Page 3 of Alien Charming

“I can’t keep living like this,” she whispered. “Talking to you these past weeks has been the only thing keeping me sane.” She turned towards the trees, heart pounding. “I need to know who I’m talking to. Please. Show yourself.”

The silence stretched between them, heavy with possibility. She held her breath, suddenly aware of how bold her request had been. What if he refused? What if this fragile connection—the one bright spot in her dreary existence—vanished like morning mist?

Movement caught her eye, and a large shadow detached from the trees.

“Are you certain?” he asked, his voice rough. “Once seen, things cannot be unseen.”

Her heart hammered against her ribs. “I’m certain.”

The figure hesitated one final moment, then stepped into the dappled sunlight, and her breath caught in her throat.

He was… magnificent. Towering well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders that seemed capable of carrying the weight of the world. Golden eyes that actually glowed in the forest shadows were set in a hard, angular face. Dark hair sprinkled with silver was pulled back in a leather tie.

A Vultor. And not just any Vultor—Seren, the alpha of the local pack.

She should have been terrified. But despite his imposing presence, despite everything she’d been taught to fear, she feltno urge to run. Instead, a strange calm settled over her, as if some part of her had always known who waited in the shadows.

CHAPTER 2

Seren braced himself for the inevitable—the scream that would tear from Elli’s throat, the desperate scramble to escape the monster before her. He tensed, ready to retreat back into the sheltering darkness of the forest where he belonged.

But the scream never came.

Instead, her lips curved upwards in a gentle smile that transformed her entire face. The tightness around her eyes softened, and a warm flush spread across her cheeks.

“I’m happy to finally meet you,” she said, her voice quiet but steady.

He remained frozen, unable to comprehend her reaction. Humans feared the Vultor. They told frightening stories about his kind to their children. They formed hunting parties when Vultor ventured too close to their settlements. Despite the trade negotiations and the two recent matings, most of the villagers regarded them with suspicion and fear. Yet this small, fragile female stood before him without a trace of terror.

“You’re not afraid?” The question rumbled from his chest before he could stop it.

She tilted her head, considering him with those perceptive grey eyes. “Should I be?”

“Most would say yes.” His fingers flexed at his sides, his claws threatening to emerge.

“Most haven’t spent weeks talking with you.” She took a tentative step closer, still within the boundaries of her garden but narrowing the distance between them. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities to harm me if that was your intention.”

Her logic surprised him. Humans rarely applied reason when confronted with his kind.

“The stories about the Vultor—” he began.

“Are undoubtedly exaggerated.” She smiled up at him. “Though I admit, you’re much taller than I imagined. I thought it was only the shadows that made you look so big.”

A startled laugh escaped him. When was the last time he’d laughed? He couldn’t remember.

“Does your aunt know you speak with strangers in the woods?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

She gave him an enchantingly mischievous smile. “I didn’t think she needed to know.”

Her reaction stunned him—he’d been so sure she’d be afraid of him once he revealed himself. He’d almost refused her request, but she’d seemed so unhappy that he didn’t have the heart to deny her. Even now, the absence of terror in her scent bewildered him more than anything else.

Her scent. That was what had first drawn him to this place weeks ago.

He’d been patrolling the borders of Vultor territory when the wind shifted, carrying a fragrance so compelling he’d followed it without conscious thought—a sweet, clean essence that reminded him of spring mornings and clear mountain streams. It had pulled at something primal within him, something he’d long suppressed.

But it was watching her that had kept him coming back.

She tilted her head, studying him with those clear grey eyes.

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