Chapter 2 Smoke And Ashes

The scent of smoke floated softly through the morning air. It mingled with the dampness of the forest and the crisp scent of dew. Birds chirped lazily above, shaking sleep from their feathers. A low hiss of sizzling meat echoed from somewhere nearby.

Zara's lashes fluttered open.

Her head throbbed lightly, and her knee screamed as she shifted. The memory hit her like a punch-Kael's kiss, her fear, the collapsing pain, the cold dirt beneath her. She blinked up at the filtered golden light cutting through the trees overhead.

Then her eyes moved - and she saw him.

Kael crouched near the riverbank, shirtless under the soft warmth of dawn, his shoulders rising and falling as he focused on the small pan over a fire. A slab of meat crackled against it. His dark hair hung loose around his jawline, and even from a distance, Zara could see the tension in his posture. Like a man who'd punished himself all night.

He sensed her waking.

Without turning, he spoke-low, but clearly.

"I didn't mean to scare you last night."

Zara sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her leg. "You didn't just scare me. You kissed me."

Kael paused. His hand hovered over the pan for a breath longer than necessary.

"I know," he said. "And I'm sorry. I lost control. That's not something I do." He finally turned, eyes shadowed with something sharp and self-loathing. "You were trembling. I should've known better."

Zara pushed herself up with effort, brushing dirt from her arm. "I'm not a wolf," she murmured again, barely louder than the rustle of leaves. "I'm not part of... whatever this place is. I was just trying to get home."

"I know."

He walked toward her, slowly, like approaching a frightened deer. But he stopped a good ten feet away, holding both hands out.

"I won't shift again. Not near you. I promise."

Zara frowned. "You can just control that?"

"No," Kael said honestly. "But I'll fight it. I've fought worse."

Their eyes locked. Silence stretched between them - not empty, but full of something unspoken.

Zara lowered her eyes first. "What is this place, Kael? Where are we?"

He glanced around at the towering woods, then nodded toward the smoke curling upward into the sky. "This is the Outlands. Border of the Wolfian Zone. You crossed into it during a cursed moon."

She gave a dry laugh. "Great."

Kael watched her carefully. "You're far from home. Too far to go back alone." Then, softer, "I can keep you safe."

Zara stared at him. "Why do you even care?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned and walked back to the fire. He plated the meat with care, using a torn leaf to hold it. Then he returned and knelt, still a safe distance away, offering it to her.

"Because something in me shifted the moment I saw you. And I don't mean my wolf."

She hesitated, then reached out, taking the food slowly. Her fingers brushed his. Kael inhaled sharply, but said nothing.

As she chewed cautiously, he sat cross-legged near her, watching the forest instead of her. She could see his effort to seem smaller. Calmer. Gentler.

"My name's Zara," she said, finally.

Kael smiled faintly. "I know."

Zara tilted her head. "How?"

"You said it in your sleep."

Her face flushed, but she didn't look away. "So... what now? You're just going to keep feeding me and promise not to shift?"

Kael's expression turned serious again. "There are wolves out here that don't listen to reason. Packs that won't care who you are. If they catch your scent..."

Zara's throat tightened.

"I can take you to my hideout," Kael continued. "It's deep, safe, and hidden. You can rest, think, and decide if you want to stay until the curse moon cycle ends. Then, maybe... I can help you find a path home."

She looked down at the river, water glinting like liquid silver in the sunlight. Her heart twisted with confusion, fear, and something she didn't want to name yet.

"I don't trust you," she said softly.

"I know."

"But I also don't want to die out here."

He nodded slowly, and this time, a small, crooked grin tugged at the edge of his mouth. "Fair."

Zara set down the makeshift plate, stood gingerly, and limped a little toward him. He moved forward quickly but didn't touch her. His voice dropped low and solemn.

"I swear on my own blood, Zara," he said, voice rasping with conviction, "I won't hurt you. Not in wolf form, not as a man. I don't care what I have to do to keep that promise."

She stared into his eyes, searching for a lie. But Kael's gaze held only fire and truth.

"Alright," she whispered.

