Prologue
My grandmother said that I might have mistaken my infatuation and amazement for that wolf-shifting man.
“It’s not love, Cassidy!” She once yelled at me. “You’re just a curious little girl!”
Well, the only way to find out is to go find him, isn’t it?
“Zarion!” My throat’s dry from bellowing. It’s literally a winter wonderland around here. Everything is white and colorless. And cold, so cold that it seeps deep in my bones. It whispered in my soul that this coldness would drive me mad until I was on the brink of death. “Zarion! Zarion!”
But it was no use. Zarion—his name, that’s the only thing he revealed about himself. I don’t even know what a wolf-shifting man—a werewolf does aside from, well, shifting into a wolf. I’ve been walking around the Misty Forest with an almost frozen body; a coat made of sheep’s skin made by my Mamita is the only thing between me and this cold while searching for him.
A fool I’ve been. My Grandmama called me a fool the moment I stepped outside the castle so that I could be with this werewolf I barely knew. I don’t even know his last name—that is if he has one.
The snow’s wildly pouring as if the wicked weather can push me back to the castle. I chuckled at the thought that Mamita could have whipped this harsh winter to never let me leave the mountains.
“Zarion, Please…” I prayed, hopelessly praying. I don’t know why I’m uttering his name like an invocation as if he’s my God. “I’m so cold,” I added, hoping he could hear me with his superpowers or something. Rubbing both of my hands to create pressure and heat, I eventually stopped because it was of no use.
Any minute from now, my body will collapse on this frozen icy road.
“Zarion!” I bellowed his name before I felt my knees crushing to the ground. “Where… are you… Zarion?” My body was gravely shaking from the cold; the eyelids of my eyes started fluttering. Still, I forced my eyes open and a familiar big dog was approaching me, ready to bite me. Taken back from my senses, I wrapped my arms around my body, desperate to live.
“No! No! No!” I kept shrieking, even though I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to attract anyone.
I didn’t know I was more afraid of dogs—wolves—than to be frozen to death.
My grandmother’s face flashed as if she was here with me.
I left her. My mind whispered. You left her all alone in the castle in the height of winter.
“Not today.” I kicked, thrashing in the snow. “Not today you freaking dog!”
The dog bit my foot and dragged me across a plain of snow. Then before I could draw my next breath, it suddenly transformed into a human. A familiar man. Gasping, I willed my sense of sight to focus, and when I did…I found myself staring at the familiar heated gaze of Zarion, who was now squatting in front of me.
“Was I hallucinating?” Definitely not, answering my own question silently. Zarion is shirtless. Wait, no. My eyes slid from his face down to his torso. He’s naked. Completely bare and unclothed and his masculinity is calling to me…
Completely terrified, I tried to get away from him while my jaw still fell open. “How did—”
Zarion shook his head. “That’s not important right now.”
“W-What?”
“You’re cold. You need to be warm, my warmth.”
“Why did you turn into a human from being a dog?”
“Dog,” he nodded, scoffing. “It’s a wolf, kid. I thought you were old enough to know the difference?” A smirk bloomed in that irritatingly handsome face of his. “If my pack hears about this, they’re going to hate me more.” An unbelievably gorgeous smile replaced the smirk earlier on his brazen face.
I returned his smile.
“I don’t understand, Zarion.”
Zarion sighed and grabbed my coat and boots. His fingertips stroke the base of my neck, my weak spot. The spot I always want a man to caress when lovemaking, or even just kissing.
My body responded to his touch, but my head still couldn’t properly function after seeing those dreams—daydreams that I was above him and nightmares that he might leave me. Or worse, kill me. Maybe, it was just a hallucination after all.
Earlier, I nearly died from hypothermia. Earlier, I would have been eaten by a wild wolf. Earlier…“I might die too soon.”
“You won’t. Not yet, at least.” Zarion’s baritone voice filled my ears. “Come on, Cassidy. You might be a kid but I know you are braver and more rebellious than those other kids of your age.”
It was at this moment that embarrassment slowly crawled out of my body. I wasn’t wearing anything anymore aside from my plain white undergarments. “So, just stay still.” My cheeks might as well be as warm as his cock. Too much skin, too much exposure. Yet Zarion didn’t seem to notice. Maybe I was the only one who found this awkward all along.
He carried me like a newly-wedded bride, my quivering body with his warmth as if we were hugging each other. One moment, my body was shaking from the cold. And in a blink of my eyes, it relaxed when Zarion’s presence shrouded to where I was breathing.
“You’re so warm…” I whispered, before falling asleep in his arms—which turns out to be the best sleep of my life as Mamita’s snoring can no longer interrupt my sweet dreams.
***
It’s warm and cozy here, my eyes smiling when they found the fireplace.
A piping hot bowl of venison stew beckoned me to sit beside the blazing fireplace. I ate half of the food for ten minutes. Noticing the lavish royal blue curtain, I scooted away from the fireplace and pushed aside the curtains. I just realized that it served as the door between—
“This place is a village,” I breathed, wiping my mouth clean from eating. From just the look of the surroundings, I’m pretty sure this village is in the middle of the forest. And near a lake, the briny scent could never hide the smell of fresh forest rain.
A petite black lady with gorgeous braided curls that reached her shoulders slowly approached me. “You’re awake, little sheep.”
Seriously, little sheep?! My hand waved awkwardly at her. “H-Hi, you are—”
“I’m Delilah Ferguson. You can call me Delilah.”
I faked a smile. “My name is Cassidy. You can call me Cass.”
My hands started fidgeting while I stared at the girl with hopeful eyes. “I was looking for a man named Zarion,” I paused, swallowing. “But I ended up here, woke up here.”
Upon uttering Zarions’ name, Delilah gasped, even cursed silently. “Don’t you dare mention that cursed name here!”
My brows furrowed at her reaction, she hissed back. “Why?”
“He’s the Alpha of this pack.” Fear now shone in her once-cheerful eyes. “He was banished because he didn’t want to take responsibility for his position. Rumors say that he’s out in the woods, looking for his mate, and…” she trailed off, leaving silence to sink deeper in my bones.
“And?” I swallowed and braced myself for whatever horrible word her tongue might utter.
“Kill her.” Delilah’s nose flared. “He wants to kill his mate for he hates the idea of the sacred mating bond.”
Sacred? Mate? Mating bond?!
I swallowed, forcing myself not to gape. I must find and talk to Zarion immediately. “Uhm, Delilah?” I curtsied with a smile towards her. She looks nice and friendly. I bet she’s going to transform into a wolf too like Zarion, if she’d like. I already knew she was one of them the moment I laid my eyes on hers. “I’m going back now,” I cleared my throat as if I’m not already panicking.
What if they eat me?! I thought. No, they won’t. I’m with Zarion. They are with Zarion.
Right, they won’t. Zarion is with me, even if he’s nowhere in sight. He’s probably just smirking under the cloak of darkness, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watches me, his kid, panicking and no longer able to breathe and properly think when cornered by a pack of werewolves.
“To where? Are you from a different pack?” she asked. Carefully. I must be careful with my words, too. And now I am more curious about my existence in this place. I tried to be as calm as possible. The inside of my hand was almost bleeding; my scratching made it even worse.
“No,” I breathed. “Unfortunately, I don’t belong to any pack.”
Even though they already knew what I was, I still uttered those words that confirmed my real identity. “I’m a human.”
