#Chapter 3 You are mine!

Daphne's POV

It has been a long day. I couldn’t fall asleep. What happened today kept lingering in my mind.

Damn, Carl! He ruined my day first, and I still wasn’t sure what I would do with the next day looming on the horizon.

What about the werewolf who attacked me?  I wasn't sure if he made my day better or worse.

Was he a real werewolf? Had I been hallucinating?

I remembered the word he growled before he collapsed, "Mate"

Was it someone he's looking for or he's being attacked for？

It seemed like he hadn't meant to hurt me, despite having cut me with his claws. He was severely injured. I wasn't even sure if he would make it until tomorrow.  My heart was filled with sympathy and sadness for his suffering, so I decided to heal him with my blood.

My blood could heal wounds, but no one, not even my grandmother, knew that. I had found out by accident when I was twelve and discovered an injured fawn. I had accidentally cut myself and dripped blood into the fawn’s wound. It had gotten up, nuzzled me, and sprinted away as if it had never been injured to my shock. I was grateful. It was an incredibly useful ability for a girl like me living in the forest alone.

The deeper I thought, the worse my headache grew.

What was I going to do? Marrying Carl was out of the question. Running was my only option, but what if I encountered another werewolf? One that meant to hurt me?

My brain was about to explode. It was turning out to be the worst birthday of my life.

Then, I felt something nearby.  It wasn’t the wind, but something warm, alive, and moving.

It was someone. Someone in my house. I drew tense in my bed, my heart pounding as the person moved through the cabin, though they didn’t draw closer to my bed. Was it Carl?

“Who’s there?” I asked with as much force as I could manage.

I had to do something! I looked around to search for a weapon.

Something shifted, and I stared through the dimness at the sound. Moonlight spilled through the window and slowly a figure stepped out of the shadow. Moonlight danced and raced around a man’s silhouette as he approached.

I snatched the scissors from the bedside table and held them out between us.

Two glowing red points looked at me across the room, and I gasped.

The werewolf was here.

“Oh, It’s you…” I lowered the scissors a bit with relief. “I’m sure I… locked my door. How did you get in?”

“I broke it,” the werewolf blurted out and looked a little nervous. He seemed like he hadn’t had much interaction with other people. “Er… I’m sorry. I-I can fix it. It was an--”

I frowned at him and swung my feet over the edge of the bed, “Well... There’s not much to be done about it, I suppose. I’ll take your apology...”

He stared at me, dumbfounded. “Aren’t you… Aren’t you afraid of me?”

I shrugged, “Not so long as your paws stay off my neck.”

His face turned red. I could see he was nervous. “I’m sorry. I-I’m really sorry. I-I thought you were an enemy. I didn’t-- I mean--”

My heart softened and I set the scissors down.

“You were hurt,” I said gently. “It’s okay. Besides, you apologized.”

I shrugged again, “You’re so strong. If you really meant to hurt me, I wouldn’t be able to do much about it. Honestly, save for the scrape, you didn’t even touch me… I guess you’re a polite and handsome, gentlemanly werewolf. However, I never thought werewolves really existed until I met you.”

"You think I’m polite and handsome？" He seemed to be embarrassed at my compliment.

“I…” My cheeks warmed, “Sorry… I’ve been living alone too long, so I end up talking too much when I’m around people. I'm sorry if I've offended you... I've never met a werewolf. I'm just a human.”

I couldn't help thinking to myself that Carl could learn something from this werewolf, namely how to apologize, be handsome, and be polite.

He didn't seem to care what I was or what I just said, simply blurting out, “You are my mate.”

I frowned, “Mate? You said that before you passed out. But what’s that?”

He clenched his hand, " … My wolf told me… I thought I didn’t have a mate until I met you." Then he looked up into my eyes, asking eagerly, "Do you like me? I like you a lot.”

I blushed at his frantic expression of affection, but he hadn’t answered my question. “I… don’t understand. Is this a werewolf thing? Are all werewolves like this? I mean… I don't even know you, you don't even know my name--”

"It's Arthur," He cut quickly. "...Could you tell me your name?"

I eyed him warily, and he looked like he's trying his best to stay still as I looked at him.

"... Daphne. My name's Daphne" The flush of my cheeks grew somehow.

"Daphne… What a lovely name." He smiled at me warmly, almost dreamy.

His smile encouraged my curiosity, "I still don't quite understand. Does every werewolf have a mate? I’m not a werewolf, so how could I be your mate. And I have a fiancé..."

Sort of. Never mind that I was planning to run away somehow.

“A fiancé?” Arthur growled.

"…Yes.” I was shocked at his change in demeanor, but somehow in my heart, I still believed he was not going to hurt me. “I'm supposed to marry him tomorrow: my 18th birthday."

It wasn’t going to happen if I had anything to say about it.

"No. You can’t! You are mine!"

I didn’t know what to say. He calmed himself a moment later.

"Sorry. I have difficulties… controlling myself, especially my wolf, Lucas. "

How strange that his wolf had a name too.

"Why did you say you thought you didn't have a mate?"

“I--”

He then tensed and sniffed. His head turned sharply as if catching a familiar scent in the air. Arthur growled and his eyes flashed red as he turned towards the window. He pressed his body against the wall and leaned towards the window to scan the surrounding trees.

“W-What’s wrong?” I asked.

He sneered into the dark, “Wolves are coming.”

"You are shaking. Are you afraid of them?"

"No. My body shakes because of the rush of an impending fight and a yearning for blood. It's not something I can control."

I gulped down at his words. How could he be so into blood and fighting?