Page 5 of Wolf Mate’s Forbidden Fire (Esoterra Shifters World #1)

Chapter Five

Aurora

I sat at the wobbly table in my cabin, the microscope’s light casting a soft glow over the wolf fur I’d collected from a thorn bush near the creek.

My laptop hummed beside me, displaying DNA sequences that made no sense.

The results were clear, but they turned my entire scientific worldview upside down.

The fur wasn’t fully animal, not even close, but it wasn’t human either.

It was something else, a hybrid that shouldn’t exist. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes, my coffee long gone cold.

“This is impossible,” I muttered, staring at the screen.

I’d run the test three times, double-checking every step, but the data didn’t lie.

Whatever this wolf was, it wasn’t in any textbook I’d ever read.

My fingers brushed the quartz pendant at my neck, its weight grounding me as I tried to wrap my head around it.

I needed to see that black wolf again, the one with the gray eyes that haunted my dreams. I grabbed my camera, slung it over my shoulder, and headed out, locking the cabin door behind me.

The forest was alive at midday, sunlight filtering through the pines, but there was a strange hum in the air, like the woods were holding their breath.

I followed the oversized paw prints I’d been tracking, my boots sinking into the soft earth.

The trail wound deeper into Esoterra, the trees growing denser, their branches brushing my shoulders.

Leaves rustled overhead, but there was no wind, and my skin prickled, like eyes were watching me from the shadows.

I gripped my camera tighter, my heart picking up speed, but I kept moving, drawn to the mystery I couldn’t let go.

The trail opened into a small clearing, the ground carpeted with moss, a fallen log at its center.

I crouched to check a fresh print, my fingers tracing its edges, when a shadow moved behind me.

I stood, spinning around, my camera raised like a shield.

Omer stepped out from the trees, his presence filling the space, his gray eyes locked on mine.

He wore a fitted black shirt this time, but his hair was still messy, his scars faintly visible at the collar.

My breath caught, the memory of our kiss flooding back, heat pooling low in my stomach.

“You’re back,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “What’s with the sneaking around? You here to scare me off again?”

He didn’t smile, just stepped closer, his boots silent on the moss. “I’m not sneaking,” he said, his voice low and rough, like it carried the weight of the forest. “But you need to stop this, Aurora. You’re digging into things you can’t handle.”

I laughed, short and sharp, lowering my camera. “You keep saying that, but you never explain. I’m not leaving, Omer. I found something in that fur, something that doesn’t add up. Care to tell me why it’s not normal wolf DNA?”

His eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed, his jaw tightening. “You’re too smart for your own good,” he said, stepping closer, close enough that I could feel the heat off him. “You want the truth? Fine. I’m the wolf you’re chasing. The black one with the gray eyes. That’s me.”

I stared at him, my mind spinning, trying to process his words. “What?” I said, my voice cracking. “You’re saying you’re… what, a werewolf?”

“Shifter,” he corrected, his voice firm. “We’re not monsters from some movie. The Moonridge Pack, we live here in Esoterra, hidden from your world. We shift between human and wolf, and we’ve got laws to keep it that way. You’re breaking every one of them just by being here.”

I took a step back, my camera bumping against my chest. “That’s insane,” I said, but the pieces clicked, the oversized prints, the human-like eyes, the DNA. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re actually telling me you turn into a wolf.”

He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “I am. And you need to leave before you bring trouble we can’t fix. The pack doesn’t take kindly to humans knowing our secret.”

I shook my head, my hands balling into fists. “I’m not running away just because you say so. I’ve spent my life studying wolves, and now you’re telling me there’s a whole world I didn’t know about? I’m not leaving, Omer. I want to understand.”

He growled, low and frustrated, running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just about you being curious.

There’s a reason we stay hidden. There’s a force, the Forbidden Fire, and if you and I…

” He stopped, his eyes flicking to my lips, then back to my eyes.

“If a human and shifter get too close, it could destroy everything.”

I stepped closer, my heart pounding, my hand brushing his arm before I could stop myself.

His skin was warm, the muscle hard under my touch, and a spark shot through me, like the air itself was charged.

“What do you mean, too close?” I said, my voice softer now, my fingers lingering on his arm.

“Like what happened the other night? Because I felt something, Omer, and I know you did too.”

His breath hitched, and he grabbed my hand, not pulling it away but holding it against his arm, his grip firm.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he said, his voice strained, like he was fighting himself.

“That kiss, it wasn’t just a kiss. You’re my mate, Aurora.

My wolf knows it, and it’s tearing me apart.

But it’s forbidden. If we give in, the Fire could burn Esoterra to the ground. ”

I swallowed, my pulse racing, his words sinking in but not enough to drown out the heat between us. “Your mate?” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “What does that even mean? And why does it sound like you’re more scared of me than I am of you?”

He let go of my hand, stepping back, his eyes dark and stormy.

“I’m not scared of you,” he said, but his voice shook slightly.

“I’m scared of what you do to me. You’re human, Aurora.

My pack would tear me apart if they knew how I feel.

And the Fire, it’s not just a story. It’s real, and it’s dangerous. ”

I crossed my arms, my skin still tingling where he’d touched me. “Then why tell me any of this? If it’s so dangerous, why not just let me stumble around in the dark?”

He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Because you’re too damn stubborn to stop. You’re already too close to the truth. I thought maybe if you knew, you’d leave. But I can see that’s not happening.”

“Damn right it’s not,” I said, stepping closer again, my voice firm. “I’m not here to ruin your world, Omer. I just want to understand it. Help me, or I’ll keep digging on my own.”

He stared at me, his eyes searching mine, then shook his head. “You’re going to get us both killed,” he said, but there was a hint of a smile, like he couldn’t help but admire my nerve. “I have to go. Stay away from the deep woods, Aurora. For your own sake.”

Before I could argue, he turned and slipped into the trees, his form blending with the shadows.

My hand was still warm from touching him, and my heart wouldn’t slow down.

I stood there, the clearing silent except for the hum in the air, and tried to make sense of it all.

Shifters. A forbidden bond. A fire that could destroy everything.

It was too much, but I wasn’t backing down.

I hiked back to the cabin, my camera heavy around my neck, my mind racing.

Inside, I locked the door and sank into my chair, pulling a dusty book from my bag.

I’d borrowed it from the university library, a collection of Pacific Northwest legends.

I flipped through the pages, my eyes scanning for anything that might explain what Omer had told me.

I found it near the back, a faded chapter about Esoterra’s “beast folk,” shifters who lived in secret, bound by laws to avoid humans.

The text mentioned a curse, a fiery force tied to forbidden unions, said to have burned whole forests centuries ago.

My stomach twisted. The Forbidden Fire. It wasn’t just Omer’s warning, it was in the book, real enough to make my skin crawl.

I glanced at the wolf totem on my desk, its carved eyes glinting in the lamplight, mirroring Omer’s.

I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, the wood smooth and warm.

It felt alive, like it carried a piece of him.

I set it down and grabbed my journal, my pencil moving fast as I sketched the runes I’d seen in the book, jagged symbols that matched the ones I’d glimpsed in my dreams. My hand shook slightly, but I kept going, determined to piece it together.

Omer could warn me all he wanted, but I wasn’t leaving Esoterra.

Not until I understood the shifters, the Fire, and why my heart kept pulling me back to him.