Elena’s POV:
Where do I even begin?
Oh yeah.
I was being chased by my deranged Alpha mate—Kane.
And who the hell swoops in to save ?
His other lunatic half—Dean, the vampire part of him.
Never thought I’d say this, but thank fuck for Dean.
Not that I trusted him. Oh no, I was still very much pissed at him. But compared to Kane, who had literally hunted down like prey, Dean was the lesser evil.
And speaking of betrayal...
Zena.
Yeah, my wolf? The one who was supposed to be my partner? She ditched the second she saw I was running away from Kane’s presence.
Mate before self-preservation, apparently.
What happened to chicks before dicks, huh?!
So there I was—alone, exhausted, and running for my life—while Kane and Dean tried to beat the ever-living shit out of each other.
I had one goal: get the hell away from them.
And by so miracle, I stumbled onto a highway.
For a second, relief flooded . Civilization. Cars. People. Safety.
But no.
Because this wasn’t my night.
I didn’t just stumble onto a highway—I stumbled onto another fight.
Yeah, because apparently, violence follows like a lost puppy.
This ti, though, it wasn’t my personal psychos.
It was a hunk of a guy fighting off two rogues.
And damn.
He was built.
Tall, muscular, tattooed, and moving with the kind of lethal grace that scread trained killer.
And, you know, if I wasn’t traumatized, on the run, and questioning all my life choices, I might’ve taken a second to appreciate the view.
But I had bigger problems.
Like how, the mont they caught my scent, both rogues and the hunk snapped their heads toward .
Great.
I froze.
We all froze.
One rogue made the first move, lunging at Hunk Guy while the other turned his hungry gaze on .
Nope. Nope. Nope.
I tried to bolt, but the rogue moved too fast.
Just as I opened my mouth to scream, Hunk Guy turned, dodging the rogue’s attack, but not fast enough—he took a scratch to the arm before he retaliated, tearing out the rogue’s throat with his claws.
Brutal. Fast. Efficient.
And now, just like that, I was stuck with a very deadly, very bloody, very dangerous stranger.
Fantastic.
I took a step back, fully ready to get the hell out of there.
But of course—of course—I wasn’t that lucky.
Because Hunk Guy killed the other rogue too damn quickly, before I could disappear.
And now?
His full attention was on .
"Well, well, well..." His voice was deep, smooth, and far too amused. His dark eyes glead as he took a step closer, inspecting like I was sothing interesting.
Shit.
I swallowed hard, keeping my posture relaxed, like I wasn’t internally panicking.
"Uh... thanks for the help," I muttered. "I’ll just be going now."
He smirked, blocking my path.
I stiffened.
And just then, a car pulled up beside him.
A sleek black vehicle, its tinted windows reflecting the dim glow of the highway lights.
The passenger window rolled down.
A man I couldn’t see spoke from inside.
"sorry for the delay Alpha"
My stomach dropped.
Nope. No. Absolutely not.
But Hunk Guy just tilted his head, studying with sothing akin to curiosity.
Then, smirking, he asked,
"Wanna ride?"
I stared at the hunk, my entire body on high alert.
Every instinct scread at to run, but where the hell was I supposed to go?
Back to Kane? Yeah, not happening.
Back to Dean? Hell no.
But getting into a mystery car with a lethal-looking stranger?
Also a terrible idea.
I glanced at the vehicle, at the dark-tinted windows, at the barely visible silhouette of the man inside. My gut twisted with warning.
Still, I hesitated.
Because let’s be real—I had zero options.
And that hesitation?
That was my mistake.
Because Hunk Guy must’ve sensed my uncertainty.
He smirked, like he had already won, and reached for my wrist.
I snapped out of it, jerking away before he could touch .
"Yeah, no," I said quickly, stepping back. "I’m good. But thanks for the murder-y offer."
His smirk widened, dark amusent dancing in his raven-black eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, voice dripping with mock sympathy. "You don’t have a choice."
And then he moved.
Faster than I expected.
Faster than a normal wolf should.
My stomach dropped as I barely managed to dodge, but his fingers grazed my arm before I twisted away.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I took off running.
But before I could take more than two steps, sothing slamd into the side of my head.
My vision exploded in white.
A sharp, electric pain shot through my skull, and my legs gave out beneath .
I collapsed onto the pavent, head spinning, body sluggish.
The last thing I heard was the car door opening—
Then, everything went black.
Great. Just fucking great.
Out of the frying pan—into the goddamn fire.
The mont I ca to, my skull felt like soone had taken a sledgehamr to it. A deep, pounding ache pulsed behind my eyes, and for a second, I couldn’t even tell where the hell I was.
