CHAPTER 004

Dante stared at the figure sprawled on the forest floor, his sharp amber eyes studying them calmly.

Before this person had fainted, they'd called his name. Did they recognize him or was it just a coincidence?

He tried to look at them to see if he recognised this person. But with the amount of dirt staining their face, he couldn't really see any features. And, his question couldn't be answered now since they were unconscious.

He glanced at Fenrir, his oversized wolf-dog who was now sitting at his side, curiously staring at the person on the floor, with no sense of guilt after making them unconscious.

Dante sighed, scratching behind his ears. "Scaring people wasn't part of the job, bud."

The dog let out a small while, his massive tail thumping against the floor.

His gaze drifted back to the unconscious person. Their scent was weak, almost human, but not quite. 

A werewolf. 

He was sure of it, but the fragility of their wolf was quite surprising. Even half wolves didn't have such a faint scent.

For a moment, Dante considered leaving them here. Rogues didn’t take strangers in lightly—there were too many risks attached to that.

But this weak little thing... probably wouldn't cause a lot of trouble, right?

“Guess you’re coming with me, then.”

With a sigh, he put them on Fenrir’s broad back, adjusting their limp body until it wouldn’t slide off. The dog stood tall and steady, as if used to carrying strangers through the woods.

“Let’s go.”

---

Soon, the house came into view, the moon seemingly right on top. It was a pretty huge house, a bit dilapidated when they found it, the people in town said it was abandoned cause it was haunted. So, it had been the best place for a pack of rogues to stay.

Anyway, any ghosts who wished to live with them could, as far as it didn't meddle.

The door creaked open as Dante stepped inside the weak wolf hoisted on his shoulders, and immediately, several heads turned his way.

“What the hell is this?” one of the guys demanded, his dark eyes narrowing at the sight of the unconscious stranger.

"A wolf.... sort of." Dante replied, setting them down gently on a worn couch near the wall.

"And?" He sat up, arms crossed on his chest. “Still doesn’t explain why you brought ‘em here,”

Dante didn't bother with their glares. He'd known  this would be their reaction when he brought this wolf back.

"Well, I found ‘em passed out in the woods. Looked like they hasn’t eaten in days. They aren't a threat, and I’m not going to leave her out there to die.”

The group exchanged glances, murmuring under their breaths.

"... you also said the other dude wouldn't be a threat..."

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me,” he said, his tone firm. That shut them up quickly.

He huffed, taking a seat. "That's what I thought."

“Fine,” the only female in the group said, stepping forward. She was muscular and tall, her dark blonde hair framing an angular face. “But they're your job.”

Dante raised a brow. “Actually, Rhea, they're yours now. Make sure it doesn’t die. And also, you'll look into the wolf later... it's really weak.”

Rhea raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. She grabbed the stranger by the arm and dragged them toward a back room.

This kid stank like hell.... before anything, they had to take a bath.

---

The first thing Lucia noticed when she opened her eyes was the strange room she was now in. The second was the strong hand tugging at her clothes.

Her instincts kicked in immediately. She waved her hands wildly to attack the person and scrambled backwards as soon as they left her. Her back collided with the wall, her heart beating fast.

Her eyes landed on a woman towering overheard, her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

A lady. She relaxed slightly.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, her voice shaky. Despite relaxing, she was still wary of this stranger.

The woman raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Relax, kid. If I wanted to do anything to you, I wouldn’t waste my time on a dirt-stained little dude like you.”

Lucia blinked, confused. “Dude?”

Rhea ignored the question, yanking the kid back and taking off the damned smelly shirt. She stared at the delicate collarbone and chest and raised a brown

“Well, I’ll be damned. You’re a girl.”

Lucia’s cheeks flushed a deep red as she scrambled to cover herself with her palms. “Of course I am!” she snapped, glaring at the woman.

Rhea shrugged, completely unbothered. “Even better.”

She watched, amused as the kids eyes widened and she pressed herself even farther away.

How fun. 

But she really shouldn't aware her. So she stepped back.

“Relax, you’re awake now, so handle your own bath. You stink, and I’m not about to spend the night in the same building with whatever shit you’ve got going on.”

Before Lucia could respond, Rhea ripped the rest of her dirty clothes from her body and tossed them right into a bin by the side. "Those won't be used anymore. There’s a tub in the next room. Use it."

Lucia watched her leave before making her away to the bathroom close by. Her ankle hurt a lot but she wasn't about to go get help from that.... person.

The water was warm, and she sank into it, exhausted. Suddenly, the door creaked open again and she flinched, instinctively covering herself.

A bundle of clothes was thrown in and she caught it before it hit the water.

"Get dressed when you’re done," a voice called. "And you're welcome."

---

The clothes didn’t fit. The pants were too long and the shirt swallowing her skinny frame.

Lucia pulled at the loose collar carefully. At least jt was better than wearing her dirty clothes.

She stepped out of the bathroom, her damp hair clinging to her face, and froze. A group of people stood in the main room, all of them looking at her intently.

Their stares were quite heavy and she hugged herself tighter, her aching ankle threatening to fail her.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded. “You’re awake.”

Dante!

Her gaze snapped to him, suddenly relieved. Without thinking, she moved closer to him with small steps.

The others noticed, their eyes narrowing as they exchanged looks.

“Who’s the twig?” one of them asked.

"She's so scrawny?"

"What do they feed her where she's from?"

"What pack are you from?"

As soon as one spoke, the questions bombarded her endlessly. Lucia did not know where to begin her answers from.

Luckily, Dante stared at yhe others and they stopped. He moved away from the little girl who was almost plastered against him.

"First, where are you from? What pack?"

Lucia hesitated to answer. "I... I don't have a pack. I used to be at an orphanage."

The surroundings were silent for a while.

"A wolf without a pack? What's she on? Are you sure this kid is okay?"

"I'm not a wolf..." Lucia muttered under her breath. Those damn werewolves didn't care about anyone. She wasn't one of them.

Although her voice was small, everyone heard her clearly. They all turned to Dante as if to say, ‘Are you seeing what you picked up?’

Dante rubbed his brows already feeling a headache. Then he held the girl by her arm and led her to a chair to sit down.

"Listen, are you a werewolf or not?" He asked.

Lucia stared at him for a while before looking away. "I am."

"Good. Your wolf seems quite weak. Have you every shifted before?"

"No." Lucia answered. Her wolf had always been weak. If it hadn't been, she'd have been able to escape from Matteo’s hands.

“So you’re useless, then.”

Lucia kept silent. Her aim here was to find Dante. But even if she found him... this him didn't remember her at all. She would probably be chased away soon.

Surprisingly, Rhea who had been silent spoke up. "I want her to stay. She's quite cute."

One of the men chuckled. "Of course you think so. But she can't—"

"She'll stay." Dante cut in. "It's not that hard to take on more person in. She'll keep Rhea company."

And so, it was final. Lucia was staying.