~ Chapter One - Part 1 ~

It had been nine years since her parents had died. Evelyn and Ryan had done their best to raise her and help her through the trauma of losing them. They became second parents to her, but they started getting busier with the pack over time. The more active they got with the pack business, the more time she spent in the forest.

Katalina was walking through the forest, taking everything in with astonished eyes. Her love for the forest had never died, even after that horrifying day. She felt as if she were closer to her parents when she was in the woods. She lightly traced her fingers over the charms on her bracelet. She had made them herself and had put a small number of her parents' ashes in each one. That way, they were always with her.

Katalina was petting an adorable fox when it suddenly grew skittish and ran away. She frowned as she looked around. It only took her a minute to find the hellhounds that had scared off the fox. She took a few steps backward and stared at the hounds with wide, frightened eyes. Hellhounds had never been seen in the area before. They couldn't even leave the underworld unless someone had summoned them.

Katalina's frown deepened when the hounds started stalking toward her as if she were the one they were after. She quickly spun around and started running as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the hellhounds were slightly faster than her as they easily caught up to her. Katalina let out a loud cry of pain and terror as one of them got their razor-sharp teeth into her calf. She fell to the ground and tried to crawl away as the hounds stalked closer to her.

Katalina threw her arms up to try and protect her face when she heard something hit the ground in front of her. She looked up and saw a tall man standing with his back toward her. Katalina watched in amazement as he moved faster than the hounds. Within minutes he had killed all five of the hellhounds that had been after her.

Katalina lay curled at the base of a tree as the man turned to her with a reassuring smile. "Hey, little one," he said in a gentle tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Katalina studied him for a minute before whispering. "Who are you?"

He flashed her a bright grin. "My name is Jacques," he said softly. "What's your name, little one?"

She gave him a small, tentative smile. "I'm Katalina," she said quietly.

Jacques grinned as he knelt in front of her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, little Katalina," he inhaled deeply and frowned. "Were you hurt, little Katalina?" He asked as he looked her over.

Katalina slightly moved the calf that had been bitten and nodded with a frown. "Yeah. One of them got my calf," she said quietly.

Jacques gently took her leg in his hand and looked at her calf. It was a deep bite that wouldn't heal on its own. He could smell that the young girl in front of him didn't have a wolf. "Are you feeling tired at all?" He questioned as he glanced up at her.

Katalina nodded as she exhaled harshly. "I am getting sleepy," she said in an exhausted voice.

Jacques was enjoying the calm of the forest when he heard it. Footsteps rushed towards the tree that he was lounging in. He frowned as he looked towards Orthrus and gave him a slight nod toward the thicker part of the forest, telling him to hide. Orthrus backed into the woods as Jacques stood in the tree and looked toward the sound.

Jacques's frown deepened when he saw a young-looking girl running toward him. His forehead creased in confusion when he found five hellhounds on her heels.

One lunged forward and took a bite out of her calf, sending her to the ground screaming in agony and terror. Jacques watched as she tried to scramble backward to get away from the hounds. Finally, as Katalina threw her arms up to try and protect herself, he couldn't take anymore. He swiftly jumped from the tree and landed protectively in front of her.

Jacques watched as the hounds hesitated for a few seconds before running straight toward him. He scoffed and smirked as he went on the offensive and quickly sent all five hounds back to the underworld.

Once Jacques was sure they were safe, he turned toward the young girl. Katalina was frightened and huddled into the tree trunk as he knelt in front of her. Jacques reassured her that she was safe and that no one would hurt her while he was there. Jacques knew that she was bleeding, but he had to comfort her and gain her trust before he could do anything to help her. Jacques knew he had gained her confidence the second she gave him a small, tentative smile before fainting from blood loss.

Jacques swore quietly as he gently picked her up. He let out a low whistle and chuckled when he heard Orthrus coming toward him. Jacques gently rubbed the two-headed dog's ears as he held Katalina in his other arm.

"This is Katalina, Orthrus," he said as they started walking toward their house deep in the mountains close to the forest. "From now on, we are going to make sure that she stays safe," he said as they made it to their house in no time.

Jacques went inside while Orthrus went around the house to the bit of woods next to the house. He went to a guest room and laid Katalina on the bed. Jacques quickly grabbed a wet towel and wiped the blood from her leg so that he could see how bad the damage was. He grimaced as he carefully moved her leg around to get a better view of the bite.

The bite was terrible, but he didn't want to give her his blood without her consent. He wasn't sure if she would be okay with it or not. He knew that she was old enough to choose for herself. He blew out a rough breath as he gently shook her awake. "Little Katalina," he said softly. "I need you to wake up."

Katalina moaned as she lifted an arm to rub her eyes. She groaned as she sat up slightly. "Where am I?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Jacques held his hands up to show that he meant no harm. "You're at my house. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe here."

Katalina nodded as she gave him a small smile. "Thank you for saving me," she said softly.

Jacques grinned as he sat on the bed next to her. "There's no need to thank me, little one."

Katalina moaned in pain as she moved her injured leg. "How bad is it?" She asked as she looked down at it.

Jacques sighed. "It's pretty bad, but I have a way to heal it instantly. If it's alright with you," he said gently.

Katalina bit her lip. "How would you heal it?" She asked after a minute.

"Since I'm a vampire, I can heal anyone with my blood," Jacques explained as he folded his arms over his chest.

"I have to drink your blood?" Katalina asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Jacques nodded. "Yes, but if you drink my blood to heal your leg, then I will always be able to know exactly where you are," he explained as he studied her.

Katalina bit her lip as she looked at her bloody leg. "You saved me," she whispered to herself. Then, she looked up at him. "Will it taste bad?" She asked softly.

Jacques shook his head. "I could mix it with something to make it taste sweet," he said gently.

Katalina smiled brightly. "I love sweet things," she said happily.

Jacques chuckled as he stood up. "Alright. Give me just a minute," he rushed to his kitchen and quickly made a sweet drink. Once it was ready, he cut his wrist and let a decent amount of his blood drip into the glass. When he was sure there was enough blood to heal her fully, he let the cut seal itself as he mixed her drink. He returned to the guest room and handed her the glass as he stood by the bed. "Here you are, little Katalina. You have to drink all of it," he said softly.