Page 2 of Falling for My Shifter Stranger

The moment I step closer, her scent hits me with a force that nearly drives me to my knees. Not just pine and cinnamon—it’s her.Mine.The word tears through my mind, primal and absolute. My wolf surges forward, a growl rumbling low in my chest. It’s her. My mate. The one I thought I’d never find, the one I didn’t believe I deserved.

I clench my fists, fighting the urge to reach out, to claim her right here and now. The bond snaps taut between us, sharp and undeniable, and it’s as though every inch of me is on fire. She turns to face me, her amber eyes bright with curiosity, completely unaware of the chaos she’s just unleashed inside me.

“Here we are,” she says, her voice light and cheerful as she pushes the door open to a small cabin, the snow piled high on its roof. She doesn’t know. How could she? She doesn’t feel the same pull I do—not yet.

The warmth spilling out through the doorway is almost enough to make me sag with relief, but it’s nothing compared to the inferno raging in my chest. My wolf paces restlessly inside me, snarling at my hesitation.Mate. Protect her. Claim her. She’s ours.

I force the growl back down, locking my wolf away with sheer willpower. I can’t afford to lose control—not now. Not when everything about this moment is wrong. She deserves more than this wreck of a man, more than whatever broken pieces I have left to give.

“Thank you,” I manage to say, the words stiff and unfamiliar on my tongue. My voice sounds rougher than usual, strained with the effort of keeping myself in check.

Hannah smiles—a small, fleeting curve of her lips that sends a strange warmth through me. “Goodnight,” she says, her voice soft. And then she’s gone, leaving me alone in the quiet of the cabin.

I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the door she just walked through. My wolf is restless, pacing in the back of my mind. I don’t know what it is about her, but she’s already under my skin. And that’s a problem.

I didn’t come here looking for anything more than shelter. But as I lean back against the wall, the faint scent of pine and cinnamon still lingering, I realize I might have found something I wasn’t ready for.

Something I might not be able to walk away from.

Chapter 2

Hannah

The morning sun streams through the frost-lined windows, gilding the snow-dappled landscape outside in hues of gold and white. I sit up slowly, my blankets pooling around me, and let out a long breath. The house is quiet, save for the faint creak of the floorboards as the pack begins to stir downstairs. But my mind isn’t on the morning routine or the endless list of holiday preparations.

It’s on him.

Rhys.

My wolf growls softly, her possessiveness curling through my chest.Mate. He’s ours.She doesn’t understand why we’re still in bed when he’s just a short walk away. She’s impatient, primal in her certainty. But I’m not just my wolf. And while her instincts scream “claim him,” my human side is a mess of nerves.

I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing. I hadn’t expected it—not the pull, not the bond, not the way my entire world had shifted the moment I caught his scent. Woodsmoke and wild earth. It had wrapped around me like a promise, igniting something in my wolf I hadn’t dared to hope for. But Rhys… he didn’t seem to feel it. Or if he did, he didn’t show it.

The thought stings more than I’d like to admit.

I swing my legs out of bed and head downstairs, the pull of the bond making it impossible to stay still. If I can’t talk to him about what’s happening—not yet, anyway—I can at least make sure he has what he needs. My wolf rumbles her approval as I step into the kitchen, already reaching for the skillet on the stove. The scent of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee fills the room, and I busy myself assembling a tray: eggs, toast, bacon, and a steaming mug. It’s simple, but it’s enough.

“Special delivery?” Leah’s voice cuts through the quiet, and I glance up to see her leaning against the doorway, one eyebrow raised.

“Just breakfast,” I say, keeping my tone light. “For our guest.”

Leah snorts, her expression skeptical. “You’re being awfully generous to someone we don’t know.”

“It’s Christmas,” I reply, brushing past her before she can say anything else. “Generosity is kind of the whole point.”

Balancing the tray carefully, I step out into the crisp morning air. Snow crunches under my boots as I make my way to the guest cabin, my breath puffing out in little clouds. The cold bites at my cheeks, but the warmth of the tray in my hands—and the thought of seeing him again—keeps me moving.

When I knock lightly on the cabin door, there’s no response. For a moment, I wonder if he’s still asleep—or worse, if he’s slipped away in the middle of the night. My wolf bristles at the thought, her growl low and possessive.No. He wouldn’t leave. He’s ours.

The door creaks open a crack, and there he is. His silver eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe. The airbetween us feels charged, as if the bond is alive, humming with a quiet intensity that makes my wolf purr in satisfaction.Mate.

“Good morning,” I say, my voice a little too chipper to ease the tension.

Rhys’s gaze flickers to the tray in my hands, then back to my face. “What’s this?”

“Breakfast,” I reply, offering a small smile. “I thought you might be hungry.”

He hesitates, his hand tightening on the edge of the door. “You didn’t have to do that.”

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