CHAPTER 005

I raced through the woods, my senses on high alert though my mind was heady with the scent of musk. There was no better feeling than that of trampling the ground with my paws, and my wolf let out a howl of the ecstasy that we both shared.

A while later, I padded down a small clearing, taking note of the sounds around me, making sure there was no threat. And there wasn't.

Till everywhere became silent.

Rogues. I could smell them.

Heart pounding, I trained my ears to listen to their heartbeats and movements, and when the first one appeared, I was ready.

A loud cry of pain pierced through the air as I tore it apart, ensuring it was dead before facing the next one charging towards me.

I'd just thrown the last one down when a sharp pain struck my chest, and I collapsed, wheezing multiple times before letting darkness embrace me.

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Audrey POV:

I'd been wandering through the woods, savoring the feeling I was never able to enjoy when I heard groaning.

Initially afraid, I couldn't move, but I soon overcame my fright and crept to the scene, then peeked into the clearing where the voice had come from.

A huge wolf with dark fur lay there, unconscious, but I could still hear its labored breaths.

Dear Luna.

I raced to the animal, looking it over to check for any injury. My heart jumped into my throat when I saw the silver bullet buried close to its shoulder.

A few inches downward, and it'd have been in its heart.

Shit.

As if sensing a presence, the wolf let out a sound of fatigue yet tried to move. “Hold on,” I immediately said, gently coaxing it to remain calm. “You can’t move now…oh, Luna…wait, I think I can fix this.”

Recalling my online first aid courses, I began to work on getting the bullet out after tying a tourniquet - using a piece of my shirt that I’d torn at a little distance away from the point. As soon as I succeeded, I wrapped the area with the now bloody but firm fabric and surveyed my work.

It was silver, so it was going to hurt a bit, but it was out. And werewolves healed quickly, so I didn't think the injury would last.

As I considered these things, my gaze traveled down the wolf's body, and I almost let out a scream when I saw that its eyes were open and trained on me. It let out another growl, but this time, I sensed the gratitude in it.

Subconsciously, I kissed its head, giggling when a large paw circled my waist. It seemed to be a male.

“I’ll have to get you to the pack doctor here. Maybe he can help you.”

Hearing that, the wolf lifted one eyelid and tried to keep his gaze on me, but he soon gave up. I knew that meant he was weak.

But I couldn't help him by myself to the pack house. Not in that form.

“Um…could you…shift please?”

It regarded me with a blank stare.

“I…I need to get you to the pack house here. There's a doctor…he'll sort you out.”

The wolf growled softly and nuzzled its nose against my shoulder, and I gasped at the feeling of ecstasy I gained from that single contact.

But there were bigger things to worry about.

“Um…you have to shift now. I need to get you there very quickly.”

It blinked, then closed its eyes.

“Wait! No, don't-”

The next words died in my throat as a gorgeous male appeared in the place of the wolf, a dark red patch showing on his clothes.

Immediately, I swallowed the desire that ran down my spine at the sight of him and focused on the matter at hand. He was huge, which was guaranteed. But by the time I got him to the pack gates, the guards would help me.

The issue was that the gates were very far from our current location.

I was still contemplating when the man groaned, and an odd but very pleasant feeling coursed through me.

He groaned again, startling me, and I sighed, barely managing to get his arm around my shoulder before finally finding a balance and trudging all the way home.

As soon as I arrived at the gates, the guards rushed to my aid without me having to talk, and I looked in shock as they immediately yelled for backup.

I was bewildered. Even when my dad was injured in battle, he never got this much attention.

I knew he was most likely an important person due to his size and the aura the wolf exuded, but…who was that man?

I tried making inquiries, but twenty minutes later, none of the guards had acknowledged me long enough to give me an answer. So, I gave up and returned to the house, only to almost get knocked down by Tanya as she rushed out the door.

Her eyes were wild, and her face streaked with tears when she noticed me. “Audrey! Where have you been?!”

“I…uh…” I didn't know how to explain my movements. “I was just…around.”

“Did you see him? I’ve been trying to get to him, but no one seems to know exactly where he's been taken!”

I stared at her, momentarily confused. “Who…who are you talking about?”

Her expression seemed to ask me if I was mad. “The Alpha, my fiancée of course! Mother told me he was just brought in from the woods, terribly injured! Apparently, he'd been attacked by the rogues! Oh, dear goddess. And we’d conversed not too long ago. If I'd known, I would have-”

But her words were merely an endless drone in the background, as the information she'd just given felt like a huge rock had fallen on my head.

It suddenly made sense why everyone was falling over themselves.

That man…he was the Alpha. My sister's fiancé. The man she would be getting married to few days from now.

And I'd kissed his… OMG!