####Chapter Two

"You need help?" he asked again, probably perplexed that I hadn't answered. I shook my head without thinking.

"No…I'm fine," I said, and I saw him raise his brow in confusion. My eyes were plastered to him, the way his sleeves were rolled up, revealing fine, muscled arms. The way his mouth moved, the color of his eyes. It was impossible.

I remembered him vividly, and I knew this was him. But how? I'd covered my face with a hoodie, so he probably wasn't seeing me clearly. But would he recognize me? Or he just wasn't the one. How could I explain something like that to him?

"It's quite dangerous around here," his voice was deep and beautiful. I recognized it, but not exactly in an appropriate manner.

Just then, a nasty thought went through my mind. I looked at him, gauging the weight of what I was about to do. "I need to get out of here," I finally said.

He knocked on the window, indicating for me to bring it down. I swallowed hard before I did, suddenly nervous. His face came to me clearly then. I turned away and looked straight ahead, suddenly feeling suffocated when he poked his head into the truck.

"I need to go hunting. What exactly do you want?" he asked.

What I wanted? My heart rate increased as I pulled down my hoodie and looked him straight in the face. He seemed to recoil back a little when he saw me, but I wasn't sure if I was seeing straight.

"What I want…" my voice trailed off, but then I gathered the courage to speak again. "You…I want you in my bed tonight," I said.

He looked like he had heard a bad joke. His lips parted to say something, but the words didn't come out.

I waited anxiously. My palms had become wet, and I rubbed them roughly on my jeans.

"Huh?" he said finally, but I could see that his eyes had darkened with desire. My throat went dry at just the thought that he was probably a hard rock just below his waist. I lost it.

"Well…I…not my bed exactly, as I don't have one now…I just moved here…I…" I stopped talking when I realized I was spewing out nonsense, and worse, he was enjoying it.

He bent his head slightly to the side, and I couldn't help but feel deja vu. "You're one interesting…" his voice was cut short as a very loud howl was heard just among the trees. My eyes widened in fear.

"What was that just now?" I asked shakily.

He shook his head and sighed out. "I guess we won't be having that steamy night soon after all," he said and was about to leave, but I held back his hand.

"Don't tell me…is that a werewolf?"

"Werewolf or not, it's definitely out there, and if I don't hunt it down, it might have you for dinner. Now stay in the car and don't come out."

From inside the car, I saw the most horrific thing I'd ever experienced. The man began to shift. Cracking bones was heard, and his muscles began to expand, shredding to pieces the clothes he had on. Fur began to cover his skin, and before I knew it, he was standing before me a full Lycan. I moved backwards, but he was out of my sight in a flash.

My head still hurt from where I had hit it earlier. I could feel my heart racing. The world was suddenly spinning. I needed to run. I needed to get out of here. I hadn't been as terrified as I was there in my life.

I pulled the door with every strength I had left. Just then, the door gave way. I stumbled out blindly.

Just then, I saw a shadow lunging forward in my direction. My breath hitched, and I stumbled on the ground with fear.

"No…" Kai’s voice boomed, and in a flash, the werewolf was pushed back, away from me. With wide eyes, I watched as the wolf was torn apart, blood spilling everywhere.

One by one, the werewolves were killed before my eyes, by the powerful Lycan…man.

My chest heaved as I sat frozen on the cold ground, my mind racing to keep up with what had just happened. The forest was quiet now, except for the sound of my own shaky breaths and the soft crunch of leaves under his feet as he walked toward me.

The man—no, the thing—wasn’t just a dream anymore. He was real, and what he’d just done... it was impossible.

He stood before me, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. Moonlight spilled through the trees, and it was then I realized—he was completely naked.

My cheeks flushed as I quickly turned my head away, but not before catching a glimpse of the blood streaked across his arms and chest.

“You left the car,” he said sharply, his voice low but laced with anger.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look back at him. “You told me to stay in the car, but I…”

“But you didn’t,” he cut me off, stepping closer. “Do you have any idea how stupid that was?”

His tone made me bristle despite my fear. “Stupid? I thought I was about to die! I wasn’t going to just sit there and…”

“You would’ve been safer in the car!” he snapped, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

I pushed myself up onto my feet, even though my legs felt like jelly. “Who do you think you are, yelling at me like that? I don’t even know you!”

He scoffed, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t know me?” His voice was bitter, almost mocking. “You’re the one who came looking for me.”

His words hit like a slap, and I froze. He wasn’t wrong. I had come to Raven Hollow because of him, because of the dreams. But I wasn’t about to admit that.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered, my voice unsteady.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to yell again. But instead, he turned away, muttering something under his breath.

My eyes fell to the blood splattered across the ground where the bodies of the werewolves had been, though now they were gone, leaving only claw marks in the dirt. My stomach twisted. “This... this isn’t real,” I said quietly, shaking my head. “I made a mistake coming here. I should’ve never come to Raven Hollow.”

His head snapped back toward me, his eyes blazing. “You think?” he said sarcastically, throwing up his hands. “You had no idea what you were walking into, but you came anyway. Now look where you are!”

My temper flared. “I didn’t ask for your help, and I sure as hell didn’t ask for this!”

He stepped closer, his frustration bubbling over. “You’re lucky I was here, or you’d be dead right now. Do you get that? You’d. Be. Dead.”

My hands balled into fists at my sides. “Why do you even care?”

“Because I—” He stopped himself, his mouth snapping shut as if he’d said too much.

I stared at him, my anger shifting into confusion. “Because what?” I asked softly.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his back to me, his hands on his hips as he let out a frustrated sigh.

I was about to push him further when he suddenly turned back around. “Elaine,” he said, his voice quieter now.

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. My name rolled off his tongue like he’d said it a thousand times before.

My breath caught. “How... how do you know my name?”

He didn’t reply, his expression unreadable.

My throat tightened as realization began to sink in. “You know me, don’t you?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You... you recognize me.”

He stared at me, his jaw clenching.

And that was all the answer I needed.