2: Biggest Mistake

“Where are you going?”

“You better hide if you don’t want to get involved,” the man only said and walked past me, but I caught his other arm.

“Hey, hey. You can’t just walk away like that.”

I looked at the direction where he came from and saw his hunter approaching. It’s a big black male wolf. Judging its unforgiving expression, I can say that he’s serious and really pissed.

“Is that big wolf bullying you?” I asked the man.

“You better run.”

The wolf growled but I didn’t mind him. I just stared at the handsome man, confused of what he told me to do.

“Are you talking to me or to yourself?”

“It’s not the time to play, little girl. You should go run and hide somewhere. Stay away from this. He’s a rogue. He might hurt you.”

“Not all rogues are bad, though.” I know because my mom used to be one, and even myself is a rogue. I had lived for sixteen years without a pack after all.

“He is not an ordinary rogue. He’s wild and preys on the weak,” he reasoned out.

The wolf growled again and I could sense his impatience. I glared at him. Grandpa said that I should not tolerate bullies, I should not let them intimidate me either.

“I don’t care if he’s wild and dangerous. Why are you telling me to run and hide? I can’t just leave someone in danger alone, especially someone who’s injured. Do you want my conscience to kill me?”

“Lady, you can’t handle him. I will take care of this. Go back to the city. Stop wandering around the mountains alone.”

“But…” I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t living in the city. “Tell me. How can you handle him? You seem to be strong, but I don’t think you can handle him in your state right now. You are just asking yourself to get killed.”

I heard a low growl from the wolf. I glanced at him and my eyes narrowed when I saw the mockery in his eyes. Looks like even him agrees on what I just said.

“You, black wolf, what are you doing in our lands? Bullying and fighting aren’t allowed here!”

“In your lands? What do you mean?” the man asked. “Perhaps, are you the granddaughter of Zarius?”

“Oh, you know Grandpa?”

Before he could respond, the wolf aggressively ran to our direction for an attack. The man was about to push me away but I didn’t let him. Instead, I was the one who slightly pushed him before I took a step forward and anticipated the wolf’s attack.

In a span of seconds, I was at the back of the wolf. He rolled and moved aggressively so that I would fall, but I moved fast and targeted every wolf’s weakest spot. The part at the side of our neck. I hit it hard, but not hard enough to kill him. Then after, I jumped back to the ground with a little playful stunt.

“Poor thing,” I muttered as I looked at the wolf lying on the ground, growling in pain. I bet he’d shift back to his human form anytime soon. “I’m sorry, Mr. Black Wolf, I didn’t mean to hit you so hard. I’m so sorry, I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

“How did you do that?”

I brought my gaze to the handsome man. “Huh?”

“You knocked him down in just a matter of seconds. For someone to hit a shape-shifter’s weakest point in just one hit so precisely, he must be very experienced and went through a lot of fights.”

“Do you mean that I did do good?” I smiled. “Well, I didn’t go through a lot of fights, but I went through many years of training. Grandpa is so harsh I need to train everyday or else I’d receive a good beating from him.”

“Why did he want to hurt you anyway? Don’t tell me you owe him something?” I looked at him with a shocked expression. “Or maybe you bullied him first?”

I eyed him head to foot. He didn’t look like a troublemaker. In fact, he looks decent, like someone who has been righteous all his life.

“I don’t think you have that kind of personality, though. But I am sure he didn’t attack you for no reason. I mean how can someone be so evil?”

He shook his head gently. “You have so much to learn in this world.”

“I didn’t get what you meant. Let’s get away here first. I can say that you would collapse anytime soon because of losing too much blood. You are a big man. I won’t be able to carry you,” I joked about the last part. There’s no doubt I can carry him even with my thin arms. Grandpa even let me carry a big trunk more than a thousand pounds, how could I not carry someone who weight just a couple of hundred?

I brought him to the house and helped him with his wound. He had lost so much blood he was falling weaker and then eventually passed out.

While he was lying on the wooden bed, I took the chance to stare at his face. There’s no doubt, he is a masterpiece of the Moon Goddess. His straight pointed noise looks so perfect above his thin lips. And his brows… they are curving at his eyes proportionately. His lashes are long and curving a little at the end. How can someone be so utterly beautiful?

I suddenly remembered what Grandpa said. I’m turning eighteen two years from now, which means I will be of legal age and already eligible for marriage. What if I make him my husband? I will ask him to stay here with me and visit his hometown every now and then?

Should I tell him that when he wakes up? But what if he won’t agree? Worse, what if he already has a wife waiting for him in the city? I hope he has not. He’s just the perfect husband for me. If he would agree, I can marry him anytime he wants!

Thankfully, Grandpa didn’t go home that night. He would surely beat me to death if he would see a stranger sleeping on my bed. Hmm… stranger. Calling my husband-to-be that way doesn’t sound right. Why did I forget to ask for his name before he passed out anyway?

I stood there, holding a basin of water stained with blood, and stared at him sleeping soundly.

Remembering that certain moment, I regretted it.

I regretted saving him. I regretted making the biggest mistake I made in my life.