Zena. My wolf’s voice snapped through my mind, sharp with confusion.
"Where the fuck are we?"
I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut before forcing them open.
Dim lighting. A soft bed beneath . The scent of clean linen and sothing woody in the air.
A room.
A stranger’s room.
And right beside the bed?
A glass of water and a packet of painkillers.
I blinked, mind whirling.
Right.
The last thing I rembered—
The hunk of a guy asking if I wanted a ride.
The rogues.
The car door opening.
And then—
Blackout.
Shit.
Panic kicked in like a jolt of electricity, and I bolted upright—only to instantly regret it when my head spun violently.
Okay, cool, let’s not die of a concussion today.
I inhaled deeply, trying to steady myself, scanning the room for any sign of—
The door creaked open.
And in walked the last person I wanted to see.
The hunk guy.
My stomach dropped.
He looked almost casual, dressed in a loose black shirt and dark jeans, his black hair slightly tousled, like he’d just rolled out of bed.
But his eyes?
Cold. Calculating. Amused.
Like he already owned .
"Well, well," he murmured, shutting the door behind him as he leaned against it. "Look who’s finally awake."
I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into the sheets.
"Where the fuck am I?" I snapped.
The guy smirked. "Safe."
Bullshit.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, ready to run—
But before I could even stand, he was in front of .
Fast. Too fast.
A warning pulse of energy radiated off him, making my wolf snarl in my head.
"Try it," he said smoothly, voice low, dangerous. "And I promise you, sweetheart, you won’t make it past the door."
I glared up at him, heart pounding, but I stayed still.
Because as much as I hated to admit it—
I wasn’t stupid.
The guy was older. Stronger. More ruthless than anyone I’d ever dealt with.
And the worst part?
I didn’t even know what the hell he wanted from .
So I forced myself to breathe.
Forced myself to think.
"What do you want?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
The guy tilted his head, like the question amused him.
"Isn’t it obvious?" he murmured, eyes dark with sothing unreadable. "I want you, little wolf."
My blood ran cold.
Oh, fuck.
"Yeah, right... This little wolf ain’t anyone’s to pick."
I spat the words out before I could think better of it, my voice sharp despite the dull pounding in my skull.
The guy standing in front of —the sa one who had offered a ride before everything went black—tilted his head, watching with an expression caught sowhere between amusent and curiosity.
"Feisty," he mused, crossing his arms. "I like that."
I rolled my eyes and pushed myself upright, the unfamiliar bed beneath way too soft for my liking. My muscles ached, my head throbbed, and my wolf, Zena, was fuming in the back of my mind.
"Where the fuck are we?" I asked, ignoring his comnt entirely.
The guy smirked, completely unfazed.
"Safe," he said simply. "For now."
Not helpful.
I scanned the dimly lit room. No windows. One door. Too many unknowns.
"Yeah? And where exactly is ’safe’?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"My place."
I stared at him.
"And I’m supposed to believe that?"
"Believe whatever you want, little wolf." His lips curved upward slightly. "Doesn’t change the fact that you were unconscious on the side of the road. I could’ve left you there."
My stomach twisted.
Unconscious? How the hell had that happened? The last thing I rembered was running—escaping—then stumbling onto the highway, watching this guy fight off two rogues.
After that? Nothing.
"What did you do to ?" I demanded.
The guy’s expression didn’t change.
"Nothing."
I did not believe him.
"Then why am I here?"
"Because you needed help," he said simply. "And I’m not in the habit of leaving pretty girls to die on the side of the road."
I bristled.
"I didn’t need help."
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because you weren’t exactly conscious when I took you."
I clenched my jaw.
"Well, congratulations. You played the hero. Now let leave."
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, pushing myself up—only for a wave of dizziness to slam into .
Shit.
The guy moved fast, gripping my arm before I could stumble.
"Easy there," he said, his voice lower now, smoother.
I ripped my arm away.
"Don’t touch ."
He just sighed, like I was so difficult puzzle he wasn’t sure if he wanted to solve or throw away.
"What’s your na?" I asked, arms crossing.
"Ace."
I frowned.
"Ace?"
"Yeah."
"That’s... a stupid na."
He actually laughed at that, like I had just said sothing ridiculously amusing.
"And yours?" he asked, watching .
I hesitated.
"Elena."
"Elena," he repeated, rolling my na over his tongue like he was testing it out. Then he smiled—slow and deliberate.
"Well, Elena, seems like we’ve got so ti to kill."
I hated the way he said that. Like he knew sothing I didn’t.
Like he was waiting for to figure it out.
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