Chapter 2

C2: Mr Grip

Raine's hands flew to the thing gripping her neck, only to realize it was an arm. Then she slowly saw gray eyes with a fiery glint in them.

“Who..are...you?” the one gripping her asked, his voice edged with caution.

Raine couldn't speak. Instead, she hit his hand and swung her leg forward, kicking him.

“Damn,” the man cursed in pain and instantly let go of her.

She cautiously put her hand into the small bag she had learned to carry at all times for emergencies.

She brought out a lighter and lit it. The small flame illuminated the pit, and she saw the person who had grabbed her lying on the floor, clutching his stomach.

Taking a closer look, she noticed he was bleeding.

“Are you okay, Mr Grip?” she asked softly as she leaned forward slightly, still keeping her distance.

The gray-eyed man glared at her, but his face was turning pale as more blood flowed from the wound.

Raine frowned at him.

“Mr Grip, don't die here. What happened to you?” she asked again, her voice filled with worry as she tried to get a better look at him.

Seeing that he was badly wounded, she sighed and brought out a small pouch of medicine. Bending down, she carefully tore the fabric around the wound.

The man groaned in pain as she applied the medicine to the injury. After apologizing, she removed his shirt and used a clean piece of the cloth to wrap the wound.

Once she finished, she dusted her hands.

“I'm done. Don't thank me. We need to find a way out,” she said as she stood up.

But the man had already lost consciousness.

She sighed. The hole was not very deep, about her height.

She managed to remove the remaining grass covering the top and climbed out of the pit.

She looked down at the figure lying inside and sighed again. It was already dusk, and her mother would be furious.

“Since it's already late, I shouldn't leave you behind, right?” she said to the unconscious man.

Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps.

A group of werewolves, about ten of them, surrounded her. She didn't recognize them, and that made her uneasy.

Her eyes moved around quickly, searching for a way to escape while silently cursing her bad luck.

One of the werewolves shifted into human form. He was her father's Beta.

He walked toward her.

“Young one, did you see an injured male around here?” he asked.

She looked at him cautiously, unsure whether to reveal anything.

The man glared at her before sniffing the air.

“He should be here,” he muttered as he walked closer.

Raine instinctively spread her arms wide.

“What are you doing here? This isn't a hunting ground,” she said quickly.

The man paused and chuckled.

“Who are you to question me? You should worry about your weak self instead,” he said before shoving her aside.

He looked down into the pit and saw the young man. Without hesitation, he jumped in, lifted the man onto his back, and leaped out.

“Where are you taking Mr Grip?” Raine asked as she stood up.

“Mr Grip?” the man repeated with a chuckle before leaving with the injured man and the rest of the werewolves.

Raine stood there, glaring at the retreating figures.

After a moment, she picked up her basket and headed home.

When she got home, she gave the lilies to one of the maids and headed toward her room, only to be told that her mother wanted to see her.

Now standing before her mother, who was seated with Alice, she bit her lip.

“I heard you are now whoring around in the woods,” Luna Indira said calmly as she sipped her tea. A smooth leather whip lay beside her.

“I didn't do that,” Raine answered softly.

The Luna raised a brow and slammed the teacup onto the table.

“So you mean I'm wrong? I received reliable information that you were caught with a man. That must be why you came home so late,” she said loudly as she reached for the whip.

Raine froze, her eyes becoming glassy as they fixed on the whip. Her body began to tremble.

“I didn't do anything,” she stuttered, hugging herself. That whip had caused her many wounds, both physically and emotionally.

“Mother, is this really necessary? No one is beyond love. Why don't you forgive her? Besides, she is old enough to leave our home,” Alice said gracefully.

Luna Indira glanced at Alice and paused for a moment before reluctantly placing the whip back on the table.

“Thank your sister for saving you tonight. Now get out of my sight,” she hissed before throwing the teacup at Raine's feet.

Breathing unevenly, Raine turned and walked away, barely holding herself together. Once she entered her room, she shut the door behind her.

Three Days Later…

Raine woke up at the first cockcrow. She was supposed to accompany her parents to the training ground.

Wearing a simple purple dress that still looked beautiful on her, she tied her long red hair back and picked up her bag.

She boarded the carriage with them.

Once they arrived at the training ground, the warriors gathered as the Alpha addressed them.

Raine, who was already bored, quietly left their group. She had heard that the training ground extended behind the pack house.

It was said that only a few people had access to that area. It was reserved for Alphas, Betas, and elite warriors.

She walked farther away from the general training ground. Her mind drifted back to the man she had helped earlier.

“Was he a warrior or a rogue?” she muttered to herself as she walked absentmindedly.

Then she shook her head.

Rogues were never treated kindly in Silver Pack. If he was a rogue, that meant her medicine and effort might have been useless.

She shook her head again. She planned to ask around and find out where he was.

Without realizing it, she stepped into the inner training ground.

The next thing she heard was a sharp swooshing sound rushing toward her.

She looked up and saw two arrows flying straight at her.