He turned slightly and gestured toward a narrow trail veiled by thick branches and roots. "Come on," he said. "We've got a long way to go."

And with the wind curling between the trees and the sky bleeding into soft morning blue, Zara took her first step deeper into a world she never meant to enter - and into the protection of a creature who shouldn't have had a heart at all.

The path Kael led her down was barely visible, swallowed by thick brambles and whispering trees. Zara followed behind him carefully, wincing with every step on her injured knee, but she refused to ask for help. Her pride was louder than her pain.

Kael, sensing her struggle, slowed his pace and used his blade to slash away low-hanging branches. The forest was denser here. Shadows clung to the trunks. The trees whispered like they were watching. Zara hugged herself, her skin prickling.

"Why is it so... quiet?" she asked.

Kael didn't look back. "Because the wolves are listening."

Zara froze.

He turned slightly, voice steady but low. "Don't panic. Keep moving. Stay close."

She did. Close enough to smell the forest on him. Earth. Smoke. Steel. There was something ancient in the way he moved-like he wasn't just navigating the forest, but speaking to it. Owning it.

After another mile, the silence broke.

A distant howl split the air, sharp and bone-deep. Then another, closer. Zara stopped breathing.

Kael froze, eyes narrowing. "They're not from my pack."

Zara's voice was tight. "Your pack?"

"I don't have one anymore." He stepped in front of her. "But those who know my scent won't attack unless they're desperate."

"And if they are?"

Kael didn't answer.

Suddenly, there was rustling-fast, heavy. From the left.

Zara barely had time to flinch before Kael growled-not shifted, not yet, but his voice dropped into a guttural warning. "Stay behind me."

A blur of movement burst from the undergrowth.

It wasn't a full wolf. It was half-shifted, claws too long, eyes bloodshot with hunger, teeth too wide for a human mouth. A feral rogue. Lost to madness.

Kael shoved Zara back with one arm and launched forward. No hesitation. His body collided with the rogue in a snarl of movement. They crashed to the ground, and Kael's hands-still human-found the creature's throat. A flash of silver glinted at his side, and in one swift motion, he sank a dagger deep into the rogue's chest.

The thing collapsed, gasping, twitching.

Zara's heart pounded like war drums. She couldn't move.

Kael rose, panting, blood on his arms, a red line down his cheek. "Let's go," he said sharply. "Now."

She followed in a daze, trembling.

The forest grew colder. And darker. But Kael never left her side again.

Eventually, after hours that felt like days, the trees opened.

A stone outpost, swallowed by vines and moss, stood at the edge of a cliff. It looked like a ruin-but Kael walked to it like it was home. He brushed his hand against a hidden panel of rock, and a section of the wall groaned open, revealing a narrow stairwell beneath the ground.

"In here," he said, glancing at her.

Zara looked at the stairwell, then back at him. "You live... underground?"

"It's safe."

Hesitant, she followed him inside.

The passage opened into a surprisingly warm chamber-stone walls, thick furs on the floor, shelves lined with herbs and weapons. A fire flickered in a pit at the center, and fresh air filtered in from high crevices in the rock.

Kael lit a lantern, his eyes softening as they landed on her.

"You'll be safe here, Zara. No one gets in unless I let them."

She nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around herself.

Kael stepped closer. "You need rest. I'll stitch your knee. And... if you want, I'll keep watch while you sleep."

Zara looked at him-at this fierce, damaged man who'd sworn he wouldn't shift near her again. Who killed to protect her. Who was now offering comfort without expectation.

She sat down on the furs. "Okay."

Kael knelt beside her. "This might sting."

"It already does," she whispered.

As he cleaned the wound, she winced but didn't flinch. His hands were steady. Gentle. So unlike the beast he claimed to be.

"You're not what I expected," she murmured.

He didn't look up. "Neither are you."

And in the low glow of firelight, with danger still breathing outside the walls, Zara realized something terrifying and strange: she didn't feel afraid anymore.

Not of him.

Not tonight.

Written By

Ap Elijah Okikiola

© 2025 Ap Elijah Okikiola. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without the author's written permission.