CHAPTER THREE

Elara’s POV

I quickened my pace so I could quickly get back home. A vehicle would have made things faster for me because of how far I had gone away from the pack while thinking, but then I could barely see any. Now I had to just walk the same way I came.

The silence was getting even creepier out here and I couldn’t just wait to reach home.

A droplet of water hit me, not once, not twice, each heavier than the other and then I realised that even the worse could become worser, if there’s even a word as such.

The rain became brutal but I could barely even find a shade. Myclothes clung heavy against my body, my shoes squelched with every step, and I was shivering so hard my teeth hurt. I clutched my soaked bag to my chest, even though everything inside was already ruined, as if holding onto it would keep me from falling apart.

The rain kept beating down. My arms wrapped around myself, numb fingers digging into my skin as I stumbled toward the only shelter I could see—a huge tree by the roadside. I pressed against the trunk, shivering, but even under the branches the rain found me, soaking me through.

I don’t even know which is worse, walking  under the rain or trying to shade myself under a tree that could barely hold the water from dropping.

I should probably just continue in the rain. I’ve come this far already. Just a little more and I’ll be home.

I stepped out from under the tree to continue my journey, but then something shifted in the darkness. I blinked hard, thinking it was exhaustion messing with me, but then I saw them. Eyes. Red, glowing. One pair, then another, then more, until the shadows themselves seemed alive.

My stomach dropped. A faint growl rolled through the night. Panic surged and I pushed away from the tree. My legs stumbled at first, then took off running before I could think.

I ran blindly, back into the road, desperate to safe myself from those beasts. And then the darkness split open with a blast of light.

Headlights.

There was no time to move. The screech of tires tore through my ears. The impact slammed into me, knocking the breath and life from my body.

The last thing I saw before the blackness swallowed me was a pair of blue eyes and a face that I knew was going to be sketched in my memory for a while. His eyes were not just blue— they were ocean blue, and they seemed so unreal, so piercing they stole the pain for one fleeting moment. And his face, he looked like a demigod as he bent over to reach me, the headlights elaborating every feature of his, making it even harder to forget.

Could he be an angel? The thought barely brushed my mind before everything went dark.

****

The world came back in fragments. Beeping. A low hum of machines. The sharp smell of antiseptic in the air. My eyelids were too heavy, but I forced them open, blinking against harsh white lights. Every part of me ached, like my bones had been shattered and pieced back together.

For a moment I didn’t know where I was. A strange ceiling above me, stiff sheets beneath me, the steady rhythm of a monitor beside me. My throat was raw, my lips cracked. A faint groan slipped out before I could stop it.

The curtain moved, and a nurse stepped in, her scrubs pale blue, her smile soft but cautious. “You’re awake,” she said gently. “Don’t try to move yet. I’ll inform them.”

Them. My chest tightened. “My parents are here?”

“I meant the man that brought you here.” She explained. “Rest for a while, I’ll be back.” Then she slipped out, the curtain swaying behind her.

My thoughts spun as I tried to piece everything back together—the rain, the red eyes, the road. And then him. Those ocean-blue eyes. They hadn’t felt like a stranger’s, not for one second. They had cut into me, twisted something inside me, left me shaken in a way I couldn’t explain.

The door creaked again, and I turned too quickly, wincing at the pull in my neck. Relief surged, but it vanished just as quickly. It wasn’t him.

Instead, a tall man in black stepped in. His face was blank, unreadable. He didn’t introduce himself, didn’t smile. He only set a stack of money on the table beside me. Bills neatly wrapped in bands.

My brows furrowed. “What for?” My voice was weak, but firm enough.

“It’s from my boss,” he said flatly. “For the… damage.”

Confusion and anger swirled through me. “Your boss? Who is your boss?”

His jaw tightened, but his tone stayed final. “Not necessary for you to know. Take the money, recover, and… stay out of trouble.”

He gave a curt nod and left, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stared at the cash, then at the empty doorway, my body too broken to move but my mind racing. Money couldn’t erase what had happened. It couldn’t change the fact that he nearly killed me.

I don’t even know what to think right now? I should probably just take the money for compensation. At least he was nice enough to bring me to the hospital.

Actually, I should be grateful, because the rogues would have devoured me if not for him.

I owe him.

From my guess, that Demigod is the boss, he looks the part. That short moment replayed in my mind again and suddenly my chest began to thump. The way his eyes had locked onto mine, the way something deep inside me had recognized him instantly.

Even lying broken in a hospital bed, all I could see was that pure handsomeness, seared into my brain like a mark I would never escape.