"Should I kill him now?" one voice asked.
"No," another replied with a cruel laugh. "That wouldn't be fun. There's a cliff nearby… let him die the hard way."
"You're right."
Kane was already on the ground, barely conscious, too weak to fight. Two of them grabbed him—one by each arm. Without hesitation, they dragged him to the cliff's edge and hurled him over.
"I doubt his human body will survive that fall," one of them muttered. "Slow healing, weak bones… he's finished."
The drop was endless—nothing below but mist and silence.
"He's dead already."
But he wasn't.
He hit water, not stone. A wide, violent river swallowed him whole. The impact rattled his bones, his wounds screamed, and the freezing current dragged him deeper.
"Too much blood… I'm losing consciousness… no…" he whispered.
Darkness swallowed him.
The river carried his limp body far from the werewolf lands, sweeping him away from everything he had ever known.
Hours passed.
Eventually, the current slowed as it passed through a quiet city. The river here ran through land owned by an old man named Kenny.
His granddaughter, Maria, lived with him.
It was 6 p.m. Maria—just twenty—wasn't allowed outside without permission. But tonight, the air was warm, and the sky was soft with fading light. She stepped out quietly, craving a moment of freedom.
That's when she saw him.
A man—floating near the bank, bloodied and barely alive.
Her breath caught. "Help!" she called out instinctively—then remembered her grandfather was sleeping.
The river here was shallow and calm, more a deep stream than a torrent. Without hesitation, Maria hiked up her dress and slipped off her slippers.
She was striking—black hair cascading down a gentle face, her slim figure graceful but grounded. There was no time to think. She stepped into the water and pulled the man—Kane—toward her, dragging him out and onto the grassy shore.
His body was covered in gashes. Blood soaked his shirt, staining the earth.
"Who is this…? What happened to him? Did an animal do this?" she whispered, heart racing.
Later, she sat beside him on the bed in the small guest room, biting her lip in thought.
"Should I tell Grandpa?" she murmured. "No… he wouldn't let a stranger stay here."
Kane stirred.
His eyes opened slowly, blinking against the dim light. The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
"Where… where am I?" he asked, voice rough. "What is this place?"
Maria jumped to her feet, startled. "Oh! You're awake."
She stepped back slightly, hands behind her.
"I saw you in the river—I couldn't just leave you there," she said softly. "I brought you here."
Her voice was quiet, uncertain. She wasn't used to talking to men.
But something about the man in front of her made it impossible to walk away.
Even if it meant hiding him from the only family she had left.