Chapter 2

Priamos’ Point of View

She was the most stunning woman I had ever seen. Jet black hair. Upturned nose and high cheeks bones. Voluptuous curves that went on for days. Keeping my eyes off of her wasn’t an option. Not for a moment. Especially seeing as two men were trailing her. As a beautiful woman, I understood their urge to follow along. I would hang from her lips the moment she let me. But this was different. There was a certain type of malice in their gait.

The woman hadn’t realized it yet. Or she had but chalked it up to them strolling about. My dark-haired beauty turned down an alley, hair whipping in the breeze. The men followed behind. Softly laughed at each other when she had certainly doomed herself.

I jumped from my seat at the café and crossed the road. A car honked at me and I glared back at it. There was no time to waste. The men had disappeared inside the alley now. Snickered just enough that I could hear them.

“What do you want?” The woman asked, her voice not showing a trace of fear. I bit down on my jaw and hastened my pace.

“What is a beautiful girl like you doing alone in a place like this?” One of them asked as I reached the entrance. They were halfway down the alley. I looked at her again. Long dress with many holes in it. Shoes with the soles nearly ripping off. Rogue. Had to be. Just like me.

“None of your business. Now move along before you regret it.” She replied, irritation tipping into every word she said. I wanted to smile at her fierce nature. At the way she cocked her hip to one side and let the men think she was cornered. This one had a hot streak.

Both men laughed and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. They weren’t ordinary men. Guards of the crown. That’s what they were. Ruthless men that took what they wanted and never apologized for it.

“Look, girly, you let that dress of yours drop, we do what we want and we will be on our merry way.” The taller one mused. I had had enough of their comments. Their persistent mockery of her. The woman’s spine straightened and she looked between them. Then her eyes found mine and it was as if the world around me shattered.

Reformed. Made itself new and it turned solely around her. She was my mate and I didn’t even know her name. The woman’s face went slack, and her eyes refused to move anywhere. She just gaped at me. The men exchanged looks. One of them growled and I was ripped from my haze. They lunged for her. The woman snapped to her senses and sidestepped one of them.

I forced my legs into a running pace. Came up to the closest one and hooked an arm around his neck. With a violent tug, I sent him sprawling to the ground. His oomph echoed across the alley but it didn’t stop the one already on her. He flung her into the wall, giving a small crack as she made contact. Her face scraped against the concrete and I snarled.

“Get off of her!” I yelled at the man and grabbed his hair. He pulled away from her and gave me a look of bewilderment. I pulled harder, throwing him to the ground beside his buddy. The first one had hit his head hard. Was knocked unconscious. The second simply tried to stand again and I kicked his head hard enough that he whimpered. But he wasn’t unconscious still. I went in for the next blow but sparks shot up my arm. Stopped me dead in my tracks.

The girl had placed her hand on my shoulder. Her face was scraped badly. Her lips split from the force of impact. My gaze softened. My anger boiled into nothingness. She shook her head at me and I let my fist fall. Relaxed my body. The man remained on the ground this time. Wide eyes staring up at us. I hissed at him. He didn’t so much as flinch at my threat.

“Do you have a place to go? We need to get you cleaned up.” I asked her. She shook her head again.

My assumption about the clothes had been off by about a mile. She wasn’t just a rogue, she was homeless. Such a beautiful creature and she had to live out here by herself. I nodded and took her hand. More sparks danced between us. I wanted to pick her up. Lift her into my arms, bridal style, and run home. Lock her inside where no man could ever hurt her.

For a moment, she tensed. Looked at me with big intelligent green eyes. Unsure of what to do next. How to react. The fire from earlier never came but I could see her fighting with herself. Go with me, her mate, or stay and fend off more of these types of me. Her more timid side won out and she fell into me when I walked.

My apartment wasn’t far off. Just two blocks. I was keenly aware of her beside me. Of all the men looking at her. Taking her in. But her eyes were just on me. As if she couldn’t believe what had happened. My wolf howled in pleasure. We had done it. Found our mate. Didn’t know her name but it was a small inconvenience we could get rid of as we cleaned her up.

