A Man By Her Doorstep

I didn't pay attention to people watching me or care about what they were saying about the recent situation. Right now, I'm not concerned with what anyone thinks of me because my only focus is to get away from this place.

I saw my dad searching for me in the crowd, and to avoid him finding me before I could leave, I quickly got an idea. I decided to mask my smell by using one of the champagne bottles I found on the ground.

This time, everyone was focused on a girl who kept dancing and screaming after she got matched with one of the Alphas at the annual festival.

I poured two bottles of champagne on myself, nodded in approval as my scent mixed with alcohol. It'd be tough to spot me now.

Making sure no one was watching, I hurried into the dark bushes, away from everyone.

I made sure no one saw me leave, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Starting my journey into the unknown, you might wonder where I'm headed at this late hour, but truth is, I've got nowhere to go.

All I wanted was to get away from this pack, escape my cruel father and his company who were hell bent to make me miserable. I'd prefer living outside this pack's house than staying and letting them destroy me.

There was nothing for me here, and I needed a place where I wouldn't be treated like a mistake. With that in mind, I walked into the darkness, guided by the almost full moon, grateful for the little light it provided.

I figured after walking about two miles, I'd find a place to stay for the night. So, I kept going , just me and the moon as my witness.

****

I've been on my own for three days since leaving my pack. I've kept my identity and where I'm from a secret.

Luckily, I met a slightly older woman that night who kindly offered me a place to stay after I shared that I was kidnapped by rogues. She was skeptical until I mentioned my parents being killed by them. She understood I was traumatized and let me be.

She said I could stay with her as long as I wanted, but I had to work on her uncle's farm twice a week. In return, I'd get food and a place to sleep every night. I agreed and stayed.

I got my own room, new clothes, shoes, and a blanket to sleep every night. They gave me a bed made of straw, and for the first time in my 18 years, I was happy.

I'm happy not because I'm thrilled to be here, but because I left my pack and the people who made my life hard. Here, nobody will bully me or say mean things to me.

Here, nobody will call me useless or a mistake. I'm thankful to live on my own, working to feed and taken care of myself. While lying on my straw bed, thoughts of my father threatening and beating me filled my head. I didn't realize I was crying until a knock on my door made me jump to my feet.

I dried my wet face with my hand and wondered,

Who would knock on the door at this hour?

I had just bathed and planned to sleep for the night before resuming work in the morning when the knock came.

"I'm tired, Claire, please go away! I'll be early in the morning," I quickly said, but there was no response from whoever knocked.

I've been here for three days, working for two days with Claire and her uncle.

I wondered why they'd need my help at this late hour when they know I'll be farming on their farm in the morning. As I walked to the door, and without thinking much about who was at the door, I opened it and found a lifeless man lying on my doorstep.

I was shocked by what I just saw. There was a man, about 6 foot tall with a injured head lying on my doorstep. It seemed like he didn't pass out from the wound but rather from losing a lot of blood.

I got scared, thinking someone might be playing tricks on me or my mind was fooling me. But after a reality check (pinching myself), I realized I was seeing things clearly. Looking around, I noticed that everyone was inside, asleep in their own spaces.

I wondered why this man was alone and hurt on the head. After looking everywhere and finding no one, I bent down to check if he still had a pulse. Thankfully, he did.

He's still alive, for now, at least. I pulled him into my room quietly, making sure no noise was heard.

I was really scared; I didn't want anyone to see me with an unconscious man. How could I explain that I wasn't trying to harm him but helping?

I locked my door, put him on my bed, and started dressing his wounds.

I couldn't find a first aid kit, but I remembered I had some alcohol given by Claire's uncle, which I initially declined but kept.

I opened the bottle and poured some on the man's wound.

"Uhm!!".

The man screamed, and it made me panic. I hadn't done this before, but I'd seen my pack's nurse do it for some of my father's injured warriors.

I thought he'd be okay by morning, so I took one of the dresses I had and tore its hem. I wrapped his head with it while he lay on my bed.

Feeling relieved, I decided to stay up and watch over him until morning to monitor his pulse. Luckily, he didn't have a fever throughout the night.

In the morning, I made sure to lock my room door to keep him safe while I was away. I figured he'd be awake by the time I got back.

I left some bread for his breakfast and a jar of water I had fetched from the well nearby.

Checking that he was okay one more time, I walked away. I didn't want Claire to discover me there; she might sense something was wrong. So, I quickly left with others before they could find me.

In the evening, I finished my work, and my mind was set on getting home to see the man and maybe ask him a few questions.

Arriving home, I was upset to see my door locks broken.

When I checked inside, the man I had taken care of was nowhere to be found. I thought he might be in the back, but I was wrong. He had disappeared.

No thanks. No explanation. He just left.

He didn't touch the food and water I left for him.

Well, I didn't dwell on it much because I didn't know the man. Still, I hoped he was okay wherever he went.

*****

I've been here for a few months, and during that time, I made some new friends. One of them, Emilia, is my best friend. She's a year older, and we've been getting along great. Being familiar with this new town has brought me the peace of mind I needed after leaving my pack.

This week, Emilia keeps asking me where I'm from. She doesn't believe that my parents were killed in a thug attack, and I survived. She really wants to know about my past and where my family lived before the attack, but I've been avoiding her questions.

As I was packing my work tools, Emilia called out,

"Hey Sarah, wait up!" It was evening, and we were all getting ready to go home as the sun was setting. So I asked,

"What's up this time?"

I replied wearily, turning to face her. She quickly came over to where I was sitting. I didn't eat much this morning, just a bit of bread saved for dinner. Claire mentioned it was the last, so that's all I had and now, I can feel my stomach grumbling from hunger.

She asked, "You still haven't told me where you lived before coming here. Please tell me, I really want to know."

She keeps begging, giving me puppy-dog eyes, so I reluctantly agree to her request.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you, but not here," I say, but she remains unconvinced.

"That's what you said last time, Sarah. Just tell me a little bit. I promise I won't tell."

I believed her honesty when I looked at her, so I decided to trust her with everything.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" I held her clothes tightly, making sure she understood how serious it was. She nodded in agreement.

"I'm the daughter of Alpha Adams Charles, from the Red Ravens Brotherhood Pack." I finally revealed my secret.

She gasped in surprise, her face showing shock.

"Wait! Are you saying your parents didn't die from the rogues you mentioned, and your dad is the Alpha of the Red Ravens Brotherhood Pack?" She asked again, maybe thinking she misunderstood. I nodded, not realizing others might have overheard our little conversation.

They overheard me telling Emilia that I'm the Alpha's daughter.

What I didn't realize is that my pack and theirs were enemies, longtime rivals.

"Grab her!" a farmer ordered.

Suddenly, I was surrounded, and before I could grasp what was going on, I got hit on the head.