The silver haired stranger

Elora’s POV

The sheets covering my body did little to stop the chill that seeped into my bones. My head pounded like I’d been hit by a rock, and my limbs felt heavy.

I struggled to part my eyelids, but they wouldn’t budge. The smell of the room was strange. No matter how hard I sniffed, I couldn’t recognize it.

Where was I?

It was raining outside, I could hear the sounds of soft raindrops.

Fear shot through my bones, causing my eyes to open widely. Rain never came during this part of the year. How far away from home was I?

My fingers brushed the soft fabric of the bed beneath me. It wasn’t familiar. Nothing here was.

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my side, forcing me to lie back down.

It all came rushing back.

The attack. The wolves. The pain.

My hand flew to my side, expecting to feel open wounds, but instead, there was nothing but smooth skin.

What happened?

Amidst my confusion, the door creaked open.

Frightened, I pressed my back against the headboard and I looked up at the intruder.

The last thing I had remembered seeing was a silver wolf leading me up to meet the goddess. But this definitely wasn’t heaven.

“Don’t be scared. I don’t bite.” There was nothing calming about the man’s voice or his stance.

He was tall, far taller than the door. I watched him bend slightly to enter the room, and it was only when he walked in that I could make out his features.

His pure white hair, wet and shiny, fell past his shoulders. On his body was a loose shirt that clung to his muscular frame, water dripping from the tips of his hair onto his broad shoulders.

He looked like he belonged to the heavens with amber eyes that lit up his face. He was handsome, far more than I wanted to admit.

“You’re awake.” His deep voice broke the silence, startling me.

I didn’t respond. Couldn’t.

“Kiara feared you’ll be dead. Your injuries were very severe. She said your wolf is a strong one. Saw you through.” He ran his eyes over my entire body, assessing my injuries.

“I’ve seen people in worse shape than you were in. Often times, they die.”

Was he scrutinizing me?

He frowned, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I’m not the most cultured man, I accept. Perhaps you have heard of me.” He tucked his hands into his pockets, and I found myself cocking a brow.

Arrogant much?

“But from the little I know, I believe this is the time you thank me for not allowing you bleed to death in the middle of nowhere.”

At that moment, my eyes widened.

He was the silver wolf?!

That explained the hair.

Still, I didn’t flinch. I simply stared into his eyes, waiting for the moment he will realize it.

Realize that I was mute, handicapped, nobody.

Would he toss me out after that? Would he drag me down to my knees and make me a slave?

If he was a bandit who realized I wasn’t worth being sold, worse fate awaited me than the wolves who had tried to kill me.

But the amber eyed stranger did not look like a bandit. Cruelty rested in his eyes, yes. Still, there something noble about it.

Who was he? And why did he…why did he save me?

“Are you being a rude ingrate, or can’t you speak? If it’s the former, you must know I have no tolerance for…”

He paused. His hands fell from his pockets as he lowered himself, resting his body’s weight on his knees so that he could look closely at me. I swallowed hard.

My hands were trembling so badly I had to grip the sheets to stop them.

“You can’t speak, can you?”

I shook my head, a sign for no.

He threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, rich sound, but it made my stomach twist.

I dug my teeth into my lower lip. Why did it surprise me that he was laughing at me? Even my own father had laughed to my face when he realized I was mute. How much more a stranger?

His amusement only seemed to grow as he looked back at me.

“This has to be a joke,” he said, more to himself than to me. “I’ve waited years for the promised silver wolf that would be mated to me, be by side and help me take everything the ingrates of the North took from me. Now she’s here, and she can’t speak?”

Mate?

My heart skipped a beat. He had to be mistaken.

Sierra?

I tried to contact my wolf, but she didn’t respond. The fight must have taken a lot from her.

He let out a bitter laugh again, and I frowned this time around. For the first time in a long time, I felt the sting of my shattered pride.

“Stop,” I signed, my movements sharp.

He tilted his head, his amusement fading slightly. “What was that?”

He didn’t understand sign language.

I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

His silver eyes softened slightly, a curious smile playing on his lips. “Feisty, aren’t you?” He stepped closer, the air around him commanding and overwhelming.

He stepped closer, and something in me screamed to run—but my limbs refused to obey.

His scent filled my lungs: earth, rain and blood.

My instincts battled each other. One, conquered by my wolf’s dangerous desire, begged me to crawl into him. The other begged me to flee until my feet bled, even if it cost me my life.

Yet, I could only stare at him.

He was beautiful in the way wildfires were. Gorgeous and meant to destroy everything in his path.

“Well, it seems I’ll have to be the one doing the talking now.” He rose to his feet.

“That’s splendid. I’ve always dreamt of a woman who can shut the fuck up.”

I wanted to lunge at him, reach for his neck and twist it with the last of my strength, even it’ll kill me, but I remained still.

“My name is Ryker Veylard,” he continued.

The last name rang a bell in my head, but I couldn’t place my hands on it.

“And you’re my mate.”

White hair, golden eyes…

It dawned on me.

The name was seared into my childhood, cursed through gritted teeth by warriors returning from blood-soaked borders. My people whispered it like a hex.

Veylard! The wolves of the south, and our sworn enemies. Scavengers, evil rogues with no regard for life, love, or anything for that matter!

“They eat the dead,” one old guard used to say. “They burn babies and steal daughters.”

And now… I was mated to one?

My father had waged war against them and won.

What would happen to me now? Would he parade me through the South like a trophy, the daughter of his enemy shackled at his side?

Would he force me to bear his children? Had he dragged me here to disgrace my father? I was the weaker Valewind daughter, an easy target.

No… no, this can’t be right. The goddess wouldn’t do this to me. She wouldn’t bind me to a monster.