Chapter 1: The Night She Chose To Fall

Sara was done with life.

She stood by the edge of the cliff, her heart pounding so hard, with only one thought in mind: to jump. It was the only thing that would save her from years of bullying.

"Goddess, forgive me." As soon as she said the words, she took a dive, waiting to plummet and hoping that it would be so quick that her brain would barely register the pain before dying. But she didn't fall. Instead, she found herself hanging, her legs dangling below the cliff and her hand being held roughly.

"Sara, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Killian said, dragging her out. She fought against him, trying to claw his skin so she could just die in peace. The Alpha's son was one of the people who always picked on her, and now he was trying to save her.

Talk about the irony.

"Fucking leave me alone, Killian. I hate you."

He shifted back immediately, eyes looking at her in bewilderment. "Sara!"

She said nothing. Why did he have to ruin this one thing for her?

"You could have gotten yourself killed," he said softly, kneeling on the grass beside her.

"That's the point," she deadpanned.

"You… Sara!"

Sara let out a bitter laugh, because if she didn't laugh, she was going to cry. "Why do you care?" she spat at him, unable to keep the disdain away from her tone. "Why do you fucking care?"

"What do you mean why do I care?" he asked with indignation. "Sara?"

"Fuck you!" she spat, struggling to stand up. When she finally did, she slammed her hands hard into his chest.

Killian, of course, didn't budge. He was unaffected by her hitting him.

"What do you think you are now, huh?" she asked, laughing and sniffling. "A fucking savior? I don't need saving!"

"Sara…"

"Why wouldn't you just let me die? It's the very fucking least you could do for me!" she screamed. "Why do you snobbish assholes have to just ruin every goddamn good thing I have going on for myself? I could have forgotten about every single thing by now."

"Death isn't the solution."

"Oh? It isn't? And living is? Living off of your parents and not having anything of my own? Being a slave and being bullied by you and your asshole friends? Is that why you saved me? So you guys could have more laughs? Because you guys won't have anyone else to torment?"

"You're hurting… and I understand that," he said calmly.

"No, you don't understand. You don't fucking understand, Killian! I lost my fucking parents and I lost you—my fucking best friend who turned around because I wasn't rich enough. Or good enough!"

Goddess, she hated him so much. It would have hurt less if they had just stopped talking, but then he became friends with prudes and turned to joining them against her.

Sara stormed away from him angrily towards the edge of the cliff, but she didn't get very far. Killian pulled her back, holding her towards his chest. She screamed and thrashed against him, but he was like a brick. Killian simply threw her over his shoulder and began walking towards the pack house.

They got to her room eventually—Killian had passed the side entrance. Sara wasn't sure if it was for privacy or because he was ashamed of being seen with her. He kicked the door open and set her down gently on the tiny bed.

"Go away," she whispered harshly.

"Why?" He cocked his head. "So you can attempt to kill yourself again?"

"Fucking hell," she sniffled, wiping her face with her muddy hands.

Killian walked into the adjoining bathroom and came out with a basin of water and a washcloth. Sara watched him as he wiped her hands, feet, and the exposed parts of her body. She was too weak and tired to even argue with him anymore.

When he was done, he got fresh water and a washcloth and knelt in front of her. She tried to flinch away when he reached for her face, but he caught her chin gently.

His touch was so soft it hurt. It was the Killian she remembered from ten years ago.

"Why are you doing this?" she finally asked, her voice breaking. "You hate me. You've spent years making sure I know that."

"I don't hate you, Sara."

He was done wiping her face now, so he walked away to the bathroom and emptied the water. Killian pulled out the chair next to her bed and sat close to her, just staring at her face.

"Really making sure I don't kill myself, huh?" she chuckled dryly.

He said nothing but just continued staring back at her. Sara reached out slowly, her hands grazing his jawline gently. Killian stiffened but didn't say anything. She found herself leaning in, her lips touching his softly.

His lips captured hers almost roughly and possessively, his hands moving to her hair. It was perfect—until he broke it.

"Sara," he exhaled with a shaky breath.

"What?" she asked.

"You're not in your right mind… I'm not taking advantage of you."

"Advantage?" It was a funny thing to say to her.

"Yeah."

"Please," she begged. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but her mind really needed a distraction. She wanted to at least feel wanted, especially by someone she'd always liked.

"No… Sara—"

"I get it," she said coldly, standing up and moving away from him. She squeezed her hair hard. "I'm too disgusting for you to touch. Too—"

"Fuck no, Sara," he rushed to meet her where she was standing. "Don't say that. You have no idea how much I…" He bit the remaining words back, blowing air through his mouth roughly. "Fuck!" He growled, hitting the wall nearby.

His hands grabbed her waist suddenly, and before she could blink, she was pinned to the bed with one of his strong hands while the other explored her body. His lips kissed every inch of her as their clothes were abandoned somewhere on the floor. It was painful at first, but somewhere along the line, the pain faded into pleasure. Nothing had ever felt so good.

When Sara woke up, the sun was spilling harshly into the room. She reached out her hand to the other side of the bed, expecting to feel the warmth of his skin, but her bed felt… cold. Killian was gone.