Chapter 3: Mate!

Lyra's POV

I screamed loudly, so intensely that even I was almost deafened by the pitch, and I broke out into a run, not bothering to look back. I could feel the ground shaking beneath me from the paws of the wolf chasing me, and I could also feel its hot breath near me each time. I increased my speed with every passing moment, my legs burning, and my lungs almost giving out on me. I swung on a tree branch and propelled myself forward.

The wolf I saw was reaching up to catch me, and then I jumped forward to give myself a lot of distance between the wolf and myself until I landed on the ground. The night air whipped through my skin, biting me and sending shivers all through my body.

As I kept running, I stumbled over a rock, rolling downhill. Just when I thought maybe that’s what helped me escape or even give me a head start, I heard the sound of a growl. When I looked up, the rogue was about to place its paws on me. Just when I had given up on life and started to accept that maybe it was better I die, after all, my life had been nothing but misery, there was the sound of bones snapping and breaking, and then I heard something being thrown in the wind, falling into a dark abyss. My eyes were still closed, anticipating an attack, but after a while, there was none.

I opened my eyes and saw a silver-colored wolf standing at the edge of where I was lying down. The wolf assessed me and cocked its head at me. Then, before I could blink again, it disappeared completely.

I stood up slowly, my body sore and aching from the fall. I looked around me, wondering what had just happened. That wolf had come out of nowhere to save me. I said a prayer to the Moon Goddess to thank her for sparing my life, while wondering who it was. I was on the outskirts of unbound lands, filled with rogues. It was a jagged terrain where the people lived freely and however they wanted. They were not bound to the law of the high council of elders that generally governed the seven major packs and kept them in check.

I knew the unbound people had an alpha, but that was more for formality's sake and to allocate resources to each division. The alpha was not liable if anyone killed an outsider, even if it was an alpha of another pack. No one cared if anyone died. The rogues who had been abandoned by their pack and had come here were free to kill and attack, so why had that wolf saved me?

I walked toward where the wolf had been standing. Its footprints were buried deeply into the soil and were so large and huge. I looked around and saw a tuft of silver hair that had probably fallen from it. I picked it up and pocketed it in my now tattered maid uniform. I had lost everything now, nothing on me, nothing to eat, not even proper clothes. But I had to keep pushing. I did not know where to go, so I wandered around in this area that was filled with different rocks and a muddy area.

It looked relatively deserted, and because I had never left my pack, I had no idea where I was to go in order to see the civilization of the unbound people.

I began to hear the sound of water pouring downhill, so I walked toward the source and I saw one. There was a cave there. Out of curiosity, I walked further and peered inside it, trying to scout to see if it was safe. It seemed safe enough. And so I broke off some dry twigs nearby and got two large stones, striking them together until I was able to light a fire at the entrance of the cave to prevent any form of wild animals. I stepped into the cave and lay by the warm fire close to the entrance. And before I knew it, I drifted off into sleep, quite exhausted.

Morning came faster than I had expected it to. The golden sunlight pouring through the cave's entrance. The fire had long died out, and the smoke filled the air. I coughed, trying to sit up. My body ached, and I felt so dirty. I wanted to take a wash in the stream, but with no clothes and no luggage, I had no idea what I could do. There was no house in sight around this area, so there was not even a place to ask for help. I wondered if I should just go out, gather some raffia leaves, and weave them into something wearable for myself before I was able to come to somewhere that looked like a civilization.

With a small yawn, I stood up with my tattered clothes. I still felt the heat of the silver tuft I had kept in my dress pocket yesterday. I walked out of the cave and stood at the entrance, looking beyond at the stream. Then, there was a man standing in the water. His hair seemed to be waist-long, and it was silver, glistening. He waded out of the water and stood. The only thing he had on was a loincloth. He walked towards me and stared at me with an intensity that burned me.

I gasped as he moved closer to me. I could feel heat emanating from his body, which was ripped and muscular. I could not even tell who was more handsome between him and Alpha Kade. Instinctively, my hands reached into the pockets of my dress, and I pulled out a silver tuft of hair that I had taken from the wolf. I just had a gut feeling it was him.

He held my hand that had the silver tuft. His hands caressed the silver crescent-moon birthmark on my wrist, and slowly, I felt a bond snap into place between us.

“Mate,” my wolf said hungrily.