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Arc 1 – Omegaverse: The Hunter and the Omega Prince
Day 11 – Clash at the Cabin
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The cabin was already stirring before sunrise. Boots thudded against the wooden floorboards, leather straps creaked, and the smell of oats and woodsmoke clung to the air.
Kyle sat at the table, cheek propped in his palm, eyes dull from another restless night. His pale skin was flushed faintly — fever still clinging to him like a stubborn shadow.
He wore a cream wool tunic embroidered at the cuffs, soft grey trousers, and fur-lined boots. A ribbon loosely tied his hair back, though several strands had escaped to brush against his cheeks. He looked… fragile.
Lord Soren glanced his way without stopping his work. "We ride for the capital. The Queen insists."
Kyle frowned faintly. "So suddenly?"
Eira, ladling porridge into bowls, muttered, "Suddenly for you. Planned for them."
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When they stepped outside, the cold struck first — and then the silence.
The horses, usually restless in the morning, were frozen in place, nostrils flaring. Their eyes rolled white toward the treeline.
From between the pines, he emerged.
The wolf.
Massive, silver-furred, each step silent despite his size. Snow dusted his back like scattered ice crystals. His eyes — unnervingly intelligent and fixed entirely on Kyle — burned with an amber light.
No growl, no lunge. He simply stood, blocking the path.
The morning wind carried his scent — sharp, wild, almost intoxicating in its weight. Kyle's heart skipped.
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The wolf padded forward, closing the space between them with deliberate slowness. Every knight's hand went to their weapon, but none moved first.
When he stopped just short of striking distance, he lowered his head… and released something onto the snow.
A red apple. Its skin was perfect, glossy, beading faintly with frost.
Kyle stared, brows knitting. He didn't move to take it.
The wolf tilted his head, studying him as though expecting acceptance. When a knight stepped between them, his lips peeled back, revealing sharp fangs — a warning, not yet an attack.
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The sound of crunching snow came from the opposite side of the clearing. Aldrich strode into view, bow over one shoulder, eyes immediately locking on the wolf.
His jaw tightened, but his voice was calm when he addressed the group. "Back inside. Slowly."
The wolf's ears flicked at the sound, but his gaze didn't leave Kyle.
It was Aldrich who moved first — a small step, hand resting lightly on his quiver. His presence alone seemed to shift the air, tension thickening between hunter and beast.
The wolf's body lowered, muscles bunching… but instead of attacking, he retreated two paces, melting back into the treeline. The apple lay abandoned in the snow.
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Once the cabin door was shut, Aldrich turned on Soren. "Why wasn't the perimeter watched?"
Soren's expression darkened. "It was. He's not just a beast."
Kyle, sitting by the hearth now, kept his gaze on the steaming mug in his hands. "He's… been watching me, hasn't he?"
No one answered. The scraping sound against the cabin wall — slow, deliberate — answered for them.
Outside, the wolf paced in the snow, circling.
Aldrich crossed the room to check the shutters. His eyes met Kyle's briefly, and for the first time, Kyle saw something sharper in them — not just concern, but the awareness of danger that wasn't going away.
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