Nova

The first thing Scott did was avert his face.

Shit.

Why was his body reacting to seeing a naked girl in front of him? Usually, Scott didn’t care. He was used to nudity, as werewolves had to shed their clothes when shifting. But when he looked at the body of this rogue, petite yet sturdy, Scott felt something stirring down there.

He clenched his jaw and held his breath. He couldn’t let himself be like this. Even though she was a girl, this rogue was dangerous. He had to finish her off now.

The thought of killing this rogue was met with protest from his wolf. His wolf growled in Scott’s head, expressing its objection.

“What?” Scott murmured, puzzled. It was unusual for his wolf to oppose him. Their thought process had always been aligned, and his wolf had been an excellent partner. They both hated woman, and both had a strong determination to become the greatest Alpha.

But now his wolf was acting strangely.

Scott chose to ignore his wolf. He was about to shift again and tear into the rogue’s chest to rip out her heart, but his wolf refused to emerge.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?!” Scott yelled. “We have to kill her now!”

His wolf growled again and rebelled. It outright refused to appear.

Scott groaned in frustration. He gazed at the girl again, pondering what he should do now.

At the very least, he had to secure the girl so she couldn’t attack him. It could be dangerous if she regained consciousness and attacked Scott while his wolf refused to come out.

Scott scanned the surroundings, trying to recall exactly where he was.

There was a border patrol cabin around here that was rarely used. It had a prison cell complete with special shackles designed for werewolves to prevent them from shifting. Scott would take her there.

If the girl regained consciousness before Scott had a chance to kill her, at least he could interrogate her and find out where she came from and why she had come here.

He lifted her and hoisted her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She seemed surprisingly light, and it felt oddly pleasant carrying her and inhaling her scent—

Wait a minute. What kind of thoughts were those?

Scott shook his head. There was no way he could feel pleased about carrying a girl and smelling her body like a pervert. He quickened his pace to reach the patrol cabin and pushed aside the thoughts that were starting to wander.

After walking for a while, holding his breath, Scott finally arrived at a cabin in the middle of the forest. This cabin used to serve as a border patrol post, but it had been abandoned for years, as they had built a new cabin in a more strategic location.

Occasionally, patrol members stopped by here to check if this place was being used by intruders, but so far, it was safe. They continued to maintain that place even though they no longer used it because there might be an emergency in the future that would force them to use that guard post.

And it turned out that had proven to be the case. Scott opened the door and entered the main room. There wasn’t much furniture inside. Just a sofa set, a wooden table, and a cupboard in the corner. Scott walked through the main room and headed towards the stairs that led him to the underground prison. It was damp, cold, and smelled. He ran his free hand along the walls and found a light switch. Scott pressed the switch, and a bright orange light flooded the basement, revealing a room behind iron bars, and a guardroom with a worn-out sofa.

Scott brought the girl into the prison and lowered her, pressing her against the wall into a sitting position. He quickly secured the chain shackles on each of her hands and feet, then stepped back after finishing. The girl was still unconscious. Her head was lowered, causing her long hair to hide her face. And her current sitting position... Her legs were stretched out, revealing something that Scott shouldn’t see.

Scott sighed and turned away. He rubbed his temples and looked at the floor, thinking. They were both naked, and Scott didn’t like seeing what had been happening to him then, down there, every time he looked at the girl. This needed to stop immediately.

Scott exited the prison and went up to the ground floor. He opened a storage cupboard and found several sets of clothes, intentionally kept in case a werewolf needed them, along with some blankets.

First, Scott dressed himself. Then he considered dressing the girl too, but it seemed difficult. Finally, Scott grabbed a blanket and headed back downstairs. He spread the blanket and tossed it to cover her body.

Not long after the blanket landed on her, she opened her eyes and looked up. Her eyes locked onto Scott’s with a fierce gaze. Scott stood near the bars, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Finally awake,” he said calmly.

Instead of answering, the girl growled and grimaced, revealing her teeth. She was trying to shift. But she couldn’t. The surprise on her face after a few moments showed that.

“Stop unnecessary actions and answer my question,” Scott said again. “Who are you? What were you doing in my territory?”

Scott walked closer and stopped right under the lamp. His face, which had been obscured by shadows all this time, now became clearly visible, and the expression on her face changed in an instant.

The sharp gaze of her eyes softened, and there was surprise there. Her tense jaw relaxed, even her mouth hung open. Then a weak and hoarse voice escaped from her chapped and reddened lips.

“Nova…”

“What?”

Scott walked closer to hear more clearly.

She said again, “Nova.”

“What’s that?”

“You. My Nova.”

Scott tilted his head, furrowing his brow. Was Nova the name of his former pack? But Scott had never heard of a pack called Nova before.

“Are you from a distant place?” Scott asked.

“Nova. You are alive.” She smiled weakly, her gaze turning desperate. She moved both of her hands forward until the sound of tinkling chains was heard. “Come here. Let me touch you.”

So, Nova is a person, Scott thought. Who is he? Her lover?

That thought was met with an angry response from his wolf. His wolf was acting up a lot today. Scott would talk to it later.

“Don’t babble,” Scott retorted. “And don’t use a sad story to gain my sympathy. It won’t work.”

But Scott’s words yielded no result other than being ignored. She continued to call him Nova. This time, she looked up, and Scott noticed something circling her neck. A necklace made of a thin chain hung down to the middle of her chest. There was a square-shaped pendant made of platinum hanging there. It looked exactly like the necklace worn by human military personnel.

Scott approached her and bent down to take the pendant. His finger accidentally brushed against her breast, and he tensed again. He tried to ignore it, not an easy feat, and read what was engraved there.

“Ciara…,” he mumbled, reading the letters carved in bold. Was this her name? Below the name, there was a date written. If this was her birthdate, it meant Ciara was nineteen years old.

“Nova. I love you.”

Scott looked up, and their eyes met.

She still offered him a faint smile, then she swiftly moved her hands and feet so fast that Scott, caught off guard, couldn’t dodge.

He thought she was going to attack him, but she didn’t.

She trapped him with her legs and arms, then with her strength, she lifted her body and pressed her lips against his.