Chapter 4

Derek's POV

Derek’s pov

All through the next morning, she tried to avoid me as much as possible, in fact the fear in her eyes told me she was more scared than safe with me.

Her other hands fondled her hair roughly. It was already rough, and I wondered what would make her keep fondling it. Until I saw her clearly, she had bruises on the corner of her head, it seemed to be dripping fresh blood. It has not healed.

Her white gown had stained, a mixture of blood and the sticky mud at the river bank, but she didn't seem to care, she also let out tears carelessly from her eyes, with snort escaping her nostrils at intervals.

She should really be a pretty lady, if not for how unkempt she was looking. I mean her eyes were water blue in colour, with her nose pointed, like the ones of the British, her hair obsidian, darker than the night without a moon.

As dreadful as she would look in her tearful state, I still felt the urge to go meet her, I felt her pain sting my chest.

Her wounds were hurting me, only that I didn't have scars like she did.

"Why would a damsel like you jump into the icy water? " I hollered, a plate of sandwich, and a cup of coffee, sitting on a tray in my hands.

She had raised her head up, the snort in her nose was now dangling above her lips, the tip threatening to fall into her. mouth if she moved her head a little harder, but she didn't care, she didn't even use her hands to wipe off the snort. She just bent over again, as though I hadn't spoken a word.

Her sobs were soft, they sounded like soft moans amidst slow passionate sex.

"Hey, I was talking to you" I uttered, this time a little closer to tap her if she didn't respond.

I dropped the tray I held beside her.

She raised her head, and I could see her eyes, they were red, very red, one would quickly grasp she had been crying for a while.

"Clean your nose pretty" I continued speaking, handing over the small piece of clothing I had out in my back pocket.

"Thank you, but please leave me alone" she spoke, amidst tears and breaking sobs, it almost made me cry too.

I bent over, I had worn a white knicker, and a blue shirt, I sat on the floor, legs spread, just the way she had hers.

"Would you have i cut myself too, and start to cry out snort from my nose too?" I queried, still holding out the piece of clothing to her face.

Definitely she was surprised, she wasn't expecting I would go that far, a stranger would go to that extent to give her a handkerchief.

"What do you want" was the first question she asked me, her eyes peering into mine, as though she could read out my heart with her eyes, as though the contents of my heart would play in my eyes and she would see it.

"I want to make you stop crying first," I replied.

using the piece of cloth I had in my hands to wipe off the snort that was already resting on her upper lips.

I didn't know where I got the courage to do it, but I did it anyway, and surprisingly excitingly she wasn't protesting, infact her sobs were becoming softer. Maybe my attention made her feel warm, I didn't know, but I liked that she was calming down.

"So after I stop crying then what?" She asked, pulling herself away to look into my eyes again. Her water blue eyes were so attractive I had forgotten she asked a question.

"Hey" she snapped, snapping her finger in unison.

"Oh sorry, then I would like to hear what a beautiful lady would want to kill herself" I replied, making sure to sound super nice so as not to scare her away.

"I'm Tania" she replied, standing up to dust her clothes.

"Derek" I replied,

"Why were you here all alone, why are you here all alone?" I chipped in almost immediately

"I'm answering both?" She fired back, stealing me a quick glance.

"I would love to know, '' I replied. A part of me felt I was doing too much, but I kept at it. I kept asking questions in bits, and kept wondering where I got the courage to ask the neimrmquestion.

"Well I'm here because nobody cares about me" she said in a really low tone, before she began crying again, her legs began to shake too, she seemed really weak, and I wondered what other wound she had under her clothes.

I picked her immediately, put her gently on my shoulders, and headed for my car. I had packed at the roadside and headed for the river when I felt my heart beating super fast and leading me towards that direction.

"Marcel, open the doors fast please" I ordered.

So many questions raced through my mind.

"Who hurt her?"

Where was she hurt?"

Do I take her to my house"

Do I take her to the hospital"

"Was any hospital open"

These questions ran through my mind, and only her could answer at least a few to relieve the worries I felt in my chest.

" Are you okay?" I queried, I wish she would hear my racing heart, I wish she would feel how pained I was feeling.

Maybe she was in pain, and it was selfish for me to wish she was in pain, but my heart ached and I hated it.

She didn't reply, she left my question hanging in the air, she kept her eyes staring outside, like she could count the rapid air that flushed through the car window.

She kept staring outside, like the trees and leaves were waving at her.

I was pissed, it was enough reason for me to get angry, I was being the good guy here, and she was still crazy enough to ignore me.

I reached out for her shoulders, I didn't mind what it was her reaction would be, it wouldn't

Justify that she wasn't responding.

The moment I tapped her shoulders she jerked, her eyes were pained, she wasn't leading out tears as before, but I could feel the pain resting in her eyes.

"Will you kill me" the first words she said to me, the pain in her eyes were excruciating, I could feel it burn through my veins.

"Tania, I would never kill you" I whispered, I felt saying it too loud would reduce it's essence, I wanted to give her as much warmth as I could give. I wanted to make her understand that my heart was leaving my chest because of the pains she was going through, let alone killing her.

I placed her soft hands on my chest, they were so soft it felt like I had dropped a pillow there.

I steadied my eyes on hers, maybe she would finally read through my eyes and see the longing and pain lurking beneath my eyelids.

"I won't kill you Tania" I repeated the statement.

I removed my eyes from hers, I needed to concentrate on the road

"How are you doing Tania" I asked her again, I had seen her blush when we were looking at each other, and it had made a thousand butterflies dance in my stomach. I could make my mate blush, that was something, something I wasn't going to take for granted.

"I am okay, thank you" she replied. I wondered if she was always nice with her words, or she was pretending to be nice at first,I knew many ladies do that, atleast being an alpha who had things to do with the ladies, I had picked up a few of their attitude.

"I have water at that pigeon hole there, you should take some water" I offered, using the hand I had been fondling for a while to point the direction of the bottle.

She looked at me again, this time it was not pain I saw in her eyes, I saw a little blush and amusement, maybe she was appreciating my kindness in her heart.

"You are really nice" she echoed, " too nice to be just a stranger who doesent want anything" she added, dropping the water bottle back in the pigeon hole.

She wasn't going to trust me very easily I knew that, it was just suprising how she said it in a nice tone that made me feel good about it.

"Trust me, I can't harm you Tania, even if I have to" I said.. I made the last statement to stir up a reaction from her end, I needed a better convincing statement to hold her bound.

"Have to?" She stuttered, her strenght seemed to had appeared from no where, as she cast me a fearful stare.

" Hey calm down pretty, I meant even if it's my last chance at life, I wouldn't kill you, I'd rather die" I made sure I raised my other hand up as the other steadied on the stearring.

I knew that was a little to far for me to say, but my heart was not it's normal self, and all I wanted to do is make her mine, I wanted to have her in my arms, and protect her from whatever it was that caused her hurt.

"You're sweet too, nice " she said, her blushing growing.

I decided to take her to my pack, she seemed well enough to go home, but I didn't know her home, nor the owner of the ring I had found on her fingers, but I was going to leave that for the next day.