CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER ONE

MADDY’S POV

I was about to step out when my gaze fell on the full length mirror hanging by a hook on the wall, my naked body staring back at me. Of course, he took off my dress when he was dressing my wound. It should bother me that he saw my body but now was not the time. There were things far much more important to me; things that made me want to bolt out of here as fast as I can . I scanned the room and found the dress lying on top of an old, rusty table. The last thing I cared about was the blood on it. The moment I was dressed up, I glanced around the room for some sort of weapon but there was none. Either the guy was too good at hiding his weapons or he just didn’t give a damn about security. Was he a werewolf? He had to be otherwise he wouldn’t have known Rowan. At the moment, my wolf senses had been paralyzed by the wolf lichen Rowan had injected in me; making it harder for me to sense another wolf. Or even tell any other kind of supernatural.

“Hello?” I called, walking into an inner room which clearly served as the living room, judging from the old three seater green couch placed right in the middle, a lit fireplace and two arm chairs by the side of the wooden table. The far right side of the living room was divided to a small, open kitchen complete with a countertop and gas cooker. For a place that looked this old, it sure was surprisingly clean and well arranged.

No answer, just the echo of my feet on the wooden floor. Well, I guess this was a goodbye to the kind but rather inquisitive stranger. I didn’t even know his name but none of it mattered to me because I was probably never going to see him again even if I managed to come out of this entire ordeal alive. A Harley was leaning by the side of the house and for a moment I thought of stealing it but I didn’t even know how to ride a motorbike and I didn’t exactly have the time to figure it out . For now, I’d keep off the roads until I’m certain I’m off the danger zone, then hitchhike a ride to heaven knows where. With a rather non-intricate plan in mind,  I ran across the road, to the other side where there was a rather dense forest. If I stayed out of the roads as much as I can, then that will certainly reduce the chances of me running into someone that could report me back to Rowan.

I glanced back at the small house I had just escaped from. It was right off the road in the middle of nowhere and some place no one would really have thought to look at but just to be safe I still needed to run as far away as possible. Pressing a hand delicately on my wound, I pushed forward trying to run through the trees. Blood was beginning to taint the white bandage running all around my waist, piercing through my dress but there was no way I was turning back. I had to get as far away from Pearl Town as possible.

I was about to make another limp leap when an arrow shot right past me, barely grazing my arm as it stuck to the tree beside me. Eyes widened, I turned to the source, finding the stranger poised on a large tree a few paces away from me with his bow in position.

Oh, great.

He leapt off the tree, landing on the ground with so much ease. In a second, he was standing by my side and that’s when it hit me. He was not just a wolf; he was a hybrid, a very rare species and one of the most hated if I was being honest. They were considered a taint for the pure wolf bloodline and the vampires weren’t particularly enthusiastic about them either. 

“It could have been your heart,” he muttered rather arrogantly, pulling the arrow off the bark of the tree, “And trust me, I’m too good at what I do to miss,”

“Just let me be on my way. I don’t have to be a burden to you,” I tried warily, “If I’m no longer in your radar, Rowan won’t have to come after you. Being with me, literally implicates you. The earlier you let go of me, the safer you’ll be,”

“You are bleeding again,” he motioned to the stained bandage. Did he really not hear a single word I just said?

I was about to speak, when suddenly he hoisted me up in his arms and in a matter of seconds I was back in the dingy room. I let out a disgruntled note of disapproval as he pulled off my sundress leaving me in just my underpants. Second time he saw me naked but unlike last time, I was fully conscious now. His gaze never flirted off anywhere except to my wound and I should have felt a bit secure by that but I didn’t. He untied the bandage carefully avoiding touching my skin as if it would burn him.

“Look, I appreciate you trying to help me but I really need to be on my way,” I muttered but then cussed out aloud the next second when he detached the bandage from my wound. The pain was excruciating enough.

Bloody Wolf Lichen.

I was about to sit up, but his strong hands held me down in place. His touch on my bare shoulders was surprisingly hot and distracting; something I should absolutely not feel. 

“You can’t leave,” he answered in a definite tone, going into the living room.

A minute later he came back with a pail of water, some surgical spirit, cotton, a needle and thread. He set the items down, walked across the room and picked a yellow, cotton hand towel. He dumped it in the water and began cleaning the blood on the side of the wound. He then drenched the cotton with the spirit before starting to clean the wound itself. Burning pain shot through me as I growled and I could feel my wolf, Leia, struggling with the same pain too. I was unable to heal fast because the lichen had imposed my wolf’s abilities. Worse even? Leia was too wounded to remain in communication with me. 

“This would have all been avoided if you had not run away and made your stitches break,” He grunted, his lips stretched into a thin line and yet his attention remained unwavering.

“Not helping,” I muttered amidst grunts of pain shooting through my throat.

“It was not supposed to,”

“Are you always a jerk or is that just to me?” I couldn’t help but bite back. Maybe it was the pain or maybe I was just a bit fed up with his open show of arrogance.

He said nothing as he worked on my wound. After a few agonizing minutes he was done patching up the wound.

“Now if you manage to keep still the wound should heal in five days minimum,” he announced, still wearing the same arrogant look.

“And I’m going to have to stay here for five days?” I asked. I could not afford to stay in the same place for five days. Rowan would find me and he would not spare me or even the hybrid. As a matter of fact, he would actually have fun ruining the both of us. That's just how sick he was. 

“Unless the effects of the wolf lichen wear off right now then you have no choice but to lie down and wait,” he replied.