you?”