Late At Night

It felt like it was the end for me, and I mentally prepared myself for the pain. I closed my eyes, and I was ready. If this was how the Moon goddess wanted it to go for me, then what could I do? 

Then a grunt caused me to open my eyes. I saw that someone had jumped the guy who had been trying to hurt me. At first, I did not know who it was. And for some reason, I felt like I had been glued to the pavement of the sidewalk. 

I just lay there, watching in horror. 

The mysterious guy who had a hoodie on as well grabbed the one who wanted to hurt me and lifted him in the air easily before slamming him to the ground in anger. It did not stop there; a few hard punches and kicks followed until the guy was now unconscious. 

Breathing deeply, my savior turned to me, and I saw his face. He removed his hoodie as well, and my jaw dropped. “It’s you,” I said as I stared at him. It was the same warrior guy who had saved me the first time. How had he found me? And why did he keep appearing at times when I needed help? 

“Come on,” He said, taking off his hoodie and handing it to me. “Wear this and let’s leave.” 

He helped me to my feet, and I did as he said. I wore his hoodie, and his cologne filled my nostrils. It was a pleasant smell, and very distinct. It was not something that I had smelled before. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking at me with worry and concern. He then scanned me with his eyes before looking back at my eyes. “Did he hurt you?” 

I shook my head. I did not know what I was feeling, but I liked it. I had been in prison for years, and no one came to save me when I really wanted that. At one point, I had learned to accept that no one would ever come to save me, and that I had to save myself. 

But since I was released, this was the second time that this guy had saved me. 

“Who are you?” I could not help but ask. 

“I told you,” He said with a smile, his worry now fading. “I’m a warrior.” 

“I don’t even know your name.” 

He cleared his throat gently and nodded. “That’s right. And I’m sorry about that.” He gestured for us to start walking, and I followed him. “My name is Nathaniel,” He said. “Are you happy now?” He lifted his brows, and I could not help but chuckle. 

His presence was so comforting yet powerful. I felt safe with him. I felt like I did not have to worry about anything. But I still did not let my guard down entirely. Knowing his name did not mean that I knew him. “What kind of warrior are you?” 

“I fight for the pack. But right now, there are no wars or battles, so I just train with my colleagues.” 

“Oh,” I said in response. “How did you know that I was out here? And what are you even doing out here as well?” 

He glanced at me for a second before looking forward. I had no idea where we were going but followed him, nevertheless. “I actually didn’t know you were out here, believe me.” He chuckled. “I came for my nightly run.” 

I ran my eyes over him, and surely he looked like he had come from a run. I went quiet for a few seconds as a few things started to go through my head. I had a feeling that maybe he was still working with Leon to make sure that I kept my mouth shut. Because why was someone being nice to me? 

Everyone hated me. The entire pack wanted me dead. So why was this guy helping me? Why did he seem to care about me? 

“Can I ask you a question?” I said, coming to a stop by a cement bench. He sat down, and I did too. The streets were quiet, except for a few passing cars. It was almost midnight, I believe. He nodded, keeping his attention on me. “Why are you doing all of this? Why do I matter to you?” 

“Are you seriously asking me that?” He replied in a soft voice. “You deserve kindness too, Cassie.” 

“Do you not know about me?” I needed to bring this up, or I was going to keep overthinking. “Have you not heard about what I did? I’m a traitor, Nathaniel.” 

A look crossed his face for a second before he thinned his lips. He did not reply immediately. After a few beats, he finally spoke, “You exposed sensitive battle plans to our opposition, causing so many to lose their lives. And we also lost a battle that cost us a lot of territory to rogue werewolves.” 

I looked away, ashamed. Not because it was true, but because this was how everyone viewed me…and possibly how this guy was going to view me. “Yep.” I popped the p in the word. I could feel my face getting hot from shame. “That’s me.” 

Silence fell between us for about five seconds before he spoke, “Why did you do it?” 

I looked up at him and shrugged. “I didn’t mean it, I guess.” 

He furrowed his brows as he stared at me. “Cassie, I know that you just started knowing me. But I want to get to know you. Not the way the pack knows you. Not as a traitor. I want to genuinely get to know you.” He gave me a small smile. 

I was taken aback. “Why?” I scoffed as if he had just told a joke that did not make sense. “Are you that desperate?” I hooked some of my hair behind my ears. “I am trouble, Nathaniel. If you’re caught hanging out with me, you could lose your rank in the pack. And your reputation will take a heavy hit.” 

He did not take his eyes off me; he kept looking at me, and I could feel my heart doing backflips for some reason. Not because I liked him, but because I had not had someone look at me like this in so long. “Does it look like I care about what people think?” He smirked.