Chapter 2 Eyes That Burn

I couldn't sleep, not that I expected to. My mind kept replaying the moment in the alley his dark gaze, the smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes, and that low, almost dangerous growl. It haunted me, like it had a life of its own.

I tried to tell myself it was just my imagination. Just a stranger in the shadows. But the truth gnawed at me: there was something about him. Something I couldn't ignore and I didn't want to ignore it.

The next night, I found myself walking the same street, deliberately avoiding the usual shortcuts. Maybe it was curiosity or maybe it was... something else. Something deeper I didn't dare name.

The moment I turned the corner, he was there.

Standing in the same spot as before, leaning casually against the wall, but this time, the streetlight caught more of him. His eyes... they glowed faintly in the darkness, a piercing amber that seemed to sear into me. My breath hitched.

"You're back," he said, his voice calm, almost teasing."I... I wasn't looking for you," I managed, though my heart betrayed me by racing. He smiled slow, deliberate, unnerving. "And yet, here you are."I took a careful step back, but my legs felt like lead. There was something magnetic about him, a pull I couldn't resist, no matter how hard I tried.

"You're... different," I whispered. "There's something about you. I don't understand it."

He tilted his head, studying me as though weighing every word. "You don't understand because you're only seeing what I let you see."

"What does that mean?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

His smirk deepened. "It means there's a part of me... that no one else has seen. Not even my pack. Not even the people I trust. But you..." He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "You might see it."

Something in the way he said that made my heart skip. Something primal. Something forbidden.

I wanted to look away, to escape, but his gaze held me captive. There was a danger in his eyes, yes but also an intensity, a promise, a fire that made every nerve in my body stand at attention.

"You shouldn't be standing here," I said, trying to regain control.

"And yet, here you are," he repeated, his voice low and intoxicating. "Curiosity brought you back. That, or you wanted to see me again."

I wanted to deny it, but the truth hovered on the edge of my lips.

He leaned closer, and for the first time, I could smell him. Not like any human scent I couldn't describe it. Wild, sharp, intoxicating... like danger wrapped in heat. My pulse pounded in my ears, and my knees nearly buckled.

Then, as suddenly as he appeared, he stepped back, fading into the shadows like smoke. But his eyes... they lingered in my mind, burning into me, a silent promise I couldn't ignore.

I will find you again, they seemed to say.

And deep down, I knew they would.

"I didn't know what he was... or if I should be afraid. But one thing was certain I couldn't stay away, and neither could he."