The complex I lived in came into view. Three stories up. Balconies on the last story. Plants blooming in the garden at the front. A massive fountain spewed a bit in front of the front doors with fish swirling in the summer light. A large foyer with our mailboxes just passed the door. An elevator to the side and a nice-looking older gentleman greeted us as we entered.

Her eyes took in everything. Never missed a detail. Her grip on my hand tightened and I pulled her closer to me. She had remained mute the entire journey. Just took in everything as we went on. I clicked the three on the elevator button when we got in. In no time, the doors dinged open on my floor.

She slowed her step. Then stopped altogether. “I don’t even know you.” She murmured. I chuckled and looked at her. The cuts on her face were bleeding. Some were deep and others shallow. She remained utterly breath-taking, even with them.

“I know. But we will have time for that, okay? I just want to make sure none of those cuts get infected.” I tried to reassure her. She bit her bottom lip and I wanted to groan. The look in her eyes was enough to make me take her right there.

Finally, she nodded. I kept walking to the end of the hall. Fumbling for my keys, I tugged them free and opened the door. Her mouth fell open when she took in my apart. Then her head whipped towards me. A frown formed on her brow. Deep and confusing. She tried to puzzle me out but couldn’t place me. I shrugged and lead her inside.

The bathroom was just to the left. The living room was in front of us and the kitchen to our right. Small stairs lead to my room, acting as a loft that looked over the rest of my apartment. Beneath it was the bathroom. I walked her inside and refrained from closing the door. There was no need in upsetting her more than she already was.

“Sit down on the toilet, please,” I asked and took the first aid kit from beneath the sink. She did as asked. Looked at the kit in my hand with big eyes. I smiled at her and opened it up. Spilled bandages and alcohol wipes everywhere. The ointment rolled to the floor, clattered on the tiles. The woman picked it up. “I work in construction, so I need to have medical stuff on me at all times. I bleed a lot.” I tried breaking the ice. She just stared up at me.

Muting my mouth, I got to work on her face. The alcohol wipes were cool against her hot skin. Not once did she flinch or recoil. Never said a word or made a sound. For a second I thought that she would remain quiet the entire time.

“What’s your name?” She asked when I reached for the ointment in her hands. I blinked. Gathered my senses and tried to smile.

“I am Priamos Torrez and you are?” She furrowed her brows and bit her lips again. This time she did wince a bit, the cut freshly cleaned and bleeding slightly.

“I am Nerezza. I don’t have a last name. Well, my parents never gave me one before they passed away.” She admitted. A knife was sent through my heart at the sight of her sad eyes. The tears lingered on her bottom lid. I opened the cap on the ointment and put a bit on a Q-tip.

“Nice to meet you, Nerezza. It seems we are mates.” I stated softly and put the ointment on her cuts. Once more, she winced slightly. I lifted the cotton tip away and put more ointment on it.

“I always wanted the love my parents had. Even when they died, they died together. I hope we can get to know each other better.” She said with a sad smile. I nodded and smothered the rest of her wounds with the ointment. When I was finished, I bandaged the deeper ones to keep them from bleeding all over the place. Her healing was slow. Most likely from a lack of nutrition.

“Mind if I give you something more comfortable to wear?” I asked and stood away from her. Her eyes settled on the mirror behind me. On her cut face and bruised neck from where her assailant had slammed her into the wall. She nodded and I stepped from the room. “Take a shower. Relax a bit. I will set the clothes outside of the door. Towels are in the cupboard beneath the sink.” I instructed and stepped away. Nerezza smiled at me. I closed the door.

Seconds after I had left, the shower was on. I could hear her sigh of relief when she stepped beneath the water. The soft humming as she washed. My heartbeat out of my chest. Rose and fall like the tides. Inside me, my wolf stirred restlessly. We had found the love of our life.

But she had a broken heart. It was now my job to fix it for her. Show her what life was truly about.