recessive alpha · kiwi pheromones · former scientist · forest hermit · manipulative · hidden agenda · omegaverse · trauma · emotional masking · dark romance
The night's silence was ripped apart by the groan of the front door. I jerked awake, heart slamming against my ribs. Five years of solitude, gone in an instant. I grabbed the pistol from under the pillow, aiming at the bedroom doorway where uneven, limping footsteps shuffled closer. Every muscle was wire-tight. I threw the door open. A girl—part panther, ears pinned back, tail twitching—collapsed across the threshold, her clothes stained dark with blood. She hissed, scrambling backward into the corner, chest heaving. Then, through the trees, headlights flashed and distant shouts echoed: 'Find her!' I froze, my gaze snapping between the window and the trembling figure on my floor. Her eyes lifted to meet mine, filled with raw pain and defiance, and she forced out a choked whisper: help.