Trapped by the bear shifter

The snow was falling harder than Ava expected. The trail she'd followed had vanished under a blanket of white hours ago, and the woods around her were growing darker by the minute. She glanced at her phone—no signal.

Great.

She turned in a slow circle, trying to get her bearings. Nothing looked familiar anymore. The wind had picked up, and with it came a strange sound—low, deep, almost like a growl.

Her heart skipped.

She spun around and froze what she saw in front of her nearly had her running for the hills.

A bear stood at the edge of the trees. Huge and Watching her.

She didn't move. Didn't breathe. The bear took one slow step forward—and then in a blink of an eye, it began to change.

Ava stared in shock as fur gave way to skin, the shape of the animal shifting until a man stood in its place. Naked. Muscular. Wild and highly pissed.

"What the hell..." she whispered still gawking at the clearly naked man standing in front of her.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said, his voice rough.

She backed up not knowing what to think I mean a bear just changed into a human in front of her "What are you?" She breathed out.

He didn't answer.

Another sound broke through the woods. Distant, but getting closer.

His jaw tightened. "You want to live? Come with me."

Ava hesitated. "What was she supposed to do in this situation she couldn't find her way back the trail she was following had long been covered up and the sound that she just heard didn't sound too friendly

"I'm Kael," he said. "Move."

The snow was falling harder than Ava expected. The trail she'd followed had vanished under a blanket of white, and the woods around her were growing darker by the minute. She glanced at her phone—no signal.

Great.

She turned in a slow circle, trying to get her bearings. Nothing looked familiar anymore. The wind had picked up, and with it came a strange sound—low, deep, almost like a growl.

Her heart skipped.

She spun around and froze.

A bear stood at the edge of the trees. Huge. Still. Watching her.

She didn't move. Didn't breathe. The bear took one slow step forward—and then it began to change.

Ava stared in shock as fur gave way to skin, the shape of the animal shifting until a man stood in its place. Naked. Muscular. Wild.

"What the hell..." she whispered.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said, voice rough.

She backed up. "What are you?"

He didn't answer.

Another sound broke through the woods. Distant, but getting closer.

His jaw tightened. "You want to live? Come with me."

Ava hesitated.

"I'm Kael," he said. "Move."

Ava followed, her boots crunching in the snow as she trailed behind him. He didn't look back, didn't offer a hand or even a second glance. Just kept moving through the trees like he knew them by heart and he probably did.

The forest seemed even darker now, as they walked deeper into the threes. Ava wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to shiver from more than just the cold.

After a long moment of silence, she spoke—timid, breathless. "Can you just... take me to the nearest hiking trail? I won't tell anyone about what I saw. Not a soul. I mean—" She gave a nervous laugh. "It's not like anyone would believe me anyway."

No response.

Kael didn't even break stride.

Ava frowned, stumbling over a hidden root as she tried to keep up. "Did you hear me?"

Still nothing.

He pushed a low branch out of the way and let it swing back, narrowly missing her face. She caught it just in time, huffing under her breath.

"How rude."

The silence stretched between them like wire. Sharp. Tense.

Ava hugged her arms tighter. "I really wasn't trying to get in your way. I just got lost. I didn't even know there was anyone out here, let alone..."

She let the words trail off. What was she even supposed to call him? Shifter? Monster? Myth?

Kael finally paused. Just for a second.

Then he turned, just enough to glance back at her. His eyes glinted with something unreadable—warning, maybe. Or something deeper.

"You talk too much," he said, voice flat.

And just like that, he turned and kept walking, deeper into the frozen forest.

Definitely rude she huffed