CHAPTER 2

MIA'S POV

My shivering body folds into the wardrobe as the sound of breaking glasses fills my ear. The rate of my heartbeat increases tenfold when I hear his footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Where are you, you little wench?" he yells and I whimper.

All of a sudden, the door to the room where I am hiding is pushed open, and I hug my knees to my chest, praying that he doesn't come near the wardrobe. It's as if nobody is listening to my prayers as the wardrobe is fling open, revealing a man with disheveled brown hair and dark circles around his eyes.

An evil smirk form on his face upon seeing me and I close my eyes, plastering my back on the wall of the wardrobe, hoping that the wood will open up and swallow me.

"Got you." He pulls me out by my hair and I scream in pain begging him to let me go. He throws me on the floor, kicking me with his legs while raining curses at me.

I know there is no point in shouting for help because no one is coming. I have been going through this abuse from my stepfather since my adopted mother died when I was twelve. She married him after her first husband died and left me in his care when she died of brain cancer.

Every single day, I pray that I will get out of this hellhole but at the end of the day, I realize I had nowhere else to go. I didn't get to complete my education when my adopted mother died, so I will only end up on the street if I try to run away. I am twenty-five years, and he did not give me the freedom to learn how to fend for myself. He makes sure I am dependent on him so that I will not be able to leave.

He grabs me by my hair, dragging me out of the room and down the stairs. My eyes widen in shock when he walks into the kitchen and come out with a table knife. Memories of what happened the last time flash through my mind and beads of sweat form on my forehead as he drags his feet toward me. Without wasting time, I gather all the strength in me and stand up before running out the door.

He chase after me, holding the knife up and I run as fast as I can until I get to the entrance forest. Looking back to see him still following me, I dash inside the forest ignoring his call for me to come back.

The branches cut my skin as I run deeper inside the forest. I stop my running when I notice he was no longer following me. With my heart thudding in my chest, I sit on a boulder, trying to catch my breath. I remain there for till the sun is replaced with the moon.

Knowing that I can not live in the forest, I decide to go back home since I have nowhere else to go. I hope he will be asleep by the time I get home and will have calmed down by tomorrow morning. I turn around and embark on my journey out of the forest. After what seems like ten minutes, I find myself back in the same spot I was sitting.

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion before I take another route but I end up in the same spot. My brain registers that I am lost but I don't want to believe it, so I take another route again but I end up going in circles. I sit on the boulder again and let tears roll down my cheeks.

It's official, I'm lost.

How am I supposed to survive here? I will not last a night before a wild animal will appear to devour me. Why do I have to be so unlucky? The place I come to for safety is going to be the place where I lose my life.

As I am crying my eyes out, a howl in the forest reaches my ears, making me jump in my seat.

My head turn left and right, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from. I stand up and walk in a direction that I have no idea where it leads to.

Walking further and further, I pause when a twig snaps behind me. All the hair on my neck stands up as I hear footsteps approaching me. I squeeze my eyes shut and pray that it is not an animal. I know have been living a miserable life but I am not ready to die yet. As long as there is life, there is hope.

I open my eyes and take little steps to turn around. My eyes widen when I meet with a white wolf that is six feet tall and standing on all fours. My heart jump out of my chest and I try to open my mouth to scream but no words came out. As if it is not enough the wolf takes a step closer to me and my head blank out before darkness takes over me.

I wake up to the sound of water dropping and I shift to feel a hard surface beneath me. Popping my eyes open, I stare up to see a stone shade above me. As I sit up and jump in fear when I turn to my side to see an unfamiliar guy staring at me.

"Relax," he said in a calm voice. "I brought you here."

My confused gaze takes in his features. I have to admit that he is good-looking with his disheveled dark hair and his forest green eyes that are staring at me like he is trying to figure me out. I take my eyes down to his beautiful pink lips and sharp jawline before he clears his throat to gain my attention.

"How are you doing?" The concern in her eyes and voice is evident as his eye takes in the scars on my skin.

"I'm fine," I reply, turning my head from side to side to check out my surroundings before I realize I am inside a cave.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked, making the memory of what happened today flash through my mind. I turn back to him with wide eyes when I remembered why I fainted.

"Where is the wolf?"

"Oh, that." He averts his eyes from me. "It ran away when it saw me approaching."

"Really?" A small smile formed on my lips and he nodded with no sign of expression on his face.

"Thank you so much for saving my life.

"It's nothing."

Stretching my neck to look at the cave entrance, I notice the sun is up but I am not able to decipher what the time is. My stepfather always sleeps until ten in the morning, so if I'm able to get home before then it may reduce his anger.

"I need to go." I move to stand up but his hand circle around my wrist, stopping me from moving

"Where are you going?" He gave me a confused look.

"My house." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Why were you in the forest in the first place?"

"I...I...I..." I put my head down, trying to look for a reasonable excuse then it click in my head that I don't owe him any explanation just because he saved my life. "You don't need to know that." I stand up to make my way out but before I can make it out he moves to stand in front of me.

"You owe me for saving your life, so I will take it as you repaying me if you tell the truth why you came into the forest." His eyes bore into mine and I hold his gaze not responding, hoping that he will back down but he did not.

Averting my eyes from him, I answer, "I was running from my stepfather."

"Your stepfather? Why?" he asks but I don't respond and put my head down. "Did he do this to

you?" He pointed to the scars on my hand and I nodded.