My Lord

- Third Person's POV -

A monster, they called him. A terrifying creature, they said. But who cares? He doesn’t. Their whispers and curses mean nothing to him. His face is as cold as ice, his features sharp and intimidating, more frightening than anyone else could ever be.

The man walked in the silence of the forest, his heavy steps echoing faintly on the damp soil. In his arms, he carried an unconscious little girl. Her fragile body looked so small compared to his strong build, almost like she weighed nothing at all. 

He had a heart of stone, or so he believed. No warmth, no mercy. Yet for reasons he couldn’t explain, something about this little girl bothered him. From the moment she appeared at his cave, wounded and weak, everything inside him shifted. She carried an alluring scent… sweet, rich, almost intoxicating. The very instant he smelled it, he knew. This little girl… was his. She belonged to him.

He reached the road that cut through the edge of the forest. The night air was cold, the wind carrying faint cries of owls and the rustle of leaves. Carefully, he lowered the girl onto the side of the road, as if placing down something precious. He lingered for a moment, crouching beside her.

His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as he leaned close, inhaling deeply. Her fragrance wrapped around him like chains he could never break... sweet, delicate, like roses blooming after a storm. His lips curved into a shadow of a smile, but his heart ached strangely.

Bending closer, he whispered to her sleeping form.

“This is not farewell. I’ll see you again… Love.”

For one last time, he allowed himself to breathe her in before he stood and disappeared into the shadows of the forest, leaving only silence behind.

- Maive’s POV -

When I woke up, my head was spinning and my body felt heavy. My eyes blinked against the faint morning light. I was lying on a cold roadside, dust sticking to my skin. I sat up slowly, my heart racing in confusion.

Did I just have a nightmare? Please let it be a nightmare… but deep down, I knew it wasn’t. The last thing I remembered was the cave. The Ghost Cave. Dark, damp, terrifying. I was bleeding there, stabbed and bruised. My body had been giving up on me. I remember falling… fading away.

But if that was real, then… how was I here?

I looked around. I recognized the road… it was near my village. Too near. And that realization hit me harder than the wounds I thought I still carried. My chest tightened painfully as tears filled my eyes.

My father… my brother… both were killed. Murdered by the very people we shared a home with. My own villagers. I was now alone. Completely, utterly alone. There was no one to run to, no one waiting for me.

Why? Why us? My father never hurt anyone. He was kind, gentle, despite what they whispered about him. They called him a monster, a werewolf. But I knew him. He would never kill the way they accused him of. We were only trying to live... just survive each day. Was survival a sin so great that we had to pay for it with blood?

The sobs broke free, spilling down my cheeks endlessly. My father’s smile flashed in my mind. My brother’s laughter echoed faintly in my memory. Both ripped away from me. My family was cursed, destroyed… for what?

I wiped at my tears with trembling hands, but then froze. My skin. My body. There were no wounds. No bruises. Nothing.

I pulled at my clothes… torn, stained with dried blood. The same blood from my wounds yesterday. But my flesh was clean. My body didn’t hurt. Even the stab in my back… gone.

How? How could I heal this fast? Days, weeks, yes. But overnight? Impossible. I knew I had collapsed yesterday, before ever reaching the road. My heart pounded harder in confusion.

How did I get out of that cursed cave alive? No one came out of there. No one. Except me.

I pushed myself to stand, swaying slightly. Just as I was about to take a step, something sharp pulled at my memory. A touch. A warm hand brushing my cheek. Then... pain. A sting, deep and burning. A bite.

My heart leapt into my throat. My hand flew to my neck. The spot ached faintly under my fingers. There. A mark. I wasn’t imagining it. Someone had been there with me. Someone had bitten me.

But who?

Who would dare enter that cave? Everyone feared it. Everyone avoided it like death itself. No one had ever left alive. Except me.

Damn it. None of this made sense. My wounds were gone, my body healed, but the pain in my chest was worse than ever. I was alive, but my family was gone. I was healed, but broken inside. My mind twisted between grief and fear until I thought I would lose my sanity.

The sound of voices snapped me out of my thoughts. Men, drawing closer. My blood ran cold. My villagers. If they saw me alive, they would not spare me. Not after finding out my father’s truth.

Without thinking, I ran. My bare feet tore against rocks and twigs, leaving a trail of blood. I didn’t care. I just had to get away.

Then I saw it... a car. Black, shining faintly under the daylight. It appeared like salvation. My heart leapt with desperate hope. I waved my arms wildly. “Please… please stop!”

To my shock, the car slowed, then stopped.

The driver stepped out, a man with gentle eyes and hair streaked with age. He looked at me... at my torn clothes, my bare feet, my trembling body.

“Please… help me,” I whispered, tears spilling again.

Maybe it was pity. Maybe kindness. But he opened the passenger door without a word. I climbed in, clinging to that thin thread of hope.

The engine roared as he drove away, leaving my cursed village behind. Only then did he speak, his voice calm.

“You shouldn’t run barefoot. Your feet are bleeding. Here, use this.”

He reached under the seat and pulled out a pair of slippers, new and unused. He handed them to me.

My throat tightened painfully. His small kindness reminded me so much of my father. I bit my lip hard, trying not to sob. I slid the slippers on, my feet stinging against the soft fabric.

He glanced at me through the mirror. “Where should I bring you?”

I froze. Where? I had nowhere. No one. My hands fidgeted nervously.

“I-I… I don’t know.” My voice shook.

He asked again, “What about your parents?”

The words pierced through me. My lips trembled, my eyes burning.

“I… don’t have…” My voice cracked, broken.

Silence filled the car. I saw his eyes flicker with sympathy in the rearview mirror. Finally, he said, “I know someone. A couple. They’ve always wanted a child. They’ll take care of you.”

“R-Really?” Hope sparked weakly inside me.

He nodded firmly. “You’ll be safe there.”

Safe. The word felt like a warm blanket. For the first time since yesterday, my chest loosened. Maybe I could finally breathe.

Exhaustion swallowed me. My eyes drifted shut, and I fell asleep to the sound of the car rolling down the empty road.

When I woke, it was dark. The car was parked outside a small bungalow house. The man wasn’t inside. I turned my head, seeing him speak to a couple near the gate. Their figures were shadows, faces hidden by the night. I couldn’t hear their words.

After some time, he returned and opened my door. I stared at him, unsure.

“They’ll take you in,” he said simply.

I nodded slowly, stepping out. My legs shook, but I forced myself forward. I didn’t know what awaited me here. But I knew one thing: I had escaped.

- Arman’s POV -

I held the phone to my ear as I watched the girl walk timidly toward the house. Her head bowed low, her hands clutched together. She looked so small. So fragile. A part of me pitied her. But this was the only way.

“My Lord…” I spoke the moment the line connected.

“News?” His voice was deep, cold.

I turned my eyes back to the girl disappearing through the door. My lips curved faintly.

“Accomplished, My Lord. I have done as you ordered.”

Silence hummed on the other end. Then I heard it, the quiet exhale, the satisfaction.

I smiled to myself, knowing.

He found her.