Chapter 2: The Stranger

Lily’s POV

“We would’ve died without him.”

I pause.

“What?”

The injured wolf pushes himself up slightly with a wince. “The black wolf.”

Several others nearby go quiet immediately.

“He came out of nowhere,” another mutters. “Huge thing. Bigger than any wolf I’ve ever seen.”

“He tore through the rogues by himself.”

I frown slightly as I move toward them. “Who was he?”

They all exchange uncertain looks.

“No idea,” one finally admits. “Never seen him before.”

“He got hurt protecting us,” another adds quietly. “One of the rogues stabbed him.”

“Where is he now?” I ask.

Silence.

Then one of them swallows hard before answering.

“The cliffpoint near the eastern river.”

My chest tightens immediately.

“He fell?”

“We think so.” His face twists with guilt. “The rogues attacked again and by the time we got there, he was gone.”

I am already turning around before he finishes speaking.

“Lily?” one of the nurses calls after me in confusion.

I look toward one of the guards stationed near the entrance. “Go find Lionel immediately.”

The guard straightens at once. “Yes, miss.”

“Tell him to bring more guards to the eastern cliffpoint. Someone might be injured down there.”

He nods once before hurrying off.

“Lily, wait,” one of the healers says nervously. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

But I’m already grabbing my coat.

If someone was injured that badly near the river, they didn’t have time to wait.

The night air hits my face the second I step outside and hurried down the narrow trail leading toward the cliffs.

The sound of rushing water grows louder as I near the cliffpoint, and when I finally break through the trees, my stomach drops.

The cliff was too steep.

I move closer carefully, peering down toward the river below.

And then I see a body near the water.

“Oh my god.”

Without thinking, I hurry down the narrow path winding along the side of the cliff, nearly slipping twice before finally reaching the bottom.

The closer I get, the clearer he becomes.

A man.

He was large and Broad shouldered. His dark long hair was soaked from the river, with strands falling across his face. Blood stained his body heavily, and even in the dim light, I could see cuts scattered across his body.

But despite the injuries, he looked… intimidating. And unfairly handsome. He had a strong jaw with stubble covering them like a shadow.

I kneel beside him quickly, reaching for his wrist.

His eyes snap open instantly.

I barely have time to react before a low, vicious snarl tears from his throat.

“Easy,” I say quickly, trying not to sound startled. “I’m trying to help you.”

Another growl rumbles from his chest as he tries to move, but the second he shifts, pain flashes across his face.

“Stop that,” I scold automatically, pressing a hand against his shoulder before he could sit up fully. “You’re bleeding everywhere.”

His jaw tightens.

Up close, he looked even worse.

There was a deep wound along his side, another across his shoulder, and bruises already darkening his skin.

“You really did almost die,” I mutter under my breath.

His eyes narrow slightly at that.

“Can you speak?” I ask while carefully pulling my medical kit from my bag.

He says nothing.

Just keeps staring at me with that sharp, guarded look that should probably scare me more than it does.

“Well, glaring at me won’t stop the bleeding,” I mumble.

I tear a strip of cloth before pressing it carefully against the wound on his side.

He hisses immediately.

“Sorry,” I whisper instinctively.

I work quickly, cleaning the wounds as best as I could with the limited supplies I had brought from the hospital.

A loud crunch of footsteps suddenly echoes from above us. Then i heard a voice

“Lily!”

It was Lionel.

A few seconds later, several guards appear down the narrow path leading toward the river, lanterns casting flickering light across the rocks.

Lionel reaches me first, his expression tightening the moment he sees the injured man beside me.

“What the hell happened?” he asks sharply.

“He’s injured,” I reply, blinking at him. “What does it look like?”

The stranger lets out another low growl the second the guards move closer.

Every single one of them freezes. One of the younger guards actually takes a step back.

“We need to get him back to the hospital,” I continue carefully. “He’s lost too much blood.”

Lionel studies the man for a moment before nodding once at the guards. “Lift him carefully.”

The second they touch him, a vicious snarl rips from his throat as he lashes out violently, nearly knocking one of the guards backward despite his injuries.

Another growl tears from his chest, rough and furious, and for one terrifying second, I genuinely think he might shift right there.

“Stop!” I yell at him. I ignore Lionel’s warning look and moved closer to the injured man.

“Hey,” I say softly. “Nobody’s trying to hurt you.”

His chest rises unevenly, breathing harsh and strained.

“We need to move you,” I continue carefully. “You’re going to die if we leave you here.”

When the guards carefully lifted him again, he didn’t attack this time.

He just kept staring at me.

The entire journey back to the hospital, I stayed beside him.

By the time we reached the hospital, the doctors were already waiting.

The second they tried touching him, he nearly lunged off the stretcher.

“Everybody back up,” I say quickly.

Nobody listens.

“He’s unstable,” one of the doctors argues.

“He’s terrified,” I snap back.

Another doctor reaches for him anyway.

Bad idea.

The stranger grabs the front of the man’s shirt so fast that several people scream.

“Okay!” I shout immediately. “Okay, stop!”

His breathing comes rough and uneven, his entire body tense like a trapped animal ready to rip through everyone around him.

Then his eyes find mine again.

And slowly, impossibly, he lets go.

One of the older nurses stares at me in disbelief. “How did you…”

“I don’t know.”