8

ELARA

Oh shit!

No, no, no.

Not him again.

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when I noticed a shadow emerge in the distance.

The shadow was tall and broad and so familiar.

My breath hitched in my throat. Slowly, he began walking closer as if he were stalking prey. And when he stepped out into the clearing, my heart stopped beating.

My Goddess!

The man, the Alpha, looked absolutely furious.

His dark hair was slightly disheveled as if he had been moving fast. His chest rose and fell with controlled breaths. But it was his eyes shining under the moonlight that made me shudder.

Gold—pure, shining gold. A stark contrast to the silver of the moon. This was not the color of his human’s eyes, so it meant his wolf was threatening to rise to the surface.

For a moment, silence reigned between us. I thought about turning and making a run for it, but who was I kidding? He would snap me in half before I even took a step forward.

Slowly, his dark gaze scanned me from head to toe—The tears stained my cheeks, the dirt on my tattered dress, and the swollen ankle I was trying but failing to hide.

I must look pathetic to him. That’s why a vein in his jaw ticked when he finally stared into my wide, tear-filled eyes again.

“ You jumped and broke your ankle. ” His voice came out dangerously calm.

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. “ N—No. It—it’s not broken. It’s just a sprain. Trust me! ”

His eyes narrowed on me. I immediately regretted speaking. Why was I even telling him that?

He started walking toward me again. My heart missed a terrifying beat.

Instinctively, I tried to step back, to run away, but pain shot through my ankle. A scream errupted from my mouth, and I stumbled, my legs giving up on me.

But before I could hit the ground, strong arms wrapped around my waist.

The world tilted. A gasp escaped my lips. Suddenly, I was pressed against a hard chest, and those strange, dizzying sparks were rushing up and down my body.

My eyes widened and met his gaze. Alpha Alaric was already staring down at me. But his face was too close.

Far…

Too…

Close…

My hands instinctively grabbed the front of his shirt. The moment I touched him, another strange spark shot through me.

I froze in my spot. His body stiffened, too. For a brief second, something flashed across his eyes—it made me believe that he felt the same sparks.

But he masked everything in a moment, his expression going back to his neutral mask of control.

“ What part of stay here was difficult to understand? ” He asked, his voice low but carrying an undeniable threat.

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again.

“ I understood perfectly? ” I was unsure, and my heart was beating too fast.

His brow lifted. “ Really? ”

“Y-Yes. ” I nodded. Please don’t kill me!

“ Then why are you in the forest? ” He leaned in, his nose almost brushing mine.

“ I…I didn’t want to be…in the dungeon… ” I couldn’t breathe. My head was spinning.

“ I left you in my room. ” His gaze lowered to my quivering lips.

“ Please—Please let me go. ” I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.

His jaw ticked, but the anger in his eyes vanished for a moment. Slowly, he released my waist and balanced me on my feet, as if he didn’t want to hurt me further.

The realization confused me.

Why would he care?

“ You injured yourself. If you had stayed where I left you, no harm would have come to you. ” He glanced at my swollen ankle again.

Confusion marked my features. I didn’t know what to say to that.

Without warning me, he bent down and slid one arm beneath my knees. My breath whooshed out of my lungs. The next second, I was in his arms.

“ Put me down! ” I screeched, my arm falling over his shoulder.

“ You can’t walk like this. ” He shot me a glare, making me close my mouth.

He looked away and took a step forward. Those sparks that always made my knees weaken suddenly exploded everywhere under my flesh.

I was getting dizzy, and my heart was beating too fast.

“ Please…put me down… ” I choked on my breath, my hands turning cold against him.

“ If you think I spent half the afternoon searching these woods just to watch you whine and get on my nerves, then you are wrong. Just close that mouth and keep it closed until we get back. ” He mumbled, looking ahead and walking at a steady pace.

Every step forward pushed me more into his body, which was as firm as a solid rock. But his hold around my waist and under my knees was so gentle as if he was deliberately keeping it that way.

“ By the way…you healed me. Then why can’t you heal yourself? ” He questioned after a while, and I felt my soul drain from my body just when his observing eyes landed on my heated face.